Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 181: The Countdown

"What do you think, Emira? This one is beautiful, isn’t it?" Emira looked up mechanically from the invitations she was sorting and nodded her head without really giving it a proper look and turned back to the invitations at hand.

Even as she looked down again, Emira’s hands clenched under the table. Ramona Vye was doing this on purpose. There was no other explanation for her behaviour.

Of all the people available in the pack, she had come to her to ask for help choosing her Mating Ceremony robe.

Emira was quite sure that she did not need her help and the only reason she was showing off was because she wanted Emira to see it. To stand there and watch as Ramona prepared to become their mate. To remind her of her place.

The thought made something cold settle in Emira’s chest, but she forced her hand to stay steady and gave no reaction.

Whether the robe was beautiful or not did not matter. It would be worn for a few minutes at most before it was discarded during the claiming. There was no real meaning in choosing it.

For most werewolves, modesty meant nothing. Many just walked naked to their mating ceremonies. Because after a few words were spoken, the mating bond would take over and they would be tearing off each other’s clothes right there in the middle of the pack.

Emira shuddered at the thought. For some reason, she could not fathom being taken in front of everyone... "Liar," Her wolf whispered in her head and she ignored it.

But the wolf was not about to shut up. Instead it piped up,"You can lie to yourself but you cannot lie to me. I live in your mind. Don’t think I have not seen you dream of standing there in the mating circle surrounded by those triplets... You weren’t feeling any shy in that dream..."

Emira rolled her eyes at the wolf and mentally snapped back,"I was the only one watching that dream so why would I be shy? Doesn’t mean I want to enact it in front of everyone."

The wolf chuckled and taunted her, "Liar liar...."

Emira shook her head and told herself that she could not be bothered with such things. She had more important work to finish.

Her entire focus should be on the invitations in her hand. They had to be sent out latest by today and time was running out too fast. For some( of course she knew the reason) reason, Ramona Ivy had decided that each invitation should carry a handwritten note. And of course, Emira was the chosen one to write it.

Why exactly her? One would have to be a dummy to not know the answer for that. It was to hurt her for daring to covet the Triplets.

Emira’s fingers tightened around the pen until her knuckles whitened. Three weeks. Only three weeks left before the mating ceremony. And two weeks until the guests began to arrive.

She tried to distract herself with the one thing she knew would work. Would that man be among the guests?

She looked at the next name on the list and let out a slow breath. She hoped he would come. This might be the only chance she would ever have . The man who had sold her mother to the Moonville Pack. He was on the invite list, so he should definitely come, right?

And yet, even as she felt that burning anticipation, she also dreaded the approach of the Golden Moon. Emira closed her eyes. Think of Revenge. Think Of Revenge...But it proved to be hard.

Because like a fool, somewhere along the way, she had begun to feel as though those three were hers. As though she belonged to them. As though they belonged to her. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Every time that thought crossed her mind, her wolf slammed against the inside of her skull, clawing, howling, desperate. Wanting something she had no right to want.

Was this the side effect of the slave bond? Her mother’s diary had mentioned that there would be consequences, that the bond was not just physical but emotional. But this heavy ache in her chest, this sense of losing something she never even had... that could not be the side effect she meant. Could it? Because she had promised herself she would never serve a master with all her heart. That she would never love them... But what she was coming to slowly feel was...

She lowered her head again, forcing herself to focus on the ink, the paper, the names. She needed to concentrate. As she started again, she told herself to think of how infuriated Ramona would feel if she knew that this task that she had given her was actually a lifesaver for her.

Because writing these notes for invitations meant she could spend the day here in the office with Ryn, pretending to be busy which allowed her to avoid Alpha Cassian, who came to see her every evening without fail.

And it allowed her to avoid seeing Prince Kael and Ramona growing closer.

That sight hurt more than she was willing to admit.

So she kept her head down and continued to write. If she stayed focused, she would not think. If she did not think, the ache would not swell and she would not have her wolf goin on in her head about it.

Just as she was telling herself this, something soft and heavy settled over her shoulders.

Emira froze and her hand stilled mid-stroke. She looked down slowly. The fabric draped over her was the deep red robe Ramona had been admiring for the past twenty minutes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Emira asked with a frown on her face. Why put her Mating Robe on her?

Ramona smiled at her, and even though she was all sweetness on the surface, Emira could feel the claws beneath as she said, "I just want to see what it looks like from a bit further away. Can you please stand and model it for me?"

Emira’s jaw tightened while her wolf went silent at that, watching and waiting. Emira pushed her chair back slowly and stood up. She wanted to see? Fine. She’d show her...

She walked around the desk, the robe trailing lightly behind her. She refused to show any feelings to this woman.

She watched as Ramona’s eyes lit up. "Wow. It does look good. You would look good in a mating robe." She clasped her hands and sighed, as if admiring the sight. Then, suddenly, her expression shifted and her smile faltered. Hurriedly, she stepped forward and jerked the robe off her, causing her to almost lose her balance as she said ’apologetically’, "Oh... I forgot. You would never get to wear it, would you? Since you gave up the chance to find a true mate and the one person who is interested in you... you are avoiding him, aren’t you?"

She then gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her shoulder," Why don’t you try and reconcile yourself to be with Cassian? He has even let his pack go and stayed behind for you..."

Emira straightened herself and quietly walked behind the desk," Miss Vye, you don’t need to worry about my mating. I gave up the chance for a mate willingly and I have no regrets about it."

As she said those words, her eyes met the person standing at the door and she shut her mouth... because as their eyes met, she realized she did have a regret. A useless one but still existing. That she was not their true mate.