Chapter 4: Her arrival

I woke up to the sound of chattering, frantic movement and the sound of pots and pans hitting each other, downstairs,in the kitchen. I rubbed the sleep off my eyes, confused because there was no mention of any special event coming up. I quickly dressed up and made my way down to the kitchen where I found my fellow house workers frantically moving here and there.

"What's wrong, what is the noise about?" I asked a worker beside me named Teagan. She was this buoyant Omega.

"It's Selena, the daughter of Alpha Maximus," Teagan whispered low, her voice inaudible. "Any moment, she will show up and, man-this whole house is one complete mess; she's decided to finally come stay with us-the mateship process can commence.

I could feel my heart break into a million pieces. Teagan's response was like a stab to my heart. I felt my legs weaken, so I sat for a while to check my emotions. I shook my head, feeling so stupid that I thought Alpha Cassius could one day care for and completely accept me as his mate. But with Selene's arrival on the way, I fully realized and understood that I was merely a plaything for Alpha Cassius, to be discarded once his real Luna came around. "....he will never really accept you as his mate", I shook my head again, trying to get rid of the awful thoughts coming to my head. I carried out my assigned chores, but as time passed my face and heart remained sad. I just couldn't digest the fact that Alpha Cassius would actually throw me away for another, who wasn't his true mate. My mind kept on going back to the nights we spent together, his touch, and how he made me feel wanted and loved, it was all fake and I realized that now.

The kitchen was abuzz with activity as we all prepared for the coming of our future Luna. "Future Luna", I thought bitterly. A title meant for me would be given to another. My feelings were everywhere as I completed my tasks. I could not help but think of the type of person Selene would be: tender and understanding or emotionless and hard? A silly part of me hoped that she would be cold and hard, so that Alpha Cassius could come to me for comfort and maybe,I could strengthen the bond between us that way but the whole thought was laughable. As the day wore on, the tension in the house mounted. It was thick with anticipation in the air, but for me, it was akin to drowning in despair. I knew I was just a lowly houseworker, but somehow, I could not help feeling I had been trapped in the midst of something much bigger than my capabilities could handle.

And then finally, after what felt like a decade, Selene arrived, and I was chosen to be one of the workers who would serve Selene and her guests.

It was like the fates were playing some kind of joke on me. The arranged mate would be served by the real mate, and it was bad enough I wasn't going to be openly accepted, but worse that I would see her, touching and laughing with my mate while I stood serving them. I forced my mind onto the task I had been given. As I was approaching the table with a tray of food and drinks, my feet caught the hem of my dress, and in a split second, I lost my balance and fell; the tray slipped from my hand, and its contents spilled all over the floor, some of it landing on Selene's dress and cheek. Infuriated, Selene sprang up as if propelled by a coiled spring, her eyes shooting out sparks, steam practically bursting out of her ears. "You careless omega!" she hissed and slapped me across the face.

I was shocked, held my cheek, and looked at Alpha Cassius, expecting him to reprimand Selene or at least say something, but he did nothing, just clenched his jaw and remained silent. I felt disgusted and hurt; I thought Alpha Cassius cared for me a little, but it dawned on me that he never cared about me.

I received another slap across the face, from Selene, who told me I should apologize.

I turned to Alpha Cassius again, who by now avoided my eyes, knowing within me he wasn't going to defend me. I bowed my head and apologized, then proceeded to clean up the mess I had made. I felt like a slave begging for mercy as I went onto my hands and knees, scrubbing the stain off the floor. Depressed and utterly humiliated, I retired to my room as the day wore out.

I waited for the night, as was usually the case, for Alpha Cassius to show up, but there was no sign of him. I had looked out the door several times, checking to see if he would come, but there was no sign of him. I tried making up excuses for him why he couldn't come, but deep inside, I knew he didn't want to risk being seen with me now that his Luna was here. I cried my heart to sleep, literally breaking into a million pieces. As I slept, drifting off, I couldn't help but think of other things that fate had in store for me. Would I be stuck in this loveless relationship forever? Or would I find a way out of this mess to start over? Only fate knew that. The next day, I woke up feeling worse.

I went through getting dressed and into the kitchen, just like I normally did every morning, feeling like a shadow of my former self, the shadow of a happy girl I was during her childhood.

While working, I couldn't take my eyes off Selene, who sat in the dining room with a cup of tea in her hand. She was strikingly beautiful: long, straight blonde hair and brown eyes that caught your attention. She was a real Luna, proud and confident. I couldn't help but feel jealous as I gazed at Selene. Why can't I be the one loved and accepted by Alpha Cassius? Why did I always have to be the cast away, the one who was always thrown away like trash?

My heart shattered with every motion throughout the day, just as if I was living inside a nightmare that didn't have an end. I wondered if there would ever be a time when happiness would actually be mine to enjoy or if I had been fated to live my entire life in misery. The sun now begun to set, and so I went to my room, my heart heavy and my chest tight, feeling worn out; I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow.