These Babies Are Not Yours, Alpha Axton

The shaman waited several seconds. When she didn't get a reply, her eyes dimmed in realization.

"You're not saying anything, Councilman Armand. So I must be right, then."

Mikael Armand moved his hand to her shoulders and squeezed them firmly, earning a pained grimaced from her.

"I don't care what you have to do, but the alpha can never know he has a mate even if he meets her. That'd mark the end of our lives. You understand that, don't you?"

"I'll do something about her now." The shaman hurriedly nodded in agreement.

The second he released his grip on her, she scampered away.

As she got to her quarters and began the binding rite, Aurelia, along with the new maids were being overworked.

It was customary amongst veteran maids. Whenever new maids came in, veteran maids would sit back and make them do their jobs.

So basically, if senior maids gave maids under them a task, those maids would in turn give the tasks to the new maids.

After doing laundry with some new maids, Aurelia was walking past the kitchen when a wave of dizziness suddenly hit her.

Leaning on the wall beside her, she broke out in cold sweat and bit down on her lower lip to stifle her pained groan.

A veteran maid pushed out a food trolley out of the kitchen at this moment, a worried look in her eyes.

Upon seeing Aurelia, her downcast eyes instantly lit up.

Ignoring her pained state, she pushed the trolley in front of Aurelia, instructing stoically, "This is Alpha Axton's food. Take it to him. While serving him, don't make the mistake of looking him in the eyes."

"In fact, once you drop the food for him, ask if he wants anything else. If he doesn't, he'll dismiss you quickly. Do you understand me?"

One, two, three seconds and no response from Aurelia.

While the veteran maid felt she was being defiant, Aurelia was fighting for her life.

It was winter, yet she felt unbearably hot, as if her insides were melting.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she could barley keep them open.

What was this sudden heatwave?

A group of passing veteran maids paused seeing their fuming colleague and clicked their tongues mockingly.

"Hey, don't be heartless. Can't you see she's fighting for her life?"

The first veteran maid huffed and took a step backward in righteous indignation.

"That is ridiculous. It has only been a few hours since she arrived."

"They must've thought being a a maid in the alpha's residence is something just anyone can do because of the perks that comes with it."

They mocked Aurelia and the other new maids for a while before one of them changed the subject, eyes pinned on Aurelia.

"Don't you also think she's weird? I haven't sensed anything from her ever since we met."

"Now that you mention it, I noticed it too. She looks to be in her twenties already, so how could she not have a wolf?"

"She has no wolf? Goodness, no wonder she's so weak."

"How can one not have a wolf at the age of 20? Even late bloomers get their wolves at the age of 19."

"What a sucker. If she had no liver for doing strenuous work, why apply to the alpha's residence?"

"She looks like she's about to die. It'll be bad luck if she dies on her first day. Someone inform a senior maid to kick her out."

They quickly beckoned onto a new maid to pass the news when Aurelia panicked and raised her eyes, forcing herself to straighten up.

Whatever this pain was, she had no problem with it coming, but why did it have to be on such an important day and time? What happened to nighttime?

"I can do it. I'll take Alpha Axton's food to…"

She winced mid-way, unable to complete her sentence, as she grabbed the skin just above her cervix in pain.

This time, she was forced to her knees, balls of sweat rolling down her face as her breathing grew heavy.

While everyone else finally realized there was something definitely going on with her and stepped backward in confusion, underneath her clothes, the alpha's mark near her cervix slowly faded.

The veteran maids were only worried for a moment before they began chiding her.

"Hey, if you're going to die, do it outside the residence!"

"What a scheming girl. If a senior maid or worse Luna Carmen hears of this, they'd think she's in this state because we've been slacking off and making new maids do our work!"

"She's not the only one who has been working, so how dare her try to pull such a disgusting move? People like her irritate me!"

The last person strutted to Aurelia and began stubbing the side of her abdomen with her foot.

"If you don't get up this instant, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Bent on the floor, Aurelia's furrowed brows instantly eased as the pain abruptly disappeared as soon as it came.

She didn't think too much about it and slowly got on her feet again.

The veteran maid closed the distance between them and slapped her on the cheek. Hard enough to leave a mark.

"What? You seem fine. You almost made us believe you were dying just now!"

Aurelia clenched her jaw tightly and bowed to her apologetically.

"Forgive me."

People were watching.

Showing any sign of strength would be her breaking out of character.

While she could easily take these average people surrounding her, she didn't want to raise suspicions to how a girl with no wolf could best those with wolves.

Furthermore, Damien constantly reminded her not to let her emotions get the best of her.

Men were naturally attracted to weaker, clumsy and delicate women. Once she attracted the attention of a pack warrior, her job here would basically be done.

In here, she was Aurelia Night, a clumsy and pathetic drunk struggling with drinking a addiction.

Unless she planned to blow her cover, all she could do right now was bottle in her emotions until she found a way around the border.

Scratching the back of her neck, she stuttered nervously.

"I-i used to drink a lot outside these walls, but since I've been in here, I haven't had a drop of wine. It's… messing with my mind and causing me pain."

The scratching, nervousness and stuttering, were all things everyone watching her had seen numerous times in their life so it was easy to convince them.

"Oh? You must be going through withdrawal. Fair enough. I've seen numerous drunkard go through what you just did."

"I'm letting you off this one time because I don't wish to punish you. Now hurry up and go deliver the Alpha's food."

Aurelia froze.

Alpha? Alpha Axton?

She was out of it earlier to hear the first maid mention his name.

That man had seen her face when she held the young alpha hostage a month ago. Though he was far from her, she still couldn't risk him recognizing her.

She was about to say something when everyone turned and began strutting away, leaving her with no choice, but to do as ordered.

The residence was a simple one. The closer one got to the alpha's quarters, the stricter the guards got.

After verifying her identity, the guards let her in.

Pushing the food trolley into the alpha's room, Aurelia swallowed hard.

"My lord, I brought your lunch."

Silence.

After standing on a spot for more than ten seconds, she pushed the trolley towards the mahogany table in the middle of the room, carefully placing the dishes on it.

Then she turned around to leave, but her eyes caught the weapons arranged by a corner.

For the love of weapons, she paused and sighed heavily.

The Alpha wasn't in right now. He was probably with the councilmen. She would just take a quick look at the weapons and slip out.

Yes, that's what she'd do.

Her feet moved of their own accord, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of the weapons, running her hands over them with her eyes closed.

She started from the ones in front, all the way to the back. With her eyes sealed shut, she could take in even the smallest detail on them.

Thirty seconds later, she grimaced in pain, promptly peeling her eyes open when her head hit a wall.

The weapons rack was in the middle of the room. No one in their right senses would build a wall in the middle of the room.

She was already having such a crappy day and needed to vent even if it was to a wall. So she turned to kick the wall in rage.

"Why on earth would anyone build a wall in the middle of the room? Doesn't Cinder Pack have…"

She suddenly trailed off as realization dawned on her—she wasn't kicking a wall.

It was a person. A man's leg.