Chapter 16
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“This way, please.” A chestnut–haired servant pointed at the hallway before gesturing for the women to follow him.
As soon as we arrived, all the women from the auction, including me, were gathered in front of the castle and brought inside. I stepped among them, although most of them would rather give me a wide berth. Some of them clicked their tongues as if my sole presence would somehow curse them. Unsurprisingly, Vedia strode proudly in the front, making the rest of us look as if we were handmaidens following the lady. She certainly wouldn’t mind should that happen.
“Bitch,” hissed a redhead walking next to me. “Thinking you’re better than us?”
I kept my eyes forward as I muttered dryly, “No, I do not.”
A low growl escaped her. “Then why were you riding in the fucking carriage while the rest of us were stuck in a wagon?”
I inwardly cursed. “This wasn’t my choice. Talk to Alpha Rune when he comes back.”
Snarling, she grabbed the collar of my tunic, her clawed hand flying in my direction. I heard someone sucking in a breath; another stumbled against the wall. But just like the rest of these women, the redhead was untrained and no match for me. I grabbed her wrist and twisted it. Groaning, she hid her claws. “Talk to Alpha Rune. I don’t make the rules,” I hissed before releasing her.
“What’s going on here?!” The unpleasantly familiar voice boomed through the hall. Tariq strode toward the redhead and me and gave me a cold glare. His dark eyes blazed golden as he locked them on mine. “What have you done this time?” His cold tone was soaked in accusations. It didn’t even surprise me that the redhead took it as an opportunity to strike.
“She hit me!” she groaned, presenting her wrists with hardly any bruises marring her skin.
I looked at the other women, but they all looked away as if they had been elsewhere when it happened. Grinding my teeth, I turned to Tariq. “I merely defended myself against her claws,” I stated dryly.
His eyes blazed even brighter, sheer hatred twisting his face. His mouth began to open, but before his insults could flow, Silas walked toward us. “I’m sure that all ladies are tired, and they cannot wait to see their rooms.” He gave Tariq a meaningful look before gesturing at the servant guiding us. “Please, continue.”
The servant bowed and restarted his steps. Vedia and the others quickly followed. The redhead cast me another hateful stare before joining the group. “Thank you,” I murmured, giving Silas a weak smile.
Tariq scoffed, then whirled around and walked away. I still couldn’t figure out what his problem with me was. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
Luckily, Silas decided to follow the whole group to our new rooms in the servants‘ wing. I was going to share a room with a shy, brown–haired girl who couldn’t have been older than eighteen. She seemed scared, but I noticed her eyes gleamed with genuine kindness. Perhaps assigning us together was Silas’s doing. He must have known that any other woman from the group would probably try to kill me in my sleep.
The room was small and modest but pleasant. Two cots were set on opposite sides of the room, and a small
8:02 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 16
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table with two chairs was placed by the window. A narrow wardrobe with a few spare servants‘ uniforms stood by the door.
I sat on one of the cots and groaned at the comfortable softness of the mattress. I could already imagine sleeping here. Silas had said that our assignments would come tomorrow morning, and honestly, I was relieved to hear that I would be assigned to work in the castle, too. This might give me an opportunity to find my way around this place and plan my escape.
My eyes traveled to the shy girl sitting on the cot in front of me. “What’s your name?”
She slowly raised her gaze to meet mine. “Thiana,” her soft voice sounded.
“I’m Orelia,” I said even though she’d already known that much. “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty,” she murmured, lowering her head.
My brows rose. “Really? I thought you were younger.”
A small smile appeared. “My momma used to tell me I’ll always resemble a kid.” She tangled her fingers together, longing shining in her amber eyes. Was she recalling peaceful days with her family?
“How did you end up in the hands of the merchant?”
She stiffened in an instant. “My father… H–he was ill, and…”
“You couldn’t afford healing potions?” I leaned forward, offering her a sympathetic smile.
She shook her head. “We had money… But the King’s men came. They said they increased our taxes and took nearly everything. I hid a few golden coins in my pockets. I knew we would have to buy potions. I sneaked out of the house to buy them, but the guards caught me before I brought them to my father…”
My hands fisted. “Why? If they have already collected money, then why would they catch you?”
A bitter smile appeared. “They do whatever they want.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It was always this way.”
Anger hummed in my veins. That was yet another thing I knew nothing about. Perhaps only Verendell was different. Was that because my father had disagreed with the King so often? He would have never agreed to increase taxes or mistreat villagers.
Sucking in a shaky breath, I asked, “And what happened once they caught you?”
“They told me I could deliver those potions to my father, but I needed to be punished because I lied to
them…”
A long line of curses formed. I would have loved to find those bastards who had taken her. Then I would have savored breaking every bone in their bodies. “What about the other villagers? They should have helped you!”
A humorless laugh escaped her. “The villagers are scared, and they only care for their own families. Once they noticed that the imperial guards took an interest in me, they just scurried away.”
8:02 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 16
I studied her for a moment, feeling my ribcage shrink. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
She blinked and gave me a nervous smile. “Why? None of that was your fault.”
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“But you know who I am, do you?” I muttered. “I’m the daughter of an Alpha. I was born and raised in the castle, and-”
“I’m not like those other women. I don’t hate you.” A soft smile curved her heart–shaped lips. “I grew up in a village near Ferenmoor, in the Golden Hills Pack territory. Our Alpha, Alpha Esmer, used to take care of us. He even visited our village at least once a month, making sure we had everything we needed… But one day, he stopped coming.” Her slender hands curled into fists. “We heard there was an accident, and he died. From that moment, the imperial guards started coming to collect bigger and bigger taxes…”
“An accident,” I muttered as more anger began to hum in my veins. “Do you know who replaced your Alpha?”
“Alpha Esmer’s cousin, Nilos. I’ve seen him only once. It was right after this so–called accident. He came to our village surrounded by imperial warriors and preached something about how it was important to pray to our gods–chosen King.”
I muttered a curse. It sounded too familiar. My father had opposed the King and had been murdered. Uncle Cyril, who had replaced him, would never have objected to anything King Zyran proposed. Had it been the same with the Golden Hills Pack?
I wanted to find out more about her Alpha, but then the sound of the bells came from the corridor. “Lights out in fifteen minutes!” a servant ringing the bell shouted.
Thiana chuckled softly. “Guess we should get ready to sleep.”
I nodded and smiled. Then we both rushed to the basins filled with cold water prepared for us in the corner of our room. We cleaned ourselves the best we could and quickly returned to our cots.
The exhaustion hit me at once. I knew I couldn’t put my guard down, but it seemed that at least for tonight, I was safe. I slowly closed my eyes, allowing myself to rest.
“Good night, Thiana,” I murmured, but all the answer I received was her soft snoring. A smile curled up my lips. She must have been even more exhausted than I was.
A moment later, all the torches outside were put out, and the little light that had crept through the door crack surrendered to the darkness. I drew a deep breath, slowly drifting into sleep, when I heard three pairs of stomping feet.
My eyes opened, and my heart began to pound. The steps grew louder and then stopped; they stopped in front of our room. A heartbeat passed, and the door flew open. Tariq, flanked by two warriors with torches, stepped inside. He pointed his finger at me and smirked. “You won’t sleep here tonight. Alpha’s orders.”
Icy chills licked the nape of my neck. I slowly rose to sit, processing what his words meant. “But then… where
“Get up, you’ll spend the night in Alpha’s bedroom.”
My stomach dropped to my knees. I wasn’t prepared for this. I was too exhausted. This was happening too soon. I had no plan, and I needed one. I desperately needed a way to-
8:02 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 16
“Are you deaf?!” he roared. “Get over here, now!”
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I glanced at Thiana. To my surprise, she was still sleeping soundly. Then my eyes drifted to Tariq, and I could see the wolf surfacing in his eyes. I had no choice. I rose to my feet and walked to the squad leader. His eyes scanned the white, sleeveless tunic I was wearing before grunting, “Will do.”
Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room. The guards watched me like hawks, ready to strike and tear me apart should I make one wrong move. Next to their heavy, stomping boots, my bare feet were nearly silent. The night’s wind howled in the open corridors, chilling my skin. My heart thundered, and I could feel it in my gut that something was wrong…
I was led up three flights of stairs and through a long hallway. Finally, the guards halted before the chamber at the end of the corridor. Tariq opened the door and pushed me inside. “Alpha will be here soon.”
My body tensed. “But where is he? And what am I supposed to-” The door nearly slammed in my face.
A second later, I heard the click of the lock, followed by Tariq’s cold laughter. “Have a pleasant night, bitch!”
