The Mating Rules
Book 3 – Chapter 6

Raelyn’s POV

‘Hey lazy bones, get your butt up’ comes a playful growl and I roll over with a g***n to replace Alpha Jasper’s face grinning down at me.

‘Go away’ I grumble, trying to pull the covers over my head, ‘it’s to early, Mrs Williamson hasn’t even come in yet.’

Jasper chuckles as he shakes his head, taking two handholds on my blanket and tugging. Well versed in his antics, I’ve already tightened my grip on the covers and hold on for dear life as I giggle frantically.

‘Damn it, you know me too well’ the Alpha huffs as he drops onto my bed and lays down beside me, staring up at the sloped ceiling of my small room.

‘I do’ I reply simply, ‘now why are you here bothering me at the butt c***k of dawn? Don’t you have a pregnant mate to annoy?’

Jasper grins, teasing down the covers so he can see my bright green eyes peeking out. ‘My beautiful mate is currently being fawned over by her mother who seems to believe that no one has ever been pregnant before. I have just come to see my favourite pack member, is that such a crime?’

He pouts down at me as I roll my eyes, reluctantly pushing myself up so I can rest my back on the headboard.

‘I know you came to do your big brother thing’ I growl, scowling down at him as he grins impishly back at me. ‘I’m fine Jas, I don’t need you to come and hold my hand anymore. I’m thirty years old, I think I’m old enough to take care of myself.’

Jasper sits up, nudging me with his shoulder playfully, ‘I know that rugrat’ he replies easily, ‘but you are my sister from another mister, you can’t expect me to just sit down there with all those visitors and not worry about you up here on your own. I know it upsets you . . your . . ’ he winces slightly, ‘condition, but we love you as you are, you know that right?’

I sigh, tilting my head back and studying the eaves above me as I nod in agreement.

My bedroom is in the attic, I have a direct staircase that takes me through a hidden corridor so I can move through the pack house without anyone seeing me. Our current Alpha, Alpha Grant had them built after I was found, and it was realised after I turned four and should have started to exhibit signs of my other half, that I have no wolf.

There you go, now you know, I’m a werewolf with no wolf, yeah it sucks, and it also makes me vulnerable which is why I have to hide when visitors come. My pack love me and care for me, to them, I am a member regardless of my wolf state, but outside wolves might not see it the same way. Lots of werewolves look down on wolfless people, some misfits have been known to lose their lives when discovered.

The Alpha and his family found me at just a few days old outside of their pack, he took me in and raised me as one of his own. When I was old enough, I started to work in the kitchen, doing anything I could to be a productive member of the pack. When I reached eighteen, Alpha Grant finally agreed to let me live outside of the Alpha quarters, built me a room in the attic and converted parts to allow me to move around the packhouse unseen.

If anyone stumbles upon one of the passageways its always explained as an Omega corridor to facilitate their duties, but it’s not, they are for me.

Shoving Jasper’s shoulder with my fingers, I roll my eyes as he over dramatically falls off the bed, groaning loudly before rubbing the spot I prodded.

‘How can you be so cruel to your future Alpha’ he asks plaintively as he looks up at me. ‘Are you sure you haven’t got a wolf, that poke almost hurt.’

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and kick him in the side, making him growl.

‘Serves you right for teasing’ I huff as I stand up and stretch, ‘it’s not nice to poke fun at the wolfless girl. Now get out because I need to get washed and dressed and as much as I love you, I do not want to be stripping off in front of you.’

Jasper pulls a disgusted face, climbing to his feet and backing toward my door, ‘I’m going, I’m going, damn, no need to scar a guy like that.’

Picking up my pillow, I throw it at him as he ducks out of the room, his laughter echoing up the stairwell toward me as he heads back down to the main floor.

I head into the tiny bathroom that’s attached to my room, wash quickly and brush my teeth before getting dressed and heading down to the kitchen.

Stepping through the tiny door by the pantry, I replace myself in the middle of the morning rush, Omegas hurrying around me, carrying huge plates of food out through the far door that takes then through a small corridor to the main dining hall.

‘Raelyn! There you are! Can you take over from Polly on the pancakes? I need her to serve the high ranking guests’ Mrs Wentlock orders over the loud chatter of the Omegas around her.

Nodding, I quickly head over to the hot plate, taking the spatula from Polly who gives me a grateful smile before turning around, grabbing a tray and hurrying from the kitchen.

‘So many mouths’ Mrs Wentlock mutters as I measure out the pancake mixture onto the hot plate and reach for a clean plate so I can start to stack them as they are ready. ‘What does the Alpha think? I’m a magician? That I can just feed forty extra wolves without anyone else in the kitchen?’

We work in a harried but easy routine, even with the extra people, we aren’t overwhelmed. As much as our head omega likes to m**n about being put upon, no one has ever gone hungry in this pack under her watch.

The servers come in and out, picking up full trays and dropping the dirty ones by the huge industrial dishwasher that two Omega werewolves are standing, one loading dishwasher trays, and starting the machine, the other unloading the trays and stacking the clean crockery and utensils so that they can be reused.

It takes an hour to feed the entire pack, but finally we all get called to the large kitchen table where we sit down to enjoy our own breakfast.

Wolfing down my pancakes, I chug a glass of orange juice like it’s an Olympic sport before scrambling to my feet.

‘In a hurry?’ Sahid calls from a few seats down in a amusement as I grin, picking up my plate and glass to place them by the dishwasher.

‘Sooner I get started, the sooner I get done’ I reply, heading over to the cleaning closet and grabbing my bucket and disappearing through the door into the passageway.

I make my way upstairs as everyone will be outside now which means I can get the Alpha floor bathrooms cleaned without being seen. None of the visitors are allowed onto the Alpha floor, but it’s just a little bit of extra protection for me to work whilst any visiting wolf is not in the bedrooms.

Halfway up the second flight, I pass one of the huge arched windows that give a perfect view over our territory. Stopping, I place my bucket on the step above me and lean my arms on the window sill, peeking out at the lines of warriors that are doing their morning training.

There are some people that are not wearing our pack work out gear who I assume are the visiting members. We always extend an invitation to other packs who come for the claiming to train with us as our Alpha believes it helps to solidify our treaties with them.

I sigh as I watch the fluid motions of each person, what must it be like to go out there and train with everyone else? Just being able to talk to new people that visit must be amazing. I wonder what life is like in their packs, do they have Omegas? Do they do the basic chores? Maybe they train with the higher ranks, maybe some are even strong enough to protect their pack.

My lips tilt down as my mind runs away with a familiar longing that lives inside of me. I do get to train, everyone in the pack is required to do basic defence training, but I don’t get to do much.

I used to train with my age group as a child, but when the other kids started to get their real wolf strength, I started to get hurt. It was after my third broken wrist after sparring at thirteen that the Alpha pulled me from my group and I was put down with the pups. Even now at 30, I still train with the ten year olds, it’s embarrassing but I can’t really argue about it. Where anyone else can heal a broken bone in a few days, it takes me over four weeks to heal and it really hurts!

Allowing myself a few more seconds of greedily drinking in the scene below me, I reluctantly pull myself away and head up to the Alpha floor to start my chores.

Pushing a thin door aside, I step out on the top floor in a small alcove, shutting it behind me. A concrete pedestal stands in front of me, dwarfed by a huge bouquet of fake flowers that is strategically placed to block the view of the door behind it.

Peeking around the thick foliage, I check both ways before slipping out of my hiding place and traipsing to the Alpha apartment, deciding to start with the messiest of our pack members, Julius.

Two hours later, I’m a hot, sweaty mess and I use my arm to swipe my red hair out of my face as I pack up my bucket and head back to the hidden stairway.

Sliding into the small stairwell, I start walking down to the ground floor, ready for some time on my own. Maybe I’ll start that new book I downloaded, Defying the Alpha. I loved all of the author, Maureen Atsali’s other books and have been itching to start her latest for days.

Wondering if I can sneak some cookies out without Mrs Wentlock seeing me, I almost bump into someone rushing up the stairs, slamming into me before her arms windmill wildly and she starts to fall backward.