"Where is Ursula?"
The head housekeeper swept into the dining hall, her sharp eyes scanning the room as her brow furrowed into deep, irritated lines.
Looking around, I realized one of the maids was indeed missing from the table.
"She tried to slip into Alpha Rainn’s private quarters last night," an older maid replied casually between bites of her sandwich, as if commenting on the morning weather. "Sayan drove her out himself before dawn, baggage and all. They even paid out her severance."
The housekeeper’s jaw tightened, her lips thinning into a razor-sharp line. "And why was I not informed of this immediately?"
The maids offered a collective, silent shrug, their eyes darting away to avoid her glare.
Did she simply fail to catch his interest? Or is he staying completely faithful to his fated mate?
The thought sent a sour taste to my mouth. I certainly had no desire to run into Karina in person—seeing her sickening, triumphant smile in the courtroom years ago had been more than enough for a lifetime. Still, the situation felt off.
"We just assumed Alpha Magnus would inform you himself, ma’am," one omega muttered under her breath, keeping her eyes fixed on her lap.
Without another word, the housekeeper turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen, her heels clicking angrily against the floorboards, furious at being kept out of the loop.
"I warned her it was a terrible idea," said another maid, Olivia, shaking her head. "Such a stupid way to throw away a great position. But Ursula always lacked common sense—thought if she threw herself at him stripped bare, he’d fall to his knees and propose on the spot. Naive idiot."
Olivia and I had scrubbed the front porch together yesterday. She was a decent girl—chatty, but genuinely kind. She’d helped me make sense of the chaotic cleaning schedule and showed me where all the supplies were kept.
"You don’t just wander into his private wing," Olivia continued, lowering her voice. "Honestly, it’s best not to push your luck at all. Everyone knows he doesn’t touch the staff. Never has. He doesn’t even look our way."
"Is he really that devoted to his true mate?" I asked, keeping my tone light and casually indifferent, even as a tight knot formed in my stomach. I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
The moment the words left my lips, every maid at the table froze. They stared at me with wide, stunned eyes, as if I had blurted out an unpardonable curse.
Olivia choked mid-swallow, coughing as she forced down her food. Leaning across the table, her voice dropped to an urgent whisper:
"Mia, listen to me—that topic is strictly forbidden in this house. Don’t go digging into it. Seriously. Never ask anything about his fated mate. Ever. Do you understand?"
I offered a careless shrug and a nod. If it’s forbidden, so be it. What in the hells did I care about his personal life anyway? All I needed was his blood—nothing more. It wasn’t personal. The moment I had what I came for, I would vanish from his life forever, as if I had been nothing more than a ghost passing through.
Yet, deep in my chest, a dull ache flared at the traitorous thought that he might still remember me. That he might still be carrying that dark, bitter fury. Hating me. Guarding that rage like a sacred relic of my ultimate betrayal. Did he whisper curses about me to his precious fated mate late at night? Did he damn my name to the shadows?
The kitchen door burst open, instantly cutting off my spiral. We all turned to see the head housekeeper standing on the threshold, her expression flushed with silent rage. Her sharp eyes locked onto me, and with a swift jerk of her chin, she signaled for me to follow.
The rest of the maids turned as one, shooting me uneasy, pitying looks.
A cold, sticky panic clawed its way up my throat. My knees buckled under the weight of a sudden, suffocating dread, whispering that something terrible was about to unfold. I stepped out into the hallway, leaving the heavy door to click shut behind us.
The moment we were alone, the woman rounded on me, her hands darting out to grab my shoulders. She shook me hard, her nostrils flaring as her inner wolf pushed against her composure.
"What in the blazes did you do?!" she snarled through gritted teeth, her voice a low, furious growl.
I twisted out of her grip, taking a sharp step back from the hysterical woman. My pulse was hammering, completely lost as to what had set her off or what she could possibly want from me.
"I haven’t done anything!" I snapped back, trying to keep my footing.
"Then why did Alpha Rainn just issue a direct order for your immediate termination?!"
My heart stopped. What...? What the hell is going on...?
***
"Magnus, what in the absolute hell was that about, man?" Sayan walked into the living room, yawning as he scratched his stomach beneath his wrinkled t-shirt. He collapsed heavily onto the leather sofa, slumping into the cushions.
"That maid was terrified out of her fucking mind. I genuinely thought she was going to ruin the upholstery in my car. The entire drive down, she was hysterical—screaming that she hadn’t done anything wrong, that it was all a giant misunderstanding. Look, no offense, Magnus, but I don’t give a damn if you mind: I’m not driving anywhere else tonight. I’m crashing here!"
"Then go sleep in the guest wing," Magnus replied evenly, stubbing out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray and leaning back into his chair. "No need to wake the rest of the staff with your snoring."
"Ugh, fuck... how the hell do you smoke those things?" Sayan winced, eyeing the custom pack sitting on the coffee table. "It reeks of honey and crisp apples—it’s sickeningly sweet, man. Since when do you smoke dessert? I thought you hated sweet smells, or did I miss something?"
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