I woke up very early, feeling unusually tired. My mind was heavy with things I couldn’t quite understand. Sothing was bothering , but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
"What’s wrong with ? Why do I feel this way?" I mumbled to myself, frowning as I tried to shake the unsettling feeling. I got up and headed to the washroom, splashing cold water on my face. The chill helped a little, but my mind remained clouded with thoughts.
’Maybe I’m overthinking everything,’ I sat back on the ground, feeling the cool surface beneath . The recent strange events in the pack, the mysterious deaths of the maids, and the looming presence of the Alpha weighed heavily on .
"Kimberly, you need to calm down and focus on one thing at a ti," I whispered softly, trying to reassure myself. A small smile crept onto my face, but it faded quickly when the thought of eting Alpha Derrick hit .
A mix of emotions stirred in . I dreaded seeing him, especially after he rejected , leaving to feel ashad and unwanted. Yet, part of was eager. I was going to sit at the table with the elders, making decisions for the pack. Derrick would see how important I had beco, a realization I hoped would haunt him for choosing Mona over .
’I’ll show him. And Mona? She’ll get what’s coming to her,’ I thought with a determined look, standing up to prepare for the day’s chores.
When I stepped outside, I noticed a gathering at the open field. Ma’am Elena and the chief maidservant were already addressing the maids. I hurried to join them, curious about the new developnts.
Ma’am Elena smiled when she saw , but her face turned serious as she addressed us. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted, and we all returned the greeting in unison.
"I’ll get straight to the point. We’ve made so adjustnts to your schedules," she began, her voice firm. "Morning chores will now last only an hour. You’ll have thirty minutes to wash up before gathering at the canteen for breakfast. Lunch will be served at noon, with one hour to eat and return to your rooms. Dinner will be between 5 and 6 pm, and after that, no one is allowed outside until the following morning."
The maids exchanged worried glances. The recent deaths had made everyone uneasy. Ma’am Elena continued, "We don’t want to frighten anyone, but you need to know that we’re facing sothing unknown and dangerous. The rules are for your safety, so follow them closely."
After her instructions, we were dismissed to start our tasks. As I moved to my duties, I noticed that Mohandia was missing. She was always punctual, so her absence was strange. I called Liza and Kaitlyn over, asking if they’d seen her.
"No, I haven’t seen her today. That’s odd," Liza replied, her voice full of concern. Kaitlyn shook her head, looking equally puzzled.
I debated whether to report it. I didn’t want Mohandia to get into trouble, but given the recent mysterious deaths, I couldn’t ignore it. I hurried over to Ma’am Elena and the chief maidservant.
"Ma’am, Mohandia is missing. It’s unusual for her not to show up for morning chores. Should I check her room?" I asked, trying to sound calm but feeling a knot of worry tighten in my stomach.
They exchanged glances before the chief maidservant nodded. "I’ll go with you," she said, and we hurried off toward Mohandia’s room.
When we arrived, the door was locked from the inside. We knocked several tis, calling her na, but there was no response.
"We’ll have to force it open," the chief maidservant said, her tone tense.
With a loud creak, the door gave way, and we rushed inside. There, on the floor, was Mohandia, lying face down, barely conscious. My heart raced as I knelt beside her. She was breathing, but only just.
"We need to get her to the physician, now!" I shouted, panic rising in my voice.
Together, we carried her out, and as we hurried toward the physician’s quarters, Liza and Kaitlyn ran over to help.
"What happened?" Ma’am Elena asked, rushing toward us with wide eyes.
"We don’t know," I replied quickly, my voice strained. "We found her like this."
We didn’t stop to explain further. Reaching the physician’s house, we laid Mohandia on a bed, and the physician imdiately began examining her.
We waited anxiously as he worked, his face set in a grim expression. After what felt like hours, though it was only minutes, he finished.
"Co with ," he said quietly, leading us to another room. His serious expression told us this was bad.
"What’s wrong with her? Is she going to be alright?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.
The physician sighed deeply. "I’ve been practicing dicine for over forty years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. There’s no na for what’s affecting her, but it’s connected to the sa force that killed those maids. We need to act quickly, or it’ll be too late for all of us."
Ma’am Elena nodded gravely. "The Alpha will arrive tonight. We’ll need him to help find a solution before this spreads any further."
The physician added, "Mohandia was lucky you brought her to when you did. Any later, and she wouldn’t have survived." He paused, his eyes filled with concern. "But we can’t keep relying on luck."
As we stood in silence, a cold shiver ran down my spine. Whatever was haunting the pack wasn’t just a mystery anymore—it was a danger we couldn’t escape from.
After the physician’s words, we all returned to the treatnt room where Mohandia was resting. Liza and Kaitlyn were still standing by her side, watching over her with concern written all over their faces.
It was clear they were eager to know what we had discussed with the physician, but with everyone still in the room, I couldn’t share anything just yet.
Suddenly, as Ma’am Elena was about to leave the room, we heard a faint cough. Everyone’s attention snapped back to Mohandia, whose eyes were still closed as she coughed softly. The physician rushed to her side, lifting her head gently and supporting her neck.
Slowly, Mohandia’s eyes fluttered open, and a wave of relief swept through the room. She was awake.
"Mohandia, can you hear ? Can you see ?" Ma’am Elena hurried over, her face tight with curiosity and concern.
Mohandia blinked, looking dazed and confused. "What’s happening? Why am I here?" she asked, her voice weak and shaky.
"We found you unconscious in your room," the chief maidservant explained, her tone calm but tinged with relief. "We brought you here for treatnt. You’re lucky—you’re going to be okay now."
Ma’am Elena added, "You should thank Kimberly and the chief maidservant. They were the ones who found you and made sure you got here in ti. The physician said if they’d been any later, you wouldn’t have made it."
The physician nodded in agreent. "Yes, you were very lucky. Another minute, and things would have been much worse."
Mohandia turned her gaze toward , her eyes filled with gratitude but also sothing deeper, sothing troubled. She looked as if she wanted to say sothing, but before she could speak, the chief maidservant interrupted.
"Do you rember anything? Can you recall what happened to you?" Her face was etched with concern as she leaned closer to Mohandia.
"No, not yet. Let’s not push her right now," Ma’am Elena cut in, shaking her head slightly. "She needs rest. We’ll ask questions later, once she’s had ti to recover. For now, soone should get her so food and let her rest."
Ma’am Elena, the chief maidservant, and the physician left the room, and the chief maidservant instructed Liza and Kaitlyn to fetch food for Mohandia. I stayed behind, watching as Mohandia tried to sit up. I quickly moved to help her, gently adjusting her so she could lean against the wall.
"Thank you, Kimberly, for saving my life," she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. "But why? Why didn’t you just let die? It would’ve been easier. All this pain and humiliation... maybe it would’ve been better if it just ended." Her eyes filled with tears, though none spilled over. She looked so broken, so fragile.
For a mont, I didn’t know how to respond. I wanted to choose my words carefully. "Mohandia, can I ask you sothing?" I said finally, looking her directly in the eyes.
She seed surprised but nodded for to continue.
"Do you think your life belongs only to you?" I asked, holding her gaze firmly.
She frowned, clearly confused. "I don’t understand."
"We all go through things—good and bad. But how we handle those monts defines who we are. You’re strong, Mohandia. You’re a fighter. Are you going to let your problems defeat you without a fight? Or are you going to be the one who overca everything, who rose above it all and beca a success story?" My words were direct, my tone serious.
Mohandia stared at , her expression softening a little. "I... I don’t know," she whispered, looking away.
I decided to press further. "Can you rember what happened to you? Anything at all?"
She closed her eyes for a mont, thinking hard. "I was in my room," she began slowly. "Suddenly, I saw smoke filling the air. It didn’t have a sll, but it was everywhere, forming a thick cloud. I got up to check where it was coming from, but before I could reach the window... I fell. Everything went dark after that."
I frowned, feeling a chill run through . "Smoke without a sll? That’s strange."
Mohandia nodded, her face tense. "It was so strange. I don’t understand it."
Just then, Liza and Kaitlyn returned with the food. I helped Mohandia sit up properly so she could eat. She took small bites, clearly still weak, but her color was slowly returning. As she ate, we all started chatting, trying to lighten the mood. There was laughter, and for a mont, it felt like things were normal again.
***
Later that evening, I was alone in my room, waiting to be called for the eting. Ma’am Elena or the chief maidservant was supposed to summon , but as the minutes dragged on, I grew impatient. I decided to step outside, hoping to find one of them or maybe overhear sothing about the eting.
The night was creeping in, and the pack grounds were quiet. I wandered toward the open field, where I thought I might find soone. But the field was empty, and a sense of unease settled over . I turned to head back to my room, reminding myself of the curfew—no one was supposed to be out at night alone.
’If they need , they’ll co and get ,’ I thought, trying to calm myself as I walked back.
Suddenly, a deep, monstrous voice echoed from the shadows. "No one needs you there, Kimberly. No one will ever call you to that eting."
I froze. My heart pounded in my chest as goosebumps crawled up my arms. I could feel the terror creeping into my bones, the darkness around suddenly feeling alive.
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