~

Diane trembled under his dark, death glare. The hatred in his eyes was evident and he did nothing to hide them. Terrified, she tore her gaze away from his, concentrated on the floor beneath her.

'I'm here to serve as a maid in the mansion of the stealth pack'

'Ohh, so you're the new maid everyone's talking about?'

Diane pressed her lips together. She doesn't know the others have already been talking about her...

'How dare you come here of all places to serve as a maid?!' he thundered..

'Coming here was against my wish.. I was forced'.

'You expect me to believe that?! That you were forced to come here against your wish? Are you doing all of these because I rejected you?'.

Her wolf whimpered, so did she. The pain of his rejection tearing through her heart again.

'N... Not t.. that'.

'It better not. Because no matter how much you try to get closer to me. I'll never accept you as my mate. Do you understand that?!'.

'Yes, I do, Alpha.'.

Diane's feet was still glued to that spot moment after he left. Her heart shedding tears from the hurtful words. She knew life had just gotten harder for her. Much more difficult than it was before.

Few days living in the pack and it was hell like Diane predicted. She was treated an outcast by the other pack members, hated, called ugly, weak and was also bullied. She made so many enemies already, yet no friends. To help suppress her depression and grief, Diane would always work extra time in the mansion. Clean, cook, wash and so on. When eventually there's nothing left to do, she would wander around the empty garden, pluck flowers and decorate herself with it. It was the only thing that managed to bring her happiness in this pack. It was one of those days where she was free enough to head to the garden. Half way to her destination, she bumped into a group of maids. About eight in numbers. They crossed her path, each of them wearing a mischievous smirk. Diane tried excusing herself from their midst but was crossed again.

'She's the girl. Isn't she?' one of them asked.

'It's her. The new maid from Crescent Pack' Another responded.

Almost immediately, the eight of them busted into laughter. 'I can't believe she's the one trying to throw herself at the Alpha of our pack. She's got no shame!!' Another uttered.

Diane appeared confused. Whoever's spreading the rumor about her throwing herself at the Alpha?! She is the Alpha's mate!.

'You mean the Alpha's Rejected Mate!' her wolf corrected.

Diane huffed. 'Whatever!'

'What shall we do with her? We need to teach her a lesson. No one messes with our Alpha!'.

'She's such a freak!. How about we beat her to a pulp' one of the maids suggested, being the first to slap Diane in the face.

'You've got it wrong. I'm not pushing myself on The Alpha. I'm only minding my Business...' Diane tried to defend herself in the last minute but they cared less. She tried to fight back but she wasn't a match for them.

The scurried off once they were done beating her. Tearfully, Diane scrambled to her feet, heading back into the mansion. Her legs wobbled, her face heating under the pressure of the slaps. She secured several scratches on her elbow and knees. She was to caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the Alpha coming. She bumped into him. Realizing what she had done, she immediately dropped to her knees to apologize. Moments of silence passed before he walked out of her presence. Diane struggled to her feet again, successfully made it into the room she shared with four other maids. They were all present by the time she entered. She was scrutinized under their glares but they cared less about her situation or what really happened to her except for one of them who was also about her age.

'You were bullied again. Weren't you?'

A drop of tear escaped Diane's lids at the question.

'It's fine. I'll help you dress your wounds. Next time, you should try to stand up for yourself. Once they see you can fight for yourself, they won't bother you anymore'...

An abrupt knock on the door distracted them. The door soon came open and one of the pack guards entered the room.

'The Alpha requests to see you, Diane'.