Chapter 12: The Witch
Aira’s POV
Despite the fear in Mira’s eyes, she manages to muster up a smile.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
“Oh, you know, Arla and I were just having a little chit-chat. You know, girls talk,” she says, and I frown. She doesn’t even know my name.
Judging by the growl that rumbles off the alpha’s chest, I can tell that he does not believe her even a little bit.
“Don’t you dare lie to me again, Mira. I will ask you once again, What were you trying to do?”
The smile on Mira’s lips vanishes, and for a brief moment, her eyes lock with mine. It almost looks like she is asking me for help. She can’t be serious, can she? Is this the same girl who nearly put my child’s life at risk a few minutes ago?
“I was upset, Alpha. I have no idea what got into me,” she admits, bowing her head in shame.
Alexander walks to her side and brings his lips close to her ear. He whispers something in her voice that is inaudible to me. How is that even possible when I am right next to them?
Mira’s eyes widen, but a second later they swirl with anger. “You cannot possibly be serious; I would rather-”
“You would rather what?” The alpha interrupts her, glaring at her in a way that seals her lips shut.
From the corner of my eye, I see a couple of maids watching us from a distance. They are doing a horrible job trying to conceal themselves, by the way.
With astonishment, I watch Mira go down on her knees before me. She bows her head at my feet and says forcefully, “I am sorry.”
She tries to get back up, but Alexander grabs the back of her head and forces her back to the ground. “Now say it like you mean it.”
This is just evil. A part of me felt bad for Mira, but an even bigger part of me enjoys what is happening right now. My ears pick up on a few whispers, and I manage to get a glimpse of the maids watching the whole scene with disbelief.
“Forgive me, Aira, for my words and actions towards you. I acted blindly and full of rage; I promise it will never happen again,” she says with so much emotion laced in her tone. I almost believed that she was genuinely sorry.
“Now get out,” Alexander grumbles, and Mira hurriedly gets to her feet and leaves. “And what the hell are you three doing standing over there?!” He snaps at the maids watching us. They flinch with surprise and quickly scurry away.
Now it is just the alpha and I.
I suck my bottom lip into my mouth as I think of what to say. This man has saved my life twice in a span of twenty-four hours. Should I thank him?
“Alpha-”
“Don’t see yourself as special. I did not do any of this for you; I did it for me. As shameful as it is to admit it, you are my mate. I cannot have anyone disrespect you,” he pauses, then adds. “Except me.”
Of course.
He does not wait for me to reply before walking away, leaving me stunned and speechless. Once I snap out of it, I make my way down to the kitchen. My mind still replays Alexander’s words in my head. I do not know why his words arouse something in me.
That man ignites the strangest feelings within me, and I do not know if I hate or love it.
When I enter the kitchen, I feel the eyes of the other maids on me. I walk up to Grace, standing in the middle of the room with a checkboard in her hands and a scowl on her face.
“Good morning,” I greet her, and she points towards the sick.
“Clear the dishes. Once you are done with that, there are three rooms on the first floor that need thorough cleaning. Get to it!” She snaps, and I hurriedly do as she says.
She leaves the kitchen shortly after, and I tend to the dishes. I hear the other whispers, and I have never felt the urge to disappear as much as I do right now.
“Did you see what the alpha did to Mira?”
“Yeah, and it was all because of this weak bitch.”
“I thought he did not like her.”
“She probably did something to charm him; I am telling you she is a witch!”
Seriously? Me? A witch?
At this rate, they would do and say anything to tarnish my name.
Once I am done drying the dishes, I take them to the drawer, but sadly, I do not get there with them. All I know is that when I pass one of the maids, I suddenly lose my footing, and all the plates and myself come crashing to the floor.
I hiss when the broken shards pierce the skin on my hands. Looking up at the maid I passed, the way she smiles at me is enough to tell me that she tripped me. “Oh, sorry, you are not hurt, are you?” she asks sarcastically, and the others snicker.
“Aww, look at her. The alpha is not here to save you now, is he?” another says.
Tears sting my eyes, and I am not sure if it is due to the pain in my hands or that in my heart. I have no idea what I have done to these women! Why do they all hate me?
Trying to keep my tears at bay, I inspect my bleeding and hands. Taking out the pieces from my hand, I get to my feet and rinse the blood away in the sink. Tears flow down my cheeks as the water washes away the blood.
Thankfully, I remember seeing some bandages on the drawer beneath the kitchen counter. I wrapped my own hands around myself while the others pretended like I was not in need of some assistance.
Nevertheless, I manage to wrap up my own hands by myself. Once I am done, I still pick up the broken pieces. There is no one left to clean up my messes anymore.
The girls leave, and I check the clock on the wall. Ah, it is lunch time. Finally, I am starving.
The maids have a special room where they have their dinner. It is more like a dining room but less sophisticated than the royal dining room. I join the queue with my plate in my hand to get my food.
There is a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see one of the maids smiling at me sweetly. I do not think I have seen her around before. She has similar features to Carla, but her nose and cheekbones are more defined.
“Hey, I do not really have much of an appetite. Spaghetti isn’t actually my best food. I was wondering if you would like some.” she pauses. “My name is Latisha, by the way.”
“Aira.” I introduce myself, then look at the long line before me. I would have fainted before it finally got to my turn. “Are you sure? What will you eat then?”
“I have some snacks; don’t worry about me. And besides, I hear you are pregnant. One serving is barely enough for me, talk less of a pregnant lady like yourself,” she says, and I smile at her appreciatively as I take the plate of spaghetti from her hands.
“Thank you so much.”
Her smile widens when she says, “You are welcome.”
I watch her walk away, and I cannot help but feel the joy in her gesture. I suppose Carla might not be the only nice person here. I pour myself a cup of water and take a seat. Instantly, I start shoving spaghetti into my mouth.
And then I stop.
The fork falls from my hands as I start to cough aggressively. I spit out the spaghetti in my mouth as I reach out for some water. The second the water goes down my throat, it comes back up again. But this time with blood.
My eyes widen as I slapped a hand over my mouth. My throat feels like it is on fire. I start a coughing fit, tears begin to blur my vision, and I feel myself gasping for air.
The burning sensation in my throat travels down to my chest. Soon, it feels like my entire body is on fire. The blood that escapes my mouth becomes much thicker. And my mind instantly travels to my baby. What is happening to me?
I manage to lift my teary eyes, and when I do, my heart breaks into a thousand pieces. Latisha is smiling with the others as I cough up blood. The food. There was something in the food. This bitch totally poisoned me!
I feel rage coursing through my veins, but I need to get out of here first. I try to get to my feet, but I only end up with my back against the floor. As I stare at the ceiling, black dots taint my vision, and I feel myself slowly losing sensation in my lungs.
The last thought that comes to mind before my world succumbs to darkness is,
Moon Goddess, please protect my child.
Alexander’s POV
Something feels wrong.
I do not know why, but my wolf feels so uneasy. He has been howling for me to get up; he is radiating with rage and urgency, and I do not know why. I was in my office filling out some paperwork, but now I am heading down the halls with no clue to where exactly I am headed.
It’s as though my wolf has taken full control of me. I have not turned yet; he has full control over him. This has never happened before.
‘Where are you taking me? What’s the matter?’ I ask him, but he does not respond.
I find myself walking into the maid’s diner. What the hell am I doing here?
All the maids stare at me, and I instantly know something is wrong. my fists ball and my jaw clenches.
“Where is she?”
None of them say anything.
I notice there is a spot they are trying to cover up. And that is exactly where I head. “Move!” I roar, and they clear a path for me.
The sight before me brings out the demon in me that I have fought to keep at bay for years.
Aira lays in a pool of blood. She isn’t moving. Why the hell is she not moving?!
My gaze shifts to the maids present, and they back away from me. I can feel my wolf fighting to come to the surface, and I let him.
I will have all their heads for this.
No one hurts what is mine!