Genevieve's POV
"Anything yet?"
A whispering voice asks.
"No, not at all–" Another joins in reply.
"Pfft~ I told you all she was useless," the first voice says.
"Hey!
don't say that, she might hear you–"
The other two burst into laughter, walking away like they didn't just laugh out loud right in front of my door.
I could hear them loud and clear, word for word.
I am most certain that they chose to be loud on purpose because they wanted to ensure that I heard every bit of their conversation and even though I heard it all, there's nothing I can do about it.
Sitting in my cramped, dusty room with paintings of three young women who looked like they were in their early twenties, clad in the best designer clothes, holding each other by their shoulders and laughing their bellies out.
I glance at the clock by my side, "24:00," it's midnight, right on the dot, the appointed time for me to put an end to my suffering. It's also my 18th birthday.
"Moon goddess, please let me have it, I need my wolf so badly," I pray.
2 am ~
"Ha! I failed," I sob endlessly.
There was no pain, no fur, no claws, nothing! I was simply human, and would probably die this way as well since I couldn't get my wolf.
"What the fuck is going on in this kitchen!"
'Oh no!' I whimper, springing up from the floor in a successful attempt to hastily wear an apron.
Tying my hair up, I dash out of my room, hightailing it to the kitchen. I had to be there before 'he' called.
"Are we raising pigs in this house, can no one see how filthy this kitchen is?".
"Where on earth is that low-life tramp" he screeched "Genevieve!, get in here!"
That was my cue.
I bolted into the kitchen like I was running for my life, head bowed, eyes on the floor with cleaning supplies in my hands, that's how he's always liked me to appear.
Otherwise, it will take only one hit from him to put me in my place.
"What?!" He chuckles, doing his best to hold back his laughter which was unsuccessful.
"You didn't, oh- a slip of the tongue, you couldn't shift after all, I guess you turned out to be pretty useless after all."
The crooked smile threatening to stretch his cheeks out of his face gave him away. Glad to know my mystery brings him joy.
"Anyway, what are you waiting for, the dirt isn't going to clean itself," he yells.
"I'm sorry brother, I'll get right to it – ah–"
Oh, it hurts~
It hurts so bad~
I made a mistake yet again.
Lancelot, my older stepbrother, grabs a fistful of my hair so tightly that I'm sure it's illegal somewhere in the world pulling it back with so much force that the tears I had successfully willed to stay in their ducts so freely made their way down my cheeks.
"Don't call me that," he says through his teeth.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I beg.
Satisfied by my plea, he lets go of my hair, tossing me to a corner so fast as though I weighed nothing. I land with my back aggressively on a wall.
I spot a pair of eyes belonging to the maids, chuckling as they watch the show.
"Now that's a look you gotta love," he says with amusement, "hold on a bit, I'll finish the look."
Avoiding his gaze I watch Lancelot's feet leave the kitchen, but I dare not move because I know he's not done.
He returns shortly, standing right in front of me.
"There we go, fresh from the toilet—" he says as cold liquid trails down my hair. "Now enough of your delusion and get to work, you're ruining my evening."
"I'm sorry," I apologize as he walks away.
~~~
Left alone in the kitchen I gather what is left of my dignity and will to live as I stand up from the floor.
I wiped my face with my hands and started cleaning. He was right about the kitchen being a mess. I couldn't tell if the stains all over the floor were dry and what it was. This will take a while to get rid of. Haiz!
Like always, l gear up, I have to make this kitchen sparkling before dawn otherwise I'd get into trouble.
If it were for that day, the day I was dropped off at the front door of the mansion with a letter for who my mother mentioned was my dad.
"Your father will teach you everything you need to know," my mother maniacally said to me.
"But what if he doesn't like me?" I remember asking.
"No! He would never, your father is a good man," she assures me, but her words were just mere words because that's the most knowledge one can get out of a one-night stand.
"If only she knew," I say to myself, wrapping my arms around my chest.
I didn't know my father before then, that's why I was happy when I was finally going to meet him, but, I was met with the sad reality, "you banged a human!!!"
I was nothing but an illegitimate child, that is something the Luna, my father's rightful wife would never accept, she died of a heart attack shortly after and that was how my problems started.
Everyone pointed their fingers at me for killing Luna, and they wouldn't accept me because I was a hybrid, especially my father and brothers.
I grip the mop in my hand tightly and cry, "What exactly do they want from me?"
"It's not my fault my father cannot keep it in his pants, why do I have to pay for it?"
Hybrid, unwanted, and eighteen, there was no purpose for my birth, so I can't help but wonder why I still struggle to live when I can just end it all.
Phew~
I'm finally done.
It took longer than I thought it would. I was able to get it over with.
Checking the time, "It's four in the morning," I still have some time left to rest.
"Hey," a loud voice yells, "you don't think you're done with work, do you? Breakfast is not going to make itself you know."
Patricia the head maid of this hell hole they call a mansion. She is the leader of my oppressors, not wasting a single minute to make fun of me, she never really did anything in this mansion.
"Have you gone deaf? She yelled, "Breakfast is not going to make itself so move it!"
"Alright."
I took out the trash and disposed of the cleaning water before heading straight for the kitchen.
"Hmmm~" I breathed heavily as I needed to rest.
My back aches so much. It would have been great if this pain was from me getting my wolf, I wouldn't mind it at all.
Since Lancelot got up in the middle of the night, he would need something nice to start his day.
Ah! Eggs, whole wheat toast with toppings, nuts, and some coffee would be good enough to start the day.
I fetch the kitchen apron, wash my hands, and proceed to beat three eggs the way he likes them–
"Genevieve, what are you doing?!" A deep familiar voice yells.
I flinch.
'Have I done something wrong?'
'I'm going to get beaten again, aren't I?'
"Good morning Alpha, I'm just making breakfast for the young master," I quickly replied with my head bent down.
My father, Alpha Donava marches straight into the kitchen with Lancelot and Christopher tailing behind him.
Due to past experiences, I move away from the eggs and stand still.
"I'm sorry, breakfast isn't ready yet but it will be in thirty minutes," I quickly replied.
"No no no, that's not why I'm here," Alpha Donava says, grabbing me by the shoulders and forcing me to look him square in the eyes.
I am afraid, I want to leave his presence.
"The thing is, I don't like what I'm seeing," he says.
"Yeah, and who let her do this?" Christopher yells angrily. "Patricia!"
Patricia, puzzled, runs inside the kitchen as if she wasn't hanging around in the first place.
"Yes! Good morning young masters," she greets.
Whack!
A slap from father causes her legs to weaken as she falls to the ground, holding her left cheek. That slap will surely leave a bruise. One would think that seeing other people get hit will not shock me anymore seeing that it has become my reality.
"Ah~"
She stares at her father but quickly looks away as she dares not meet his eyes.
"How dare you make the daughter of an Alpha work, do you want to get fired," he yells.
"No Alpha!"
"Good, now get to work."
I'm perplexed, standing still and staring at the scene before me with so many questions on my mind.
Why are they doing this?
What on earth is going on?
Have they decided that I'm no longer useful?
"Alpha, please I can handle it," I beg on my knees.
They can't throw me away, not now, I have nowhere else to go.
"No, there's no need to do that, a daughter of an Alpha shouldn't get her hands dirty," Father says with a gentle look on his face.
That had to be the most gentle expression I had ever seen on his face since I arrived, and he was staring at me! Me?!
This… It's too good to be true.
Someone, please tell me I'm dreaming.