Chapter 12
“Ariella”
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Ethan helps me out of the car but he seems distracted. Everything feels so real now that I am here at his home, at his packlands. It’s hard to not feel nervous. His home is so much bigger than mine, more luxurious. I feel completely out of place.
What am I doing here? How is this my life?
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Ethan turns to me, “Keep your arm covered, no one here is to know. I have urgent matters to attend to. C**, my stepsister, will get you settled.”
He leaves before I can respond. I watch him walk off in the opposite direction. I turn my focus to retrieving my bag from the car.
“Someone else will get that for you,” a songbird-like voice draws my attention to her.
A statuesque gorgeous red-headed woman stands confidently at the front door. She reminds me of a boa constrictor the way she is standing and her intense green eyes. I felt small compared to her. She is dressed in an expensive long forest green dress that compliments her hair and eyes perfectly.
I am wearing jeans and a ratty tee shirt.
She looks me up and down, scanning my body, with complete and absolute judgment. She doesn’t even try to hide it on her face. She looks at me like I am dirty.
“So, you’re Ariella…” She trails off, her voice is pleasant but I can still hear her judgment.
“Yes,” my voice c**ks from nerves which only makes me come off more on the wrong foot. I try to recover by extending my hand to introduce myself. She makes a disgusted face and curls up her nose. I drop my hand and rub it on my jeans.
“I’m Cassandra,” she sneers.
“Oh, Ethan’s stepsister,” I add.
“Follow me, I will introduce you to the staff,” she says in an annoyed tone.
1 politely smile and follow her into the house. Once we enter there are two lines of sixty staff members. I’m overwhelmed. They are wearing matching black and white uniforms. They all vaguely look the same, regardless of gender. I won’t be able to keep everyone’s names straight.
C**a snaps her fingers and a man fetches my bag out of my hand in a blink of an eye. I’m too stunned to
process what has happened and I feel like I am three steps behind everyone in the room.
63%
Chapter 12
She snaps again, a small blonde young woman steps forward. She bows her head and then smiles at me. She seems so friendly compared to Ca**a or Ethan. At least there’s one nice person here.
“This is Molly. She will be your personal maid while you stay with us,” she says to me without looking at me. “Molly, take Ariella to her room and,” she eyes me once more, “Get her cleaned up for dinner.”
Molly nods her head and smiles at me once more. She waits for me to step forward before she says, “Right this way, ma’am.” She has an accent unlike C**a’s or Ethan’s. She must not be from this pack. I wonder where she is from.
I follow her down a long hallway and then up a flight of winding stairs till we arrive at my room. She opens the massive mahogany double doors and walks into the room. It’s bigger than my room at my brothers’ or my room back with Marcus. I am stunned.
Molly crosses the room and opens up the heavy velvet curtains, exposing floor to ceiling glass windows. I can see the gardens and in the distance, the capital. The lush pine trees and mountain views are breath-taking. I’m too stunned to speak as I walk toward the windows like a moth to a flame.
“Ma’am,” Molly says sweetly, “Would you like me to draw you up a bath?”
I begin to instantly panic. No one can see my brand, or my growing belly. “No!” I say a little too quickly and forcefully. I try to recover with a small awkward laugh. “No, I would prefer a shower. Just point me to the bathroom and I will handle it myself,” I flash her a large smile so she knows that I mean no offense. I know her job is to see after me and do these things but I can’t risk it.
She smiles awkwardly and then silently shows me the bathroom. She walks over to the linen closet and hands me a towel and a robe.
“I’ll unpack your bag. Let me know if you need anything. There is a button by the mirror that will alert me.”
I turn on the hot water and wait for it to warm up. After the interaction with Cassandra has made me feel like I am disgusting, a nice long hot shower should wash all that insecurity away. The water hits my skin and I sigh in relief. This is exactly what I need.
I take my time, mostly standing under the water till the water begins to run cold. I begrudgingly step out and wrap myself up in the fluffy robe and wrap my hair in the towel. I cautiously leave the bathroom. I don’t know what I am expecting but I am suddenly very nervous by a mixture of being here, Ethan and C**ra, and having a maid, none of these things I am used to. This feels like I am on another planet. I feel completely out of place.
It’s only two weeks.
Molly greets me with a warm smile, “Ma’am, would you like me to do your hair?” She seems anxious that I will no. I return her smile and nod my head yes. I sit at the vanity in the dressing room and watch in the mirror as Molly runs a comb through my hair. “King Ethan has requested you for dinner.”
say
“Oh,” I say slowly.
“It’s with the Moon Pine Pack, so it’s not super formal.”
I didn’t bring anything for formal-ish dinners. I begin to panic. Molly must sense it and she places her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she says with a reassuring smile. “King Ethan has provided a complete new wardrobe for you. I’ve laid out a few options on your bed for you to choose.”
I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”
Molly quickly finishes my hair as I put a light layer of makeup on. Nothing too fancy, just some blush and mascara.
I walk over to the bed and find three dresses on my bed. The first one is very similar to the dress Ca**ra was wearing earlier, I immediately pass. I don’t want her to think I am copying her in any way. The next dress is red and looks revealing, it feels like too much. The last dress was a soft purple long sleeve sundress. The color will make the green in my hazel eyes pop. The sundress is the most simple option, but I don’t want to be flashy.
I dismiss Molly so I can quickly get dressed. I throw on the dress and put on a pair of brown sandals. There is a loud knock on the door that makes me jump. I walk over to the door with a sense of urgency, I open the door to find Ethan on the other side.
He eyes me up and down. “Nice dress.”
“Thank you,” I reply.
“We are late,” is all he says before he turns and walks down the hall.
I scramble to catch up with him as he makes his way through the maze of his home. I’m out of breath by the time we end up in the formal dining room. A sea of unamused eyes follow us to our seats. It is clear that they were waiting for us.
Ethan walks over to the head of the table. C**dra is seated to his right and there is an empty chair to the left. He holds it out for me. I sit down and try my best to cover how out of breath I am. I feel uncomfortable. I don’t know why I am here at this dinner.
Ca**ra shoots daggers at me with her eyes. She is even more gorgeous in the soft candlelight. She doesn’t look happy to see me.
Ethan stands at the table and motions over to her. “Alpha Erick of Moon Pine, I would like to introduce you to C**dra-”