The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Jordan POV
I ached all over. My body hurt in places I never knew it could. I winced with every movement I took. At some stage, I had forgotten about what little dignity I possessed and now I was covered completely in mud, my clothes in disarray, my face beet red from the exertion I had undertaken. Part of me wondered if my father was ever going to let up on me. It was the longest training session I had ever experienced. My father’s face never changed expression either, contempt glittering in his eyes, disgust on his face. A zombie apocalypse would have been preferable to what he put me through. Give me zombies any day, I thought grimly, at least they had the decency to give you a running start, not to mention didn’t discriminate on how you looked. They ate your brains either way. They didn’t care if you were fat or thin, just that you had a brain.
“You can stop now” my father snarled, and I wanted to weep with relief.
Instead, I forced myself to get to my feet, my legs shaky and unsteady. Sarah came up to us, a smirk on her face.
“Where on earth have you been?” my father roared.
She gave him a sweet smile. It didn’t fool me for a second, but part of me noticed resentfully that my father’s face had relaxed on seeing her. His eyes weren’t glittering with contempt at his older daughter.
“I was in the pack house, watching a movie with some of my girlfriends,” she said cheerfully.
Yeah right. The last thing I’d seen as she walked away, was her with Grant. But my father seemed to buy into her bullshit. “Very well, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
She pretended to think. “I might go to the mall” she mulled over it “that is if you don’t mind me going with one or two friends?”
He let out a breath. “You take two warriors with you” he advised grimly “and you keep your phone turned on at all times. Is that understood?”
Sarah nodded and then wrinkled her nose. She looked at me with a scathing look on her face “You smell absolutely putrid” she complained, “it offends me to be near you with this horrendous body odor of yours.”
I doubt you would smell like roses after a training session like this I wanted to yell at her. She should try being this covered in mud and grass. I felt disgusting. Father eyed me sideways. “Go and shower” he grimaced “You smell” he added.
Whose fault was that I thought sourly. He could have been a little more lenient with me. I suspected he wouldn’t have made anyone else train that hard. He’d saved his torture for me. I bowed my head.
“Yes Father” I murmured.
Sarah deliberately moved away from me, holding her nose as I trudged past her. I ignored her and focussed on heading back to our house. I could feel mud in my shoes, making squelching noises as I walked. The sprinkle of rain had turned the grass to mush and brought up the dirt. My father remained where he was and I guessed he was going to do some training himself or go to the pack house to see if he was needed.
Ah, the house was just up ahead. I walked quicker, spurred on by the thought of a shower, before remembering that I only had cold water. I sighed. I would kill for some hot water. The very thought of getting in the shower and cleaning myself with no hot water had me shivering. I opened the door and carefully made my way inside, trying not to leave muddy footprints everywhere. I walked downstairs to my little room and headed straight for the bathroom. I took a look in the mirror. I looked like some demented mud monster. There was mud all over my clothes, leaves stuck to my hair, and grass as well. It was going to take more than a quick shower to get all this off, I thought glumly, turning and eyeing the shower with distaste. If only Harry Potter was real and I had magic. I could be on platform 9 and 3⁄4 right now, escaping this place, a letter from the school of Hogwarts in hand. Massive sigh. My imagination was going into overdrive and I was procrastinating.
I slowly slid my clothes off and put them in the corner of the bathroom. They would have to be washed separately from my father’s and sister’s. Easy enough considering I was the only one who did the washing in the house. I turned the water on, and then plunged inside, squealing as the cold water cascaded over my body. I would never get used to this. I gritted my teeth and began to rinse out my hair, twigs, and leaves falling to the shower floor. I scrubbed my hair thoroughly, dancing in and out of the water, before beginning to wash my body all over. I was covered in bruises, some old and a vast majority of them new. They stood out like a sore thumb on my pale complexion.
Thank f**k I was done. I turned the water off and grabbed a towel. My teeth were chattering as I dried myself off and got dressed into the warmest track pants and sweatshirt I had. At least now I felt a little more human, I thought sadly. I brushed my hair and put it up and then glanced at the time. I needed to start cleaning, I thought, jumping to my feet. I grabbed my dirty clothes and flung them into the washing machine upstairs before going to fetch the broom and dustpan to start sweeping. To my surprise, the front door opened and my father came inside, accompanied by none other than Alpha John and Luna Mary. What were they doing here? It was rare they came to our house and when they did it was purely for pack business.
I bared my neck in submission as my father brought them into the kitchen. There was a small smile on his face. Alpha John and Luna Mary smiled pleasantly at me.
“Hello Jordan” Alpha John greeted me “How are you doing?” he asked.
My father’s eyes narrowed, warning me to keep my mouth shut. The very first sign that I opened my mouth to state even remotely close to the truth and I would suffer for it. Besides, part of me wondered how the Alpha and Luna remained clueless about my father’s true nature and what he did to me. What if they did know and simply didn’t care? They could be looking the other way because they didn’t want to lose their precious Gamma. The thought made me bitter.
I forced a fake smile on my face. “I’m doing well thankyou and you Alpha, Luna?” I asked sweetly.
Luna Mary beamed at me “We’re doing well, bless you child. We came here to discuss something with you” she said serenely.
Ask me. What could they possibly need me for? Unless…my stomach felt sick as I wondered if they were going to ask me to start serving at the pack house. I wouldn’t have put it past my father to offer it. It was really the fact that Alpha and Luna were against it, being that I was a Gamma’s daughter, that had saved me from ending up there.
“I would be honored to assist if I can,” I said thickly, feeling dread rise inside of me.
This was it. They were going to make me be a servant in the pack house. They had finally changed their minds. I was nothing but a weak omega after all. At least according to my father and the majority of the pack I was.
“So sweet” Luna Mary said smiling.
My father’s face relaxed slightly. Alpha John looked content to let his wife do all the talking.
“The thing is that we’re hosting a ball in a few weeks to help Grant find his mate. Unmated females from the surrounding packs will be attending. He will either find his fated mate on that night or take a chosen mate” she said as I listened intently.
To my shock, a spurt of jealousy flashed through me. The thought of Grant with somebody else had me gritting my teeth and clenching my hands. What the hell was wrong with me? He was an asshole. Who cared if he found his mate? Maybe I’d be lucky and he would find a mate just as bitchy and horrible as he was. I hoped his mate made him miserable. I would have loved to see him get his Karma.
A ball. Excitement flashed through me. I had always wanted to go to one. The thought of dressing up, in a gorgeous gown, and meeting handsome strangers. It was like a fairy tale. I could picture the scene in my head, the gorgeous decorations, the beautiful music, and the fairy lights everywhere. It was going to be amazing. Luna Mary always held the most wonderful parties. I knew she would outdo herself on this one. I couldn’t wait to see it. Had they come to invite me? My heart swelled with joy. Maybe my father would permit me to go. He could hardly refuse the Alpha and Luna if they wanted me.
“A ball” I breathed, trying not to show my eagerness.
Luna Mary nodded. “I have a lot to get done for it” she explained kindly as I nodded, “and it’s not going to be an easy task. I’m going to need all the help I can get” she exclaimed, wringing her hands together and looking fretful.
Well, that made sense. She was going to want to make a good impression on the other packs. I felt sympathetic towards her. She must be really stressed.
Alpha John gave me a wink “She complains but she secretly loves it” he joked and I giggled.
Luna Mary shot him a scolding look, followed by an indulging smile. “Somebody has to take care of the events,” she said pointedly as Alpha John grinned.
My father casually leaned against the counter, his expression brooding. I could feel my excitement building. I wondered if Sarah knew about the ball. If she was with Grant then he probably told her. Trust her to keep the news to herself.
“So we came here today to ask you to be in attendance as a helper and serve drinks and food to our guests,” Luna Mary said eagerly.
Wait, what? I was going to the ball to be a servant. I instantly deflated. My father glared at me. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I should have known that it was all too good to be true. I swallowed hard, blinking back the tears.
“Your father told me you wouldn’t be interested in attending and assured me that you would love to help. We would pay you of course” Luna Mary said.
Once again, I felt betrayed, resentment simmering to the surface. Of course, he had. Anything to ruin what little pleasure I might have. My heart felt like it was being ripped in pieces.
“I would be honored to help you,” I said automatically, the words almost sticking in my throat.
She beamed. “I’ll make sure you get the details,” she said, “thank you so much Jordan.”
I nodded numbly. Alpha John shook my hand and then began to lead his wife toward the front door. “I’ll see you out,” my father said gruffly.
He walked them to the door as I stared at the back of them. They had no idea I thought, how much they had just destroyed me with their simple request. I blankly grabbed the broom and began to sweep, needing something, anything to distract me from my thoughts. My father shut the front door, walked past me without a second glance, and headed toward his room. Only then, did I let a few lone tears, fall down my cheeks.