"What happened here?" Rosemary demands, but I don't know what to say. I'm still not sure how I made a mistake with the clothes. I could swear I put bleach in there and nothing else!
"I don't know...I don't know how it happened. I put all white clothes there but..."
"She is a liar," Amelia sneers before I have the chance to finish my sentence. "She did this out of spite."
Out of spite? What is she talking about?
"That's not true!" I protest. "Why would I do something like this on purpose? I like it here!"
Rosemary crosses her arms and gives me a stern look. "Then explain to me how this happened. And don't lie to me."
I take a deep breath, trying to calm down my racing heart. "I'm not lying. I put all white clothes in the washer and added bleach. I don't know how they all turned pink."
Amelia scoffs. "That's ridiculous. You're just trying to cover up your mistake."
I feel a surge of anger inside me, but I try to keep my voice steady. "I'm not lying. Maybe someone else put tainted the clothes in there without me noticing."
Rosemary looks at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nods. "Alright. We'll investigate this further. But in the meantime, please be more careful with your chores."
There's a long moment of silence, broken only by the sound of the washing machine still churning away in the background. I can feel their eyes on me, judging me.
"Dear goddess...how am I going to explain to Alpha Xavier? He will have to buy a whole new set of white shirts," Rosemary says, clucking her tongue.
I have the strong urge to comment that he might look even more handsome in a pink shirt, but I stop myself. I can't afford to get fired over my smart mouth!
My mind starts racing. How could all the white clothes turn pink? I was certain I had done everything right. But then again, I've been feeling more and more forgetful lately. Maybe I'm not cut out for this job after all.
As I turn to leave, Molina steps in front of me, blocking my path. "Don't think you're off the hook just yet," she hisses. "We'll be watching you closely from now on."
I grit my teeth and force myself to meet her gaze. "I have nothing to hide."
Rosemary clears her throat. "That's enough, Molina. Let her go." She looks at me. "Go assist the Chef with lunch, Sylvia."
Molina steps aside, but not before giving me one last angry look. I hurry out of the laundry room, my mind racing. What had just happened? Why were they so quick to accuse me of something I hadn't done?
I quickly walk to the kitchen, I can't shake off the feeling of unease that settles in my stomach. Something isn't right here, and I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I can't shake off the feeling that I'm being watched, that every move I make is being scrutinized.
"Hey, wait a minute."
I halt as I hear a soft voice behind me. I turn around and look at the girl. "Hi, Daisy," I say and smile with recognition.
Daisy is one of the youngest maids in the packhouse. She is usually very quiet and doesn't have a lot of friends.
She is a loner like me, I think to myself.
"Can I help you with something, Daisy?" I ask again since she is not saying anything else.
"I think I know what happened to the white clothes," she says with a frown.
I look at her with surprise. "You do?"
She looks at me with her big eyes and then nods. "Earlier today, I saw Amelia coming out of the laundry room. And when she went back, she was holding a bottle of red dye in her hand."
I look at her with wide eyes. "Do you think she tampered with the white clothes?"
"Yes, I think so," she whispers.
My heart sinks as I realize what might have happened. "Why would she do that?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I feel betrayed, not only by Amelia but also by Molina, for accusing me so quickly.
"I don't know why," Daisy answers, shaking her head sadly. "But you can't trust anyone here."
"Why didn't you say something to Rosemary?" I ask.
"Be...because I was scared. Molina and Amelia are best friends and they scare me," Daisy says, her eyes dark.
My heart ached for Daisy, she was so young and powerless. I couldn't ask her to risk herself for a complete stranger like me. I wanted to speak up and tell her that I would do anything to keep her safe, but instead, all I could offer were the soft words of understanding, "I understand."
Daisy's gaze drops to her toes, hanging her head in remorse. "I'm sorry. I should have been more brave and stood up for you. I want to be stronger," she murmured, her voice shaking with emotion.
I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to apologize, Daisy. You're very brave for telling me what you know. And in my book, that's more than enough."
She looks up at me, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Sylvia. You're nice to me, even though no one else is."
I feel a pang of sadness in my chest. How many other maids in this packhouse feel the same way as Daisy? How many of them feel scared and alone, with no one to turn to?
I smile at her. "No problem. I have to go help the Chef with lunch. Maybe we can talk again sometime?" I say.
Daisy's eyes light up. "I would like that!"
I turn to walk towards the kitchen, my mind racing with thoughts of how to handle the situation with Amelia. I can't let her get away with this, but right now, I shouldn't do anything that might put my identity at risk.
I will figure out how to get back to her later.
In the kitchen, I see the chef has already started cooking. He looks up at me and smiles kindly, and motions me to come forward."You are the new girl, right? I am James," he says.He is quite handsome, I think to myself. He has a strong jawline and a neatly trimmed beard that adds a rugged charm. There's a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he smiles at me."Yes. My name is Sylvia. Rosemary asked me to come help you," I inform him."Great to have you on board, Sylvia," James replies, his voice warm and welcoming. "Rosemary mentioned that you have some kitchen experience. That's fantastic! We can definitely use an extra hand today."He gestures toward the stove, and I see something boiling in a big pot. "We're preparing a special menu for tonight's event, and things are starting to get busy. Let me show you what needs to be done."We work side by side for a bit, and I notice James is pretty skilled in cooking."What are the things you can cook, Sylvia?" he asks me as he throws some sp
Alpha GabrielWhat do you do when your pet bird escapes its confines and soars to freedom? You hunt her down with wild determination, enraged that she dared take flight. When you catch up to her, you rip her wings from her body with a vengeance, taking out any chance of freedom. And that's what I plan to do when I catch my soon to be bride, Victoria. Think she can hide from me forever? I don't fucking think so. Ha! I will find her and when I do, she'll wish she never tried to run away from me!But I will have to admit, she is a sneaky little thing. She slipped past all my guards and somehow still managed to stay hidden. It's been a few weeks and I'd been looking for her everywhere, but even my keen sense of smell can't seem to track down her scent.I decide to visit her parents in the dungeon this evening. They claimed not to know where she is, but I could see through their lies with ease; those bastards were determined to protect their daughter from me at all costs.As I make my wa
I manage to avoid Alpha Xavier for one more day before fate decides to mess with me again. It's as if the universe has some sick sense of humor - no matter how hard I try to keep my distance from him, he always manages to find me. This girl just can't catch a break around here!Just like today when he summoned me out of nowhere.I knew better than to question Alpha Xavier's orders. He was the leader of the pack, after all, and my survival depended on this pack."Are you sure he is asking me to do this? Wouldn't Molina be a better fit for this?" I ask Rosemary, not because I like Molina. Far from it since she has nothing but mean to me but because her eagerness to serve him kept me away from him.But Rosemary shakes her head. "He specifically asked for you by name."I hold back from groaning out loud. My heart sinks at the thought of being so close to him. I have been trying so hard to stay invisible and avoid any attention from the Alpha Xander as much as possible.This is the opposi
"Why do you look like you just got transported into another world?" Alice asks me as I stumble back into the house. "Hmm?" I ask distractedly. My head is still swimming from that kiss earlier."See? You are not even listening to me. What's wrong with you, girl?" Alice barks at me, snapping me out of my dream world. I hesitate. Should I tell her about Alpha Xavier kissing me? I didn't have a lot of friends here, but Alice has been nothing but nice to me since I got here, so she could be considered my friend. "Something happened," I say quietly.Alice narrows her eyes. "What happened?""I went to the bathhouse earlier to meet Alpha Xavier, and he..." I stop. "He what?" Alice asks, her eyes glinting with curiosity."He gave me a promotion as his personal maid," I say, still hesitant to tell her about the kiss.Alice claps her hands together. "Oh my god, Sylvia! That's amazing! His personal maid? That is such an honor. Why don't you look more excited?"I shift uncomfortably, avoiding A
I quietly enter Alpha Xavier's room and take a moment to compose myself. I remind myself to stay calm and confident, ready to fulfill any request he may have. I knock on the door, my heart pounding in my chest."Come in," a deep voice responds from inside.I push open the door and step into the opulent room. Alpha Xavier is seated at his desk, engrossed in some papers. He looks up as I enter, his piercing blue eyes meeting mine. My breath catches in my throat, but I quickly regain my composure."Good morning, Alpha Xavier," I greet him with a polite smile.He nods in acknowledgment, his expression unreadable. "Sylvia, you are here on time, he states, his voice commanding and curt."Yes, sir," I reply, keeping my voice steady.Alpha Xavier studies me for a moment before nodding again. "Very well," he says. "You can start by bringing me a cup of black coffee."He is acting cold, I think to myself. He is acting as if the kiss yesterday never happened.I sigh. It's probably for the best.
This isn't the first time I have been undermined by my peers. Oh no.Just because I look like the weakest wolf of the pack doesn't mean I am just some useless broad to mess with because, you see, I have skills that go beyond having wolf powers. Since a young age, I have had a knack for mixing potions and herbs to create powerful concoctions. My mother was a professional apothecary, and she taught me everything she knew about the art of magical alchemy. I quickly became her apprentice and grew to be an incredible alchemist in my own right.I can whip up almost anything with whatever resources we have in our area at the time. When I arrived here, I made sure to use my skills to make the perfect concoction that would help me hide my scent so I could stay hidden. And now, it's time to use my skills against Molina and Amelia so I can teach them a lesson!I have my potions filled up with the wolf pelt essence of my wolf pack. This essence was made from the wolf pelts of all the old wolf
I look at Rosemary incredulously. What does she mean by me being in trouble? A million thoughts race through my mind - am I in danger? Am I about to be punished? Nothing could have prepared me for the news she was about to reveal, and yet I found that my curiosity outweighed my fear."What's going on, Rosemary? What are you talking about?" I ask.Rosemary's voice dropped to a solemn whisper as she spoke of the incident. "Alpha Xavier's mother left him a lot of pieces of jewelry after she passed away. Some of them went back hundreds of years, belonging to his great-grandmother," Rosemary says grimly.I look at her with confusion. Why is she telling me all this?"One of the jewels got stolen this morning. A necklace with rare emerald pendant," Rosemary continues."That's awful!" I exclaim, still not understanding what any of this has to do with me.Rosemary's eyes flashed with rage as she spat the words, "Yes, it's awful indeed. That thief is going to rue the day they crossed him. He se
I tremble in silence as Alpha Xavier's piercing gaze drills into me. The air feels heavy with anticipation, and soon I am the only one left in this giant room with the Alpha. My mind is paralyzed with fear, and my heart threatens to burst from my chest in a panicked frenzy.Why did he want to speak to me alone? Why couldn't he decide on my punishment in front of everyone else?"Sylvia," his thunderous voice shook me to my core.Oh, goddess...he sounds angry!"Y...yes, Alpha?" I ask, my voice trembling.He stalks towards me, every footstep sending vibrations through the air as he advances with a calculated slowness. His eyes are burning holes in my soul, and I can feel the heat of his gaze even before he reaches me."Do you realize how serious the accusation against you is?" he growls."I do," I whisper."Then do you know what awaits a thief like you in my court?" His eyes narrow, and his voice drops low. "Punishments that will make you wish for death many times over.""I didn't steal t