Once A Princess, Now A Slave

3- My Wolf

Kelsie's POV

“Hi,” he greeted in a hoarse voice.

The small strands at the back of my head stand when his eyes landed on me.

“Good morning, Alpha Zyko. It’s so nice to see you here!” My mother greeted me with all smiles.

Gladly, his eyes were shifted to her. Hope they will glue them to her!

How could she smile in front of this disgusting man? Not to be judgmental, but it was too obvious that he doesn’t take care of himself!

I do not care if they are the strongest pack in their country. I will not agree to be his mate! If he can’t have decent hygiene, why would I expect that he will be a decent husband to me?

Seriously, how could their pack choose this kind of alpha?

“It was nice meeting you too, Luna.” Alpha Zyko smiles. Her set of full yellowish teeth flashes.

Ugh! I can already imagine his saliva playing with the germs on his teeth. I guess the only white that I can see in his mouth is the white dirt on his tongue due to days (or maybe weeks or worst, months!) of not brushing his teeth.

He walks towards my stepmother. Her wide smile faded. My eyes caught how she made a small step backward and held her hands tightly together.

A smile flashes on my lips when Alpha Zyko asks for my stepmother’s hand. My stepmother awkwardly smiled at him and frantically wave her hand in front.

“We should d-drop the f-formalities, alpha!” My mother stated.

Alpha Zyko shakes his head. “I insist, Luna. I want to show my respect to one of the strongest packs I’ve known,” the alpha answered.

I bite my inner cheeks to stop myself from smiling. On the other hand, Connor is still beside me, languidly waiting for the greetings to finish.

Left with no choice, my stepmother lend her hand. Alpha Zyko held my stepmother’s hand and kissed the back of her palm.

My eyes glance at my stepsister whose face looks disgusted on the scene in front of her. She even bites her lower lip while watching the alpha kissing her mother’s hand. She avoided her gaze in front and accidentally landed on me.

She immediately fixes her stance and facial expression. She shifts in her seat and clears her throat.

‘Tss. What a fake.’

“Let me introduce you to my daughters…” My stepmother freed her hand from Alpha Zyko and faced us.

I display an emotionless façade. I want to make sure he knows that from the very start, I am not interested at all.

“This is Kristine, our youngest…” Alpha Zyko was about to reach Kristine’s hand but Denette quickly motioned him to face me. “…and this is our oldest, Kelsie.”

The alpha seems to not notice it and give his full attention to me. My stepmother’s wide and annoying smile irritates me. I can feel my blood boiling and my cheeks heating.

“Ohh, she’s Kelsie. Nice meeting you, Kelsie…” his eyes narrow a little which creeps the hell out of me. He then grins. “You’re blushing,” he teased.

My left brow automatically rises. I unconsciously touched my cheeks, checking if what he is saying is true.

His head falls back and his hand tops on his stomach when a wave of laughter escapes his lips. His irritating chuckle echoes in the whole dining hall.

Well, to be fair, aside from his bad hygiene, he seems like a nice guy. It wouldn’t harm me to show a tiny bit of courtesy, right?

I stand on my seat to formally welcome him, ignoring his laughter and the awkward chuckle of my stepmother.

“Good day, Alpha Zyko,” I greeted.

His laugh faded and soon formally faced me.

“Good day to you too, Princess.”

He was about to reach for my hand, but I firmly place both of my hands on my back. “It’s fine,” I say and sit back in my chair.

He looks at me a little confused, but he smiled anyway. His eyes dropped to the man behind me. His lips move as if he’s searching for the right word to say. Before he can utter a word, Connor stands from his seat.

“Connor Maccon.”

Connor formally lends a firm hand. When my pair of eyes land on it, I notice the protruding veins on his arm.

“Ah, Maccon. Son of the Beta,” Alpha Zyko utters.

It’s not a surprise that he knows who our Beta is. Mr. Boris is fond of visiting not just the neighboring packs but also packs far from us. He is usually with our Scouts. This is to ensure strong bonds, create great allies, and avoid wars.

Instead of accepting Connor’s hand shake, he turns to face my stepmother. “Shall we eat? I did not eat before leaving my pack. I heard the Black Claw pack serves good food.”

Connor inserted his hand back into his pocket and calmly sit down.

I am observing his facial expression. Aside from his usual cold expression and a ghost of a smile on his lips, I don’t see anything unusual.

If there’s one thing I am envious of, it's definitely his patience. If I were in his position and this ugly Alpha with poor hygiene disrespected me like that, there will be war.

My stepmother glances at Connor and back to Zyko. I lost interest in calling him Alpha. I thought he was nice. I’m taking it back.

“Right! We should eat. It’s best to eat the steak when freshly cooked.” My mother made a clap and enthusiastically motion everyone to their seats. Her eyes apologetically land on Connor. She then politely nods. I notice how her eyes eyed the chair next to her daughter.

“Don’t you dare move in your seat,” I said coldly.

My eyes are all focused on my empty plate, but I know everyone knows who am I talking to.

“That’s an order from me,” I added when I sensed my stepmother wanting to argue.

I lift my head and meet my stepmother’s eyes. She silently takes a deep breath. I can sense her wanting to shout at me, but due to the presence of our visitor, she faked a wide smile.

I did the same to her. I turn my gaze to Zyko with the same fake smile on my lips.

“Make yourself comfortable,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah, no problem.” Before I leave my eyes on him, I saw how he glance at Connor.

Connor, on the other hand, is calmly sitting beside me, definitely unbothered by the cold war between me and my stepmom.

Since he is closer to me, I heard him softly chuckle. I glance at him and his infamous ghost of a smile pokes into my senses.

Tss. Everyone around him is either irritated or in a competitive mode yet here he is, taking everything carefree.

We all sit peacefully. Since it would be inappropriate for the visitor to seat at the farthest seat, my stepmother decided to let him seat on my father’s chair.

I internally did not agree, but I did not voice it out either. I just want to eat that steak. Ugh!

“Anyway, where is Alpha Audig? I’m scared that he might kick me out of here since I sit on his chair,” he joked.

My stepmom chuckled. “My husband is currently busy with the pack. Also, he is visiting our pack neighbors to discuss his upcoming birthday of Kristine,” Denette answered.

The mention of my father brought a hollow feeling to my stomach. Like I said earlier, we don’t want anyone aside from our inner circle to know about the condition of my father. It would be risky for the pack.

“Really? Advance Happy Birthday, dear. How old are you going to be?”

“Thank you. I’m turning 18,” she softly utters.

“Woah, 18! You’re going to meet your wolf and probably, your mate!”

“Maybe her mate is already here?” I say meaningfully and smiled. I take a bite of my steak before continuing. “You should be here on her birthday. You’ll never know, maybe my sister is your mate,” I shrug.

In the left corner of my eye, I saw Kristine frowning. My smile grew wider.

Ha! You and your mother want to fight this way? Fine, I’m going to give you a show!

“Woah! I like that.” Zyko wiggled his eyebrows at us which made me irk. “I heard from a friend of mine that it is possible to have two mates. It usually happens to twins and siblings.”

My smile faded. “We are not siblings,” I bluntly answered.

Silence enveloped the table. This time, my stepmom’s heavy sigh did not manage to stay low.

It’s true. We are not siblings. Denette already has Kristine even before she met my father. That is why we are only months apart.

“But, as you said, you’ll never know. Maybe you two will be my mate! Besides, I can smell the mixture of butter and rosemary when I entered—”

“It’s the steak,” I cut him off.

His eyes drop to his food. “Ohh…” he then chuckles.

I shake my head.

Is this really the alpha of the Silvermoon pack? He looks more like an errand boy to me. Are they sure he isn’t a slave or something?

“So, Alpha… can you tell us about your recent battles? I heard your pack is one of the strongest packs in your country.”

Zyko’s hoarse laughter bounces on the corners of the dining hall.

Is it just me or he is laughing too much?

“Well, we just invaded five packs in just a span of two months.”

I instinctively lift my head. Our eyes met. He shoots a brow at me while flashing an arrogant smile.

I ignored him and focus my eyes back on my food. I feel a little sad when I notice that I only have an estimated four bites of steak. I’m still hungry.

“That’s awesome! It is not easy to invade a pack. What more if it’s five packs!” My mom exclaimed.

“To be fair, those are small packs.”

“But still…” my mom replied. “conquering 5 packs in just a span of two months isn’t easy. You should not downside your achievements,” she added.

“You’re right. I do nothing the whole day other than train. I barely even take a rest from training. It takes most of my time,” he answered. He showed half of the meat into his mouth.

I know we are werewolves and we love eating meat, but the scenery of him eating it makes me feel disgusted.

“So you don’t shower? Or brush your teeth?” I ask.

“Kelsie…” my mom softly called for a warning.

Zyko waves his hand in front of my mom. “It’s fine, Luna,” he then turns in my direction. “I do take a bath and brush my teeth, but I prioritize my pack. That is why they trust me. Alpha runs in my blood, but it doesn’t mean I should take it for granted.”

After his long lines, all I do is nod. I don’t have the enthusiasm to listen to his excuses. It would only take him several minutes to do proper hygiene yet, he chose not to.

“Also, I am guarding my position. Even though there are no wolves who will try to duel against me, I should not be complacent. I don’t have siblings, and our family is the only alpha since our pack was formed. I want to carry that legacy until I’ll have my own pup who will inherit the position.”

The looks he gave me while saying the last line gives me goosebumps. I am not looking at him but I can sense his eyes on me.

“If you trust your Beta, you don’t have to worry about your position being taken away from you,” my mom replied. I feel like they are the only ones enjoying this conversation. Or maybe my stepmom is forcing herself to engage with him.

Zyko shakes his head. “I am not afraid of the Beta. Never will. What I am guarding is the alphas from other packs. A Beta is no match to an Alpha.”

“Not always.”

We all turn our heads to Connor. This is the first in a long time that he spoke on the dining.

Zyko chuckled. Since he is still chewing the steak in his mouth, he choked a little. He reaches for the glass of water and shoved it down his throat. He made a loud burp and aggressively put the glass down.

“Are you saying that as a Beta, you can beat your Alpha?” I did not like the meaningful look that Zyko gave to my stepmom. Even Kristine, who is always in her demure and soft posture, suddenly breaks her mask and raises a brow at our visitor.

“No. What I am saying is, there are Alphas who are irresponsible that Betas or other lower-rank wolves deserve the title more than them,” he answered.

“Being an Alpha runs in the blood, young man.”

“Being an Alpha is about skills,” Connor argued.

“Alright, I won’t argue with that,” Zyko raises his hands as a sign of defeat. I thought their conversation about it will end already, not until Zyko continued. “That is what the lower-rank werewolves usually say. That is because they know they will never be on the rank they want because of their blood.”

“Werewolves can duel their Alpha if they think he doesn’t suit the position. But sometimes, out of respect to their Alpha, even if they know they can, they won’t.”

I stare at him. I understand where he is coming from. Given my father’s condition, Mr. Boris can duel my father or even Connor. They both know my father’s situation, but they still choose to serve him.

Zyko did not answer, but he languidly tilts his head. On the other hand, Kristine is smiling idiotically at Connor. I look at Connor to see if he noticed my stepsister, but as usual, it’s either he saw her but choose to ignore her, or he simply did not notice.

Connor calmly places his utensils. My eyes drop to his plate. He is still not yet done with his food.

I look at mine. I only have a bite left. I want to take the steak from his plate, but it will only ruin my poise. I’d rather ask an omega to cook me another one.

‘But it will be such a waste.’

I shut my eyes to stop my subconscious mind from talking to me.

‘Kelsie, I’m hungry…’

‘Okay, I will tell one of our servants to cook one for you—”

My eyes widen. I feel like my heart stopped beating for a moment.

‘Lycandra?’

‘Hi, Kelsie. Nice to meet you again!’ My wolf enthusiastically greeted, as if she did not leave me for three months!

‘Where the hell have you been? It’s been months!’ I raise my voice at her. I cannot distinguish is it is because I’m excited, scared, or plain anxious.

Of course, I am excited to see my wolf… again. Who isn’t? But, I am also scared and anxious that she suddenly showed up. Out of all the times that she can talk and show herself to me, why now?

She wouldn’t show up for anything. I gulp.

My eyes darted at our visitor.

‘Heck, no!’ I scream in my mind. I totally forgot that my wolf is here. Good thing she once again made herself present in my mind and clear things up.

‘Not him…’ she clarified. I do not know if that is a good thing or it makes the situation worse.

Out of a sudden, a sweet scent of a mixture of honey and milk devoured my nose. I roam my eyes to search for its owner until it lands on the guy beside me. My eyes widen after noticing that he is already staring straight into my eyes.

Gone is his carefree aura and ghost of a smile on his lips.

‘What the hell, Lycandra?!’

I immediately avoided my gaze from him. My heart is beating fast. I know by now that Lycandra is already reaching out to Connor’s wolf!

‘Mate! Mate! Mate!’ My wolf screams.

I shut my eyes tightly and shake my head as my wolf screams in my mind.

“Princess, are you okay?”

I open my eyes and they darted to Zyko. He looked worried and confused at the same time. He was probably weirded out by my actions while I’m talking to my wolf.

I am not used to this because it’s only been three months since I turn, and I only met her twice.

“Y-Yeah,” I answered.

I do not know if it is just my imagination, but I felt a sudden raise of heat in the atmosphere. When my gaze darted back to Connor, I gulp.

His eyes are all on our visitor, glaring.

It is a normal attitude of a wolf to be possessive to their mates, especially if they just knew it just now!

You’re right. Connor is my mate. Even I was surprised.

I mean, he’s already 19! Usually, wolves will meet their mates at 18. The reason why I was too complacent that my mate isn’t from our pack is that there is no alpha blood other than our family! The moon goddess knows that as the daughter of an alpha, I should be a mate for an alpha… not a Beta!

“Are you sure?” Zyko asked.

He was about to reach for my hand to somehow comfort me, but Connor placed his hand on top of my left leg under the table. I know no one would notice since it is covered with a table blanket, but I still jolt and instinctively remove my hands from the table and hide them under. When my hand made friction with Connor’s hand, I felt a sudden volt of electricity.

I do not know if it is still me acting up or if it is already the mate bond. Usually, she-wolves are very submissive to their mates. Even without a word, they know what their mate wants and what they feel.

But we still haven’t accepted each other! Or even talked about it. Ugh!

Lycandra keeps tapping on my mind. It makes my head hurt. She wants me to talk to Connor.

“E-Excuse me…”

I said and stands on the table.

I need the time alone. I need to f*cking calm down. These are all shocking to me!

Just when I turn my back and started walking away from the dining hall, I heard him speaking from behind.

“Excuse me too,” he said.

I shut my eyes. F*ck!

I just hope no one at the table noticed that our Beta is my Mate!

-----

Unedited. English is not my first language. My apologies for the grammar, sentence construction, and wrong spelling.

-----

Once A Princess, Now A Slave

By: Joanne Cristel

©2023