"Darling, no matter what happens, never forget your origin." A man with beautiful silver orbs spoke to the little girl sitting in his lap.
" Papa, what is this?" She touched the locket that he never removed from his neck.
" My little warrior, this is the only thing that will keep you safe in a life and death situation."
He removed the locket and hung it over her neck.
" Listen, princess, no matter what happens in the future, do not lose yourself in hatred. Always ensure that what you seek is the truth. Learn to distinguish the good from the bad. As an executor, be just in your judgment. Baby, don't be blinded by your will. If you realize early that what you believe in is bad, you have the chance to make things right."
"Papa, what do you mean? Is papa mad at me?" She asked. Her eyes which were identical to his looking up at him full of innocence and purity.
" One day, You will understand."
Lila woke up with a start. She felt a familiar emptiness in her heart. This dream again! Ever since she stepped foot into the werewolf realm, she has been having the same dream. Her eyes watered at the feeling of nostalgia.
" Papa," she found herself whispering.
Her hand automatically went towards her neck. The locket was there. No matter how much she tries, it never came off. From the moment her father made her wear it, it was her constant companion.
Unfortunately, she didn't know what was inside it. It was a heart-shaped golden locket. The string that was used to hang it over her neck was a common thread that her mother need. Yes. She could still remember how her mother changed the chains because her skin was allergic to them.
Out of habit, she looked at her wrist, only to discover that there was no watch. She sighed. It was hard getting used to this way of life. Her working and sleeping schedule would be messed up if she cant maintain her normal routine.
She made a mental note to ask Ian for a watch. That way, she could retain her routine without getting out of shape. Lila conducted her morning business and walked out of the room. She prepared breakfast for Ian.
Looking at the wall clock, she was already running late. She decided to talk to him in the evening. With that in mind, she set off for the mansion. The one she admired. On her way, she came across Maya who was heading there as well.
" Hey, you. Wait up." She ignored the girl and kept her pace. She wasn't going to deal with insignificant flies. She had a lot of patience. This was something she both hated and loved about herself.
Seeing that the girl wasn't stopping, Maya walked faster and held her back by the hand. " I said, you wait up."
Lila was pulled with so much force she almost tripped and fell. However, there was no reaction in her eyes.
Inside the mansion, Kai who was watching her through the window frowned. With his enhanced hearing, he could decipher what Maya was telling her. " Hey, you. What do you think of yourself? Just because you have a pretty face, does it give you the right to ignore others? "
She paused, expecting an answer. To her dismay, she was greeted by silence as Lila smirked at her. She tilted her head arrogantly and observed her, amusement evident in her eyes.
" Are you laughing at me? Why you little insolent..aaaaaaaah! " She was cut short as Lila twisted her arm that was originally aimed for her face. The shriek that left her lips was too irritating that Kai winced.
' What did she do? Ugg. I missed that. And who is that annoying girl? How am I unaware of any such person working in my mansion? I should start to know all my workers well. I can as well take advantage of the situation.' He thought as he continued watching.
Lila didn't say anything. She twisted Maya's hands in a way that she exerted little force but made maximum damage. This was a warning for her. She can tolerate her insults but no one was entitled to touch her unless she allowed it. Especially not in a violent way. " Girl, Stay away or you'll regret it."
To Lila, Maya was too dumb to understand her action, hence she was forced to talk. She hated talking. Not because she was lazy. Far from it. Just because, most of the things people talked about were either irrelevant, toxic, or utter rubbish.
Maybe that was why she could only talk around Ian and could listen to Mildred without feeling bored. Recalling certain golden eyes, she frowned. He makes her talk too. Only because he is good at irritating her.
Maya stopped wailing when she heard Lila's voice. She froze with her mouth a gap. That was the coldest and most scary voice she has heard all her life.
Lila smiled at her through her eyes as though letting her know that, her silence was for a reason.
On the other hand, Kai felt as though cupid shot an arrow that went right to his heart. That voice! That voice felt like the silkiest voice that blessed his morning. It was dripping with a coldness that he equated to honey.
' Man, I am so whipped.' He thought as he watched Lila walk into the mansion.
He disappeared before she could spot him. As he walked inside his office, he couldn't hide the smile on his face. He was daydreaming about that voice whispering into his ears. He shivered involuntarily.
Kai looked at the paperwork in front of him and frowned. He should probably stop daydreaming and get back to work. As the day progressed, Lila was flooded with too many dishes to wash. She felt exhausted but there was no trace of discomfort on her face.
She saw through her workmates. They intentionally used more utensils than they needed to give her a rough time. Well then, thank heavens, she had a high resilience to hard conditions. If they thought that she was an easy target, they got a surprise in store.
A few minutes before the kitchen began to make lunch, they had an unexpected visitor. Kai strode into the kitchen in the name of wanting to know his workers well. The first thing he saw when he entered was the sink full of dirty dishes and the person cleaning them.
His wolf growl internally. He looked around and saw the smirk that almost everyone had on their faces. So they planned this! He felt furious. None of them have realized that he was behind them except Mildred who pretended as though she didn't see him.
She was his direct worker. She knew what was expected of her in different scenarios. Kai pushed down the rage that he was feeling inside and coughed.
Lila was the first to hear it while the others ignored him.
She turned around and tilted her head in submission as demanded by custom.
She watched how cold Kai's eyes got after he was dismissed. " Are these the kind of people who man my kitchen?" His voice was calm. Too calm that it was scary.
It was only after they heard this sentence that they all froze. The ladle in Amanda's hand fell. Maya cut her finger instead of the potato she was chopping. The pen in Evans's hand dropped out of his hand while Jayden almost fainted from shock.
They all took a moment to turn around and show their respect. Amanda was the first to react. "W-we are sorry A-alpha. We didn't realize that you were here." While the others froze, Lila took note of how Mildred looked at ease. She was even trying to hide her smile.
" I see! Initially, I came to familiarize myself with you all. Who cooked yesterday's meal? " All eyes turned towards Lila who did not react to his question as she took a step forward.
" Get out of the kitchen and wait for me, at the door. You are banned from entering the kitchen for the entire week.
For this period, you shall be punished by me. Now, stand out and wait for me." Lila's brows raised involuntarily. She almost lost it in front of all these people. What was this man up to?
Despite her displeasure, she followed his command. After Lila left, Kai's gaze became even colder if possible. Even Mildred who was trying not to laugh felt shivers all over her body. Was the little girl the reason why he didn't let them see his anger before?
She wasn't the only one who noticed these changes. It did nothing but fuel the envy in their hearts. Kai didn't care about them. He looked at each of their faces and spoke again.
" Since I have no guests coming this week, I shall give everyone a break from the kitchen. For the next seven days, you shall all shift to the nursery and help the teachers with the children. I will see you again in seven days. Except for Mildred, of course. You can stay behind to take care of my meals. The rest of you are dismissed."
As he made his way to the door, he stopped in his tracts after hearing a little protest.
" Did I hear things right? But what?" He asked looking directly at Maya.
" What about that girl? She is part of us too."
Her voice came out meek and shaky.
Kai looked at her arm where Lila had grabbed and saw the subtle swelling. It might look fine now but in a day, it would be hard for her to lift it. He laughed internally. He felt proud of his girl's handy work.
" If you want to share in her punishment, then, feel free to follow me. Remember, it's your choice."
The look in his eyes was a clear warning. If she was brave enough to follow him, he will give her hell. With that said, he walked out of the kitchen towards his office with Lila following behind him in silence.
He opened the door and waited for her to walk in before closing it with the key. He removed the key and placed it in his pocket. He was caging her. She looked at him with contempt in her eyes. Kai's cold look was long gone, replaced by a normal look.
" Aren't you going to ask how and why I am punishing you? Come on baby. Ask away."
The way he called her baby irritated her. It sounds different and she didn't like it. " I don't care. Do what you want. Don't call me baby." She grumbled displeased.
He closed his eyes in bliss. Kai was now sure what she loved most about her. It was her voice. Heavens. It turned him on without much effort. His eyes opened wide as a frown took over a second later. He walked towards her and whispered near her ears.
" I am not going to punish you, but we have to make the rest believe that I am hurting you. Play along and scream for me as I hit you." He winked at her and went towards his desk. He took the heaviest book he could find and used it to hit the table hard. The sound it made was awfully loud.
At first, Lila was shocked. Then, she felt amused. Since he was being so nice, she decided to play along. Alas, the minute her slow sensual whimper broke out, Kai froze midways. That wasn't the cry of someone in pain. It was a cry of someone in ecstasy.
He looked at her in shock. She continued making those lewd but oh-so-sexy noises until he could no longer stand it. Since he couldn't say anything to her, he instinctively covered her lips with his palm. Lila was having fun at this point. Wanting to test his limits, she slowly leaked his palm making him moan.
Fortunately, Amanda and Maya were satisfied after hearing her first wail. Though it sounded odd, they believed that he was punishing her and left. Kai who was holding his breath the whole time maneuvered a little in such a way that, he moved Lila's slender frame and pulled her into his body.
He closed his eyes, still holding her mouth with his palm. She saw him struggle with his breathing as his heart pumped away. For reasons unknown to her, she felt a sense of achievement. She liked this look on him. He was so vulnerable and bare for her to see.
Their proximity made her more aware of him than she planned for. His scent filled her nose, making her take in a sharp breath. The little mole near his lower lip looked sexy on him. He was ethereal if she could describe him.
Kai felt her gaze on his face and opened his eyes. Golden orbs clashed with silver ones. Two hearts beat in unison as their lungs struggled to breathe. Their senses were filled with each other's scents. They fell into a trace looking at each other until...