Chapter 2

HAZEL

All the maids of the Moonshine Pack have just been informed that King Ethan is on his way to this pack for an official visit. And that’s not all. We are told that this time, he is coming along with his twin brother, The King of the Northern Kingdom, King Arnold Sharpe.

We are told that they are coming on official pack business, but I know that’s bullshit. The main reason that they are coming here is because of me. King Ethan probably told his brother about his mate and how she rejected him and now, they are both coming here to try to force me to accept King Ethan and go to his domain with him.

Well, if my guess is correct and that’s really what they are coming here for, then they are in for a rough time. I won’t go with them willingly, except if I’m tied and bound up. They have to forcefully cart me out of this place if they want me to leave.

It’s the truth that I don’t like my situation in this pack. I have never liked being a maid, but there is nothing I can do about it. Well, one would think that I would jump at the first chance I get to leave this pack and live a better life someplace else, especially since I’m being bullied at the moment, but that’s not true.

If the offer of a better life someplace else involves me being the mistress of a man who is supposed to be my mate, then count me out, because I can’t possibly share my rightful man with other people. It’s better for me to remain here and stand up to the bullies that come for me. Yes, that’s a far better option for me.

I quickly dress up, pulling on clothes that look somewhat presentable because even though I rejected his offer, I don’t want to look unkempt in front of the King and his twin brother. That wouldn't be a good look for me.

When I’m done, I head out of the storage cubicle I use as a room and walk towards the kitchen. When I step in, I can see that the other maids are already inside so I join them. Before long, the head of the maids, a fat woman called Sarah, as well as the assistant head of the maids, a younger woman called Anna, come into the kitchen, leading us outside where we will go and welcome the Kings upon their arrival.

Since I’m one of the maids with the lowest rank, I have to stay at the front of the crowd. Anna and Sarah move around us, arranging us into smart lines as we await the arrival of the two Kings.

Immediately, their entourage of cars pulls up in front of the pack house, everybody suddenly stands up straighter. There is a hush in the air as all the talking stills because everyone can feel the power in the air.

From an all black SUV, King Ethan steps out as the door is pulled open for him, and the other door of the SUV is pulled open for King Arnold as he too steps out of the car.

They both walk to our front, standing tall and handsome before all of us, but they don’t say anything. They are quiet as their eyes survey the crowd, probably looking around the whole place to see if they can catch a sight of me. Well, that shouldn’t be too hard, seeing as I’m standing just in front of the crowd.

Just then, King Arnold whispers something into his twin brother’s ears quickly and starts to come close to where all the maids are. He walks quite fast and before I know what’s happening, he’s standing right in front of me.

I blink my eyes in confusion as I wonder why King Arnold has suddenly come to stand in my front. This is quite surprising to me because I thought King Ethan would have been the one to do that, seeing as I’m his mate and he wants me to be his mistress. King Arnold’s behavior is really puzzling, to say the least.

I regret coming to this welcoming party, and I regret joining the entourage of maids as well. Why do I have to be one of the maids with the lowest ranks? If I wasn’t, I would have just stayed at the back and avoided all this drama. Or better still, I should have just feigned being sick so that I would have avoided this duty that is now coming off as torture.

At the while that I have been thinking, King Arnold has still been standing in front of me. Now he looks deeply into my eyes, holding my stare so that I have no choice but to look into his eyes too.

“Mate!” he growls loudly, causing everybody around us to snap their necks and turn to face us, that is if they weren’t already doing so before.

What? I think.

What is really happening right now? I know King Ethan is my mate because I can feel the mate bond slightly even if I’m not up to the age of feeling it yet. But for King Arnold to say the same thing is what’s so shocking to me. How can I have two mates? There must be a mistake somewhere. It simply isn’t possible.

“Hazel is my mate,” King Arnold growls louder, his words filtering into everyone’s ears.

As I turn my head away from King Arnold’s hypnotic stare and look around at the whole place, I can see the looks of shock on everyone’s faces, mirroring the one on my own face. Every member of the pack already knows that King Ethan is my mate, so they are definitely shocked by King Arnold’s declaration. Never has it been heard of that the Moon Goddess bestowed someone with two mates.

Just then, King Ethan strides forward, heading towards where King Arnold and I are standing. I can see the look of shock on his face and I know that he is definitely as surprised as the rest of us. He hadn’t counted on his twin brother claiming me as his mate at all.

“All of you, leave now!” King Ethan orders as he comes to stand beside his brother. Now both of them are standing in front of me. “Hazel is the person I actually came here to see. She is my mate.”

With shock still on their faces, everyone leaves the venue, going into the pack house where they will no doubt start to gossip about the events that just took place.

I don’t dare to leave the spot where I am. I couldn’t even if I tried, because I’m currently rooted to that particular spot in shock. I also don’t try to leave because I don’t know how either of the two kings in front of me will react to that. They seem like they are already enraged, and I don’t want to do anything to add to their anger.

I really can’t believe that the two Kings are my mates, but I know that it’s true. King Arnold cannot just claim a maid who he knows is his twin brother’s mate except it’s true. I don’t know what the hell is going on here and how the hell this happened, but I can’t help but wish it was a nightmare.

First, King Ethan acknowledged me as his mate and asked me to be his mistress to which I refused and now, it’s his twin brother claiming me as his mate. To add to that, I have been having strange dreams lately. The dreams seem to be connected to something that’s bigger than I am, and I can’t make sense of it.

I just wish everything would stop. I can’t take it anymore.