Danica's POV

I held my cheek painfully, tears blinding my sight momentarily as I looked up to face Joey who was seething with an anger that threatened to unleash mine.

She had some fucking guts to raise her filthy hands to my face! And for what?!

“What the hell did you do that for?” I growled at her with bloodshot eyes and I saw her swallow nothing, pupils dilating before she quickly recomposed herself.

“You're talking back at me after what you did?” She scoffed, raising her hand to slap me again and I would have fucking put her in her damn place if my Father hadn't beat me to it with his commanding voice.

“Enough of this nonsense, you both! Get in the car. Now! And stop being such a nuisance!” he thundered irritably, his glare fixed on me. Just me! It has always being only me who gets to bear the blame for everything even if she was at a fault. The thought made more tears pool at my eyes but I didn't let it fall.

It is all Joey ever wanted. To see me break down in front of her so she could always remind me how far beneath her my place lies and I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her wish come true, again.

I couldn't even if I tried. Not with the flirty Alpha's touch lingering on my face and wrist like his hands were still there, sending sparks and shivers through my spine in a good way.

I know I shouldn't feel this way about another mate of mine, since I was obviously always fated to assholes but deep down, I looked forward to seeing him again. Asides saving Anabel, he was the best thing that happened to me so far on a bad day like today and I simply wanted to know if all his gentleness was just a charade to make me voice the bond we had and then humiliate me like the others did, or if he was just that caring kind of person unlike what the rumors says about him.

Whichever one it was, I wouldn't be Danica fvcking Grayson if I let it slip that he was my mate in the next three days I planned to spend taking care of his wound.

The drive was terribly silent but I could feel Joey's glare on me throughout till the car suddenly pulled up at the parking lot. As a former beta, my father owned a house befitting enough to be called a mansion with a parking lot.

“Danica. Meet me inside in five” my Father said sternly, his face contoured with a deep frown and I didn't miss the smirk that suddenly appeared on Joey's face.

Stupid bitch!

I got in to meet my father sitting on the sofa, looking pissed and I hesitated going to meet him until Joey shoved me forward.

“What was the trash you pulled at the party?” He thundered and I bit the insides of my lips hard.

“I could help Anabel, Father. So I did” I said and Joey scoffed behind me.

“I doubt that!” She gritted, glaring at me. “What she wanted at that party was attention. She wanted everyone to notice her, Father” she added, facing my father with clear sincerity in her eyes. She would win an Oscar award for the best actress in the universe.

“There were professionals at the party. Anyone could have saved her” he chipped in, disregarding Joey's comment… or maybe not.

“Everyone was prepared for a mating party not a medical rally. No one could have saved her without a full medical kit but I could.” I told him again, hoping he was convinced and I saw how his face twinkled slightly, knowing I was right.

“I told you to stay low, Danica. It was a sincere instruction from me to you but you decided to defy me? What if things had gone south and you killed the gamma's sister? You wouldn't only be living in the streets, you'll also spend the next twenty five years of your invaluable life in prison,” he suddenly said and I felt his words pricked harder into my heart.

“Anabel only survived because the moon goddess didn't destined her death yet. A simple allergy couldn't have killed a werewolf! You're just an attention seeking slut” Joey said hatefully, her voice rising another notch as if she held some grudge against me for saving Anabel's life.

“Not everyone is like you, Joey. I saved a life and that is all that matters!” I talked back immediately, pissed by her baseless outburst.

“She's lying father. I can prove to you that she only did what she did because of the attention of everyone and she did get the attention she wanted” Joey blurted and my eyes narrowed on her the same time with my father and Freya as she brought out her phone.

“I have proof of your true nature Danica, are you still going to keep denying it?” She said with a sinister smirk.

“True nature? What the hell are you talking about?” I asked in anger and confusion.

“I'm talking about how you went behind everyone's back to fool around the Alpha, you whore!” She yelled in my face and two more pairs of wide eyes rounded on her.

“After you clearly warned her to stay far away from the Alpha, she went to seduce him without anyone knowing, Father” she continued, showing them a photo on her phone.

Father snatched the phone from her hand the moment he saw whatever was displayed in the screen and he sprang up to face me almost immediately, eyes piercing and furious.

“How dare you try this nonsense with the Alpha, Danica?” He bellowed and I flinched, a pang of nausea and adrenaline coursing through my veins at his anger and the picture that glared at me.

A picture of me unbuttoning the Alpha's shirt! Taken and edited perfectly to convince anyone that I was the slut she described me to be.

“I…. This was… it was Alpha Alexander's order” I tried defending myself.

“The Alpha would never give such a vulgar order, Danica. I saw you with my two eyes” she was quick to add.

“Oh really? Is this about me or the Alpha, Joey? Because you sound so terribly jealous right now” I blurted in anger and she immediately planted a deep slap to my face.

“I'm only looking out for you because you're my sister and we can't have you soiling the family's name more than you already did” she murmured bitterly and I raised my hands to return the favor but then Father chose to intervene.

“Enough!” his commanding voice boomed in the air, forcing me to lower my hand in defeat.

“It isn't what it looks like, Father” I murmured, holding back hot tears as hard as I could.

“You say Joey is lying against you but she has proof to back up what she saw and you don't, Danica. How much more are you going to keep lying when the truth is out in your face?” Freya questioned, anger lacing her concerned features.

At that moment when my father's disappointed glare hit my skin, I badly wanted to tell him the entire truth. From how the Alpha wanted me to check on his wounds and how he wanted me to come treat it for him at the palace but I stopped myself.

Joey would probably use that against me too. She would twist the story to make me a liar and they would believe her. They always do.

“I don't need a proof for you to believe that I did save Anabel's life too, do I?” I suddenly asked and I saw the frown that formed on my father's face.

“You did it because you wanted to win the Alpha's favor when I clearly warned you, Danica.” he responded and I swallowed the painful lump that grew in my throat. “And for that you'll be grounded in your room for three days to reflect hard on what you've done wrong!” He said sternly and my eyes widened as I exclaimed.

“What?!!” “But…I”

“It's either that or you pack your things and walk out of my house this instant. Your choice” he concluded and walked away without sparing me another glance, leaving me to wonder if I am truly his daughter or if I had been adopted at some point.

Alexander's POV

“Do you think she felt the bond but decided not to say a thing?” I asked no one in particular but the only person next to me in this car was Blake, my annoying yet helpful beta.

“Or maybe she didn't feel the bond at all? She's an omega without a wolf… so I heard” he stated and I sighed. “Do you think she's fit to be your mate? You wanted a strong mate” He asked and I ran the tip of my tongue over my lower lip.

“That’s why I'm keeping her close to me for the next three days to find out more about her” I told him, trying to convince myself than him that it was the only reason I invited her to the palace but I knew deep down from the moment I laid my eyes on her at the party when she was talking to Finn and Anabel that I probably wouldn't be able to let her slip away. Ever.

*Weak or not!*

She's the first female wolf to ever make my wolf lose his control. She was the most beautiful creature I've ever laid my eyes on, and trust me when I say that because I've met countless women even before I became Alpha and I knew what was special when I saw one.

It's like the goddess spent more days sculpturing her to be a perfect woman. My perfect woman.

I couldn't keep my eyes off her when she suddenly blurted that she could help treating Anabel nor could I keep my eyes off her when she bumped into me in the hallway with those enchanting teary eyes and I didn't miss how hard she tried to avoid meeting my gaze. My wolf, Rage, wanted nothing but to claim her right there and mark her as his… as ours but it took all my willpower to convince him not to scare her pretty face off, especially when she doesn't even feel the bond like we do.

She might be an omega to everyone but all I could see was a lonely little wolf that needed a little push. A push I could give to make her unleash the pent up demon that kept sparkling in waves of sadness in her pretty green eyes.

*‘Sadness!’* The word echoed in my mind and I frowned slightly.

Why does she look so sad?

“Do you know anything about her aside from the fact that she's a wolfless Omega?” I asked, facing Blake who suddenly pulled up the car as we reached our destination.

I got out of the car before him and when he did, he began to fill me in with the details I wanted to know.

“Well, she's the daughter of the former beta, which makes it harder for her to move around, carrying the omega title on her head”

“A black sheep?” I summarized all he said in three words and he nodded in affirmation, leaving my thoughts to wander to the bruise I saw on her face.

'Could it be she's been bullied somewhere?' I thought to myself. And yes, I trusted my guts enough to know that she didn't simply have a drastic fall that only caused that dull red bruise on her face.

“That! And she did have a mate before but he rejected her openly” Blake added as we strode through the walls of the pack house towards my office.

“Mean” I whispered, wondering who could be the blind b*st*rd that did that to someone like her. It's better if I didn't know who he was so I didn't bother asking.

“Rich, coming from a man who sliced off five fingers of a fellow wolf because he stepped on his toes” Blake scoffed and I immediately slapped the back of his head.

“I told you there was more to the story, you b*st*rd!” I glared at him in contempt.

“I doubt that” he rolled his eyes and I scoffed.

“I could kill you right now but I don't want to soil this holy ground with your blood when my ‘Mamacita Doctino’ is coming to me tomorrow” I gritted at him with a charming smile, clearly mocking his lack of a mate.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you but I found my mate too” he replied with an annoying smile and the smile on my face faded immediately.

“Is this how it works now? Listening to all my secrets and refusing to tell me a single TMI?” I asked, slowly unleashing the dark scary aura around me but the b*st*rd didn't even flinch.

*He's got some really high confidence in his life, I see.*

“You were busy flirting with your mate, so was I with mine” he shrugged, while keeping a safe distance between us.

*Right. His confidence does have limits.*

“You really like her huh?” I asked, a little more serious than I was a second ago.

“She's an interesting woman, but she looked a bit sad and distracted all night” he replied and I couldn't help but remember the look in Danica's eyes. She wasn't just a bit sad, she looked like an epitome of sadness and beauty combined.

“Is she an omega?” I asked, knowing Omegas tend to have the highest tendencies of being sad, but he shook his head.

“Her wolf is strong, she didn't smell anything like an omega but she has no idea who her parents are” Blake explained and I stopped in my tracks.

“What?!”

“She was raised in a less privileged home until she made enough to send herself to school. Her name is Bianca Fischer” he added and a frown formed on my face.

“You both sure talked a lot for a single night” I joked as we continued our stroll to the office.

‘Did you see what that girl did at the Mating night gathering?’ A whisper made its way to my ears and a frown immediately crossed my face.

‘I heard she's just a useless omega who wanted to act out because she knew the Alpha was watching’ another voice pricked my ears and my anger flared.

‘The moon goddess was the reason the gamma's sister woke up, I tell you’ a different voice mocked with a laugh and I practically teleported myself right where the gossip came from.

“Then I guess if I had your head on a platter right now, the moon goddess should replace it without any stress in the world, don't you think?” I growled behind them, making out the maid that gave the last comment with ease.

The trio jumped, their faces drained of color as they fell to their knees immediately.

“I'm… sorry, Alpha” they stammered, sniffling back desperate tears.

“I could say the same about you too. Working when the Alpha watches but when he's not there, you slack off and gossip as if it's what you're being payed to do here” I continued hotly, terribly holding myself back from plucking out their tongues from their mouths. “You should be thankful I'm in a good mood because of that Omega you just called useless, otherwise, I would do more than just firing you three this instant” I added and their eyes widened as the rubbed their hands together, begging desperately as if they didn't think of the consequences before doing sh*t in my pack house.

“We're sorry, Alpha. Please forgive us”

“You should always remember that the same Omega you just gossiped about saved your pathetic lives but It's a bummer that the moon goddess doesn't have the power to hire you back after you're fired by me. But you could try climbing all the mountains in the world and maybe, just maybe she'll listen to your pointless prayers one day. Now out of my sight before I do something really drastic” I gritted sternly, mockingly, watching them scurry off in fright as I made my way to my room instead of the office.

A tiny sting in my lower stomach made me remember Danica's warning to disinfect so I immediately mindlinked Blake to get me a disinfectant from the Pack's royal clinic.

I unbuttoned my shirt and I couldn't help but remember how f*ck*ng pretty she looked while staring at my bare chest. And those fingers…

‘You want her just as much as I do, Alexander’ Rage purred and I let out a tortured groan as I stared at the big man straining against my pants.

Fine! Agreed. This was going to be one Long. Hard. f*ck*ng day.

Danica's POV

It's been five hours since I got my 'sacred grounded' order but it already felt like an eternity. It wasn't the first time I've been grounded for things that were or was not my fault and being grounded also means no feeding whatsoever. I had no idea if my dad always gave that order too or if Joey and Freya just added that out of the 'good' of her own venomous hearts but I didn't care at this point.

I was getting agitated and the reason was simple.

Getting grounded after receiving an order from the Alpha to be at the palace for his treatment could only mean rebellion.

What if he beheads me for defying him as soon as this is over?

I was biting my nails as the thoughts ran through my head and I bit too hard as I got carried away, forcing a wince out of myself and I quickly closed my mouth around the finger, sucking the small blood that escaped.

The entire forth and back with my father, my stepmom and stepsister weighed on my mind so hard that all I could hear at this point was their mockery, their false accusations, the belittlement I received for saving just one life and everything just made me want to cry. To cry so hard until my three days confinement was over. To cry until every last drop of tears left in me was completely drained. But before I could think of it, a shuffling sound in my window made my breath catch in my throat.

My gaze lingered on the window for a while but there was no movement and I immediately concluded it to be a hallucination. But that was only until I heard a louder shuffling noise and taps on the window.

I was about to scream when I saw a familiar shining shoe stepping into the room through the curtains that covered

my window.

"Bianca?" I called, my heart racing at the probability that I might be wrong. But then again, only Bianca can pull off climbing my window while making a complete fuss out of it. A killer would be more stealthier, even more; unnoticed.

She swing the curtain over her head swiftly, blowing in a breath as her full face came into view and a tiny smile formed on my lips despite myself.

"What are you doing here?" I murmured quietly, feeling guilty at what I said to her before the party. It was nothing but the truth but it was wrong to rub it in her face if she was truly my best friend.

"You didn't think I'd let you off without getting my deserved apology, did you?" She scoffed, flinging her shoes off as she collapsed on my bed.

'Your window is one hell of a height' she groaned spreading her entire body on the bed.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you... And for saying you shouldn't advise me because you haven't feel what I've felt. I'm so sorry" I murmured, hugging my legs up to my chest and she turned to lay on her side, her lips rounding into a pout.

"How can I not accept your apology when you were such a genius at the Mating party?" She sighed in exasperation and I let out a chuckle.

"Well, this genius might not be much of a genius because she's grounded right now as you can see. And it'll be on for three days" I told her sadly but instead of the usual empathetic look, she quickly sat up in bed with amusement creasing her brows as she tucked a strand of her ginger-red hair behind her ear.

"Then that calls for a sleepover! But first, tell me everything I've missed out on. Every. Single. Detail" she emphasized and I ran my fingers through my hair, running my tongue over my dry lower lip before proceeding to tell her everything... Down to how I ended up in confinement. Though, I left out the full detail on my encounter with Alpha Alexander and the fact that he was the mate I found at the party.

"In everything, we must look at both the bad and good side of things yunno? But this... I think the bad side outweighs the good side, dear friend. In short, we could say you're doomed" she muttered, not being subtle at all.

"What is that supposed to even mean?" I muttered, my voice another octave higher.

"It means, the Alpha king isn't one to mess with, Danica. Rumors says he his brutal to those who doesn't give him the respect he deserve, but even more to those that fail to follow his orders" she explained and I felt goosebumps all over my skin.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but! He does seem to really like you. You piqued his interest so much that he asked you, a woman he's never met personally to treat his wounds then you're probably at an advantage" she added but it did absolutely nothing to assure me because I clearly recalled a rumor where he killed his own cousin for betraying him and not following his orders. That was his flesh and blood. How much more Danica the mere Omega who dared to defy his order?

"I heard he cut off five fingers of a man because he stepped on his toes, Danica. He his not one to mess with!" She exclaimed, the small smile that was on her face a few seconds ago now completely gone. "But we can think about this Alpha after we've made the best out of this three days isolation... Even if it'll be your last three days on earth. I have to spend every last minute with my best friend, don't you think?" She murmured, her nervous giggles mirroring mine.

"Yes, my friend. This is the going to be the biggest test of our friendship, Dear Alpha Alexander" I chanted with a ridiculous laugh and a knock came on the door, increasing my agitation and the irritation that gnawed at my chest.

Bianca was swift in her movements as she grabbed her scattered shoes and crawled under my bed, thinking it was Freya or my father but then I opened the door to meet Joey's stupid face.

My hands instantly itched to wipe the smirk off her face but I fisted them instead. 'We definitely don't want these three days to become three months, dear hand' I reminded myself.

"What do you want?" I snapped. I just couldn't stand her.

"Well, first. Don't blame me that I didn't let you have those three days to flirt around and be all cozy with the Alpha" she muttered, malice glinting in her words.

"You knew about the Alpha's order?" I asked in disbelief and she shrugged. "Yet, you made Father believe that I was simply messing around?" I pressed and she rolled her eyes.

"I did what had to be done and that's not important. How did you get the Alpha's attention?" She asked and I was tempted to laugh but another unbelievable laugh echoed through the room from a voice I recognized too well. Joey almost jumped out of her skin as she frantically turned around the room, activating her heightened senses as her eyes glowed darker.

"You didn't know how this genius got the Alpha's attention and you kept claiming she was trying to get his attention? That was very cheap of you," Bianca muttered as she slowly crawled out of her hiding place. "You will never get to have the Alpha's attention even if you knew, you skimpy wh*r*" Bianca gritted, her eyes glowing dangerously as she threw one leg of her shoe at Joey who was quick to duck with a shriek.

"How dare you throw that at me, crazy b*tch!" She yelled and Bianca raised her second shoe, aiming at Joey who immediately ran out of the room.

I gasped at her like she'd grown horns on her head and we soon bursted out laughing so hard until I totally forgot what the consequences of being locked up might be... Momentarily.

"She's one hopeless greedy sl*t. The Gamma isn't enough for her, now she wants the Alpha because he asked you to be his doctor. Suddenly I'm tempted to advice you to hook up with him. Show that b*tch who has the upper hand here" Bianca murmured as she collapsed on my bed again.

"You didn't just say that, you hopeless hook-upist" I laughed in disbelief and she giggled knowingly.

"I know, I know. That man is just so hot yunno. But my Blake is hotter" she slurred sleepily and I immediately rushed to her side before slapping the sleep off her face playfully.

"Blake? Who is Blake?" I asked immediately and her cheeks heated up which is so unlike her. She barely talks about her one-week boyfriends and even when she does, she never blushes.

"My mate. That b*tch finally decided to screw me over... But I f*ck*ng liked it" she murmured and I gasped.

"You found him? At the party?" I asked and she nodded twice.

"Congratulations, hubby. This is practically one of the wicked things 'she' did that I loved her for" I taunted, my she referring to the moon goddess. "No more hooking up with random fine men" I added and she rushed to the bathroom to sprinkle water on her face like she had been crying.

"This is so unfair 'b*tch'! His beauty has spoiled other men for me" she sniffled fake tears and I could only laugh at her.

"The hotness runs in the blood of those royal men, Danica. Guess what? He is Alpha Alexander's Beta" she said and color immediately drained from my face.

"What?!!!"