"Alpha," his Beta, Damien, called, jolting him out of his thoughts. He turned, cleared his throat before sipping from the drink he had held for over five minutes.
"What did you say again?" Alpha Luciano asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You were invited to the Silver Fang Pack, alongside many other Alphas," Beta Damien replied, and he scoffed.
"For what?" He rubbed his lip, maintaining steady eye contact with Beta Damien.
"Celebrating the reign of Alpha Klaus and the victory of the pack war," Lucinao responded with a sidelong smile.
"I can see you're not interested. Should I cancel it?" Beta Damien further questioned.
"Victory in the pack war?" He scoffed and sipped his drink once more. "Why am I only being told the day before the party?"
"I did tell you 669 times last week and 60 times just this morning, being Monday," he rolled his eyes unnoticed.
"How come you told me 669 times, and I couldn't recall even once?"
"Should I cancel it?"
"Yes, I'm not interested at all." He nodded, standing up.
"Katherine would be there, though, but since you don't like it…" Beta Damien smiled.
"Very well, I'll be there. Make sure she's the one serving our table," he said with a short smile, taking his phone and leaving as Damien followed.
"I heard something," Damien said, and he shrugged.
"Not my business."
"On the day Katherine turned 18 last week, she found out that Alpha Klaus is her mate."
With that revelation, Alpha Luciano stopped and turned abruptly, tucking his hands into his pockets, his eyes darkening.
"Mate!? Does he know about this?" He questioned, and Beta Damien nodded.
"Even before she turned 18, that must be the very reason he made her serve in the Royal house," Damien said.
"He made his chosen mate suffer, even to the point of making her a maid in the pack house," he chuckled, giving a nod as he continued his walk.
"Does he plan on rejecting her?" he suddenly asked as he entered his car, Beta Damien also sitting beside him.
"Well, he does have a girlfriend. Even Katherine knows about her, but she's ignorant. I mean, an omega thinking an Alpha would accept her, preposterous!" he grinned, gaining an eye roll from Alpha Riccardo.
"Someone married your slutty mother," Alpha Lucinao uttered, and Damien frowned angrily. "May her soul rest in peace," he added.
The drive to his company was silent; Damien's eyes remained fixed on his phone, while Lucinao observed the pack as the car continued moving.
He exhaled, feeling his phone buzz in his pants. Pulling it out, he frowned upon seeing the caller ID.
"I have told you countless times not to call my line!" he growled, stepping out of the car.
Entering the gigantic company, Beta Damien went off to get a cup of coffee.
"And why should I?" a female voice spoke, and he rolled his eyes.
"It was just a one-night stand. Can't you just leave? 'Disappearances' should be the exact word," he said, entering the elevator.
Beta Damien rushed in and accidentally splashed coffee on his gray suit, earning a murderous glare from Lucinao.
"Don't you ever call this line again," he ended the call and blocked her number.
Facing Beta Damien, who had his face bowed, he said calmly, "It was an accident."
"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, and Damien nodded instantly. "Show me the accident. Did you break your leg or hand?" he retorted, and Damien swallowed.
"Forgive me, Alpha."
"Worry not. You won't receive your monthly pay," he walked out as the elevator reached the 66th floor.
"What? But that's..." Damien swallowed the remaining words as they entered his office.
Alpha Luciano went straight to his dressing room, changed his clothes, and returned.
"Tell me, how many enemies of mine would be attending this party?" He questioned.
"Everyone is your enemy. You hate everyone, and everyone hates you, including Katherine," Damien said matter-of-factly, dropping files on his desk.
"Katherine is a child. She knows nothing."
"And you still want to bed her, funny!" he hissed.
"Putting on a little show tomorrow won't be that bad, would it?" he smirked, and Damien's jaw dropped.
"Are we killing someone?" he questioned, knowing that was one of the things that incited him.
"No, no. Something much better," he began going through the files while smiling.
CRIMSON MOON PACK*
"Mum! Mum, hurry before the Alphas see you," Katherine said, staring at the door, her heartbeat increasing wildly at the thought of the Alpha seeing her.
They were omegas, and it was a divine miracle to her and her entire family when she found out on her 18th birthday that she was mated to the Alpha, Alpha Klaus. Although she knows he feels nothing called 'love or affection' towards her, she remains hopeful for a change in his heart.
In fact, the entire pack knows that the Alpha has a girlfriend, whom he seriously wants to spend the rest of his life with.
"Mum!" She growled, taking the golden little statue from her mother's hand.
"Why are you so serious? The Alpha is your mate; you're free to do anything!" Her mother said, and Katherine sighed softly.
"I'm not free, Mama. I doubt if he feels anything for me." She sat down on the couch.
"Assh…don't say that. You should give yourself in tomorrow; with that, he would mark you," she said, and Katherine opened her mouth.
"Mother!... that's wrong." She shrugged off her hands, and her mother frowned deeply.
"How is it wrong? For the past twenty years, we've been living in poverty, from serving this person to others!... aren't you tired?" She questioned, and Katherine bit her lip, recalling those terrifying days.
Being a maid in the pack house was stressful; you get bullied, but that was never compared to when she served other people.
Humiliated, punished for anything, or even the slightest mistake.
"Mum! But_"
"There's no 'but'; you are to restore honor to this family. I don't care what you do; you would rather suffer, bearing the title 'Luna,' than return to my house!" She warned her, as her voice carried every hint of anger, venom, and warnings.
Katherine has always been excluded from the family, primarily because she is seen as the source of shame and misfortune, with the exception of the Alpha who is her fated mate.
"See you later, cupcake." She cupped her cheeks, kissed them both before walking away.
Excellent!
Katherine cleaned the sitting room before exiting, but then at the door entrance, she was stunned into silence.
Right in front of her eyes, Alpha Klaus was kissing his so-called girlfriend, not minding the fact that he had a mate.
"Kl…Klaus?" She mumbled, watching them.
Klaus disengaged and turned to face her while holding his girlfriend tight by the hands.
"No, you did not just call me by my name," he said, and Katherine looked away.
"How could you kiss and make out with someone who's not even your mate? Don't you see you're hurting me?" She said, anger evident in her tone of voice.
"Just like you disgust me, you think I would boldly walk around with an omega mate? Of course not!!" He growled, and she flinched.
"But that doesn't matter!" She voiced out.
"Of course it does, darling," Alpha's girlfriend said, holding him tight and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Don't get your hopes too high," Alpha Klaus said as they walked away, but suddenly, he stopped and turned. "I might as well reject you. I mean, no Alpha in their right sense would want to have anything to do with you. Look at yourself in the mirror, these clothes…this," he said, pointing at her dress, which was obviously the maid attire.
"This maid's clothes suit you more than anything; you're ugly. I mean no disrespect, but has no one told you this? Your mirror must be the most terrifying thing on this earth." With all that, they left.
Katherine, heartbroken, sluggishly dragged herself to the room.
Those words rang like bells in her head; nobody wanted her, that she knew, but this…. This is heavy….