At The Table

Sarah's POV

"Wow!" Everyone in the room exclaimed together. I was surprised too, but I couldn't say anything. Damon's personal servant? That was unexpected.

"Damon!" The alpha's mom shouted. She looked shocked and angry.

"This woman should be punished," she added. Damon's father watched quietly, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Soon, the council members started whispering in disagreement.

"This is unacceptable."

"She deserves to be punished."

"She's a spy!"

"This breaks the law."

The murmurs continued, and I'm sure it eventually got Alpha Damon angry.

"Quiet!!!" He shouted, and the whole building trembled for a moment. If he had been angrier, everyone might have been in serious trouble.

Everyone became completely silent.

After a few minutes, his anger faded away. He made sure to calm down before speaking up again.

"I'm in charge here, and I make the decisions. No one tells me what to do."

Then it dawned on everyone again that as the Alpha, he had the last word on anything.

"That's true, Alpha Damon, but--" one of the council members started to say but was interrupted.

"Don't challenge me, Kenneth," Alpha Damon warned. "I've decided not to have her killed. She will serve only me." He finished, and everyone accepted his decision before he left. And I was left feeling powerless and defenseless, because miserable wasn't the word here on how I feel.

***

The head maid took me in and helped me put on the maid's uniform. I looked at myself in the long mirror and was amazed. It was the best I had ever looked. Even though I was the daughter of a powerful Alpha, I had never been dressed up like this before. I was always given clothes that looked almost like rags or slave clothes.

I got a manual explaining how things worked at the Alpha's house and was told to read it carefully.

"Alpha Damon can be tough. Don't make him angry," the head maid warned me before she left.

I knew he couldn't be as bad as my father. I didn't want to believe that the man who had protected and saved me earlier could be hard to deal with.

As I admired my new appearance, the door suddenly opened, and a lady about my age walked in. She looked at me with a disapproving expression from head to toe and asked, "Why are you still here?"

I couldn't find the right words to say, so I ended up just mumbling, "Uhm..."

She looked at me with disdain. "You worthless, unwanted witch! Follow me," she commanded, and I silently obeyed. Her words didn't affect me because I was already used to them.

She showed me around the house reluctantly and impolitely. The place was way bigger than my father's house. Inside the mansion, everything looked luxurious, with fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, shiny marble floors, and fancy furniture. There were beautiful decorations and designs all over the spacious rooms.

A big staircase led to the upper floors where the bedrooms were. The large windows gave a great view of the gardens outside, and there was a fireplace that made the place feel cozy despite its grandness. It was just so fancy!

Maybe because the alpha was young, he had different preferences.

When the lady was giving me my tasks, I noticed she left some things unsaid on purpose. I could tell.

"You also need to..." She stopped and seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Forget it."

She had a sneaky smile on her face too.

Well, all I did was not care much. I just wanted to thank the Alpha for saving me from his angry followers.

The real work started when I was asked to go to the kitchen to get the Alpha's food. I took a deep breath quickly. "Let's not mess this up, Sarah," I told myself.

*****

Alpha Damon's POV

I was in my study, staring at the computer screen, but my mind was blank. Weird, huh? I was clenching my fists and banging on my desk as I thought about what happened earlier. I had never lost my temper since becoming the pack leader, but this morning, I let it out a bit.

I wanted to believe I protected her because she saved my life. That had to be the reason.

Just as I was getting back to work, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, and the head maid, Lady Callie, walked in politely.

"Sorry to interrupt, Alpha, but your father wants to talk to you," she said.

I already knew what he wanted to discuss. I checked my watch before replying.

"Okay. Let him know I'll join him for lunch."

****

I was soon with him, the man who raised me. He didn't talk much, but he was always calm, even when he was an alpha. I respected him a lot, and he respected me too, but our relationship was more like a master and disciple than father and son.

I decided to talk to him. We sat at the small dining table while the maids brought out different dishes. Once we were alone, I spoke up.

"Do you think I made a tough decision?" I asked. I wasn't insecure about my choice, but I wanted to know his opinion.

"Talking right now can cause you indigestion." He said simply, implying that he wasn't in for the conversation and that I should just eat. Dunn Mackay was a mysterious man.

I nodded calmly and ate, but I only picked at my food. I never felt comfortable eating around him. He seemed to notice but didn't say anything. It was his fault, after all.

A few minutes later, he stopped eating and wiped his lips with a napkin. I watched his every move. I tended to be cautious around him; that's how he trained me.

As soon as he was about to speak, I could tell.

"You made a hasty decision, Alpha."

"I understand," I responded right away.

"Why did you spare her? It might endanger the pack," Dunn asked.

"I had important reasons," I replied.

"You could have ignored it, for the pack's sake," Dunn said calmly. He had no expression and just spoke without emotion.

"I couldn't," I repeated.

He seemed to give up, but concluded and said,

"The future of this pack depends on you. One impulsive decision could destroy us all."

"I'll take care of it."

"I will handle it."

I commented confidently without blinking an eye.