Helen's POV
A day to my eighteenth birthday…
"Did you hear?" Nara nudged me playfully by the waist, her eyes gleaming with excitement as we worked in the kitchen. Nara was always happy. Always finding joy in doing even the hardest of chores. After Laura had signed me up to work as a maid in the Alpha's estate, I met her and we have been really close. So close that I knew the color of the bra she was wearing right now.
I glanced at her, brow raised. "Hear what?"
She giggled, dusting the shelf above the spice rack with far more energy than necessary. I tried to listen, but all I could hear were the soapy clinks of dishes and the hum of the old kitchen fan overhead.
"The young Alphas," she whispered like she was sharing a royal secret. "They're returning tomorrow."
My heart skipped. My ears rang. I froze.
The plate in my hand slipped from my grip and crashed to the tiled floor with a loud, ear-splitting clang. It shattered like my thoughts—scattered and sharp.
No. No way.
They couldn't be coming back. It has to be some sort of stupid rumor spun around by lazy guards!
"Helen, you—" Nara started, fear lacing her words but her voice faded as the kitchen door slammed open.
"And what is happening in here?!" came the screech of Veronica, the head maid, like a dagger slicing through the moment. I snapped at my haunting thoughts and noticed the mess I had made.
I scrambled to my knees, gathering the shards with trembling hands. "I—I'm sorry, Veronica. I didn't mean to—"
"You wretched orphan!" she hissed, marching over. "Can't do one simple task without ruining something!" she yelled at me, her eyes widened in fury.
"I didn't—"
"Shut it! Always acting like a helpless little thing. You're lucky the Luna has any use for you at all." She sneered.
I kept my head down, swallowing back the burn in my throat. My fingers stung as I picked up a jagged edge too quickly.
Veronica folded her arms with a smirk. "This is coming out of your upkeep. Half, this time. Since you like to break things."
My stomach dropped.
"But—but I need that. Please…" I looked up. "That's for my transport fees—I need to submit my city application—"
"And I need peace of mind, but clearly, we don't get what we want, do we?" she snapped.
I said nothing else.
What was the point?
She always looked for a chance to use her power on me. She made sure to remind who I was and how I got here. I never for once forget anyway.
She turned sharply on her heels and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Nara rushed to help me clean the rest.
"I'm sorry, Helen," she whispered.
I forced a tight smile. "It's not your fault."
But my hands trembled.
Half. She was taking half. That meant I wouldn't have enough to leave the pack after my birthday. I'd been saving and planning for months. The city academy was my only escape. I wasn't going to survive another year here. There was an application that they were accepting new recruits for the security team and I had always wanted to learn it.
Oh! I have to look for other ways.
And now… the triplets were coming back.
The Alphas.
The very ones who used to mock me, humiliate me, order me around like I was dirt under their boots. King, Kael and Kaden. Beautiful nightmares with cruel eyes. They were older than me by three years and had left for the Shifters Academy right after turning eighteen.
I had hoped—prayed—they'd forget about me.
But now they were returning.
My chest tightened like something dark was wrapping around my ribs.
⸻
That night, I didn't get a moment of peace. I have never gotten ever since I was brought to this pack.
Laura came home late. She worked tirelessly as a nurse in the pack hospital. There was nothing else to her life than working there. In fact, I have always wondered if she never had a mate.
As always, the sound of her heels echoed through the hallway like a warning bell. I sat up straight immediately. I'd made sure the house was spotless, dinner was on the table, and her bed was already laid. Still, I knew what was coming.
She walked into the sitting room where I was folding clothes and raised an eyebrow.
"What is this I heard about you breaking plates in the kitchen?" Her voice was steely cold.
"I—I was just—"
She raised a hand, silencing me with a sharp look.
"You're always clumsy," she muttered, walking past me and pouring herself a drink from the crystal decanter in the cabinet. "You've been nothing but a burden since the day your parents died."
Her words landed like fists to my chest, but I said nothing. I knew better. I bit the inside of my cheeks. In the past, whenever she said harsh words to me, I would yell back at her and guess my reward. Two hot, blazing slaps and no food for the whole day or night.
"If it weren't for my sister—" she spat the word like it burned her tongue—"I would've thrown you out years ago." She glared daggers into the cup she was holding.
My fists clenched around the fabric I was folding. I wanted to say a lot of things. Throw caution to the wind and shout at her. Tell her she should have sent me out. Why was she hesitating?
But I knew better. The only thing I couldn't afford right now is shelter and I can't afford to lose the one I have right now.
"You should be grateful, Helen. You're lucky the Alpha agreed to fund your school fees. If you want a future, keep your head down. Do your duties. Stop breaking things like a feral pup."
"Yes, Laura."
She walked closer and dropped her glass on the table with a loud clunk. "I was informed to tell you that tomorrow, you're to serve the young Alphas that would be returning. Luna Flora has made the arrangement herself."
My head jerked up. So it was true. It wasn't a rumor.
"What?"
"You heard me." She tilted her head. "You'll attend to their every need while they're back in the estate. And I suggest you do it well. One wrong move, and I won't be lifting a finger to defend you. You may be under this roof, but don't forget—it isn't your home." The reminder hitting home fiercely.
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat tightening.
"Yes, Laura."
She gave a tight nod and turned away, muttering, "Ungrateful child."
⸻
When I got to my room—if you could even call it that—I sat on the thin mattress and curled my knees to my chest. My fingers still tingled from earlier. My eyes burned, but I didn't cry.
I couldn't.
Not anymore.
Tomorrow was supposed to be special. The day I'd meet my wolf for the first time. The day the Moon Goddess would show me my mate. Maybe a spark of hope.
Instead, I'd be spending it serving the very boys who used to trip me in the hallways and call me names. Who once tied my shoes together so I'd fall in front of the entire pack school.
Would they recognize me?
Did it matter?
No one ever truly saw me here—not as a person, anyway. Just the orphan. The mistake. The ghost of a dead couple no one wanted to remember.
I stared out the small, cracked window above my bed.
"Just one more day," I whispered to myself.
Just one more day, and I'd meet her—my wolf.
And maybe… just maybe… that would change everything.