Hated by My Mate

Chapter 2

Aurora

It took us a full day and a half to prepare the place for the party.

Mrs. Kala told me that there would be more than six hundred guests, between our pack and the neighbouring ones, with which we shared a peace treaty.

Once we were done, Mrs. Kala sent me home to get a couple hours of rest. I had to be back at the leader's house by nightfall. The gala wouldn't begin until nine o'clock.

When I got home, I was greeted by the unpleasant sight of my stepmother walking around, nude.

"Eww!" I said loudly, to get her attention. "You know, these rooms were made specifically for our privacy. Not for walking around the house completely naked."

I turned around, waiting for her to grab some clothes.

"Oh, sorry about that, hon. I wasn't expecting you back so early. I just came from patrolling the southern area of the village," she answered nonchalantly.

My stepmother was a seeker, with a keen sense of smell.

On occasion, the alpha assigned her to patrol, to see if she could sniff out the scent of the rogues that had been lurking around the border lately.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes at her, then went straight to my room and threw myself on my bed.

I tried to sleep, but sleep just wouldn't reach me, so I got up and decided to head downstairs to prepare dinner.

Once I got to the first floor, I noticed that I was completely alone in the house. Montana must have gone out again.

I shrugged. "Better for me."

I went into the kitchen and made some pasta, then sat in front of the TV and began looking for a movie to watch.

My phone began to ring. I looked down, smiling when I saw that it was my friend.

"Hey, Em," I answered as I kept scrolling through the list of movies on the TV.

"So...how'd it go with cleaning and setting up for the grand party?" she asked.

"So far, tiresome. That place is enormous. I thought we'd never finish with the decorations." I stuffed a forkful of pasta into my mouth as I spoke.

"Ugh, I can imagine. What time does it start?" she asked.

"I have to be there around five thirty. The whole ordeal starts at eight."

"Do you know what time you'll be off?" she asked.

"Not really, but i'm sure it won't be anytime before twelve."

"Well...that sucks. Guess I'll just have to wish you a happy birthday tomorrow."

"Yeah, they ordered me to leave my phone at home, so I won't be reading any texts until I get back."

Emma growled. "That sucks."

Icouldn't help but let out a giggle

We spent the rest of the evening chatting and laughing. I barely noticed the time flying by.

A few hours later, I found myself heading to the leader's house. I presented myself at the gates, then headed inside.

Once inside, I went to the maid's quarters, where I changed into my official uniform.

It consisted of a white button-up shirt with long sleeves, a red bow tie, high-waisted black pants, and black heels.

Once we were dressed, all the maids headed to the gala room, where the lights were dimmed. We each took out trays and prepared to receive the guests.