Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Alexander had offered me the first hearty meal that I’ve ever had. It felt uncomfortable to delight myself
with some dishes that he usually eats himself so I have opted for a simple porridge instead. Well, he
called it ‘simple’, but for my deprived stomach, it was way more than enough.
The fact that a fellow human was forced to wake up at 4 am to cook for me was a situation that I
couldn’t imagine walking away from guilt-free. I even ate in her presence. Even though I have been
officially stripped off of my slave title, I know that I shouldn’t be taking advantage of being at
Alexander’s mercy by sharing the meal that I was given with the other slaves.
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed yet again.
“Good morning, Miss”, a slave greeted me once I stepped out of the bedroom. She looked like she had
been standing guard for a few hours now in wait for me as she was subtly hopping off from one foot to
another out of discomfort. My heart throbbed at the sight. “There’s breakfast at the dining hall”
That would mean that I would have to eat while the slaves watch me again. I wasn’t anticipating that
one bit.
“Thank you”, I replied softly with a hesitant smile. The slave bowed in acknowledgment once before
running to the direction of the kitchen. Then, an idea lit up. “Uhh hey!”
She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back around to face me. “M-Miss?”
I don’t feel like eating anyway. My stomach got used to eating a meal a week, after all, if you would call
what I have been eating a meal, that is. With a sly smirk, I walked towards her before standing on my
tippy toes to whisper in her ear, “On second thought… can you eat my meal for me? I’m still full so I
don’t think I can”
She jerked away from me, her eyes wide. Then, she hastily waved her arms in front of her in denial.
But the way she licked her lips, I knew that she wanted to give in and just accept the offer immediately.
Of course, I knew why she was hesitating, so I understood her reaction.
“M-Miss! I don’t think t-that’s a good idea!”
I gently grabbed her wrists to stop her from flinging her arms around too much, chuckling at her
behavior. Then, I gave her the best reassuring smile that I could muster.
“It’s okay”, I told her in a low voice. “Share the meal with the other servants, too. Alexander’s not
around after all”
“Thank you so much!” she exclaimed happily after another moment of hesitance.
I headed towards the dining hall while the girl skipped towards the opposite wing of the manor to call
for the rest of the slaves. When I got there, true enough, a full breakfast spread was on the table,
positioned on the right-hand side of the seat where Alexander usually sat. It was too much for a single
person to consume in one meal.
“M-Miss?”
I craned my neck towards the door and saw at least a dozen slaves in matching white shirts and collars
spilling into the room. There were a few who looked my age while the eldest seemed to be in his late
thirties. All of them threw cautious glances my way as they shuffled towards one side of the wall, lining
up into a rehearsed formation.
“Please, just call me Sofia”, I stated, beaming at them to make them feel comfortable. “I’m just a human
like you. So I don’t feel at ease being treated like a she-wolf”
They nodded in unison. Then, the girl that I talked to earlier took a small step forward. “Umm, thank
you, Sofia”
“It’s nothing”
My chest felt heavy. I’ve always been aware of the injustice between how different werewolves and Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
humans were treated just because they have capabilities that the latter don’t, however, looking at their
faces lighting up with too much gratefulness just because I offered my meal to them was a painful
reminder.
When Alexander freed me from being a slave, it felt like I became a nobody, but I now claim a different
role for myself. I’m probably not going to make that much of a difference, but at least for the humans in
this household, I could.
Dining in the table seemed like too huge of a step so we crouched contentedly on the floor as I divided
the food that was served as equally as I could amongst them. They gradually opened up to me,
fortunately, and we exchanged stories. After being the only slave in the manor for a few months, it was
pleasantly strange to have other people to talk to.
Alexander came home hours later than usual that night.
I wanted to wait for him before sleeping to welcome him home since I thought that I should at least do
as much, but I unknowingly doze off after a rushed dinner with the slaves and would’ve stayed asleep
until the next morning if it wasn’t for his heavy steps.
“Oh”, he said upon seeing me sitting up from the bed and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “I was
trying to be quiet to not wake you up”
I turned on the lamp on the bedside table. “It’s okay”
Perhaps it was because of the dim light, but he looked exhausted— he had prominent bags under his
eyes and his frown was more crooked than usual. Then I remembered the snippet from their meeting
last time that I overheard. Then the phone call.
“Go back to sleep, it’s late”, he told me.
I wriggled out of the blankets to walk towards him. “Is everything okay?”
Of course, it isn’t. He and his company were being targeted by humans whom they didn’t think would
be a threat to them. I’m certain that it wasn’t only a huge blow to their ego, but also a cause of the
possible decline in the pack’s morale.
But stupid me asked anyway.
I thoughtlessly reached out a hand to cup his cheek, my thumb gently caressing his dark under-eye as
if it would make the evidence of fatigue go away. This was one of the moments when I would feel so
connected to him that the fact that he was an alpha would slip my mind.
“I just…”, he sighed before placing his hand on top of mine and snuggling his nose into my palm.
“Things are just really hectic right now”
“Do you want a massage?” I asked before I could think much about it. “I was thought how to massage
back at the slave house”
I almost said ‘…because it pleases werewolves’ but luckily caught my tongue and stopped midway.
Tilting my head up, I met his shining golden eyes and grinned.
“Hmm”, he hummed, his eyes suddenly glinting with mischief. “Well, instead of a massage…”
Alexander suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pressed me against him. I shrieked in surprise
but didn’t bother pushing him away. For some reason, being like this with him felt natural. His warmth
was comforting.
The next thing I knew, he was kissing me on the mouth. I closed my eyes and melted into him, his body
emitting blatantly seductive pheromones, coaxing me to give in. Admittedly, he didn’t even have to go
to such lengths— I still would’ve gone along even without the pheromones turning me on.
I flung my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to compensate for the height difference.
Alexander was just much too tall for me and he had to slouch to kiss me. He realized immediately what
I was trying to do so he lowered his arms, and with one swift move, he was suddenly carrying me. I
coiled my legs around his torso so tight that I could feel the hard muscles under his clothes against my
skin.
“We had some unfinished business…”, he said after pulling away from the kiss. “…right, Sofia?”
The kiss and the intoxicating smell of his pheromones have left me panting for air. I nodded meekly in
reply as he started walking towards the bed with me still in his arms.
“Aren’t I heavy?”
He leaned in to peck the mark behind my ear. “You think this small body of yours is heavy?”
“I’m still eighteen!” I argued, blushing in embarrassment. “I’ll grow into a woman, just you wait!”
He laughed yet again. Gently, he placed me on the bed and positioned himself on top of me, resting his
weight on his hands as to not crush me with his physique. His smile was lovely. I stared at him to
memorize every detail.
“That wasn’t what I meant”, he replied. He bared a set of perfectly white teeth and his eyes turned to
crescents as he smiled. He instantly looked a lot less exhausted and daunting. “You’re beautiful just the
way you are right now, Sofia”
I felt my blush deepen and my heart thump against my ribcage. It’s unfair how much he could charm
me with his handsome smile and sweet words.
“Alexander”, I called out with a playful display of annoyance. “Are you in heat?”
“No”, he replied curtly before swooping in to kiss me again.