Verity:

"Ahhh! Alpha Theodore, your tongue just slipped between my pussy lips,"

I whispered frantically, gripping the kitchen counter as I tried to keep my ball gown steady over the tall man hiding beneath it.

"I think—someone is coming," I barely managed to mumble through breaths.

The six foot five Alpha prince crouched beneath my dress like it was the most natural place for him to be.

His warm tongue moved slowly between my thighs and the sensation made my eyes threaten to roll back.

"Verity, have you chopped the vegetables yet? The royal ball will begin soon and we are already behind."

I flinched when Mrs. Smith’s voice suddenly filled the kitchen as she walked in carrying a tray stacked with empty wine glasses.

"I wonder when the handsome Alpha brothers will arrive," she remarked while checking the counters.

My heart began to pound.

If only she knew.

One of those Alpha brothers was currently under my gown with his mouth pressed between my legs.

Earlier that afternoon I arrived at the castle as temporary help for the royal ball.

While carrying a basket of ingredients, I accidentally wandered into a hallway lined with private chambers.

That was where I met Alpha Theodore.

The moment our eyes met, he said he felt the mate bond.

Before I could even process those words, he disappeared down the corridor.

I thought that strange encounter was over.

Instead he found me again in the kitchen.

And now he was beneath my dress.

I could not risk being seen with him.

My wolf had not awakened, and being caught with the alpha would ruin me.

Theodore did not dismiss my fear.

His expression softened as he stepped closer and quietly suggested hiding beneath my gown.

"Cut these into cubes," Mrs. Smith instructed while placing several carrots in front of me.

My fingers trembled slightly as I picked up the knife.

"Just—these?" I asked her, trying to keep my posture steady while Alpha Theodor’es tongue flicked against my pussy lips as he searched for my entrance.

"Yeah, but what is wrong with you? Why are you sweating so much?" Mrs. Smith asked while standing on the other side of the counter, preparing the sauces.

"Um, I do not —uhh—want to disappoint the Alpha—mumm— brothers today," I managed to utter, taking deep breaths while peeling the carrot.

Theodore’s fingertip touched my clit and I nearly dropped the peeler.

"Mm," I swallowed the moan as his finger began moving in slow circles around my clit.

His lips took my pussy lips in a deep kiss and began to suck them together.

I quickly pulled my hair forward to hide my nipples poking through the dress.

Mrs. Smith kept talking about random things while I responded with nods and strange eye movements.

I suddenly felt his teeth against my sensitive area.

My eyes widened, and Mrs. Smith noticed immediately.

"Is everything okay?" she asked in concern, and I nodded.

"I was worried if the servers had started serving the starters to the guests," I managed to lie, my hands shaking as I continued cutting the carrots.

"I’ll go check. You finish this and then knead the dough," Mrs. Smith ordered before leaving the kitchen.

I quickly slammed the knife down and placed my hands on the counter.

I no longer needed to pretend that Theodore was not tugging on my flesh with his teeth.

"Fuck, you will leave marks down there," I whispered in my usual timid voice.

His hands grabbed my thighs and scratched them from front to back before sliding to my ass.

He aggressively parted my ass, making me feel even more exposed.

He tugged at my left pussy lip with his teeth, pulling it softly before letting it go.

His finger kept hovering over my asshole, making me struggle to breathe.

His teeth finally spared my pussy lips, but he was not done yet.

He started to tickle my entrance with the tip of his tongue, and my pussy began to pulsate on its own.

Dangerous desires began to rise within me.

I wanted more.

My virgin pussy wanted more.

The tip of his tongue slipped inside my pussy for a moment before he finally pulled away.

Then the handsome green-eyed prince emerged from beneath my large ball gown.

He straightened slowly, his eyes revealing how much he had enjoyed it.

He rose in front of me with a faint smirk on his lips.

"Your pussy is delicious," he murmured, his words sending a shiver deep through me.

He closed his eyes briefly and licked his lips. "Mmm!! I cannot get over the taste of your insides."

His voice was deep and velvety.

When he spoke, his beautiful eyebrows moved slightly.

He placed one hand on the counter and leaned closer.

He looked devilishly handsome in the black shirt that hung open to his chest, allowing me a glimpse of the tattoo of eyes inked across it.

"Come to my room. I want to treat my dick with my mate’s beautiful pussy," he whispered as he leaned close to my ear.

When he pulled back, he revealed my red panties in his hand.

I gasped as the realization struck me.

I was wearing nothing beneath my gown now.

"And come without wearing this mask. I want to see your face," he added softly before lifting the panties to his nose and inhaling its scent.

After a moment, he tucked the panties into his pants pocket.

Without the mask.

The words echoed in my mind.

My hand instinctively moved toward my face.

The royal ball tonight was a masquerade, and every servant and guest wore some form of disguise.

Mine was a golden mask that covered most of my face, leaving only my eyes and lips visible.

One side curved elegantly along my cheek while the other left part of my face bare.

Theodore turned and walked away from the kitchen as if nothing unusual had happened.

I remained standing there, staring after him, wondering when exactly my fate had begun to change.

An omega who had never even heard her wolf’s voice was the mate of an alpha.

His words still echoed in my mind.

’You are my mate.’

I adjusted my gown, removed the golden mask from my face, and set out to find him.

The masquerade ball was still in full swing outside.

The celebration had taken over the hall.

Masked royals laughed, danced, and studied every face they passed, wondering if their mate might be somewhere in the crowd.

I walked straight toward the royal chambers.

I knew which bedroom was his.

I had just reached the door when voices drifted from inside, stopping me in my tracks.

"Go now. She will be here any moment," his voice said from within the room.

But who was he speaking to?

Had he already told someone about me?

"Who? That poor girl you fooled into believing you felt a mate bond with her?" his friend scoffed.

The sound of his laughter froze me outside the door.

It felt as though someone had poured freezing water over me and left me there to harden.

"Oh come on," Theodore replied carelessly. "You have to say things like that."

My heart skipped painfully in my chest.

"You have to tell girls like her those words. It makes them happy."

I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"And what does it cost me anyway?" he continued. "For her, it is a blessing that an alpha even bothered to get under her gown."

My nails dug into my palm as I listened.

"You should have seen her," he went on with a laugh. "The way she squirmed, the way she jumped every time my tongue touched her skin. She was writhing like a fish."

My stomach twisted painfully.

His friend snorted. "That desperate?"

Theodore chuckled again. "Of course. A fat little omega pig like her should be grateful for any attention at all."

My breath stopped.

For a moment I could not even move.

The words echoed inside my head,

Fat Omega Pig.

I had heard that word my entire life.

The whispers among pack members.

The laughter behind my back.

The cruel remarks about my weight.

Tonight I had almost forgotten them.

For a moment, I believed an alpha had truly chosen me as his mate.

Hearing those same words from the man I had begun to trust broke something inside me.

"So you mean you are going to take full advantage of her?" his friend asked, laughter trailing behind his words.

My chest tightened as I waited for Theodore’s answer, suddenly afraid to hear it and unable to walk away.

"Yes, of course," the alpha replied with a low chuckle.

Shame burned beneath my skin.

How could I lose myself so quickly?

My brother had raised me better than this.

"I will enjoy her, then send her away with some money."

My eyes closed at the cruelty in his voice.

"And if she runs to your brothers?" his friend asked. "Girls like her always cling."

"Let her," the alpha said lightly. "How will she prove anything?"

He laughed again, then added, "Now go. I still have plans for her."

This was not the man who had stood before me earlier and spoken so gently.

Every word from him now dripped with disgust.

In that moment, something inside me hardened.

Men are not worthy.

Alphas only play with fat pigs like me.

They never choose us.

It was the first time I had allowed someone to touch me.

The first time I had let someone come close enough to feel my trembling breath, and he had turned that fragile surrender into shame.

My mask slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor.

I turned and walked away, each step letting my tears fall.

Perhaps one day our paths would cross again.

Perhaps he would look at me without recognizing what he had broken.

And when that day came, I would walk past him without a second glance, just as he had walked over my feelings and left me alone with my shame.