Kneel….

Rachael's  POV

"You better don't fall from my hands." I whispered to the plate, as it almost slipped while I tried to place it on the rack after washing.

If that had happened, i would have been in so much trouble. Thankfully, it didn't. I dropped the plate carefully and went back to wash the rest of the dishes.

Of all the chores which I disliked, doing the dishes was my favourite. It afforded me the time to think and reflect on so many things and except for the times when there were too many or there was an occasion which required that I did them very quickly, it was relatively not difficult at all.

I loved the sight of the water when I moved my hands around it, after pouring in the dishwashing liquid causing it to foam. It felt so good that sometimes, I forgot that I needed to wash and not fool around. It has landed me in trouble a few times, but I struggled to learn from it.

Anyway, I whistled aloud as I did the dishes with a smile on my face. I still felt a little pain from the injury that I had sustained earlier but it was nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Rachael." A maid said to me, having just walked into the kitchen. "Justin has asked to see you immediately. He's in his room right now and doesn't intend to be kept waiting."

I was tired of hearing that last line. I didn't think they always needed to add that. For sure, no one loved to be kept waiting. No one had to say that to me.

"Maybe this is about the mate thing." I thought to myself, wondering why else he'd want to see me.

Justin had always hated me. I think he is the one who hated me the most among his siblings. He would even struggled to send me on errands as my mere presence irritated him. If he was calling me, It just had to have something to do with being his mate and I didn't feel too good about it.

I left the kitchen and proceeded to Justin's room but I was in no hurry. I walked in slow, calculated steps, almost as if I was tiptoeing so that I could think about the things that I'd say to him when the need arose.

When I got to his room, I knocked on his door and took a deep breath as I waited for him to respond.

"Come in." He yelled, and I took one last deep breath before pushing the door open.

As I got into the room, the first thing I did was look at the paintings on the wall with admiration. He had an artwork of himself hung on the wall, very close to his bed. I had only been in that room a few times, and it caught my attention each time.

I took a look at him as he sat on his bed half-naked. He only had his boxers on and a towel hung around his neck and I couldn't help but stare at his broad chest and well-chiselled abs. He was a beautiful sight to behold with a handsome face to match.

He snapped his fingers at me with his face frowned, bringing me back to reality. I felt a bit embarrassed that he caught me staring but yeah, I kept a straight face.

"I was informed by a maid that you want to see me." I said to him.

"I did. I asked her to bring you here for one reason. Choose me as your mate."

I was shocked. That was so direct. I knew how prideful he could be, but I didn't think.. that it could get to this extent.

It wasn't just his prideful arrogance that annoyed me. I couldn't help but notice the way he said the word, "Mate." I could tell that the word disgusted him, even though he tried so hard to keep his feelings in check.

"The choice of whoever my mate would be, is going to be made solely by me and I intend to make full use of that. No one would tell me who I'll choose. I will make this decision on my own after I have carefully made my consideration." I said to him defiantly, looking into his eyes to let him know.. that I wasn't afraid of him.

"I have a proposal for you, one that I believe you'll find enticing." He proposed.

"What is it?"

"If you choose me as your mate and I end up becoming the Alpha of the Crimson Pack, I'll make sure that you're very comfortable and protected in this Pack. No one would be able to lay a finger on you ever again."

As I heard those words, all I could do was smirk. He must have thought that I would be dumb to accept such a proposal. I thought he'd have something more enticing but clearly, he had nothing worth considering.

I snorted. "Aren't I supposed to be your mate for life?" I asked him. "Just by being the Alpha's mate, I'm guaranteed to have no one dare lay his or her hands on me."

Suddenly, he broke into a fit of laughter. "You must be so naive to think that any of us would want you as a mate." He mocked. "Maybe as a personal slave or something, but not a mate. You're not worth that and you know it."

I was highly angered by that statement. So much so that I even considered walking away from his room. "For someone who wants me to help him become the Alpha, you sure do know how to get on my bad side, don't you? Even though I'd never thought about making you the Alpha of this Pack, you just cancelled any chance of me even considering that in the future."

His eyes turned red and in a flash, he quickly dashed toward me and grabbed me by the neck. He held me so hard that I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't.

I hadn't fought or ever used my wolf powers. Since I was only thirteen, I had not gotten my wolf yet.. I got Eliana when I was sixteen.

Alpha Blackwood had banned me never to use my powers if I ever got them. Although I did practice in hiding with Eliana, but there wasn't much I could do.

"Look here, girl. I wouldn't want to warn you twice." He threatened, still holding onto my neck and making it difficult for me to breathe. "If you don't agree to my terms, I'll kill you right here in this room and no one will care. If you die, no one would have to get you to be his mate before he can be made the Alpha. My father will come back to his senses and declare me to be his heir, just as it should be."

Amidst the pain that I felt, I looked into his eyes and began to grin heartily. He was shocked. It was all over his face.

Still gazing into his eyes, I said to him, "If you don't let me go right now, I'll choose Jake to be my mate."

He let go of me immediately, just like I expected and sighed in frustration. "What do you want from me, Rachael?"

I smiled, realising that I was in control. For the first time in a very long time, I felt in control of something and knowing that it was the son of the Alpha of the Pack.. made it even sweeter.

It dawned on me that I had the power in my hands to return all the bad treatments that he had given to me all these years. I had dreamed for so long about the perfect way to make him pay and by the goddess, my chance was staring right in front of me.

He kept staring at me, looking so confused as I maintained the smile on my face. What he didn't know was the source of the smile; wicked thoughts. Those were the only things I could think of.

Pointing to the floor, I said to him, "What I want is for you to kneel, and beg me to consider choosing you. And just maybe... maybe , I will consider adding you to that list."