~Daliah's POV~
I hummed a soft tune under my breath as I shuffled through my chores that morning, whilst avoiding Miss Berlin as I did them. In a way, the older lady seldom reminded me of Madame Angelique and I do not mean that in a good way.
However, my life here was no better than in Silvermoon pack as I was still actively ignored and bullied, but at least, here Amara lived better. She lived with the Beta and his daughter who was around her age, and had access to quality livelihood than she ever did at Silvermoon pack. Here, also she wasn't unnecessarily bullied or called names, and that made me feel a lot better than I have ever felt in ages.
My peaceful haze was soon interrupted by the sounds of heels clacking against the marble floors and by the time I lifted my head to acknowledge whoever it was that was approaching, it was too late because then I was met with a sharp sting on my face.
My eyes widened as my head reeled.
"What?"
For a full minute, I lost focus. Even my vision blurred and by the time they cleared eventually, I was beyond surprised to see that it was the woman from last night, the one who had kissed My Zarek right in front of me.
I frowned. "Ma'am—?"
"How dare you blatantly refuse to acknowledge my presence?!" She snarled viciously, baring her pearly white teeth at me. "…Where the hell did my man get a maid as prideful and stupid as you?" She continued while I could only stare at her in shock as my left cheek burned.
For the first few seconds, I was stunned into silence and by the time I regained my composure, words tumbled out of my mouth like a Tornado. Incoherent, barely audible, but they did anyway.
"I- I didn't see you coming. I swear by the gods! I w-was lost in thoughts! I didn't mean to."
As the words tumbled out of my mouth, I could swear that I saw a mischievous grin flash across her face but before I could understand what it meant, she scoffed. "You mean to say that I am so small, hence you could not see me?!"
My cheeks flushed. "No! That's preposterous! I would never say that!"
"But that's exactly what your words imply, Slave, you're not only downright rude but also dumb. A stupid combination! I'm certain the goddess' apprentice must've created you and then jested at the dumb creation she made."
When it finally occurred to me that now she was downright condescending… or maybe taunting, I sealed my mouth shut as tears sprang into my eyes. It was better to be silent than implicate myself more than I already have.
I barely registered what she said next, barely heard her words or saw her advance even closer because just then, a sweet scent assaulted my nostrils. It was woodsy with a hint of pine and cinnamon. It was the smell associated with my Master, the Alpha, and by the time I caught myself dragging a lungful of it down my lungs, it was too late. The Missus was beyond pissed.
She slapped me. Hard. Again. Eyes flashing with malice as I staggered to the floor.
"Ma'am—"
"What's happening with you two?" I didn't need to look to know who had spoken because my body reacted even before his face came into view. It was Alpha Zarek. And for the first time since I was brought here, I cursed myself… I hated myself for reacting so strongly to him.
He didn't even need to do anything besides exist for my panties to get into a twist and it was beyond infuriating to look up at him and see that he was so composed. So unaffected. A stark contrast to how I felt.
Unconsciously, I darted out my tongue to lick my dry lips and when I noticed his eyes trailing that movement so intently, I squirmed… more like my pussy squirmed. I looked away, pushing myself to my feet and bowing my head so low it nearly touched the floor.
"Jennifer, what happened here?" He asked, looking away from me to gaze affectionately at his Mistress, and for some reason, the fact that he just said her name— that I had finally put a name to the bitch that was obviously after me— a feeling of immense rage spread across my chest.
Blinking back my tears, I fiddled with the hem of my dress, waiting… expecting that she would recount how much of a 'rude' servant I was, but to my astonishment, she turned to him, beaming a smile at him and muttered;
"Nothing of importance. I was only teaching the slave how to be more compliant."
My chest burned.
I saw a flicker of unease burn in Alpha Zarek's eyes. Saw the way his eyes darted to me… almost worriedly… before he looked down at her again and drawled;
"Next time, report her to me. Do not hit my Slaves… especially this one. I acquired her with a pretty large sum of money."
The warning was clear as day in his voice and I was sure that Jennifer heard it too because her jaw ticked. Her eyes thinned into fierce slits as she glared at me, and I squirmed under her penetrating glare.
"Zarek—"
"I would punish her myself," he added, cutting her off. "Just don't hit her."
With that, he turned and stalked off but before getting far, he called out to me, his voice dark and authoritative. He said; "Brew me a cup of coffee, Dahlia! I'll be waiting in my study!"
For a minute, I didn't move. I couldn't. Because he just referred to me by my name… and not as 'Slave'. The way my name sounded on his lips made several waves of electricity jolt through my entire being and I bit my lower lip, hard, to stop the smile from spreading across my face.
Oh, what I would do to hear him moan that name…
"And what are you smiling at, Slave?"
Shit. Shifting uncomfortably, I lifted my head just in time to meet Jennifer's hard glare and every ounce of wantonness dissipated from my being as I was met with those icy cold eyes of hers. The blue of her eyes had hardened remarkably, making it resemble a picture of a frozen sea.
I looked away, muttering under my breath; "If you would excuse me now Ma'am, I need to brew the Alpha's coffee."
Her eyes latched on mine and held. A second passed. Two. She didn't look away, didn't move nor speak, but her eyes seemed to harden even more… as if that was even possible. And then she scoffed.
"I'll deal with you… just not now!" And with that she turned and cat-walked away, fast on her heels.
From how quickly she went, I knew she was going after Alpha Zarek and that made a pang of jealousy spread dangerously in my chest. It was surprising the kind of emotions this man managed to awaken in me. It was unlike anything I've ever felt. Strong and possessive. Yet, I felt powerless. He was beyond reach and that was probably why he never sought to talk about the bond we shared. The bond that I could swear up a storm he felt just as much as I did.
As I turned away in the direction of the kitchen to brew his coffee, I wondered what would become of me in the nearest future. I feared for my fate. And most importantly, I feared what that woman would do to me.
…but despite all these, what made me panic the most was the thought of how I would serve my master… as his plaything… without catching more feelings than I already had.
It sounded like a tedious fit, and from how my lower body jerked at the thought of him touching me, I knew it was impossible.
I was doomed.