01 Another Long Night  

Raina’s POV

Each time Alpha Tristan returns to the pack, it's challenging for me.

As the Head maid of the packhouse, I oversee all the maids and manage everything within the packhouse, from cleaning and catering to welcoming guests. Most crucially, I attend to the Alpha's daily needs.

But everyone here knows I am not only a head maid but also the Alpha's toy, his bed warmer.

After all, Tristan would never forgive the mate who cruelly rejected him.

Tristan and I were best friends before we became mates. His father was the Alpha King but was defeated by our old alpha, who then married his mother and adopted him. A year after their union, they had his younger brother, Dean. Everyone knew the old Alpha would choose his real son, Dean, as his heir. No one cared about Tristan, and no one loved him, including his mother.

I met Tristan in school. He was always bullied badly by other teens. Every time I saw him during break time, there were wounds on his face and body, new and old ones. He was very good at fighting, strong and resilient, and could even make seniors suffer, but he was helpless against too many opponents. The bullies, knowing this, never attacked alone; they were always in a group.

I witnessed Tristan beat a big senior once, Jason the brute. Jason was one of Dean’s followers. Jason was as strong as a bear, but Tristan still beat him, breaking his nose and losing his teeth. In the end, the school administrator had to come forward reluctantly. He asked who made the first move. No one stood up for Tristan until I said it was Jason. 

“Jason started it,” I said. I didn’t know what had come over me, but I hated injustice.

I was the Beta’s daughter; I doubted Dean would make trouble for it.

Tristan looked at me, though his eyelids were swollen as if he'd been stung by a bee. He looked at me, and I saw a tinge of gratitude and amazement in his eyes. I guess no one ever stood up for him before. From then on, we became friends.

As the eldest daughter of my family, I understood Tristan's situation very well. We became closer, and when I turned sixteen, Tristan kissed me for the first time.

The feeling was amazing. I was surprised at how soft his lips were. I looked at him, hoping to see the desire in his forest-green eyes, but they gave away nothing, and he remained silent. He just lowered his head and moved closer to me.

"May I?" He asked softly. We were so close that I could hear him swallowing. His hand held mine, and I saw his face turn red, but mine was burning, too.

I nodded, my heart racing as if it was about to fly out of my chest, and then Tristan kissed me again. This time, it lingered.

THE PRESENT.

A chill swept through me as a gust of cold night wind brushed against my skin. Tonight marked Tristan's return to the pack, a night that always filled me with dread. I had been waiting for him in his bedroom, unable to retire to bed. 

At last, the double doors creaked open, and Tristan entered his room. Clad in a simple black suit, he ignored my presence. I hastened to retrieve his discarded coat while he headed straight to the bathroom.

Although Tristan had his own building separate from the pack, he sometimes spent the night in the packhouse. 

Each time Tristan returned to the Packhouse for the night, it meant punishment for me. I knew tonight wouldn’t be different.

After his shower, Tristan returned to the room. 

He denied me permission to leave. 

Instead, he took me in bed, his touch harsh and unyielding, devoid of gentleness. He revelled in my vulnerabilities, deriving pleasure from dominating me with ruthless abandon and inflicting pain. 

My screams echoed throughout the chamber and into the hallway, a testament to the agony he was inflicting on me. His bite marks marred my skin as I wept and pleaded for mercy.

This was Tristan's way of humiliating me. 

Tristan never allows me to stay the night in his room, even when I'm too exhausted to walk.

Because of this, after he was done with me, I dressed quickly, paused for a moment, and left his room when he permitted me to leave.  

My body ached, and I could barely walk, but this was my cross to bear. I endured, hoping that it would only be for a while. 

On my way back to my quarters, passing by the kitchen, I overheard the night watch maids chatting.

"The Alpha spent another night with Raina. How shameless of her!" one said in a hushed tone.

"I'm not surprised. But she won't be staying the night; she's just a bed warmer. Besides, she does not qualify as a bed warmer since he fucks her in the packhouse. He has never taken her to his bed in his actual home, so we can just call her his whore," another responded, giggling. My pain and humiliation amused her.

"But what if she gets pregnant? We don’t have a Luna yet; maybe the Alpha will forgive her for the sake of an heir,"  the other added.

"That's impossible. Raina is a traitor. She should accept her fate for betraying Alpha Tristan and choosing Prince Dean. I heard she was given wolfbane in prison; she'll never conceive," the giggling voice replied, clearly irritated by the previous remark.

"Then she'll forever be nothing but a shameless whore!" the other maid concluded, lacking conviction in her tone.

Rage burned inside me; I couldn't bear it anymore, so I pushed open the door. All pain and anguish were gone. I couldn’t let them see my pain. One of the maids screamed, frightened that I had overheard them.

"Ah! Head maid Raina, I, I’m…" she started, and I knew it was the voice of the one that mocked me.

I didn't say anything; I went up and slapped them. Their faces were suddenly red, with my palm printed on their cheeks.

"If I hear any of you spreading rumours next time, you will no longer stay in the packhouse. There are plenty of empty beds for you in the slave cells."

"Yes, Yes." The two maids replied and left the kitchen in a panic.

Some part of me knew they were right. Tristan may have loved me once, but since I betrayed him and chose to marry Dean four years ago, all he has left is hatred for me.

I returned to my room. After a quick shower, I glanced at the clock; it was almost dawn. I couldn't help but sigh when I thought about how I would face Tristan tomorrow morning.

Crawling into bed, I immediately fell asleep, dreaming of leaving this hell one day.