Chapter Nine

Liora walked down the stairs in a daze as blood continued to drip from her neck. The hurtful words Alpha said to her repeated in her head over and over.

‘Lower staff. Nothing more.’

Nothing more.

Nothing.

She left a blood-red trail in her wake but she was in too much agony to care. No doubt they’d make her clean it later. She didn’t stop walking until she was back in the laundry room. Delta Rhonda, the Laundry Mistress, was hunched over a large sink. She diligently scrubbed the collar of a shirt with a toothbrush. She gaped in surprise when she saw the stream flowing down Liora’s arm.

“Goodness child, what happened?!”

Rhonda’s freakishly tall gait rushed over, whipping out a white hand towel to staunch the flow.

“I’m so sorry I got blood on the laundry,” Liora’s voice cracked as she set the basket aside, leaning against the large granite counter built above the long row of washing machines and dryers.

“Oh, hush child. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Rhona brought her over to the sin