“Adua, come on... you need to take your lessons seriously. You surely do not want to be a maid forever, do you?” Yelena shot her friend a pointed look as she glared at her in frustration. They were going through some grammar books in the library that warm Sunday afternoon, with Yelena filling in for Aiyisha now that the woman had other far grand responsibilities to attend to. She had been enjoying the lessons when they had started, but now it looked like her friend’s concentration had drastically diminished, and for the love of her, she did not know what to do to rekindle it.
“No you come on, Yelena... but what be wrong wif being a maid? I be okay wif my station. I am happy.” The chubby brunette grinned beautifully for emphasis.
“That is not the point, Adua...” The violet eyed girl insisted, “...becoming more fluent in English will give you a better paying job, and then you will earn more money to live a comfortable life.”
“I can marry,” Adua wiggled her eyebrows in amusement, a short laugh escaping her at how her friend’s mouth fell open in amazement and what was most definitely disappointment. It was enough to sober her up, though. “Jeg har det helt fint, Yelena... du vet, ikke alle av oss ønsker å være gode mennesker. Gi oss noe lite, så skal vi være fornøyd med det. Jeg elsker livet mitt som hushjelp, og selv om jeg er veldig fornøyd med din høye status, ønsker jeg egentlig ikke å endre min. Det følger med så mye ansvar som jeg ikke ønsker å ha for øyeblikket, Yelena.” (“I'm fine, Yelena... you know, not all of us want to be great people. Give us something small and we'll be happy with it. I love my life as a maid, and although I'm very happy with your high status, I don't really want to change mine. It comes with so much responsibility that I don't want to have at the moment, Yelena.”)
“Even you cannot deny that it will make talking with the other maids easier,” Yelena tried to counter when her strong point only evoked a passionate speech that had nothing to do with making an effort, refusing to rise to her friend’s bait and speak in Norwegian like she wanted, but the plump omega wolf only shrugged in disagreement.
Finding that nothing seemed to be working, Yelena tried another tactic.
Blackmail.
“Perhaps you would want me to inform Lady Aiyisha of our... uhm, progress?”
That seemed to do the trick.
“Come on, Yelena... you cannot tell her, please...” Adua pleaded, her thick Norwegian accent ruining the first perfect sentence she had said in a while, but it was a start for Yelena. Beggars could not really be choosers anyway.
“Very well, I will not. Let us get right into it then.” She agreed with a tired sigh.
And so for the next hour and thirty minutes, the two she wolves continued with their lessons, taking only one fifteen minute break.
And then they were done.
“Gods, finally.” Adua exclaimed in delight as she stood up to stretch dramatically. “You think I be elevated any time soon with all this progresses?”
Yelena eyes her pointedly. “Not by a long shot, love,” She said, a light giggle escaping her lips at the disappointed look on her friend’s face, “But I’m pretty sure it will be soon. Nevertheless, I am very sure Lady— nay, Alpha Aiyisha would be very pleased with your work so far.”
“Alpha Aiyisha...” Adua sighed deeply, “Jeg kan fortsatt ikke tro at hun vant den kampen. De ulvene... så stor! Jeg tror ikke jeg ville vært i stand til å håndtere halvparten av dem, mye mindre å snakke om to—” (I still cannot believe that she won that fight, you know? Those wolves... so huge! I do not think I would have been able to handle half of them, much less to talk about two—”
“In English, Adua,” Yelena cut her off with a scold,
“Fine.” The plump omega huffed, “I go to help make food instead of talk to you. Bye bye.” And then she was gone.
With a deep sigh, Yelena got up to fix the books they used back on one of the ceiling high mahogany shelves.
A book in particularly caught her attention during her simple task.
Knowing the joys of motherhood.
A quirky smile broke out on her lips at a very depressing thought: Her mother really needed to have read this book before she died.
Because, maybe then, she would have been a much better, loving mother. But as quickly and as randomly as the thought came, it was just as quickly followed by a strong feeling of guilt.
Now, her mother may not have been that good a mother, but at the very least, she had not abandoned her, or worse, gotten rid of her? She had lived under her care until she was kicked out if the brothel, but even with that, now that Yelena did think about it, she realised that her mother probably did it with the best of intentions, not wanting her only child to turn out like her... ruined and hopeless.
Perhaps she wasn’t that bad a mother after all.
But back to her smile—she really needed to stop doing that at the oddest of situation—smiling when she really needed to be bawling her eyes out…
Lost in thought, the violet eyed omega wolf absentmindedly reached in through the neck of her new peach coloured everyday work gown and pulled out her mother’s ring— a manly, diamond encrusted piece, elegantly fabricated in an unknown and yet seemingly priceless mineral which had been fixed to a simple black bayadère necklace... the only thing her mother had left behind for her... the only legacy she had to remember the woman who had brought her into this world by.
It was a truly expensive piece, granted—one that would have ensured that she did not have to lift a finger for the rest of her life if she invested the money she made very well... but she could not for the love of her bring herself to sell it, and believe me when I tell you that she had tried so many times all to no avail.
Yelena caressed the beautiful ring for what seemed like ages, a smile on her face as she tried to envision what could have been— how her life would have been had her mother allowed her to take her out of the brothel when her illness had started.
Who knew?
Perhaps, she would have been able to nurse the old woman back to health. Yelena did not know how she would have done it, but she would have definitely found a way for sure. She was pretty sure the woman would be proud of her elevated status. Who knew, maybe her estranged family would have reached out to her after all especially when they knew that their elder sister was doing well now courtesy of her only child.
But no.
Instead, Inger had refused her daughter’s help so violently that she had had her banned from the brothel at one point, leaving her to die a miserable death all alone with no family to be there for her.
All of Yelena’s life, she had been plagued by horrible incidents... from her mother practically casting her out, to living on the streets for a while, to facing various forms of abuse, among other things... but life was getting better now, and for that she was always going be grateful.
“Yelena!”
The violet eyed omega wolf jumped up with a start, her head turning to the side so fast that she almost got whiplash. “Lady—Alpha Aiyisha...” She quickly corrected, her heart still pounding very hard from all the shock. How had she not heard the woman come in?
Had she been that lost in thought?
“I have been calling you for ages, Yelena, you were just standing there, frozen... playing with that... ring,” The female Alpha’s eyes flitted to the ring in question, her voice trailing off as she lost her thought process for a bit, but then she quickly gained it back, “I almost sent for the healer when I realised none of my ploys to get your attention was working.” She finished, her eyes still on the ring which her assistant quickly pushed back into her clothes.
“I apologise for not hearing you come in,” Yelena apologised with a nervous chuckle, “I got quite lost in thought, you see? Adua and I actually just finished her lessons, you missed her.”
“Oh okay. I hope she did great.” Aiyisha responded with a smirk.
“Uh... oh yes, she did.” Yelena face palmed mentally. Even she did not completely believe the statement. They both knew how the plump omega wolf could be. And so, steeling her shoulders, she managed a bright smile and tried to change the topic, “I was not able to express my felicitations yesterday with the way you were surrounded by so many well-wishers, but I offer it now.” She managed a small bow, “You made us all proud yesterday.”
Aiyisha only smiled, finding that she did not really have anything to say to that.
She had been getting the same compliments since yesterday— people stopping her at all ends to offer their felicitations and let her know of their unflinching loyalty— and to be honest, she was always a little lost for words when it got to answering. People were proud of her, sure... but none of them had actually thought she could do it, actually thought she could be Alpha... maybe except for Kendra and Killian. Hell, even her father had not believed in her, and so she could not really fault them, but yes... anything she wanted to say in response to their expression of pride seemed condescending in her own ears, and so she had decided that a smile was best instead.
But now, her new position was the last thing on her mind.
She had always had her suspicions, but finally it had been confirmed.
“Come with me, Yelena,” Aiyisha told her assistant. “We have a few errands to attend to. There is someone you and I are going to expose.” She finished cryptically.
****
Yelena trailed after the Female Alpha, too puzzled to ask who they were going to expose, but then she realised that they were heading towards the Eastern wing, where the retired Alpha’s chambers were.
Perhaps he was the one they were exposing?
It made much sense.
But whatever it was that he had done, what did it have to do with her?
She was not really sure that she wanted to be the there when whatever it was that he had done had been brought to light, but it was not exactly as if she could disobey her Alpha’s orders, even though she was very much against it… and so she kept mum until before she could realise it, a guard was ushering them into the old wolf’s chambers.
“Father,” The blonde haired wolf only sent a nod her father’s way.
“Aiyisha... to what do I owe this very unexpected visit?” Hope bloomed in the old man’s chest, his heart soaring at the probability of him fixing things with his only child, but alas, she had news for him.
“I’ll get right to the point, father...” Turning her blue eyed gaze on her assistant, she said, “Yelena... Will you be a dear and show my father the ring you were playing with when I met you in the library?” A sickly saccharine smile made its way onto her face... one that did not even diminish at the horrified look on Yelena’s face.
“Alpha—”
“Come now, you do know that the old wolf does need to rest,” She interrupted whatever it was that her assistant wanted to say, “So hurry along,” Gone was the warmth that she always had in her eyes for the violet eyed wolf. In that moment, Yelena Aamodt truly realised how bad it was to have the blonde haired wolf as an enemy, for even her cold look was enough to finish off someone much light-hearted. Thankfully, she was not one of those people, and so with a genteel nod, she did as the Alpha had asked, reaching for her necklace and handing it over to the old wolf.
“Where did you get this?” Joffrey von Sterling asked in amazement, which quickly morphed into anger and incredulity, “Did you steal this?”
“What? No, my Lord...” Yelena was quick to counter, some kind of irritation making its way onto her features. “My mother gave it to me,”
“I—I do not understand,” The old wolf looked at his daughter in confusion, as though she could somehow explain everything that was happening.
She did not disappoint.
“Alright, let me make it clear for you, father...” Aiyisha started, taking her time for emphasis, “Yelena over here... is your daughter.”