Chapter 22

The cheap sponge is scrubbing off all the dried blood from an unsuccessful plan. My wet hair is sticking to my face like glue as the water of the shower cleans my body.

Dante gave me one hour to prepare myself to work. How can he expect me to be ready in an hour when it takes twenty minutes for my hair to dry. Regardless, I speed up my time in the shower, trying to be on time.

Once I'm all cleaned, I quickly wrap my body in the white towel before taking the stairs leading me to the cold attic.

I feel like I'm in a cheap Airbnb environment. The bathroom is small, with bright orange tiles that make me scrunch my nose and enough room for a sink, toilet, and shower.

Then there's my 'private suite' that only has an uncomfortable bed- no, an uncomfortable mattress on the floor. Other than that, there's my suitcase beside it with all of my stuff scattered on the ground.

It's a miracle I can stand without bumping my head against the roof.

The staircase creaks for every step I take, and the first thing I notice when I walk toward the mattress is a dress lying on top of it.

I laugh, not believing at what my eyes are witnessing today. It's a black and white maid dress. The type of uniform you would see in Japanese cartoons, and it doesn't end here. Right next to it, there's a cat headband and collar.

Oh, Gods, Xavier would have laughed so hard at it. I wonder where he is. Dante told me he'll update me soon, but I don't trust that man.

As I predicted, it takes me twenty minutes to fix my hair and a sigh leaves my lips when it's time to put on the maid outfit. I shift my ears to my feline ones, refusing to wear the fake ones. The collar makes Foxy growl. The tight object makes her feel trapped. She hates it.

"Alexa," Dante calls from downstairs. "You're late," he adds.

I release another sigh, sliding Xavier's ring off. I'll see you tonight. I kiss the red crystal before shoving it deep inside my suitcase. "I'm coming," I say, loud enough for him to hear as I slide my feet into my heeled boots.

I need to make him trust me, or he'll never tell me anything. Xavier is risking so much already I need to start doing the same.

With that thought in mind, I nod to myself as I climb downstairs.

A low whistle grabs my attention, and I find Dante grinning with mischief clouding his gaze. "And here I thought I'd have to punish you for not wearing the uniform."

I give him an innocent smile. "Why would I do that? The dress is beautiful," I say sweetly.

The Alpha raises an eyebrow. "So that's your new strategy," he says, walking closer to me.

I stand my ground, tilting my head to the side. "I don't have a strategy."

His hand grabs the collar, forcing me to look up at him and go on my tiptoes for how much he's pulling. He doesn't say anything, his eyes looking at my face as if searching for an answer.

They linger a bit more to my lips, making me unconsciously lick them. Dante's mouth opens before closing again. He releases his iron grip and turns around, walking down the hallway. "Since it's your first day, just follow me around and do as I say."

I nod, keeping up with his pace. "What about Xavier?"

Dante glances at me for a second before going down the stairs to the main hall. "I sent him to his first real client. He should be back in a couple of days."

The thought of him not here saddens me. Xavier...

Come back in one piece, please.

Dante takes me to his kitchen, ordering me to prepare him lunch. I raise an eyebrow as I look at the invisible watch around my wrist. "Isn't it too early to eat?"

He shakes his head, taking a seat on the high stool of the marble table. "You slept a lot. It's midday now."

My mouth goes into a tiny 'O' shape. "Alright, what do you want to eat? Your favorite?" I ask, opening the sleek grey cupboards and memorising where everything goes.

"You still remember?" he asks.

I nod my head, taking out a pan. "Yeah, raw horse meat and fries dipped in cheddar and bacon, right?"

I glance at Dante, seeing his dark almond-shaped eyes looking at me but also not looking at me. I think he's lost in his mind. I don't say anything else and start cooking his lunch.

Dante stays quiet throughout my adventure around his beautiful grey and dark brown themed kitchen. It's the only modern room in this massive villa.

Once I'm done, I elegantly serve his food, my mouth watering at the raw meat. Foxy is meowing in my mind wanting to eat. "Tell me how it is," I say, clasping my hands behind my back as I walk back and forth on the opposite side of the high table.

Dante bites down on the meat, his eyes closing in bliss, and I smile at his face lighting up. "It tastes the same," he says.

I wink at him. "I know. Now, eat it all."

Dante chuckles before digging into his food, and I take that time to clean up the mess I made. My stomach makes a quiet growl, making me pout. I'm hungry.

"You should eat something as well," Dante says, reading my mind.

I force a smile on my lips. "A good maid waits for her boss to be gone before having lunch herself," I say, hand-washing the last pans used.

"Wow, you're taking this job seriously."

Unfortunately, I am.

"I have to. I want your trust back," I say, and a dead silence follows.

Dante has an unreadable expression when I glance at him. My heart pace nervously quickens. A forced laugh echoes in the room, belonging to me. "I mean, after all, we'll see each other for a while. Might as well getting along."

"Alexa."

I swallow a nervous lump, not daring to look away from the now empty sink. "Yeah?" I ask.

A sigh from him follows. "Nevermind, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm leaving you thirty minutes to eat. After that, clean up my bedroom."

I'm glad he can't see my face right now because the biggest grin shows up. "Of course."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

My eyes shift from one side to the other as my hand twists the doorknob open, letting my body inside Dante's bedroom. My jaw drops at how different this particular room is in comparison to the rest of the villa.

While the other rooms give that antique style with wooden furniture and brown color patterns, Dante's bedroom is modern and black.

The lack of decoration makes it seem more spacious. There's a king-sized bed with black, messy sheets and a large grey carpet below it. The window in front of me is covered by black velvet, curtains, and two doors are located on the side. I guess one of them is the bathroom while the other is a walk-in closet since there are no wardrobes in here.

But what surprises me most is the desk pressed against the wall with at least six monitors hanging on the wall. Shit. Can't believe this place has hidden cameras. I wonder if there are some in the attic.

I shake my head. Impossible, the room is made for humans. It wouldn't make sense to spy on someone willing to go to creatures and do Gods know what.

I'll check just to be sure, but for now, a little snooping around won't hurt anybody.

My feet start walking around the room as my hands touch everything and putting them back to their original place afterward.
Nothing interesting shows up. Perhaps Dante has everything in his office, which is why he didn't mind me cleaning his room.

When I look underneath the bed, a gasp leaves my lips as my body freezes. What if Dante put a camera here?
Fluent curses repeat in my mind in a loop while I slowly get on my feet.

I act as a maid for once and make the wolf's bed. My eyes move around the room, looking for a camera, and not even five seconds later, I see it. A small round camera in the corner of the room, moving around as if someone is doing it remotely.

Beads of cold sweat drip down from the back of my neck. I wasn't that obvious, was I?

Foxy growls in disapproval.

Yeah, I know. I might have burned all of my chances to have Dante to trust me.

With a dramatic exhale, I follow his orders of getting his room cleaned, and for the rest of the day, people I don't know about give me tasks after tasks until work is over and I'm back in the shitty attic. The Alpha was nowhere to be seen, making me even more paranoid than before.

He's planning something for me. I can feel it.

Leaving that thought aside, I didn't get to find out something about werecats. I groan, letting my back fall backward on the mattress. My body is in a starfish position as I stare at the tiny window, the waning crescent moon shining brightly on me.

I wonder if something happens to creatures during the new moon.

A loud vibration startles me before my body quickly rolls down the bed. I search for the burner phone hidden inside the suitcase. When I feel the sturdy device underneath a layer of the luggage, my fingernails grow long enough for me to easily tear it apart, revealing the dark flip phone device.

"Xavier?" I whisper out when I answer the call.

A deep breath follows. "Yeah," he whispers back.

A smile lights up my face. "Are you safe?" I ask.

"I just broke our first rule," he says in a surprising, emotionless voice.

My smile falls. "What are you talking about?"

Please, don't say it. Please.

"I slept with another girl."

A bit of a filler chapter but oh well. Don't forget to vote, and see you on Friday! x