BEATRICE’S POV
I watched as they spoke in hushed tones. I was standing feet away from them, and from the frown on Fred’s face, I could tell he wasn't happy.
But I was. I was glad I was finally leaving him and that I would be happy now.
My mate patted him on the shoulder and then walked towards me. “Let’s go.” He informed, sending me a warm smile before he grabbed my palm.
Peace was what I felt. Or was it pride when we walked amid the maids with their faces full of envy? Or was it their loud gasps? I could have sworn they would have wished to be for a second. It felt so good to experience this straight out of a rom movie feeling.
“Get in.” He said and held out the door. Sending him a smile, I did even though I wanted to tell him I reeked and needed a bath. Or that my butt still hurt from the whip. But no, this was my new life now.
I clutched onto my dress out of sheer happiness while trying not to scream or giggle as we drove away from the pack. Throughout the journey, he said nothing, nor did he look at me. Finally, the car parked in front of the magnificent two-story building clad in a warm honey-like color, and the large windows graced each floor to perfection.
“What is your name?” He finally asked when we got down.
“Beatrice…” I stammered. For twenty years, I had envisioned what it would feel like to meet my mate, and nervousness never made it to the list. I had always thought I would run into his arms while he picked me up and twirled me like a princess.
Something Dad used to do.
He nodded and turned toward one of the people who welcomed us. They were all dressed in white uniforms.
“Get her a uniform and teach her what a maid’s job is.” He informed, his voice holding a lot of disgust, and my heart skipped a beat.
I moved my finger into my right ear to clear my earlobe, even pinched myself to confirm if I was still in Fred’s pack and was just caught up in a dream. But that was far from the case because this was real.
Every part of me crumbled at that moment. My eyes stung with a fresh set of tears at the realization that he never wanted me, and I watched his retreating with so much ache, gawking at my heart.
But why did he ever lead me on? Why did he bring my hopes so high to shatter them?
“Follow me.” She ordered.
In the space of an hour, I was dressed just like them. Florence had explained the rules over and over again. We were not allowed to eat before my mate did. Our opinions didn't matter. And we were not allowed to mingle with the males. Gladly, I had no interest in the last one.
“The Alpha requests that you bring him water,” Florence announced, and I nodded, taking the tray from her. My mind thudded as I walked up the stairs. Different images ran through my mind, but above all, I wanted to believe that it was all a prank, a test to get to know the true me.
I heard a knock on the door and opened his order. The smile I had on instantly wiped off my face. In his arms lay a naked blonde. He was stark naked, too.
“Come in, you moron.” He cussed out, and she giggled.
My hands trembled, and my eyes stung again. I had to muster all strength to stop letting the tray fall.
“Your…water…” I stuttered as I dropped it and made an attempt to leave.
“You fool. Do you expect I serve myself?” His words made me stop in my tracks. Holding back my tears, I poured him a glass and handed it over. He slapped the glass away, and the content spilled over his chest before it shattered on the floor. “Now lick it off.”
I stared at him in disbelief as he pulled me closer to him. I could smell her on it.
“It’s an order from your Alpha!” He roared, his voice filled with rage, and I gulped down a lump of saliva.
“I….cant…”
He hit me in my face and then pushed me away to fall on my aching butt. I bit my lip from the anguish.
“You will sit there and watch me make love to her.” He said and immediately flipped her over, thrusting into her. I dug my fingers into my knee with every moan she made.
Till the end, my fate was cursed because even my mate wanted nothing to do with me.
He pulled her hair and grunted as he cum on her back. I watched her collapse on the bed through my blurry eyes. Getting up from bed, he made his way towards me, his cock still erect and drenched with her juice.
“Take off your cloth and wipe it clean.” His once-warm eyes shone with hatred. “If you let me repeat it, I will skin…”
I didn’t let him complete it before my shivering fingers pulled it over my head to reveal my perky boobs and brown thong. I knew he meant every word. But how did he go from being so sweet to this? Why did he despise me so much? I wiped it gently, and my mind ran wild with images I had thought would be mine.
A slight smirk caressed his lips.
“Your body wants me, Beatrice. I can tell. Your face,” He paused, running his thumb over my face before pinching my nipple. “It might be nice, but I will never see you more than a worthless Omega. A maid. My fucking slave.” He let out a dry laugh and dug his claw into my chin, making me cringe, and I stepped back. “I, Kai Evans, reject you, Slave Beatrice, but I refuse to let you go.”
His eyes ran over my face, and my heart rammed against my ribcage out of fear of the unknown. In an instant, he turned away, and I clutched onto my chest as pain exploded through me.
“Get out of here, or I will make you witness worse!”
With shaky legs, I dragged myself out while pulling my gown down. I caught another moan before I closed the door, and I let it all fall out. The tears that had grown to be my only companion accompanied the growing ache.
Xander’s POVShe was turning toward the exit when, as soon as Beatrice’s eyes fell on the check, time went deliciously slow.The way her breath hitched, the slightest tremor in her fingers as they curled a bit against the table, as if she were bracing herself against the temptation to reach out and touch the check, I did not miss. A check for an obscene sum of money. A check that might alter her life completely.Good.She needed to see it. She needed to understand what it meant — what I was willing to do to have her here.Her eyes skimmed the numbers again, widening ever so slightly and then sliding back up to meet mine. Her face was hesitant, the logical voice that told her this offer was too good to be ignored battling with the uncertainty that made her take the step back.I leaned back in my chair, watching her closely. The way that her shoulders got tense, the way her throat moved with a swallow — she weighed a possible choice, she was trying to talk herself out of it, trying to
Xander’s POVI sank back in my chair, exhaling slowly as the final piece of the crisis with my family fell into place.It had been chaos these last couple of days, blinding, deafening, a settling storm that pushed the bursts of stifled resentments and history and the heavy chains of obligations weighing me down. But I had handled it.The crisis was resolved.And yet I did not feel at peace.Instead, some new disturbance had crept into my head and burrowed inside, like a parasite feasting on my anger.Robert Lee.My fingers were clenched in a fist on my desk, the shining wood creaking beneath the strain. Ryder stood across from me with his arms crossed, his face surly.“He offered her a job,” Ryder said, speaking under his breath.My jaw locked. My teeth automatically tensed as I felt a sudden sharp pain, but I barely noticed.That bastard.I should’ve seen it coming.He was always vulture overhead at the first sign of weakness, and dialysis was no exception. As soon as he perceived a
Beatrice’s POVThe closer I got to my apartment, the more I could think of Robert’s offer. I should forget about it. Assume that meeting never took place. But the promise of more — more freedom, more recognition, more security — wrapped around me like an intoxicating perfume I couldn’t wash off.Was this a trap?You deserve better.The voice of Robert slinked into my head like a venomous whisper.My mind raced then, which by the time I got to my apartment, gave me a headache from too much analysis. My fingers shook a little as I unlocked the door and walked in.I was suddenly surrounded by warmth. Sarah was snuggled up on the couch, a heavy blanket wrapped around her, a bowl of popcorn half-empty on her lap. As I walked in, she looked up, her sharp brown eyes scanning my face in one quick motion. I was not expecting her here, though I was sure she had the spare key to my apartment.Her brows furrowed. She knows something’s up.“What happened?” she said, putting the bowl to the side.I
Beatrice’s POVI should say no. I should walk away.But curiosity — dangerous, reckless curiosity — held me in place.How many times had I reminded myself that I wouldn’t consider anything that issued from Robert Lee? He was the competitor of our company. And here I was, standing in front of him, debating whether to listen.That alone told me how much my world had changed.“…One coffee,” I said after a long pause, my voice steadier than I felt. “That’s all.”“After you,” he said smoothly.I rolled my eyes but said nothing. There was no point. The moment I hesitated was the moment I had made my decision.The interior was engulfed with the smell of lush coffee, leather chairs, and polished wood as I walked in. It was an expensive café, the kind of place where businessmen met over lattes to broker million-dollar deals, where power traded hands in hushed conversations, where a guy like Robert Lee felt right at home.A waiter promptly directed us to a secluded corner booth, away from pryi
Beatrice's POV.All I knew as I walked into the office that morning is that I was going to take on Xander.He’d avoided me for the last two days. Not in the blatant, in-your-face way, but in subtle, calculated moves that left me little choice but to notice. There were no wayward glances across the office, no charged silences sparking between us. Not even a casual brushing of fingers or the well-known heat that always simmered when we occupied the same space.As if everything that was said and done in Cape Town never happened.Like it had never mattered at all.I was done being patient.Bursting toward his office, I barely noticed the curious looks from staffers as I flung the door open without knocking.Xander was at his desk, scanning files, feigning indifference. He hardly even looked up at my abrupt entrance.“Beatrice,” he acknowledged flatly.That was it. No warmth. No teasing. Just cold detachment.Something inside me snapped.I slammed the door behind me, the noise reverberati
Beatrice’s POVThe second after I opened the front door I hardly had time to breathe before being attacked by three forces of nature; Sarah told me something about aunty Silvia. I suppose she had already taken them home."Mommy!""You're finally back!""You were gone forever!"I stumbled a little but managed to keep standing as Caleb, Cooper and Charlotte all wrapped around me like overexcited puppies. I laughed, the tension of the past few days evaporating as I hugged them back.“I missed you guys too,” I said, tousling Cooper’s hair then hitting Charlotte’s forehead with a kiss. I gripped Caleb’s arm, warmth spreading in my chest. But “it’s not that long ago.”Charlotte recoiled, her lips retreating into a theatrical pout. "It has! You were gone for days, and you hardly called us!”Cooper huffed, his arms crossed. "Yeah! And do you know how boring it is without you? There was no one to adjudicate our beefs.”Caleb smirked. "Not true. I settled them my way."Charlotte shifted to loo