Tasting 318

318–The Royal Engagement

Nora:

I deleted the messages and returned the phone. Texting him had been a grave mistake. I wished I

hadn’t been so miserable that I forgot how they had all treated me.

He wouldn’t help me with anything. I needed to rely on the present time and maybe expect

everything to go fine when it’s time for me giving birth.

Hours had passed, and they had made me create bouquets for Brody’s engagement. His Luna was

quite demanding, insisting that I redo the bouquets because she disliked the arrangement of roses

or didn’t feel the vibe.

She was nitpicking over the most trivial details.

The mansion was adorned for the engagement ceremony, with numerous guests arriving from

various nearby packs. Naturally, the Alpha King brothers had not been invited, as Alpha Brody

despised them. And I was glad they didn’t come. They needed to stay far away from this pack and

me as possible from now on.

“Come on, get ready quickly. The ceremony is about to start,” Mrs. Fisher said, standing in the

doorway and motioning for me to hurry.

She had brought a brown dress, identical to the ones worn by the other maids. I sighed in

exhaustion, worn out from working in such a state.

If I reflected on my life from a year ago, I had been so carefree and

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318 The Royal Engagement

adored by everyone. It was astonishing how everything had changed; now I was merely a pregnant

and tormented omega maid.

My hands were no longer smooth and delicate. They were covered in blisters. My lips were chapped

and had dried blood on them from cracking.

My skin was rough, and apart from my belly, my body was just skin.

and bones.

I rushed, or so I thought, and slipped into the ill–fitting brown dress that was too tight around my

belly, making me feel as though I was suffocating my baby.

I joined the other maids in the royal hall with my head bowed. I didn’t want to be noticed. I had no

choice but to stand in line and wait for my turn to receive a task.

The others were picked immediately due to their impeccable appearance. My belly prevented me

from attracting any attention.

Anyone who glanced my way wrinkled their noses and quickly moved away as though I were

carrying a disease.

Now, I was the only one without a task, standing in the corner of the vast hall.

“I used to be noticed once,” I gently rubbed my belly. Speaking to my baby brought me some

comfort. My baby always moved around I me, way too many times a day.

As my pregnancy progressed, I lost contact with my wolf. She would only awaken after I gave birth.

And I couldn’t wait to talk with her.

318–The Royal Engagement

“When I attended the mate ball, I looked my best. All my stepbrothers wanted to dance with me. I

know what you’re thinking; I don’t even know who your father is. I only know it’s one of my mates

and my stepbrothers,” I sighed, my eyes dry from crying so much over the past few months.

My dry eyes welled up with tears again when Brody arrived, dressed in a gray suit with his new Luna

by his side. She was laughing and smiling as the maids began scattering rose petals around her.

She was treated with such grace and beauty. I once had it all, but then lost it because of my own

mates–because they didn’t believe in keeping me.

I sighed and fought back my tears, discreetly using the back of my hand to wipe my cheeks as the

ceremony began.

I wasn’t the only one in tears that night. Clara stood apart from the couple, tears forming and

glistening in her eyes. I wondered what had happened.

“Look at her,” a maid next to me remarked about Clara. “She really thought he was going to choose

her. Of course, he picked the alpha’s daughter.”

As the other maid explained further, I realized why he had chosen the other woman over Clara. I

learned that the princess was from the neighboring pack where he used to work.

It was the crimson hollow pack. It was astonishing that Clara had accompanied him, thinking it was

a romantic date, when he was likely going there to secure the alpha’s daughter’s hand in marriage.

But I didn’t feel sorry for Clara. She had it coming; she had made

318 The Royal Engagement

everyone’s lives miserable.

So, I suppose I could say that both Clara and I met our downfall while Brody chose someone of a

higher status.

Clara seemed upset and I was worried. I only cared about the comfort I could get. Marrying

someone or being intimate with someone was just too much for me.

Even the thought of someone kissing me repulsed me.