The new maid

Another guard walked past. 

Isabella looked up, startled like she was before. She moved into the comfort of the sofa, pulling her legs with her in fear. 

This was a bad idea. She should have listened to her friend, Iora, when they discussed in the morning about her quest to seek for the vacant position of a maid for the alpha in Moonrise pack. 

For one, she was the only applicant in the waiting room. Secondly, she had been sitting for almost thirty minutes and had not been called in. 

Nervously, Isabella started tapping her foot on the floor. From the interior of the mansion, one would think of it as simply big. But what Isabella saw on the inside left her speechless.

Everything was purposely gigantic. 

From the sofas to the tables and even the chandeliers, it felt like she had stepped foot into the lair of a monster. 

Or maybe she was actually in the lair of a monster. 

The rumours about Damon, the alpha she came seeking a maid position for, spiralled around a man with long devilish horns and a fierce countenance. 

Not many people had gotten the privilege to set eyes on him, and the few who did said nothing of how he looked. 

Isabella found it suspicious, and yet here she was, waiting to be called and possibly congratulated on getting the job—and mouth-watering benefits.

Isabella looked around again. The elderly woman who ushered her to sit was nowhere to be found. Still nervous, she rubbed her palms on her lap, her head screaming for her to run and never come back.

Thinking of the lie to tell the guards at the entrance of the mansion when fleeing, Isabella got up. 

"Hey, dear." 

The fleeing lady turned to the stairs, her heartbeat tripling.

"Are you leaving?" The woman who had welcomed Isabella, came down the stairs, a beautiful smile complimenting her gracefully-aging face.

"Um, no. I was just looking around. The mansion is beautiful." She cleared her throat and returned the smile. Her heartbeat was now running in an insanely uncomfortable rhythm. 

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. The lord of the house—and pack—needed some attention." Madam Margaux, as she had introduced herself earlier, smiled again. Isabella's lips moved to say something, but the elderly woman beat her to it, "Are you ready for your interview?" 

Maybe she should just turn back. Isabella looked at the exit again, wondering if coming for the interview wasn't a bad idea after all. 

"I... I am ready." 

"Good! Please, come with me." 

They walked up the stairs with Isabella trailing behind her, scanning the beautiful world she was in. 

Breathtaking diagrams of wolves and full moons decorated the wall on the left side of the stairs. Isabella slowed down to stare at them in fascination. 

"This way." 

"Yes, Madam Margaux."

She was led into an office—a small office, considering the sizes of the other places she'd seen in the overly large building. 

"Please, sit." 

It was a direct invitation, but Isabella slowed down for a moment to ask herself if she really wanted to sit. She could have long disappeared from the pack vicinity, but concern for her financial life kept her in the waiting room all those minutes.

As an orphan meeting a fellow orphan, Isabella and her friend, Iora, clicked immediately they met. Their friendship turned into sisterhood after discovering that they shared similar ambitions and dreams. One of those ambitions was to survive at all cost irrespective of the circumstances they were in. Staying within the pack was too expensive so they had opted for something less financially-strenuous—a one-room apartment with a little space reserved for cooking... 

When the news had gotten out that the rarely-seen alpha needed a maid, Isabella, to Iora's disdain, jumped at the offer, expecting to see a long line of potential employees filing from the door of the rumoured—now confirmed—stunning mansion to the pack's gate. And now... 

Well now, she was standing before the madam of the maids in the pack, Margaux, as the only applicant for the position. The woman's blonde hair was short and set in a bob, a bit dull but still beautiful, and the red smeared across her lips gave her the desired effect: eye-catching. 

"Sit." the older woman offered again. 

This time, Isabella did as she said. 

She slid behind one of the foamy chairs. 

"Isabella, am I right?" 

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Hmm." Margaux gave the lady a once-over. "How old are you, Isabella?"

"I am twenty-six."

"Quite young and fit for the job." Marguax opened a file on her table that Isabella had previously submitted. "And it says here that your parents are dead."

"Yes, ma'am," the younger woman replied with a bitter taste in her mouth. 

"Hmm, poor thing. And you live with a friend, right?"

"Yes. Her name is Iora," Isabella said, then quietly added, "I believe I included her name there." 

"Do you have issues attending to people?"

"No." 

"You worked in that little bar outside the pack. What made you decide to leave? Trouble?" 

"No, nothing of that kind." Isabella looked at her lap and let out a quiet exhale, "I... I decided to quit to stay at home and help Iora in running our little canteen." It wasn't a complete lie. 

"A wise and industrious lady... I like that." 

Isabella sat with her palms on her thighs, fidgeting, waiting for the question that would throw her off balance, sound challenging, or end the interview. Nothing of such came. 

"That's good. You've got the job."

Isabella looked up, shock and surprise making her beautiful blue eyes widen. "What?" 

"I said you just got the job. The alpha has gone through your file. He is okay with you. My questions were just for formalities." Margaux got up from the chair as fast as she could. "Come with me to meet Alpha Damon. You will resume duties today... As a matter of fact, you will resume right now." 

Too stunned to speak, Isabella dragged her feet behind the elderly woman.

They climbed another staircase, this time, to the last floor. 

It was like walking into another world. 

Right from the bottom of the stairs, the colours changed. Green was the usual bright colouring on the middle and ground floor. What replaced it was dark blue, brown, black, and other combinations of colours Isabella had no plan deciphering. Margaux led the apprehensive lady to the top of the stairs. 

"Where are we going?" Isabella managed to ask, summoning the last strength that remained from all the climbing. 

"To see the alpha. I told you that." 

It was too sudden. Isabella wanted to resist, but Margaux didn't give room for that. 

"Come on." 

The corridor they entered lacked even a single source of light. The black colours splashed on the walls on both sides did not help the insufficient flow of illumination.

"There," Margaux whispered, pointing to a door. Isabella barely saw it. "Just knock there. He will attend to you." With that, she turned around and walked off, her heels hurriedly clicking behind her.

Isabella entered another level of fear. It was like walking through the halls of a horror movie, even worse! Her skin formed goosebumps immediately she took the first bold step. It wasn't a good sign. 

The second step made her tremble. By the time she had taken the fifth step of boldness, she was a mess of quivers and regrets. 

By now, she would have been dishing out food to customers, chatting with Iora as they worked together, content with the feeling of satisfaction on their customers' faces and the compliments they got. But... that wasn't going to help them improve their standard of living. Running a canteen would ruin their dreams of achieving their desired level of success. 

Isabella was here for the money and nothing more. After bagging the first pay which was supposed to come after a week, she would run into Iora's arms in jubilation as they teared up and danced around their habitable shack.

The gallop of horses momentarily took Isabella's attention. She paused until the sound faded before moving on with her steps of faith—and courage. 

By now, her eyes had surprisingly adapted to the space she was in. The corridor was very wide, in fact, wide enough for a parade, but the black painting on both sides made it seem closer. 

There were doors on the left and right as she moved, and even before she got to the door Marguax pointed, she knew that she had arrived at her destination.

Double doors thrice her height stood gallantly like insurmountable mountains. They were the biggest in the entire corridor. It reminded Isabella of the rumours of the Alpha's resemblance to a monster. Only a huge creature would need such big doors! Some people had even gone far in spreading the rumors saying that the alpha was more handsome than the devil and he picked a convinent time at night to change into his monster form. 

Nobody knew what to believe.

The most confusing part of it all was the Alpha's refusal to debunk any of the claims or make his presence more visible in, out, or around the pack.

Between breaths, Isabella raised her hand to knock. 

"COME IN," a gruff voice called from within.