Artemis

After Garrett and Lydia left the kitchen to introduce Lydia to my parents, Tali and I resumed making lunch. By the time the roast was done, Tali had a potato salad and vegetables put to the side. When the pie was assembled, I stuck it in the oven to bake, which would take approximately twenty minutes.

Barbara set the table, and soon after she finished the last one, the pack started to pour into the dining hall. First came the Alpha and Luna, Alec and Natalie, and Garrett and Lydia.

Natalie didn't bother changing her outfit from her cousin's pup shower. Why would she? It was so revealing, outrageously expensive, and alarmingly short.

How did Alec let her leave the house like that? Either he wanted other males to drool over her body and be jealous or wanted everyone to see that Natalie was his and no one could touch her. The dress reached her mid-thighs; it was black and red with diamond studs. Her stilettos were knee-high and the heel, four and a half inches. Her long blonde hair reached her waist and her makeup, as usual, caked her face making her look more like a prostitute than the future Luna of the pack.

"The fact that she would be our sister-in-law when she becomes Luna is depressing, and it makes me gag when I think about it," Caroline said scornfully.

"You think you have it rough? I have it worse! Who has to pup sit that little mongrel when it's born? Who has to change its diapers when its mother is busy and doesn't want to get her pretty little nail dirty?"I retorted.

I was so busy talking to Caroline I failed to hear my mother yelling at me.

"You lazy creature, we're starving over here; whenever you decide to serve lunch would be wonderful, it's not like we have a business to attend to!"

I jumped and shouted a quick apology before grabbing the now excellent pan of deer roast and resting it on the counter. Tali sliced the deer up, and I arranged the thick slices on china plates next to the vegetables.

Barbara placed the plates on the trays and the trays on the cart. Six trays were placed on the cart, and I wheeled it over to the Alpha's table where my parents, Alec, Natalie, Garrett, and Lydia, were waiting.

"Roasted deer and vegetables, please do enjoy your lunch," I said as I distributed the trays of food to them, trying my best to serve with grace and not spill a single drop.

Barbara came with a martini bottle and poured the drink into their crystal goblets. Her eyes stayed down as she ran.

"Enjoy your drinks," she said with a respectful bow.

Lydia smiled, and Garrett smiled and thanked us profusely. Barbara and I bowed once more and went back to the kitchen, where Tali had five more plates ready to be served. We repeated the dish, fill, pour and bow process until every pack member had their plates in front of them, scarfing the food down like wolves.

Oh, wait, they are wolves. Finally, when everyone had cleaned their plates, dessert included Barbara, Tali, and I set about cleaning the kitchen and the dining hall. We had barely begun when Natalie came out of nowhere and perched herself up on the kitchen counter like it was her bedroom.

"You what's your name again?" she asked, pointing her long, turquoise fingernails at Tali.

Tali dropped the spoon she was rinsing, turned around, and bowed to Natalie.

"M..my name is Tali Jerald, I am the daughter of G..Gamma Kyle, Luna Natalie," Tali stuttered nervously.

Natalie nodded and pointed a finger to Barbara next. "And yours?"

"My name is Barbara Sanders. I am the daughter of Delta Mario, Luna Natalie," Barbara said, bowing. Unlike Tali, Barbara had no fear of Natalie, only the power her words held.

She was polite, respective, and submissive but not fearful. I admired her for her courage. Something I never had growing up. Natalie seemed satisfied with their answers and rose off the counter and walked towards us, her steps hard and her hips flaring.

She approached Tali first and tucked her finger under her chin, and raised her head to meet her eyes.

"You assisted me well today. My nails were done to perfection, and my cousin loved them. I appreciate your help, Tali," she said this in such a pleasant tone of voice I almost choked.

I swear I had to be hungry for me to hearNatalieof all wolves be friendly to Tali, an omega.

Then she released Tali's chin, moved to Barbara, and repeated the action. "You have an excellent taste for fashion, Barbara. My mother appreciated my hair, she said it suits me, and for that I thank you,"

Barbara's face lit up, and she smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you, Luna Natalie," she said sincerely.

"Why would she be nice to us just off the bat? She'sNatalie.I can't see how she could be nice to anyone," I said as I rinsed the dishes and placed them on the dish rack. "Anyway, I'm sure if she's nice, it's only because she wants something."

"I agree, Artemis. Her wolf Mimi isn't any better. She thinks just because she's Austin's mate, and she could push everyone around and force them to do her bidding," Caroline growled in my head. "She doesn't even have Alpha blood in her."

I sighed and continued to do the dishes while Tali swept the floors, and Barbara cleared the tables. When the kitchen and dining hall were cleaned, we sat and divided the leftovers between us. Shockingly, there was enough for the three of us.

Barbara dished out the food, and I poured the drinks, and Tali took three kitchen chairs outside and placed them on the packhouse veranda so we could sit in the outdoors and eat. The weather was nice, not too cold, not too hot.

It was nice to sit out and enjoy the serenity of the afternoon before we had to resume our chores. Barbara had laundry duty, Tali had lawn duty, and I cleaned Alec, Natalie, the Beta, Gamma, and Delta quarters, which would take the entire evening to do.

While we ate the delicious food, we chatted about the Cosmos Gala that was to be held in a week. Marcus held it every five years in his pack to celebrate the alliance forged with the Shining Cosmos Pack and the Emerald Guardians Pack.

Marcus hadn't found his mate yet, and he was always on the lookout for her, hoping to find her so his pack could have a Luna and they would become more assertive.

We cleaned up and prepared to start our assigned chores when we finished eating. We were just about to leave to get them done when Natalie came down, dressed in snug hip hugger jeans, a cashmere sweater, and three-inch stiletto heels. She stepped up to us, and we bowed to show our respect.

"Tali, Barbara, come with me. I am going shopping this afternoon, and I'd like to have you there as my assistants," she said in a tone that lacked her usual snobby and arrogant attitude. I was surprised.

"Luna, we have no attire suited to follow you anywhere. We are omegas," Tali said softly. It was true. We omegas didn't have proper clothes. Mostly hand-me-downs from the she-wolves who had outgrown them.

"No worries, I shall provide you with clothes, come to my room, I will organize you," Natalie replied.

I almost choked. What was this toxic she-wolf getting at? First, she complimented them, calling them something other than filthy omega. Now, this?

To my surprise, Tali and Barbara smiled widely, bowed to Natalie once more, and followed her to her room. But before she did, she turned and shot a scornful glare my way.

"What the hell are you staring at? Tali and Barbara will be at the mall with me. Therefore you are responsible for their work. The lawn outside, the laundry, and the rooms upstairs, not to mention dinner, which you will also take care of on your own. Get to it, you a worthless thing!" she snapped at me.

I flinched at her tone and nodded. "Yes, Luna," I said timidly. Natalie scoffed and turned to leave. I stifled my sobs and got to work, wishing I could run away from this hell. They were destroying me, and pretty soon, there would be nothing left for my mate. Who am I kidding? I had no mate. No one could ever love me.

"Don't say that, Artemis! We do have a mate. We just haven't found him yet. Don't be disheartened, and the Moon Goddess said that everyone has a mate," Caroline said sadly. I shook my head, blocked her out, and continued to do what I did best. I cleaned.

Barbara

After Luna Natalie brought us up to her quarters, we stood in the middle of the room and waited for her to give us an order. She clapped her hands, and three maids came bustling in, to my surprise. They bowed to Natalie, and she turned to face us.

"Since you said you have no suitable attire, I shall provide you with a few of my own. My maids," she said, gesturing to the she-wolves who came in.

"Will assist you in getting ready."

With that, Natalie walked to her massive walk-in closet. She started rummaging through an assortment of clothes- no doubt designer clothes bought from Romania's most expensive clothing stores.

Sure we weren't allowed in Romania, much less their stores, but Alpha Lucius had wolves who were loyal to him and did favors for him when he asked. Natalie, Luna Adeline, Alpha Lucius, Alec, and all the other elite wolves in the pack could shop online for their purchases. The wolves working for Alpha Lucius would then send the assets to our packhouse, where we would collect them, underhanded, of course.

While Natalie searched for clothes for us, I took the opportunity to look around Natalie's room, designed for a future Luna. The walls were a gorgeous eggshell white, the floors were marble, and the bed stood in the middle, with a vanity table a chest of drawers on either side. There was a huge flat-screen TV in the wall, a massive window, a sofa, and a loveseat, not to mention the walk-in closet.

She and Alec stayed in this room, having mated already, but the Luna ceremony was yet to happen. Natalie would become the new Luna of the Emerald Guardians, and Alec would become the Alpha. Then the day after the Luna ceremony, Alec's best friend, Evan Michaels, would become the new Beta, and his other two friends, Josh and Kevin Anderson, would become the new Gamma and Delta.

"Here, try these on, see if they fit,"

I was snapped to awareness when Natalie tapped my arm and pressed a pair of skinny black jeans, a pink cotton t-shirt, black knee-high stilettos, and undergarments in my arms.

"Mollie will assist Tali, and Gina will assist you, Barbara," Natalie said to me. "I shall wait for you to finish, and then we shall depart in my Mercedes."

"Yes, Luna, as you wish," I said with a bow. She motioned me to go to her adjoining bathroom so I could shower. I was surprised by her kind gesture, and so was my wolf Ariel.

"Why is she being so nice to us? She's never nice to us. She always treats us like trash or dirt under her feet," Ariel said.

"Maybe she has a change of heart, I mean, she was probably happy that we helped her, and this is her way of saying thank you, "I replied as I walked into the bathroom to shower.2

When I had washed my hair and taken a thorough shower, I changed into new clothes and was thrilled to see that they fit me perfectly. I emerged from the bathroom, drying my hair with the towel. Natalie sat on her bed, checking her messages and waiting for us. Tali came out three minutes later.

Natalie glanced up and saw us, and her eyes showed pleasure in our new clothes. Tali wore a blue denim skirt and white sweater with three-inch heels.

"You both look lovely, Mollie, and Gina will now assist you with your hair and makeup," Natalie said. "Ladies, if you may."

Gina and Mollie bowed to Natalie and ushered us to the mirror.

Gina sat me down and picked up a brush and comb, and began to pass them through my long blonde curls, put in some Shea Butter, and I was surprised at how gentle she was. When she finished my hair, she moved on to my makeup. She added orange eye shadow, mascara, pale pink lipstick, and eyeliner, making my orange eyes pop. I gazed at my reflection and sighed. I looked beautiful.

Tali's hair reached her shoulders and was straighter than a pin. Mollie brushed it and put in the same Shea Butter and blow-dried it, and Tali's hair was sleek and smooth. Tali didn't like makeup much, so mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss were all she would have.

When Gina and Mollie were finished, they stepped away for Natalie to see us.

She clasped her hands together and looked delighted with our appearance.

"Very good. You both look marvelous. Come, let us go. We shall go first to the mall, then the spa to get manicures and pedicures for you and Tali, and finally the hair salon. I want to dye my hair, the Luna ceremony is in a month, and I would love to try something new with my hair."

Tali and I gasped. The Luna ceremony was in a month? That information was to be kept confidential! Why would Natalie tell us that?

"Luna Natalie, why would you tell us the date of your ceremony?" Tali asked cautiously. "That information is to be kept confidential, not meant for anyone outside the inner circle to hear."

Natalie laughed at this. It wasn't a laugh of scorn or sarcasm but one of amusement. She patted our shoulders, picked up her purse from the bed, and made her way to the door, where she glanced back at us.

"Exactly. Confidential. No one else is supposed to know the date of my Luna ceremony. However, I trust you both. And trust is not something I bestow unto just anyone; I feel you both can be trusted with this information, can't you?" she asked, her smile still intact.

Tali and I glanced at each other, contemplating the best, most suitable answer. Natalie waited patiently for us to talk. Then finally, we made a snap decision.

"Yes, Luna Natalie, you can trust us," we said firmly and in unison. Our answer pleased her because she smiled again and turned to leave.

"Wow, that was... surreal," I said breathlessly. "She's so nice. You might think I'm crazy, but Natalie seems to be the perfect Luna for our pack." Tali looked at me and searched her face for anything that would betray what she felt. But instead, I saw she agreed with me.

"She might have been nasty before, but she seems to have... changed. I mean, why else would she do this stuff for us?" Tali stated. I nodded, and we left her room and walked down the stairs where she was waiting at the front door.

We walked outside, and I glanced to our left and saw Artemis mowing the lawn. Was she doing Tali's job? Why?

"Maybe Natalie told her to?"My wolf volunteered in my head. I nodded and continued the walk to the garage, where Natalie had her Mercedes Benz. It was a gorgeous silver and had black flames streaked across the fender.

Natalie opened the front door and climbed in with me in the passenger seat and Tali in the backseat.

"Our first destination, the mall," Natalie said as she revved the Mercedes' powerful engine, making us both jump slightly, much to her amusement. I felt terrible about leaving Artemis to do all the pack chores but decided she would probably work better alone.

With my thoughts on Artemis at the back of my head, I leaned back in the car's plush leather seat and relaxed as Natalie reversed out of the garage and onto the main road. I peered in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Artemis, and she looked sad as she watched us. I felt sad to see her like that, watching us so wistfully, but there was nothing I could do about it. My instincts told me to forget about Artemis and enjoy the outing, and Barbara Sandersalwayslistens to her instincts.

Artemis

After Natalie left to go to the mall with Tali and Barbara, I was left alone to do all the packhouse chores, including mowing the lawn, cleaning the chambers upstairs, laundry, and dinner preparations. It would take the whole day to get them done. And if I didn't get the chores done, my parents would have my head.

"Ooh, look, it's the pack slave,"

I looked up and saw two girls standing in front of me, Trina Michaels and Fiona Parker. The she-wolves who had made it their business always to hamper my work, disrupt me, and make my life miserable.

A brunette with tanned skin, grey eyes, and a petite frame, Trina was Evan's cousin. She was an arrogant girl with a hoity-toity attitude and was forever known to be a perpetual nuisance ever since she was a pup. She was the leader of the two and kindness seemed a foreign concept to her.

Fiona was her best friend, and she had blonde hair with violet eyes, fair skin, and skinny as a twig. Fiona was the epitome of spoiled and untamed, and like Trina, she had a nasty attitude.

"Where are your two best friends? Have they left you to enslaved person all afternoon?" Trina asked with a smirk.

I sighed and tried to ignore her, but since I had the worst luck in the pack, instead of leaving me alone to do my work, she grabbed me by my arm and slapped me across my face, her hand leaving a stinging sensation behind. I held my face and looked at her.

"What was that for? I didn't do anything," I said as I tried to keep my tears from falling.

"I'm talking to you, and you ignored me. When I speak to you, I expect you to reply, whore," she hissed.

I bit my lip and tried to get away from her, but her grip tightened, and I could feel her long fingernails digging into my flesh.

"What is going on here?!"

I turned and saw Garrett coming towards me with Lydia on his arm. His eyes were flashing as he saw Trina holding my arm so aggressively.

"Release Artemis Trina!" he shouted the command, and Trina had no choice but to obey. Not before punching me in my abdomen, making me cry out and fall to my knees. Garrett growled, and Trina and Fiona laughed and strolled to the packhouse.

Lydia rushed over and helped me to rise. Tears fell from my eyes and soaked my dress. Lydia was sympathetic as she draped her arm across my shoulder and led me to the packhouse despite my protests.

"Lydia, I have work to do. If my parents find out I was slacking, I'll get in trouble," I said.

"You aren't slacking, just taking a break," Lydia assured me.

"I also have to clean the upstairs chambers, make dinner and do laundry," I argued.

Lydia glanced at Garrett, and her eyes showed disbelief upon hearing this. She was unaware of how much work an omega had to do in a pack. I wondered what kind of background Lydia came from.

"Artemis, where are Tali and Barbara? Don't they work with you," Lydia's voice threw me off my train of thought, and I glanced her way, my eyes distant?

"They're shopping with Natalie," I replied.

Garrett scoffed, and Lydia gave a slight exclamation of disgust. "Shopping? While you're out here working? That girl disgusts me," Lydia said, shaking her head.

"Ooh, Lydia doesn't seem too fond of our future, Luna. I'm going to like spending time with her and her wolf," Caroline said in my head in a smug tone. I giggled a little louder than I intended to, and Garrett and Lydia glanced at me with raised eyebrows.

"Are you okay, Artemis?" Garret asked.

"Caroline likes Lydia, and she says she would enjoy spending time with her and her wolf. Since she dislikes Natalie," I said.

Lydia and Garrett laughed. I was glad they took it so lightly. Anyone who heard me says that would've told Alec and my parents straight away. That would've sent me straight to the dungeon. We arrived at the packhouse and entered the kitchen through the backdoor.

"Sit, I'll get some cookies for you, and you can relax for a bit. I can ask my father to send two of our maids to help you with the laundry. The lawn is nearly finished, so you can complete that after your break, then you can clean the chambers upstairs," Lydia said kindly. I smiled and thanked her.

She was officially my second favorite wolf in the pack after Garrett. Unlike the she-wolves who lived here, she was so lovely, nasty, unmannerly, slutty, and shameless. Half of them never met their mates and already cheated on them with other wolves, which was heavily frowned upon in our pack.

Lydia brought the cookies, and we sat down to eat. We chatted for a while, and I casually mentioned the upcoming Shining Cosmos Gala that was to be held in a fortnight.

"Alpha Marcus holds it every five years to celebrate the alliance forged between the two packs; it's customary that every pack member goes," I said as I nibbled on the raisin oatmeal cookies that were so delicious they melted in your mouth.

"Did you make these, Lydia?" I asked, finishing my second cookie.

"I did. Do you like them?" she asked smilingly.

I nodded vigorously, and she and Garrett chuckled as I reached for yet another one of the delicious treats.

I took a sip of milk, and we chatted for a while longer before Garrett rose, stating he had some things to take care of.

"Lydia will keep you company if you wish, Artemis," he added as he pressed a kiss to his mate's forehead.

"Thank you, Garrett, but I must see to my chores. I'm sure Lydia has better things to do," I politely declined the offer, not wanting to hurt Lydia's feelings after she had been so lovely to me. I rose and took the empty dishes to the sink to wash them.

"Nonsense Artemis, I'll be happy to keep you company until you finish your chores. You have no one to talk to besides Caroline, I mean," she said, smiling widely.

I smiled back and placed the dishes on the rack to drain.

"That would be lovely, thank you, Lydia,"

I wiped down the table and dusted my hands on my dress. Garrett kissed Lydia one more time before he left to tend to his duties.

"So my maids will be here shortly. In the meantime, you can finish mowing the lawn," Lydia said as she and I left the packhouse.

I nodded, and we walked to where the lawnmower sat, making small talk as we walked. And while we did, I sighed inwardly, wishing I wasn't an omega. That way, Lydia and I could talk all day, shop, go out and have fun.

But it was impossible. I was an omega, and she was the mate of our Beta. If only things were different. It was pretty unfortunate that it wasn't. That's just the way things worked in our pack, it made me sad, but there was nothing I could do about it.