The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 101

Stacey

POV

Its head was lowered and it was munching on the grass quite happily, apparently unaware that it was being watched. Its antlers stood out in stark contrast to the blueness of the sky, and his hooves thudded loudly on the grass. The young buck was oblivious to his surroundings and I waited for the perfect moment, pouncing when he least expected it, my jaws clamping around its neck and biting down until it severed its spinal cord and broke its neck. I sniffed in appreciation, smelling the metallic scent of blood in the air, blood coming from my prey.

I was hungry, ravenous. I lowered my head down and began to gingerly taste the buck, taking small tentative bites and then larger ones, ripping off large chunks of meat to down. My claws would shred the smaller bits off the bones and I ate, until my stomach was full to bursting, before I saw fit to stop and finish. I sat on my haunches and looked around, seeing nothing but trees and more trees going on for miles. I was tired of traveling, tired of avoiding shifter packs as I stayed on the run. I needed to replace somewhere I could replace employment and soon. My stomach was swollen with my pregnancy, and the bump was no longer small but plainly obvious.

There was but one place that I could think of where I might be safe. One place where Alpha Rowan wouldn't look for me. But it was a risk. There was no telling how they might take me, a shifter, searching for sanctuary in their territory. But I couldn't continue to live in my shifter form, going from place to place, having to hunt my food down. The baby needed proper nutrients and more food than even I could provide.

I began to trot towards the southeast, knowing where I was and how close to the territory it was. I ran for miles, my paws thudding loudly on the forest ground, my nose in the air sniffing for telltale signs of rogues, which I had managed to avoid thus far. I was careful not to expend too much energy, knowing I needed to keep some in reserve, should I need to defend myself in a fight. I spent the night in my wolf form, looking up at the moon, and the stars twinkling overhead. It was a beautiful night and I managed to stay warm with my fur protecting me from the elements. When I woke up the next morning, it was several hours before I reached my destination, a backpack in my jaws.

It was huge, massive. The castle was bigger than the biggest pack house I had ever seen. It was gloomy looking as well, but there were tons of vampires milling about, just going about their business. Before I stepped foot on their territory, I shifted back to my human form and hastily dressed in my nicest dress and basic tennis shoes. My clothes were getting tighter, I noticed with a frown, bringing my backpack to my chest and stepping foot inside the boundary line.

Instantly, I was surrounded by vampires. They hissed at me, their eyes glowing a bright red. I cringed but stayed where I was, not daring to shift into my wolf form. I was here for a reason, I reminded myself, my mouth dry in fear. The one in front of me, with glowing red eyes, dark shaggy blonde hair, and a tall slender frame was the first to speak.

"State your business you mangy mutt" he boomed.

I took offense to the mangy mutt comment, after all, I was a beautiful wolf and an even prettier woman, baby bump or no baby bump. I put a protective hand on my stomach and met his eyes head-on.

"I'm here to replace work," I said weakly and watched all of them look at each other surprised. I guess not many shifters come to the vampires looking for employment I thought drily.

"You want to work for us?" asked the shaggy blonde vampire, sounding a bit uncertain now.

I wanted to roll my eyes, instead, I adopted a calm and pleasant tone of voice "I want to replace employment and was hoping to replace it at the castle" I said evenly.

Stacey POV

Its head was lowered and it was munching on the grass quite happily, apparently unaware that it was being watched. Its antlers stood out in stark contrast to the blueness of the sky, and his hooves thudded loudly on the grass. The young buck was oblivious to his surroundings and I waited for the perfect moment, pouncing when he least expected it, my jaws clamping around its neck and biting down until it severed its spinal cord and broke its neck. I sniffed in appreciation, smelling the metallic scent of blood in the air, blood coming from my prey.

They continued to look at each other, at a complete loss.

"I think mind-linking Melissa might be the best way to go" offered one of the other vampires.

"What about the king? Shouldn't he know?"

"Does she look like a threat to you? She's clearly pregnant and she's obviously been traveling for some time" added another.

"Maybe we should put her in the dungeon?"

"I'm not putting a pregnant woman in the dungeon. Even if she is a shifter."

"Then mind-link Melissa and see if she's got work for this poor girl. Do you honestly think she's come to harm any of us? She can barely stand for Christ's sake."

I was swaying back and forth on my feet. One of the vampires rushed to steady me, lending me his support to keep me upright. "When's the last time you ate?" he asked in concern.

"Yesterday" I answered, "before that, I think it was almost a week."

I really did not enjoy hunting and eating animals, especially raw.

"Geez" whistled the vampire "that's a long time between meals. Don't you shifters need to eat more because of your high metabolisms?"

He wasn't wrong. Shifters did have abnormally high metabolisms and therefore ate lots of meals during the day. I wondered where he had gotten the information from. Maybe his mate was a shifter? I had heard of rare cases of that happening. "Get her to the kitchen," the shaggy blonde vampire said heatedly "Melissa will meet her in there."

The vampire holding me, began to lightly drag me towards the castle. I let him lead me inside and down several long winding corridors until we came to the huge kitchen and dining room. He sat me down at the table and rushed off, coming back with a huge plate of roast beef and roast vegetables. My stomach growled in response. I was famished. I began to dig in eagerly as he sat down on the chair and watched me with a raised eyebrow.

He was quite handsome, I noted, flushing slightly. He had a face that looked similar to what I imagine a roman god would look like, with a long nose and dark black hair and eyes. He was staring at me with fascination in his eyes and something else, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Maybe he was amused by my situation or intrigued by shifters? Who knew?

"You can leave now" a voice cut in and I glanced at the doorway to see the rather large woman standing there and leaning against it, her arms folded across her rather large and generous bosom. She wore a maid's uniform which consisted of a black dress, a white apron, and white stockings. She had large spectacles and dark brown, disheveled hair and looked to be in her mid-forties or so. I thought all vampires were meant to be stunning creatures but this woman didn't appear to be a full vampire, but maybe a half one at best. She had to be Melissa, I thought to myself.

The vampire man left without a backward glance and I found myself glancing toward the woman uncertainly.

She surprised me by giving me a large welcoming smile. "My name's Melissa" she barked out "what's yours?"

I stopped eating for a moment. "Stacey" I admitted shyly. I didn't want to lie to her and make up a name, that might come back to bite me in the a's later and would prove they couldn't trust me.

"Well Stacey," she said with a bit of a harrumph "I hear you are looking for work. Am I right?"

I gave her a shy nod and she glanced down at my stomach, which was protruding from my dress. "How far along are you?"

"Twenty-five weeks" I answered, "give or take." I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but I was relatively positive that was the case.

"Hmm," she murmured, coming over and sitting down beside me. She looked lost in thought. "I think that I'll get you to stay in the kitchen and help prepare the dishes. I don't want you doing any heavy lifting and housekeeping will be too much for you I imagine as it's quite taxing."

I looked up at her hopefully, excitement shining in my eyes "you'll hire me then? To work here in the castle?"

She nodded but looked at me grimly "but you're on probation. Which means that until I say otherwise, you behave perfectly and do everything that you are asked."

I was more than happy about that.

"You are also not to approach the king, or his mate" she continued and my interest peaked. I knew a little about the so-called vampire king Stefan but I had heard nothing about him having a mate.

"Who is his mate?" I asked eagerly and she frowned at me. I hung my head and began to continue eating.

"Her name is Amber and you are not to approach her either" she admonished.

My heart began to thud. Amber. The name couldn't be a coincidence, now could it? But what would she be doing in the vampire's castle? There was no way she was mates with a vampire. But the name Amber was quite unusual. I coughed and began to gesture toward the woman when we heard a small commotion.

"He told her he loved her," said a maid's voice as she walked past with a friend "it was so romantic too" she gushed.

"I heard her say it back," her friend told her, in a hushed whisper that nonetheless filled the room "and you should have seen the look on his face."

"Back to work" barked Melissa and there was a mad scramble as the small group of servants went back to their posts.

I finished the plate of food and sat back feeling completely satiated. There was enough food on that plate to feed at least three people. Melissa gave a dry chuckle as she saw the empty plate. "Remember that you're eating for two now," she said with a shake of her head. She stood up and helped me to stand. "Let's show you to your room," she said quietly "you'll be in the servant's wing of course, and most likely be bunking with someone."

I walked behind her, taking in the opulence of the castle and the elegance of it all. There were fancy paintings everywhere and little decorative statues. I was careful not to bump them, as we continued down a long corridor, Melissa stopping at a room on the right. She opened the door and gestured for me to walk inside.

There were two beds in the room. They weren't threadbare but were plain, with basic mattresses and sheets. Two dressers sat in one corner of the room and there were also two armchairs and two bookcases, filled with books. I eyed them with curiosity. I couldn't remember the last time I had read a book, let alone had the time to do so. "The King believes in giving his servants two days off a week," said Melissa helpfully "and each room is supplied with books for you to read at your own leisure. The king loves to read," she said with a sigh.

Another door in the room and I opened it cautiously, to see a very basic and small bathroom, consisting of a toilet, sink, and shower. "For you to refresh yourself in," she said calmly.

I glanced at her and saw her give me a wide smile. I yawned and tried to hide it but nothing got past this woman. "Get some rest," she said quietly "and I'll bring you a maid's uniform tomorrow morning so you can start."

She vanished quickly and I was about to close the door when I saw someone with red hair, someone that looked very familiar. I was right, I marveled to myself. She was here. Now the question was, I thought to myself, climbing into bed and piling the covers over me, was how I could use her presence to my advantage. I had a few ideas in my mind and I drifted off to sleep that night, with a wicked grin on my face. I was going to have fun while I was here, I just knew it.