It had been three weeks since our last eting with the Alpha, and the quest to et with the sorcerer had been fruitless. No one could find him, and the lack of information left everyone feeling helpless. The only small relief we had was that the "mark of the silent beast" hadn’t attacked anyone since the deaths of the two maids. It seed like a temporary calm, but the fear was still in the air.
After completing my morning chores, I sat alone on my bed, freshly bathed. My mind was full of questions—questions that I had no answers for. And despite everything, I knew I couldn’t afford to waste ti.
"I need power," I whispered to myself. Power to survive. Power to make my own choices. Most of all, I needed enough influence within the Night Walkers pack to be free—free to escape this place. And if I ever got that chance, I would make Mona pay for her betrayal. My forr best friend had taken Alpha Derrick, the mate I had longed for. She had shattered my trust and left broken.
The plans circled my mind like vultures, but everything was harder than I expected. I wanted recognition and trust, but nothing I did seed to be enough. I felt trapped.
"They threw here, abandoned like I was nothing," I muttered. "No one from my old life has reached out. I’m completely alone now."
Tears started rolling down my face as I thought about how Derrick and Mona had hurt . My family had thrown away, and now the only man I had ever wanted was gone too.
"I trusted them both," I whispered bitterly. "And now, here I am... a slave in their pack."
The tears kept coming, and I didn’t bother wiping them away. The pain was too much to hold back.
"Let these tears wash away my weakness," I thought, my voice barely audible. "I’ll do more, be more, than anyone ever imagined."
***Flashback***
"Move aside! I go first!"
"No way, I was here before you. Get in line!"
Two boys, around my age, argued about who would throw the first rotten fruit at . I stood at the front door of the packhouse, silent, letting them decide my fate. This was my first day here, but it felt like I had been reduced to nothing more than an object of ridicule.
I stood there for what seed like an eternity, feeling the sting of their mockery. My eyes welled with tears, but I fought to keep them from falling. I couldn’t show weakness. Not yet.
"Enough, boys. Let her go inside," a young woman’s voice cut through the tension. I turned to see her, beautiful and commanding in her presence. She was about my age, but she carried herself with such poise. The boys groaned in disappointnt, dropping their fruit, and sulked away.
"You must be Kimberly," she said, her voice calm but firm.
"Yes," I managed, trying to keep my composure.
"Follow ."
She turned without waiting for a response, and I quickly grabbed my things to follow her. As we passed by other maids, I noticed them bowing their heads slightly in respect to her. It was clear she held so power here.
After a few minutes, we arrived at a small, dim room. She opened the door and stepped inside.
"This will be your room for now," she said, turning to face . "I hope you can manage."
I nodded, trying to hide my disappointnt at the state of the room. It was small and cluttered, but I wasn’t about to complain.
"If you need anything, the next room over has maids who can help you. But for now, stay here and don’t leave," she instructed.
"Okay, ma’am..." I hesitated, waiting for her na.
"Elena. Just call Elena."
"Thank you, ma’am Elena," I said, and she left without another word.
I spent the next hour cleaning the room, throwing myself into the task to avoid thinking about the humiliation I had endured. When I finally finished, I collapsed on the bed, exhausted.
***End of Flashback***
I wiped my tears away as I stared at myself in the mirror. My face was puffy, eyes red, but there was a new fire in .
"This is the last ti I’ll cry," I told my reflection, my voice filled with determination. "I may be alone now, but one day, I’ll build a pack of my own. A pack where everyone is treated fairly."
As I thought about the future, one na kept coming back to —Elena. Why had she been kind to when no one else was? What was her real connection to Alpha Derrick?
"Is she trying to make suffer by keeping close to him?" I wondered aloud. "No, she doesn’t seem like that kind of person..."
I needed answers. I had to figure out what Elena’s motives were. Only then could I decide if she was soone I could trust.
"I’ll find out soon enough," I whispered to myself, standing up from the mirror.
I headed toward the canteen for breakfast. As I walked, I spotted Liza and Kaitlyn leaving their room. I smiled and called out to them, but only Kaitlyn responded. Liza walked away, ignoring completely.
Frowning, I hurried to catch up with Kaitlyn. "What’s going on?" I asked, confused by Liza’s cold behavior.
Kaitlyn shifted awkwardly, avoiding my eyes. "She’s mad at you, Kimberly."
"Mad at ? Why?" I pressed.
Kaitlyn sighed. "I think you should talk to her."
Her vague response did little to ease my confusion. "Tell , Kaitlyn. What did I do?" I asked, growing impatient.
Kaitlyn hesitated again, glancing in Liza’s direction before turning back to . "I don’t know!"
Imdiately Kaitlyn said those words to , I stood before her, staring into her eyes, trying to understand what was wrong.
She avoided eting my gaze, and I realized then that sothing wasn’t right. Kaitlyn wasn’t happy with for reasons best known to her and Liza.
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