‘Til We Meet Again

Trinity Never in a million years did I think I would be looking back at the place I called home for more than ten years. A place that was less than welcoming. I felt too many emotions at once to pinpoint the most dominant one. Tears stained my face as I thought of the grief and abuse I had endured at the hands of the White Crescent Pack. My entire pack had been slaughtered after my father challenged Alpha Christopher. I had the misfortune of surviving and being forced into servitude. My days consisted of cleaning the entire packhouse from top to bottom, which wasn’t that hard since it was pretty small compared to most packhouses I’ve been to. I don’t think I will miss anyone here, especially not the Luna. She was the worst of all. One day, while I was lost in thought and staring out of the front window, I heard a loud clatter come from the kitchen. I rushed in to find all of the food I had prepared for lunch on the floor. “Clean that up!” The Alpha’s daughter, Paige, was yelling at me. I was sure she had done it on purpose. Before I could even move, I heard the familiar voice of Alpha Chris. “What’s going on in here?” He looked down and then at Paige, finally laying his eyes on me. I started to shake slightly. He turned to Paige. “Wait outside in the dining room.” Paige huffed and stomped out of the kitchen. Alpha Chris turned to me. “What happened?” He asked. I stood there looking at my feet. “Trinity.” “Yes?” I replied, my voice shaking. I continued to stare at the floor. I was too afraid to look at Alpha Chris. Although he wasn’t as bad as the rest of the pack, I still hated disappointing him. He was a fair Alpha, so I knew I could tell the truth. However, if Paige was punished for ruining lunch just to get me in trouble, I would never be able to live it down. “Trinity. Look at me.” He spoke in his deep, Alpha tone. I had no choice. I looked up at him and he had a serious look on his face. “What happened?” I began to fidget. “Tell him.” My wolf, Carmen, suddenly appeared in my head. “Umm …” I looked around the kitchen, still fidgeting. Alpha Chris sighed. I blurted out, “I slipped and dropped lunch. Sorry.” I dropped my head again. He stood there staring at me for a moment. When I looked up, he was nodding slowly. His eyes were hazy. He was mindlinking someone. I gulped. “No worries. Giovanni and Sam are going to pick up some pizzas.” With that, he turned on his heels and left the kitchen. I sighed in relief. If that were the Luna or anyone else, I would’ve been humiliated in front of an audience or worse. I started cleaning up the mess Paige had made. If I was lucky, the Alpha would be in the kitchen when the food arrived. He was a major foodie, so he was always sniffing around and asking the kitchen omegas and me what we were cooking. He would for sure tell me to set some food aside for myself. Once I finished throwing away the ruined food and cleaning the floor, I went to resume cleaning the Alpha floor while I waited for the pizza to arrive. I paused on the stairs when I heard voices. “I don’t care how easy it was to resolve! That lousy piece of-“ Although, she was whisper-shouting, I recognized Luna Marjorie’s voice immediately. I started to make my way downstairs when the Alpha whisper-shouted, “Enough! I have no reason to punish the girl for an honest mistake. People slip and fall sometimes. I’m sure the rest of the pack would love pizza instead of the stuff you’re basically starving them with!” She gasped. “You think you can speak to me however you please! You wouldn’t be the Alpha you are without me! Your father didn’t even want to give you the pack! You’re weak and spineless. That girl is of traitor blood! She is despicable!” “Her parents may have been traitors, but that does not mean she should be punished for their failings!” “You never agree with anything I want! The whole pack can feel it. At least act like you are my fated mate!” She stormed off to their room and slammed the door. I retreated down the stairs, shaking my head. I didn’t notice the Alpha’s son, Christian, was coming up the stairs. We almost collided, but he put his hands out, pushing me to the floor. “Watch it, idiot.” I briefly looked up at him, trembling because I didn’t know what he would do next. He had a confused look on his face, shook his head, and continued up the stairs. I slowly rose to my feet and made it back to the kitchen, just in time to see the pizza being carried in. Sam saw me and said, “Oh, good! You can help carry in the pizzas.” She went into the kitchen as I walked outside to the truck. Giovanni handed me a stack of pizza boxes and grabbed the remaining few boxes. I followed him inside. “Beta Van!” A kitchen omega called behind us. I had to stop abruptly to avoid running into him. He smiled as Kenzie, a small blonde with crystal blue eyes, rushed toward him. “I can grab those for you.” She returned his smile and reached for the boxes. “It’s alright. I can handle a few pizza boxes.” She nodded and we continued toward the kitchen. After the pizza had been plated and served, I noticed there were at least three boxes with whole pies in them. The kitchen was empty and my stomach growled as I inhaled the smell of pepperoni. I groaned a little. Surely I’d be able to grab a slice. I hesitated for a moment before opening one of the boxes. I took out a slice and nearly scarfed it down. It was delicious. I started to leave the kitchen and figured one more slice wouldn’t hurt. I grabbed another and slipped out of the kitchen. If I took the stairs at the front, I could avoid the dining room. I’d have to walk all the way around to get to the back, but I could enjoy my pizza on the way. I made it to the top of the stairs when I noticed Christian coming straight toward me. I thought he hadn’t seen me yet, but as I turned to run back down the stairs, he called out, “Trinity!” Uh, oh …