After breakfast, Stella began combing through my hair with gentle fingers, her touch as soothing as the tea I hadn’t finished.
The brush moved through the tangles, lulling my mind into stillness until a sharp knock ca at the door.
A maid stood in the doorway, her face stiff with formality.
"The Alpha has summoned you to the study room, Breeder."
I blinked, setting down my cup. "Now?"
She nodded once.
Stella began to rise, already smoothing her apron as if she ant to accompany . But before she could take a step, the maid cut in.
"She must go alone."
Stella’s lips pressed into a thin line, her hand still on the edge of my chair. I gave her a small nod, giving her reassurance even if I didn’t feel it, and I stood.
The corridors were quieter than usual.
As I walked behind the maid, I kept my eyes ahead, though I could feel the weight of every step echoing through the hall.
The Reiss estate was a grand structure, heavy with history and wealth. Portraits lined the walls, proud Alphas and their stone-faced Lunas, all dressed in gold-trimd ceremonial garb. Their painted eyes followed , as if silently questioning my presence in their territory.
Gold, gold, and more gold.
It coated the moldings, frad the doors, shimred in the chandeliers. Even the floor tiles had gold veins running through them. The Reiss family never missed a chance to remind everyone of their legacy – of their power.
We stopped outside the study doors.
The maid opened them without a word and gestured for to enter. She didn’t follow.
I stepped in, hesitating for a mont as the door closed softly behind .
The study was quiet. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the scent of leather and old papers filled the air. I couldn’t see who was inside at first. The tall shelf by the door blocked most of the room.
My heart pounded.
Was this about last night?
Had Finn sohow found out I’d left my room?
I drew a breath and forced myself forward. Slowly, I stepped past the shelf.
And froze.
It wasn’t Finn waiting for .
A woman stood near the desk, her back to , watching the window as if the outside world might offer sothing more interesting than my presence.
But I recognized her instantly.
Her rich brown hair was neatly combed and pinned in a style that spoke of elegance without effort. Her posture, straight, graceful, completely at ease, could have been carved from marble.
Then she turned.
"Here you are," Esther said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Wicked. That was the only word I could think of to describe the expression curving across her lips. It was the sa smile she wore ever since we were children.
"You look paler than usual," she added smoothly. "Must be the cold air in your room? Or perhaps... the lack of attention from the Alpha?"
She let out a soft chuckle like it was the cleverest thing she’d said all week.
I didn’t rise to it.
I couldn’t afford to. Maybe I could, back when I had the sa status as her. But I no longer could.
"What do you need from , Esther?" I asked, carefully keeping my voice even.
My fingers curled at my sides, but I didn’t let the anger show. She wanted a reaction. That was the ga. She’d won it before with other girls but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Esther took a step closer, her eyes sparkling with sothing cruel. She was the daughter of the chief Beta, an admired figure in the pack. Beautiful, confident, respected. If it weren’t for the Celestial Wolf, everyone would assu she’d be Luna by now.
But she wasn’t.
Because Finn had always been clear: he would wait for the Celestial Wolf.
Which ant Esther, despite everything she was, had to watch as I, the girl reduced to oga, was given a place in his legacy before she was.
She hated for that.
And in monts like this... I almost hated myself for letting it happen.
Esther moved closer, her heels clicking softly against the polished wood floor as she circled like a wolf toying with an injured prey.
"Don’t think that Finn chose you because you’re likable," she said, voice low and venomous. "He chose you because you’re worthless. Because you’re easy to discard."
She stopped in front of , lips curling with disdain.
"You have no place anywhere near him."
I looked at her.
Her beauty was undeniable, her bloodline impeccable. She was everything the pack admired – refined, high-ranking, destined for more. And yet here she was, standing in front of , spitting words like poison... over soone she claid to have no competition with.
"If you know that," I said calmly, "then why do you seem so mad?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why are you wasting your ti saying this to ?" I added, unable to keep the edge from my voice.
It was obvious. Esther, despite all her confidence, was insecure. She had reason to be. If her father weren’t the chief Beta, she would have offered herself to bear Finn’s child in a heartbeat.
She would’ve done it without question, without hesitation. But her father would never allow such a disgrace. To carry a child without the title of Luna? To beco a breeder?
That would be humiliation.
Esther’s father only tolerated her relationship with Finn because the Celestial Wolf, the one he truly wanted, hadn’t awakened yet. Esther was a placeholder. A temporary comfort. A body in his bed, not a na in his bloodline.
She knew that.
And it killed her.
"If there’s nothing else," I said, keeping my voice level, "I’ll go now."
I turned, intending to leave this room and everything suffocating inside it behind .
But her voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
"Don’t you dare turn your back on , oga!"
I froze.
My jaw clenched, but I stayed rooted where I stood.
A beat of silence.
Then footsteps.
And then—
Pain flared across my cheek as her hand struck . My head snapped to the side, hair whipping across my face.
"You think you can disrespect just because you’re being cared for under this roof?" Esther hissed. "You think you matter now?"
My hands balled into fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms. My body trembled, not just from the sting of the slap but from the effort it took not to respond.
"I am Finn’s lover," she said coldly, her breath brushing my skin. "And you? You’re just a breeder. You’re here to serve. Nothing more."
"I am to serve the Alpha," I whispered. "Not you."
The second slap ca harder.
I stumbled backward from the force of it, catching myself just before I lost my footing.
But it wasn’t enough for her.
She stepped forward and shoved . My legs gave out and I hit the cold floor, my hands breaking the fall.
I looked up, blinking through the blur of tears forming in my eyes.
And Esther smiled.
A slow, victorious smile.
"Go on," she taunted. "Hit . Scratch . Say sothing cruel. Hurt back."
She leaned down, her voice a mockery of sweetness.
"Let’s see what kind of punishnt you’ll suffer in the Alpha’s hands."
Tears stung my eyes. not just from pain, but from the unfairness of it all. I had the urge to scream, to claw her perfect face, to remind her that cruelty didn’t make her powerful. It made her small.
But I bit my tongue.
Because I knew how this worked.
She was the admired daughter of the chief Beta.
And ?
I was the powerless one.
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