Chapter 7: A Hearty Breakfast

“I’ve never said I’ll never see you again,” I imitated the same grin she plastered on her face. “I only said ‘I hope there is still something to see in you the next time we see again’.”

            “Bitch,” she spat.

            “I know,” I squared my shoulders and lifted a lazy smile. “At least I’m not a conniving brat.”

            A slap was on its way on my face but my left hand is faster than a shooting star. “How’s your pussy? I heard Alpha Cain assaulted his way through inside you that everyone thought your own pussy will be your cause of death.”

            Juliet pulled her hand from my grip. It was the most satisfying scene to witness. And her face is a perfect portrait of a cat who failed to intimidate the rat during supper.

            “I see you’ve grown some claws now, Anastasia.” She inclined her head to me. “How’s little sister? Is she still tending to her little tiny weensy garden?”

            My lips curled inward. “You can mock all you want, Juliet. At least it wasn’t me who sold my brother and found my father’s head in the iron gates.”

            Juliet sneered, her teeth gritting that I can see her fangs all the way here. “You’ve always been a stupid piece of shit, Anastasia. I doubt even Alpha Cain will want you.”

            “Am I though?” I simply shrugged and brushed an invisible dust on my sleeve. “For all I know I’m not the one who lied in front of a mind-reading Alpha and sold out her brother just so she can have a nice, cheap apartment.”

            “At least I have an apartment.” She pretended to look at her nails. Her nails, clean and manicured. No sign of heavy labor.

            I narrowed my eyes on her. “So the gossips are true.”

            Her brows lifted in a challenge. “You can listen to all the gossip and rumors here in the Blood Dawn Pack. But one thing is clear: I will be the one who will wear the Luna’s Crown.”

            I scoffed, my expressions refusing to yield to this arrogant bitch. “We’ll see then. For the meantime, try to learn how to cook, do laundry and clean.” I wrinkled my nose at her. “Also, why don’t you learn how to clean your pussy after having sex? It smells all the way here, you know. And it spoils the lavender-scented air.”

            She stomped her foot, anger now turning her cheeks to flaming red. “You’ve always been jealous.”

            Then she walked away.

            “Yeah,” I muttered under my breath. “And you’re always the self-entitled bitch who thinks that everybody is jealous of you!”

            The curling of her fists on her side is the only indication that she heard my beautiful compliment to her foul attitude.

            “Good.” A smile bloomed across my lips. And I swear that, despite Alpha Cain’s attention wasn’t wholly on me, his glimpse to where I am walking now is enough to tell me he paid attention no matter how small.

            And maybe it was also in my imagination but I saw him in the corner of my eye, the amusement also shone in his face.

***

Kitchen work might have been worse than hauling gravels and shoving cement and stacking bricks.

Cooking and kitchen work might rival building bridges in making every muscle in my body sore.

            Preparing breakfast has never been easy, especially when you’re cooking for more than a thousand wolves. I don’t care where Juliet is assigned, or if she was ever assigned at all.

            The dining hall is just next to the kitchen. Two doorless passage on either side serves as to where food came out and served its way to the very, very long lining tables with several rows. The kitchen is just a quarter to what the dining hall is.

            The City Above’s wealth can thoroughly be seen in the marble pillars and shimmering ceiling full of flowing watercolor painting depicting Alpha Cain’s victory across the four packs he conquered.

            Everything inside is bathed in white and gold, a perfect contrast. The dining hall is its own castle of elegance. The gurgling of the fountain stood in the middle, adorned with various flowers and plants. Its sparkling water, however, did not drown any conversation. The sunlight leaking through floor-to-ceiling windows, a sea of golden light bathing every inch of the hall. Except for the kitchen of course, where no one can tell the difference if we are still in The City Under.

Thankfully, I managed to survive my first task of delivering breakfast. I was on the verge of grabbing my own bowl of vegetable stew, the only breakfast all Omegas should have. I was on the verge of sitting with my fellow former Iron Wood Pack Omegas  when Alpha Cain appeared on the door. 

We didn't hear him enter or walk towards us. He just popped up in there, like some ghost or wraith who loves to surprise anyone.

I immediately dropped to my knees. We immediately dropped to our knees. Beta Audrey, the middle-aged Beta in charge of the kitchen and food and everything in between, almost kissed the floor with her overreacting kneeling form of greeting.

“Where's the one who volunteers to be the Alpha's Pet?”

All eyes instantly shot to me.

“Come.” He just gestured for me to follow, not even bothering to extend a hand.

I squeaked and dropped my bowl of vegetable stew, leaving it unattended on the table. My fellow Omegas didn't even raise their head when they rose from their knees. I strode after him without so much as a wince or mumble.

So many foods, piping hot and wafting those enticing spices greeted my senses.

            “Sit,” he commanded. My face paled when he pointed to where I'll be sitting—in between Alpha Cain and Viviane.

And across is the motherfucking person whose face I hope to last see in this world: Juliet.

***

The air around us was tense, but it remained so warm that I could feel the sweat on my brows.

When we were all seated, Alpha Cain rose again, stalking around the table —closer and closer, each movement smooth and lethal. A predator blooded with power. 

It was an effort to keep still—especially as he picked up a dish, the dish where I'm one of the staff who prepared, brought it over to me and piled some meat and sauce on my plate. Meat and sauce, it had been forever since my tongue knew what it tastes like to eat them without being smacked in the head by Beta Audrey or any other peering Beta.

I said quietly, “I can serve myself, Alpha.” Anything, anything to keep him well away from me. Is this one of his games or is this part of my job orientation as a candidate for Alpha’s Wild Pet?

Alpha Cain paused, so close that one swipe of his claws lurking under his skin could rip my throat out.

“It’s an honor for an Omega, an Alpha's Pet candidate, to be served by the Alpha himself,” a man, perhaps in his thirties, his toned body and muscled shoulders, said roughly.

I swallowed hard. He continued piling various foods on my plate, stopping only when it was heaping with meat and sauce and bread, and then filled my glass with pale sparkling wine. I loosened a breath as he prowled back to his seat. He could probably hear my heart’s loud throbbing that I prayed to the Moon Goddess to return to its normal pace.

I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in the plate and then eat my way down the table, but I pinned my hands beneath my thighs and stared at all those gathered in the Alpha's table.

Viviane's face is blank beside me but she secretly squeezed my knee under the table as if to say, “It's alright. You can panic.”

Wait. I'm panicking? Since when is the last time I've been in a panic mode—

One male on Juliet's right coughed. They're watching me, too closely to be casual.

Alpha Cain straightened a bit and said, “You look...better than before, better than yesterday and on The City Under.”

Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Viviane gave her brother an encouraging nod.

Juliet narrowed her eyes as if to ask, ‘You two met yesterday in secret? He also visited you in The City Under?!’

“And your hair is … clean,” Viviane added, drawing a sharp breath as she put a strand of hair behind my ear.

I blushed.

Before the gathering an hour ago, the guards outside my prison-room bellowed at us to make sure we’re at least clean even with the clothes that can easily be ripped by one strong wind.

Juliet's nose flared across me, face filled with lethal calm as if she's trying so hard for that anger to not surface.

“You look beautiful too, Juliet.” I faked a smile at her.

Perhaps it was my raging hunger making me hallucinate the piss-poor attempt at flattery. Still, I leaned back and kept my words calm and quiet, the way I might speak to any other predator.

He asked to no one in particular to both of us.”You two knew each other personally?” Alpha Cain now started to fill his own plate with the same meat and sauces and buttered vegetables.

“Yes,” Juliet said, frowning—as if searching for anything to say to me. She met my stare as she settled on a vague response of, “We are.”