Mate's VENGEANCE

The alarm shattered the darkness at four-thirty AM.

Sera jerked awake, disoriented for a moment about where she was. Then memory crashed back-Silvermoon Estate, her first day, the beginning of everything.

She dressed quickly in the simple black dress and white apron that Elder Moira had left folded outside her door last night. The uniform was practical and modest, designed to make the wearer fade into the background. Perfect.

She pulled her dark hair into a neat bun, applied minimal makeup, and studied herself in the small mirror above the dresser. The woman looking back was unremarkable. Forgettable. Just another servant among dozens.

Exactly what she needed to be.

For now.

The hallway was already showing signs of life-she could hear water running in the communal bathroom, quiet footsteps, muffled voices. The household was waking up.

Sera made her way downstairs, following the path Rosie had shown her last night. The massive estate was different in the pre-dawn darkness-shadowy and gothic, full of corners and corridors that could hide secrets. She memorized every turn, every door, every window. Knowledge was power, and she needed every advantage she could get.

The kitchen was already bustling when she arrived. Margaret was at the stove, cooking what smelled like bacon and eggs. Several other staff members were preparing trays, organizing supplies, moving with the efficient choreography of people who'd done this a thousand times.

"Morning, new girl," Margaret called without looking up. "Coffee's fresh. Get yourself a cup and something to eat. Breakfast is at five-thirty, but we eat in shifts during prep."

Sera poured coffee into a chipped mug and accepted a plate of eggs and toast from one of the kitchen assistants. She ate standing up at the counter, observing the organized chaos around her.

Elder Moira appeared at precisely five-fifteen, clipboard in hand, looking as crisp and alert as if it weren't the middle of the night.

"Morning, everyone," she said briskly. "Sera, you're with Rosie today. She'll show you the morning routine and your assigned areas. The formal rooms need attention-we have potential allies visiting this afternoon, and the Alpha wants everything perfect."

"Yes, ma'am," Sera said quietly.

Rosie bounced into the kitchen a moment later, her curls barely contained by her own white cap. "Morning! Ready for your first day?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sera replied, managing a small smile.

"Don't worry, it's mostly straightforward," Rosie said, grabbing cleaning supplies from a large closet. "We start with the main floor-formal dining room, sitting rooms, the Alpha's study if he's not using it. Then we move upstairs to the guest suites. East wing is mostly empty right now, but it needs to stay clean for when we have visitors."

She handed Sera a caddy filled with cleaning supplies, cloths, and polishes.

"The big rule," Rosie continued as they headed toward the main part of the house, "is that we're invisible. If you see the Alpha or Miss Celeste or any ranked pack members, you step aside, keep your head down, don't make eye contact unless they speak to you directly. We're here to serve, not to be noticed."

Invisible. Sera could do invisible.

They emerged from the servants' corridors into the main house, and despite herself, Sera caught her breath.

It was beautiful.

High ceilings with exposed timber beams. Stone walls softened by tapestries and artwork. Large windows that would let in floods of natural light once the sun rose. Furniture that managed to be both elegant and comfortable-this was a home, not just a showpiece.

"It's something, isn't it?" Rosie said, noticing Sera's reaction. "The Alpha's family has lived here for generations. Some of this furniture is over a hundred years old."

They started in the formal dining room-a massive space with a table that could easily seat thirty people. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and oil paintings of previous Alphas lined the walls.

"These are all past leaders of Silvermoon," Rosie explained, gesturing to the portraits as she began dusting. "That's the current Alpha's father, and his grandfather before that. The Stormridge line goes back almost two hundred years."

Sera studied the paintings as she worked. She could see the family resemblance-strong features, dark hair, those distinctive grey eyes. Men who looked like they'd been born to command.

They worked in efficient silence for a while, the rhythm almost meditative. Sera let her body go through the familiar motions-she'd worked enough service jobs in the past six months to know the routine-while her mind catalogued everything. Exits. Windows. The layout of rooms. Where valuable items were kept. Where security was lax.

"The Alpha usually comes down around six," Rosie said as they moved to the sitting room. "He trains with the warriors from six to seven-thirty, then showers and has breakfast at eight. If we time it right, we can clean his study while he's out."

"Does he spend a lot of time in his study?" Sera asked, keeping her tone casual.

"Hours," Rosie confirmed. "Pack business, you know. Paperwork, video calls with other Alphas, meetings with the council. Being an Alpha isn't all strength and glory-there's a lot of boring administrative work."

They were dusting the sitting room when Sera heard it-footsteps on the stairs, heavy and purposeful. Male. The distinctive cadence of someone who moved with absolute confidence in their own space.

"That's him," Rosie whispered, grabbing her caddy. "Come on, we need to be invisible."

They pressed themselves against the wall near the doorway as the footsteps approached. Sera kept her head down, eyes on the floor, every muscle in her body tense.

This was it. Her first moment in the same space as Marcus's killer.

The footsteps passed the doorway without pausing. She caught a glimpse of him in her peripheral vision-tall, powerfully built, wearing workout clothes, dark hair still damp from a shower.

And then he was gone, heading toward what Rosie had said was the east training courtyard.

Sera realized she'd been holding her breath. She let it out slowly, waiting for some reaction. Fear. Hatred. Her wolf stirring with recognition of a powerful Alpha.

Nothing.

Just the same hollow emptiness she'd felt for six months. Her wolf remained silent, buried so deep that not even an Alpha's presence could reach her.

Good. Emotional detachment would make this easier.

"You okay?" Rosie asked. "You look pale."

"Fine," Sera managed. "Just... he's intimidating."

"All Alphas are," Rosie said sympathetically. "But like I said, he's fair. You'll get used to his presence."

*I'll do more than get used to it*, Sera thought. *I'll make him need my presence. Crave it.*

But not yet. First, she needed to be invisible.