Chapter 4

Alessia's POV

I go into the kitchen to cry, I lay my eyes on the menu she was talking about. I'm quite shocked when she dropped it but she was talking as if it would be something she will drop later on, when I'm in. I look at the dishes, there are five of the most difficult and at the same time most luxurious dishes served mostly to very very important persons, VVIP. The cost of everything should be going at eighty thousand dollars. 

The dishes aren't my issue but what I was told by Stevania, that I wouldn't be continuing college because I'll need to provide full time service incase Adrian needs me at any point. I would say that the rest of my cooking alone in the kitchen has tears glued to my eyes. I keep a clean handkerchief to whip my eyes whenever it seemed like the tears were going to drop on the food. Even in my privacy, I'm obliged to provide the most hygienic food. 

I don't know whether I'm fast or slow but I finish up with the five dishes at 5 PM. I started about two to three hours ago. I'm waiting for the luna's review, which is one thing she does whenever she asks me to cook for a guest. She would come and take a look by herself if I've perfectly carried out the cooking and the meals were in their best shape. 

Few minutes later, the door of the kitchen opens and she walks in. She walks over to the platform I have displayed the various meals in huge steel food trays which are usually used in ceremonies like weddings to scope food into guests' plates. She walks around carefully assessing the food, then I see her nod and my heart tension drops like a piece of load released from a surface. Nodding to me is the preliminary comment of 'You've done a great job!' If she had made a negative comment, like what I did wasn't fit to be served to an important guest like Alpha Adrian, I don't know what I would have done. The whole blame would have been laid on my head and in case the prince got to know, I don't know what would have become of me. He's hard to forgive, from the stories circulating about him. 

"You've done a perfect job." I want to thank her but before I could say, she had already parted her lips to say something else and I can't cut her short. "Go, get ready. Get something presentable to wear. You don't need to dress like an old maid, get up with something presentable and look nice. Prince Adrian loves good looking ladies, I would say you wouldn't be wearing your uniform but good clothes to serve from now on." I part my lips to watch her say this, wondering what's the real meaning of what she is saying. 

"Ma'am, I don't get you. Why am I not allowed to put on my uniform but that's the etiquette of serving?" 

"Get on with what I asked you!" She barks at me, shooting me a strong, warming glare. Panic shoots through my entire system, she hasn't shouted at me like this before, I don't know what has come over me. I refuse to leave the spot where I'm standing. I still want to know what she's talking about. 

"The Lycan prince is a freedom fighter, he doesn't believe in seeing people made to do things against their will or in any firm enslaved especially ladies. If he sees you dressed in a uniform, the same and a not-so-special one, he would be forced to ask about you and your history. I just want you to pretend to be okay and happy with your job from the moment he arrives here till the last second he leaves. Is that clear?" 

"Yes," I nod with fright. "So what about my quitting college, isn't that a greater percentage offense?" I don't know what has come over me that I'm asking lots of questions which I can see is clearly annoying Luna Stevania. She wants to explode, probably hit me but she tries to compose herself. 

"What did I ask you to do? Pretend as if everything is alright. Make it seem like you are a graduate, working and having a good pay here. Lie about your age, go older so he will believe what you are telling him. If you fail to do this, you're done for!" She makes a gesture of slitting her throat which makes me jump back in horror, then she leaves the kitchen. 

At about 6 PM, I received a call from one of the pack's messengers, working as a staff here in the pack estate, that the Prince had arrived. I had dressed in my black plastic trousers and a pair of black T-shirt, I wanted to look like a rich maid who is convenient with her work, as Stevania had asked me to. 

"You are requested in the living room, to come and greet him. Make sure to kneel and greet him." Eric reminds me, knowing the type of person Adrian is. He is not the type of person to make mistakes and expect forgiveness without pain. 

I match in with a cool face, the Alpha and the Luna, Phoenix and Gracelynn are present, the Beta and Gamma also. To maintain protocol, I prevent myself from making eye contact with them. I might be pressured to greet them first or do the wrong thing upon getting to Adrian. Getting to him, I kneel in front of him with my head slightly bowed and giving a submissive expression.

"You are most highly welcomed, Your Highness. Right at your service, sir. Anytime you need me." I say this with the utmost innocence but his grin and hum of acceptance leads my mind far off from this innocent thought, I feel he has taken my last sentence too far. Now, I want to fight and ward off this distracting thought. My body begins to shake deep inside of me because of nervousness and fear that I would make a mistake. Because of this, I overstay my period of kneeling. When I heard someone shout at me to get up, a masculine voice, rather than taking to my heels, I fell backward holding my chest in shock and staring straight at the ceiling. It seems my heart wants to stop beating, the shock has been intense. 

I'm still on the floor, my wolf is weakened and this has affected my entire body. I can't see things clearly, but my eyes are scanning the entire room. Then Phoenix leaves his girlfriend's side and walks up to me with hate in his eyes, this I notice. He kicks at my head. 

"Will you get up! Why would you embarrass us this way before the lycan prince?" He barks, then I hear a low scream, a gasp in the room. This tells me that something is wrong, I widen my eyes seeing Adrian grab him by the neck, jacking him up from the ground with one hand, still on his neck that his legs are dangling, not touching the ground. 

"How dare you touch her that way, who gave you the audacity to kick her, is she a punching bag?" He snarls. "I'm gonna kill you to show I don't tolerate any nonsense." His threat sends the entire family on their knees, they begin to beg knowing that Adrian doesn't joke with his words. 

"Please we are sorry for this, Your Highness. I apologize on his behalf, please he wouldn't do it again. Tears stream from her eyes." The Luna crawls towards him begging with tears in her eyes for her son. It's her apology that makes Adrian let go of Phoenix, he was ready to deal with him. My heart pumps the hardest at this moment, my mind uncertain of what would happen the next moment. 

Adrian drops Phoenix because of his mother's plea and none other, he begins to pant after being unable to breath well, his eyes fall on me. Then he bends and tries to lift me up from the ground. I open my eyes wide to see who it is. It's Adrian. The look on his eyes are so tender, I find something on it which exceeds mere care, our chemistry spark at this moment, fear vibrating in me at the same moment. 

He leans towards my ear as if he wants to kiss me on the cheek, my body slightly shivers. I haven't gotten a guy, especially a handsome one like this, close to me before. Right now, I don't know what he really wants but my wolf is sort of strangely excited. I don't know what to do. I tried closing my eyes but then I remembered he was leaning towards me, so I opened it immediately. 

"Is that how they always treat you?" He asks and I nod in my foolishness, without thinking first of what the luna had asked me to. On the other hand, I think I should be acting foolishly here for trying to hide people who are maltreating me, although it's the consequences I'm afraid of. Those tenderness in his eyes switch to a great anger, his eyes turn amber as if they want to shift, unconsciously, I place my hand on his shoulder still from the ground, they switch back to its normal charming blue. Realizing what I just did, placing an arm on his shoulder, I pull back in shock with a shriek of fear. 

"Why are you scared?" He asks with a confused tone, his eyes scanning my entire body. "I've decided to borrow you from your servitude family, I don't know how this sounds to them, but you're gonna be my personal servant from now on, for as long as I can't tell!" His declaration drops like a command, my heart skips, I want to refuse but I can't, I wait to see if there is anyone here who would refuse this order but everyone is just shivering, on their knees. 

It dawns on me who is talking right in front of me. The killer lycan prince. Just now he threatened to kill Phoenix, he's like a possessed or cursed lycan saddled with a major task which is to take away the life of anyone that upsets him, how am I going to cope living with him as a personal maid? Apart from this, I'm puzzled at why my wolf is so happy when I've just entered into the greatest danger. He drapes his hand over my shoulders like he owns me, grinning with a sinister outlook. 

"Come with me!" 

My wolf leaps up for joy. I begin to feel a gradually deepening connection with him, for once, he turns to look at me, then it appears like he just let out a slight smile. I'm not sure because I couldn't steady my gaze, he's so handsome. 

But he wants me as a personal maid, right? Wait, does that mean I'll be leaving with him?