Someone so useless
It was morning. Chase, already dressed and ready for the day, circled around the bed to the other side where Dali was sleeping comfortably, her face buried in the pillow. Looking at her small frame, he recalled just how well she had done last night, how she was fixated on making him feel good.
He shook his head, dispelling the memories that haunted him. Dali slowly stirred awake at the soft tapping on her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chase standing before her. His expression was as cold as ever, but now without the malice underneath.
“Wake up,” Chase’s voice came, low and firm.
She blinked a few times, turned around in the bed, exposing her breasts to the world. Chase’s eyes sank down before he lifted his head and turned away from her.
“Your work starts today,” he said simply.
Dali’s heart skipped with excitement. She quickly sat up from the bed. “Really? Yes!” she said, throwing the blanket off herself and bouncing off the bed.
She hurriedly looked around the bed for her clothes that had been strewn during their activities last night. She found her shirt but not her pants. She lifted her head and froze.
There was a man.
A full-grown man, standing right in the middle of the room, staring directly at her. He didn’t hide the fact that he was staring at her body. Only when he noticed her staring did he avert his gaze.
Her eyes widened in horror, and she let out a sharp gasp. She quickly reached for the blanket and clutched it around her body, face turning red with embarrassment.
“Chase!” she hissed. “You didn’t tell me someone was here!” hitting him with the shirt she found before wearing it over her head.
Chase didn’t even blink. Instead, he glared at her like she was the one being ridiculous. He looked as if he could not be bothered with her, and he proceeded to turn to the man standing in the room.
“He’s here for work,” Chase said flatly. “This is Harold. He’ll be assigning your duties. You’re my personal servant now. You can help with things around the house, but don’t go far from my room.”
With that, he turned around and walked out, not giving her a second glance. Dali watched him leave with a heaviness in her heart. Although she would be asking for too much, she actually wanted to wake up with a kiss on the forehead.
Watching him leave with no glance back, she could only handle her heavy heart.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Dali looked at the older man again. He was tall, maybe in his fifties, with graying hair combed back and sharp eyes that watched her closely. He didn’t look like the friendly type. He was dressed in a suit. He looked familiar, but she could hardly recall just where she had seen him.
“I—I’m so sorry,” Dali stuttered. Her shirt was already over her head, but her pants were still missing. “I didn’t know anyone was here—”
Harold raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry. I’ve seen worse.”
Dali’s face burned with shame as she hurried to look around for her pants, and when she found them under the bed, she quickly put them on. She moved in a hurry, still feeling his eyes on her.
“You’re the first one,” Harold said suddenly.
She paused and looked up at him. “What?”
“You’re the first girl he’s kept around after sleeping with. Normally, they’re gone by sunrise. It’s easier that way, to be honest.”
Dali’s heart did a little flip. She knew definitely that she was different from everyone, possibly even different from the woman almost married. She would make him better.
“I… I guess I’m special then,” she said, trying to smile. “Maybe with time, I can change him. I mean… he’s not that cold. I saw something in him last night.” She smiled hopefully.
Harold scoffed. She was not the first one to believe that he was going to change for her sake. Not the first one hoping for a miracle. In all honesty, he missed the ones that just snuck out before sunrise. At least they were wise. “You’re young.”
“I’m serious!” Dali insisted. “He’s not completely heartless. He just needs someone to care for him.”
The servants, the guards, none of them cared for him. They were only around because they worked with him, nothing more. But she was different. She was here because he was a constant in her head, and when she saw him, her heart did the thing where it jerks up.
The older man didn’t respond. Instead, he turned toward the door before looking over his shoulder at her.
“Your first job is to clean his room. He likes it squeaky clean. No dust, no clothes out of place, nothing. Every single day.”
Dali straightened up and gave a nod with a sweet grin plastered on her face. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll come check later.” He walked away.
Zeran sat in the chair right in front of Chase, sat in his office, leaning back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin. Chase stared at the book on the table, unable to fathom the letters on the blank page.
Zeran was quiet, taking in the countenance of his friend. He had no clue what could be wrong, but with Chase, one could be sure that there was one thing wrong.
And that was the fact that he was yet to find the killers of his mate and parents.
He had been watching him for a good ten minutes and could no longer afford to do that. “Is everything okay?”
Chase nodded his head before adjusting his position. “I’ve just been thinking.”
Zeran studied him for a minute. “Is it something new, or it’s the same old thing?”
Chase knitted his eyebrows in confusion. He stared at his friend, wondering why the issue would be taken so lightly by him, but upon further thought, he realized he really didn’t have it in him to argue.
“We still don’t have any leads or whatever. The arrows came in fast, and that was it.” He sighed. “But that’s not what’s wrong.”
Zeran furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly intrigued. “What could be wrong?”
Chase leaned forward, his hands on his desk. “You see, I have a mate now.”
Zeran’s eyebrows shot up. He didn’t know whether to laugh or to frown. This was good news; it meant his friend could finally have someone to focus his attention on. However, was his friend ready for that?
He just lost the woman he loved with everything. He lost his first mate just a year ago. Now wasn’t the time to be plunged into another bond.
“Wow,” Zeran exclaimed dryly. “What are you going to do now?”
“What do you think?” Chase asked sarcastically. “I’m going to reject her. Is that even something worth asking?”
“Why? I think it’ll be a good idea. It’ll be a good distraction. You can…”
Chase put up his hand. “Not happening. She doesn’t have a wolf yet. I cannot waste my time with someone so useless.”