BRIDGETTE 

"Wakey, wakey." I giggled, staring down at my baby who was cooing in its crib, wide-eyed as it stared back at me. 

I quickly ambled over to the golden-brown curtains and let in the morning sunlight which quickly bathed everything in its soft glow. As soon as I was done, I sauntered my way over and sat on the edge of the bed which was close to the crib, and then cradled him in my arms. His tiny fingers quickly curled around mine as I smiled at him for sometime before getting his bottle and feeding him. 

I couldn't stop smiling anytime he reached out to me, or anytime he made a sound or twisted his lips or fluttered his eyelids. Every single act and one of those gave me a quiet joy that I'd never felt since Ethan kicked me out like a piece of rag. Daniel was healthy now, and strong top. He was no longer the drain little bundle that I had carried into this pack. His rosy cheeks and his giggles were one of the few things that made my heart soar despite every single storm that was always roaring around me. I leaned down again, poking his cheeks.

"You're my little warrior, aren't you?" Leaning closer, I brushed a kiss on his forehead and he replied with a cute gurgle while his bright eyes sparkled with childish innocence. 

This was one of those moments that made me forget everything that was going on outside this room, the dangers and Kendrick. At the moment it was just me and Kendrick, and nothing else mattered. That peace, I knew, wasn't going to last long because of Kendrick. There wasn't a doubt that he was becoming a thorn in my life recently, and I had no idea if I would be able to navigate this place with his behaviour. It wasn't just his unreadable expression that made me mad, but also his arrogance. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The way he was always hovering around me and the way he was doing all he could to break me made me so annoyed, so much more than I cared to admit. 

And then, last night... I didn't even want to think about it so I wouldn't end up ruining my day. There was no way I would give him even a dog's chance in hell to put a frown on my face this early. Daniel needed me and he was all that mattered to me right now. When I was done feeding him, I adjusted his blanket and turned to go wash the bottle when the door creaked open. 

My head snapped up and Ace walked in. His giant frame left almost no space in the doorway, and the look on his face was so hard and expectedly unreadable, just like the Alpha asshole he answered to. I felt a small ripple of fear careen down my spine at the sight of him and it was followed by a bit of foreboding. What did he want? 

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a voice that was sharper than I had intended. That was the moment Daniel squirmed in his crib, as if he felt the foreboding too. I instinctively stepped back to make sure he was okay. 

Thankfully, he was. Ace stepped in with his hands clasped behind his back and his hiking boots clicking against the wooden floor. He didn't say anything right then, instead his steady gaze swept over the room before it settled on me again, unsettling me even further. He'd made it clear that I wasn't accepted here. 

"You seem settled." His voice was neutral, and almost conversational per se, but that wasn't what he was here for. I knew it. I could feel it. 

There was an edge to his words that made my stomach tighten. 

"Didn't you get the question I asked? What are you doing here? If there is any kind you have to say, say it now and get out of my room." 

When he crossed his arms and let out a breath, I knew he wasn't getting out of here anytime soon. "You're not exactly welcome here, you know. What makes you think you can ask me out of your room? If you weren't close to my Alpha, you could die for that." 

"What do you want, Ace? Because if what you just said is supposed to scare me, be rest assured that it's not working. Believe me when I tell you that I have met your kind before, and this bravado... it doesn't work on me. Tell me all you want, scare me all you want but I've seen worse people than you." 

There was a flicker of amusement that crossed his face after he smirked, then he said the chilling words to me. "Pardon me, Bridgette. I wonder if that's supposed to scare me too..." 

"What the fuck do you want?" "I'm just an emissary. I'm here to deliver a message. Alpha Kendrick has... assigned you to work." 

The last few words made my stomach drop. What does that mean? A frown creased my brows immediately and then my grip on Daniel's crib tightened. We'd argued yesterday, what did that bastard have up his sleeve now? 

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably. He shrugged as if what he was saying wasn't that important. 

"The Alpha has assigned you to work with the disabled, the armpits of the pack, from now on. And before you give me that feisty attitude of yours, I should remind you that the order is from the Alpha himself." 

It felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs at that moment. What exactly was he talking about? For Goddesses sake, I had a baby to look after! "You're lying." I thundered with angry reproach. 

Another amused smirk crossed his features as he scoffed. "Hmm... Am I?" 

My jaw tightened as I glared up at him. "None of this is funny." I snapped, before taking a step towards him, squaring up to him despite my somewhat tiny frame. "If you're here to make silly jokes, leave. I have no time for this nonsense. Don't you have more important things to do?" 

His demeanor thawed instantly, and then he straightened before his face subsequently hardened. It made my bravado melt a bit. "Exactly which part of what I just said is funny? Because it doesn't sound a bit funny to me. Do I look like I am joking?" He fired back. 

I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off abruptly with a chilli whistle, after which the slightly open door was pushed open and two podgy guards walked in. Their hands were on the hilt of their swords, ready to carry out orders. He had to be kidding me! 

"Take her!" He ordered. 

Both of them stepped forward and reached for me, instantly flaring the panic in my chest as I stepped back, snatching Daniel from the crab. 

"You dare not touch me!" I shouted at them, mindful of how fast my heart was pounding now. My voice was shaking with so much anger and fear. 

"Leave us alone!" One of the guards wouldn't listen. Instead, he stepped closer and tried to pry Daniel from my arms but I screamed, moving back. 

"You better stop! What the hell is wrong with you people? He's just a baby! Or are you going to hurt a child because you're following his crazy orders?!" 

A conflicted look crossed his face and Ace’s too, but he was quick to shoot back a response. 

"The midwives will look after him. You don't have to worry about him." 

I shook my head, almost frothing with rage. "You dare not!" My voice was shaking. "You've got no right to do this." 

He nodded. "But the Alpha does, and he has." Then he turned to the guards. "Take her. I won't repeat myself again." 

One of them grabbed my arm while the other carefully laid Daniel on his crib and grabbed me. Daniel was already wailing by the time they started to drag me out. I turned back to see Ace standing beside his crib. 

"Don't you dare touch him!" I yelled, forcing myself back. Thankfully, the guards stopped too. As if he was enjoying my distress, he picked my baby and started towards us with that annoying smirk on his face. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I yelled at him. 

He chuckled, not looking up at me. "The sooner you realise that you don't play the cards here, the better for you, Bridgette. There is a pattern to things here but you never followed them. You just showed up one day, and suddenly our Alpha wants to take you as his Luna, and not just that but this sickly child. Hmm..." He scoffed, glaring down at my baby with intense disgust. I clenched my jaw, wishing there was a way I could punch that look off his face. He made me so angry. Then he continued. 

"You're not welcome here. And I promise you I won't be the only one showing you that. When the Pack finds out who you are, especially the disabled you'll be working with, you're going to quit before they will be done dealing with you. I pity you!" 

He said before disappearing behind the door. You'll regret this!" I yelled at him, thrashing against the guards but they wouldn't let go. They kept dragging me out into the hallway. 

That was the moment I caught sight of Kendrick standing at the end of the hallway. His arms were crossed and he had that unimpressed look on his face. It made my anger double. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I spat, glaring at him. "Is this your idea of punishing me? Sending your lackeys and minions to take my son away from me? Are you insane?" 

His gaze didn't wave one bit. Then he turned and answered. "You don't ask questions now, Bridgette. You brought this upon yourself when you wanted to act like that night meant nothing to you. We are going to see how you will handle this since you think you are anything bigger than a slave I picked from the gutters. You should be grateful for all I have done for you, but all you want to do is make sure you get me angry. That's not a problem because I can do that too. And I am going to make sure we play this game until I'm satisfied." His voice was so sharp, like dalmatian steel. 

I felt my heart bleeding anew. "You're a coward. You're only doing this because you have the authority. Imagine punishing me because you have the authority, not because you really have any power to change the way I feel about you. Maybe if you stopped being an asshole, I wouldn't stop painting you black. You think this will break me? You're funny." I sneered, seething. 

He took a step closer, making his tall frame loom. "You shouldn't forget that the only reason you're here is because I allow it." 

I let out a bitter laugh, staring at his face. "Allowed it? You are more than pathetic. You really think you can control me? You're mistaken. The only thing you are is a bully hiding behind your title." 

The look on his face darkened instantly but he was silent. Then he turned to the guards and instructed. "Make sure she suffers. Make sure she learns her place."

He turned and made his way out after that. 

Ace returned right after as the guards dragged me away.

That smug on his face was still there. "I'll tell you what, Bridgette. I like this side of the Alpha. He's finally snapped out of whatever charm you had him under. Looks like your tricks don't work anymore." 

I clenched my jaw, choking on my anger and fear. No one here liked me and Kendrick had just shown me how little I meant to him. This was a trap, but I was only here because I didn't have any chance to make Daniel better. The circumstances were just bad. But I had a chance now, and that was to leave this place before he killed me, because I was never going to bend to him.