Chapter 10
林会 59%全
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“Are you deaf, Nana?” one of the maids sneers, shoving a filthy pot into her hands. “Clean this up, and make it quick. Just because you’re mated to the Alpha doesn’t mean you get a pass.”
Nana doesn’t bother responding. She’s used to this the dirty looks, the constant orders. Being Marco’s mate means nothing here. If she wants to eat, she has to work like everyone else. Most days, she survives on scraps Felisha sneaks her when no one’s looking.
As she scrubs the pot, she drifts back to the pitiful state she and her mate are in. Despite being the Alpha’s mate, she’s an outcast, forced to work for scraps and scorned by everyone in the pack. She used to pray every night for the Moon Goddess to find a way to set her free. Only to be mated to the Lycan Prince–another prisoner, just as broken as she is, too weak to save himself, let alone help her escape the Alpha who wants him dead.
She’s scrubbing when she hears voices from down the hall. Marco and… Melissa. Her grip tightens on the rag, her stomach twisting. Hearing another woman’s voice around her mate still hurts, even if things are different now. She and Marco once shared a bond, one she thought was unbreakable. Now, it’s a joke, just like she is to this pack.
As their footsteps get closer, she quickly flips her scarf around her neck, pulling it tight to cover her mate mark. But as they pass by, Marco stops, turning toward her with a disgusted look on his face, like he’s smelled something rotten.
“You still reek of that unbearable smell. Get the fuck away from me,” he snaps, his voice dripping with disdain.
Nana flinches, biting her lip to keep from reacting. She looks down, refusing to meet his gaze.
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Melissa stands beside him, a grin spreading across her face. “You’re only just noticing?” she sneers. “She always smelled bad. And you’d think, being mated to you, her scent would be pleasant, right?” She throws Nana a mocking look, eyes full of malice. “Guess it just shows she doesn’t belong by your
side.
The words hit hard, meant to humiliate. But something shifts in Marco’s expression, like he’s piecing something together. Nana has always smelled nice
to him before–because of their bond. But lately, he’s only been picking up an awful scent from her.
His jaw clenches, a dark glint in his eyes. His gaze snaps back to Nana, who instinctively takes a step back, her heart pounding. Did he figure it out? No, that’s impossible, she tells herself. She knows better than anyone how possessive Marco is, but this… this is different.
After a moment, he dismisses her with a shake of his head, muttering something under his breath before turning and stalking off with Melissa. Nana lets out a slow, shaky breath as they disappear down the hall. He noticed. Even after bathing herself in every scent Felisha could find, he could still smell the mark left by the Lycan Prince.
She finishes her chores in the kitchen, ignoring the whispers and the glares from the other maids. They don’t even bother hiding their hatred anymore.
“Such a curse on this pack. If it were up to me, she’d have been beheaded with her traitor father,” one of them spits, not caring if Nana hears.
The other maids laugh, nodding in agreement. “Right? We should’ve gotten rid of her ages ago. Alpha Marco only keeps her around to use her as bait. Once he’s done with her, he’ll throw her to the Lycan Prince to save his own hide.”
They keep talking, each word a knife twisting deeper. Nana clenches her fists, trying to block them out, to remind herself that she’s stronger than this. But it’s hard, especially when she knows they’re right. She freed the Lycan Prince, and the entire pack sees her as a traitor because of it.
After finishing her chores, she heads back toward her room, her mind racing. She’s trapped here, treated like an outcast, like dirt. She used to pray every night for the Moon Goddess to save her, to give her freedom. Now, all she wants is to escape this pack, to find a place where she can finally belong. But with Marco as her mate, that hope feels like a distant dream.
She turns a corner, and there’s Melissa, standing/right in front of her room, arms crossed and smirking like she owns the place. Nana stops, dread pooling in her stomach. Of course, she’d be here.
“Look at you,” Melissa sneers, her eyes raking over Nana with mock pity. “The Luna of the pack, scrubbing dishes like a maid, I guess that’s all you’re really good for, huh?”
Nana takes a deep breath, struggling to keep her voice steady. “I’m tired, Melissa. Just let me go to my room.”
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16:02 Thu, 8 May
Chapter 10
林会59%會
But Melissa doesn’t move. Instead, she steps closer, her eyes glinting with malice. “You’re nothing to Marco, you know that, right? You’re not his mate. Not really. He’s mine. And the mate bond? That means nothing here.” Her voice is full of scorn, each word like a slap to the face.
Once, those words would have broken her. But now, they barely scratch the surface. Marco is as much a stranger to her as Melissa. She can have him, Nana thinks, fighting to keep her expression neutral. He’s not my mate anymore.
But that thought must’ve shown on her face, because Melissa’s smirk twists into a snarl. Her hand lashes out, slapping Nana hard across the face, the sting spreading like fire across her cheek. “You think this is funny, you freak?” she hisses.
Nana keeps her head down, swallowing back the anger and humiliation. If she fights back, Marco will make her pay. She knows that all too well.
Then, before she can react, Melissa’s hand darts out, grabbing the scarf around Nana’s neck. She yanks it off, revealing the faint mark beneath. Nana’s heart skips a beat as she snatches the scarf back, her hands shaking.
“What the hell is that?” Melissa’s eyes go wide, then narrow with fury. She reaches for Nana again, but Nana shoves her back, bolting for her room and slamming the door shut behind her. She locks it, her heart racing as she presses her back against the door, clutching her scarf like a lifeline.
Outside, Melissa’s voice rings out, shrill and accusing. “What are you hiding, you little bitch? Did I just see that right?”
Inside, Nana’s chest heaves as she struggles to catch her breath. Her hands are shaking, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
“Shit,” she whispers, her voice barely a breath. “Did she see it?”
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