"What the hell are you doing, Iris?" she hissed. "You’re going to get yourself killed!"
The crowd’s laughter didn’t stop, their mocking words raining down nonstop. "That serves her right.!" one voice called. "Look at her now, crawling to her friend!" another sneered.
Amelia shot them a glare but didn’t respond. Instead, she hooked an arm under mine, helping me to my feet. My legs wobbled, but I leaned into her. "Come on," she muttered, guiding me out of the ring, away from the jeering crowd.
As we stumbled toward the packhouse, their voices followed us. "Wolfless and delusional!" I wasn’t delusional or maybe I was or maybe the reason still remains that I just wanted to be strong. I wanted to protect myself, to never feel helpless again, like I had in my past life under the triplets’ cruelty. I wanted to be ready for the day I could bring justice to those who’d taken my parents from me.
We reached my room, and Amelia pushed the door open, guiding me inside. I sat at the edge of my bed, my body aching, my face throbbing. Amelia stood in front of me, her hands on her hips in fury. "What were you thinking, Iris?" she demanded. "Challenging Sienna? In front of everyone? You could’ve been seriously hurt!"
I didn’t have an answer, not one that would satisfy her. She paced the small room, agitated, like an angry mother scolding a reckless child. "You’re not trained, Iris! You haven’t even had your first transformation! What made you think you could take on someone like Sienna?"
I stayed silent. How could I explain it? The burning need to prove myself, to claw my way out of the helplessness that had defined my past life? The triplets’ cruelty had left scars deeper, scars that drove me to want more, to be more of my strong self. I wanted to tell her about Lyra, about the wolf I’d kept secret, but the words wouldn’t come.
Amelia stopped pacing, her eyes softening as she looked at me as if she could read my mind. "Iris, I know the triplets hurt you," she said. "I know you want revenge. But this? Throwing yourself into a fight you can’t win? That’s not how you do it. You need time. Training too. You’re not strong enough yet, not to take on Sienna or anyone else who threatens you." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
I nodded, letting her think I was still wolfless. "I just... I want to be strong," my voice barely audible.
Amelia’s expression softened further, and she knelt in front of me, her hands resting on my knees. "You will be," she said. "But it takes time and training. You can’t fight all your enemies looking ." She gestured to my bruised face, her lips twitching into a small, sad smile. "And speaking of looking , you can’t go see my mother . She’d have a fit."
Amelia stood, grabbing a small basin from the corner of the room and filling it with hot water from a kettle. "Beta Rowan’s meeting tonight," she said, dipping a cloth into the water. "She wants us in our best maid attire, remember? You looking like you just got trampled by a horse isn’t going to cut it."
She pressed the not very hot cloth to my cheek, the heat soothing the ache. I winced but didn’t pull away. Amelia, massaging the cloth gently against my bruises, her eyes met mine, and for a moment, it felt like she could see right through me. "I know you’re hurting, Iris," she said softly. "But you have to be smart about this. You can’t take on the world alone."
I nodded. She was right. I wasn’t ready, not yet. But I would be. One day, I’d be strong enough to face Sienna, the triplets, anyone who stood in my way.
Later that evening, Amelia and I joined the other maids in the alpha’s throne chamber. To my surprise, the room was filled not just with maids but with elders, pack members, Betas, Gammas and warriors, all gathered as if for a grand celebration. The chamber was breathtaking, adorned with decorations. Music filled the air too, a lively melody that had some pack members swaying and dancing as some drank recklessly, pack strippers, dancing with their transparent attire. Everyone was just doing one thing or the other.
On the other hands, we maids stood in a straight line, our heads bowed, looking beautiful with our dresses. My bruises still ached as I wondered why it hadn’t healed but Amelia had worked wonders with the hot water and a bit of makeup, hiding the worst of them. From the corner of my eye while my face was bowed, I saw Alpha Darius on his throne, flanked by his triplet sons, Zane, Cade, and Kael, each seated on smaller thrones of their own. Their presence sent a shiver down my spine, but I kept my gaze lowered.
But then, the music suddenly stopped, and a hush absolute silence fell over the crowd. Alpha Darius rose from his throne as he approached the center of the chamber. His presence commanded attention. He raised a hand, and the murmurs died instantly.
"Thank you all for gathering tonight," he began. "I stand before you with a heavy heart, for I have not been able to settle the debts owed by our pack." He paused.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Darius raised his hand again, silencing them. "I am not selling off our servants," he continued, his gaze sweeping over us maids. "But I have made an arrangement with the Warborn pack. Their services, your services will now be shared between Blackbane and Warborn. You will serve both packs."
Serve two packs? My mind reeled. Before Darius could say another word, the gigantic doors behind us creaked open, the sound reverberating through the chamber as every head turned towards its direction.