Chapter 4

When I got home with a throbbing headache, Lily looked at me with concern. "Seraphina, is your head still hurting? Could it be the aftereffects of the concussion?" Lily gently massaged my temples, and I could feel my heart gradually calming down. "I’ve been thinking about something... Was I really that foolish in the past?" "How could pursuing someone you like be foolish? But Seraphina, don’t lose yourself in the process." I turned and wrapped my arms around Lily. "I miss Alpha Alexander. Why hasn’t he come back yet?" "Seraphina, sometimes I really envy you. You’re so brave when it comes to expressing your feelings. But me..." Lily trailed off, and I softly rubbed her back. "Once you know what you want, just go for it. That way, when you look back, you won’t have any regrets." Still, there was no reply from Alexander. I decided I would get the pendant back and go find him to apologize. On Grace's birthday, I showed up at the meeting on time. Given Victor’s usual attitude toward me, I expected him to treat me like a joke, humiliating me in front of everyone. But to my surprise, when I entered the private room, only Grace and a bunch of unfamiliar werewolves were there. "Where’s Victor?" I asked, confused. "Seraphina Bennett, Victor’s long since tired of your tricks. Your pathetic little stone’s here. Today, Alpha Victor gave me orders to teach you a lesson," Grace said, lounging in her chair with her legs crossed, chin resting on her hand. "For now, start by wiping my shoes. I got a little dust on them when I arrived." I didn’t say anything but stepped forward to grab a tissue and wipe the dust away. The others in the room jeered, "Grace, this servant’s actually pretty good-looking. Let’s have her drink with us later." "Are you all blind? What’s so special about her?" Grace scoffed, deliberately stepping her foot onto my shirt. "Don’t push it!" I took a step back. Grace sneered. "You can’t even handle this? Looks like this stone’s only good for being a stepping stone in my backyard." I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and kept wiping the shoes. "Enough. The only thing you’re good for is cleaning my shoes. Go pour drinks for my friends. Don’t you see they’ve been sitting here forever?" I served drinks, losing track of how many rounds I had poured. My stomach started to hurt again, and my head began to feel heavy, as if something was invading my thoughts. "Seraphina, can you hurry up?" That was Victor’s voice. "It’s fine, Seraphina, I’ll wait for you." That voice belonged to Alpha Alexander. I remembered the three of us climbing a mountain together. Back then, I was small, barely 5'3", struggling to keep up with Victor, who was 6'1". When we got home, there was a box of milk on my desk. Victor, with his usual cold expression, said, "Grow taller, so I don’t have to wait for you all the time." I grinned and immediately opened the bottle to drink. After school, I spent nearly an hour in the restroom before coming out. Alexander looked at me with worry. "You’re allergic to milk. You shouldn’t drink it." "It’s fine. Victor bought it. Besides, I’m too short; I need to grow taller." "You can grow without drinking milk. I’ll take you to the gym in the mornings from now on." "Really?" I was thrilled and threw my arms around Alexander, shouting, "Alexander, you’re the best." I’m allergic to milk, so I hardly ever drink it, and I rarely touch alcohol either. I still had some awareness left as I approached Grace. "Can I have the pendant back now?" Before I could finish, a wave of nausea hit me, and I vomited. "What are you doing?" Grace’s voice was shrill. I mumbled, still clutching the pendant. "Give it back to me." "Slut, do you have any idea how much this outfit costs?" A sharp slap struck my face, and the sting made me clutch onto Grace’s clothes even tighter. "Give it to me." The pendant was thrown at me, and I quickly grabbed it in my hand. "Such bad luck. You guys take care of her. I’m leaving." The sound of Grace’s high heels grew distant. I placed the pendant against my chest, but then I heard heavy breaths and wolves howling nearby. Hands began to roam over me. "Get off me! Alpha Alexander won’t let you hurt me." I yelled with all my might, but it only provoked their anger. "Ha, this slut’s got some fire." "BOSS, you go first, and when you’re done, let the rest of us have a turn." "Fine, but get her shirt off first…" My head felt heavier, and all I could hear was the chaotic noise around me. Clutching the pendant, I curled into myself, trying to defend as best as I could. In my mind, I kept repeating, "Alexander, you can’t ignore me this time."