VALERIE By the time I’d arrived back downstairs, the foyer had filled with the wafting scents of fresh-cooked meats and baked bread. I wasn’t sure why I had been invited to dinner when it was probably more fitting for a servant to be in the kitchen actually cooking the meal, but I couldn’t deny that the smells wreathing me were irresistible. Flavor was not something we experienced often back at the slave shop. The aunts complied to the Alpha’s orders to feed us meat and milk every week, but seasoning and sweets were something we only caught a whiff of when the windows were left open on a windy afternoon. I rounded the foyer and stood at the threshold of the dining room, watching servants buzz around the table. They dropped off platters full of food, and laid out silverware in a distinct order. The sight made me nervous. Which spoons was I meant to use? Which knives and forks? One of the servants pulled back a chair when he spotted me and gestured for me to sit beside the Alpha, ac

ValerieSo that was it.That was why the Alpha had wanted me.It was not that he saw past my imperfections, but rather, my flaws were useful to him. He wanted to…use me.I should not have been surprised. All my life, I was made fun of for my mark. Even long before I had been taken in as a slave, children pointed and laughed when they saw it. I recalled the way the neighbor kids used to point and said, “Look! She has a stain on her neck!” And for a long while, I thought it was just that—a stain.For months, I tried to scrub it off in the bath, even making it bleed at one point. Eventually, I came to understand that it was not a stain at all. It was a part of me and I would never be rid of it.I had never expected that for the past several years, it would be the one thing keeping me from living a life of slavery and abuse. I had also never expected that it would be the one feature on me that caught the Alpha’s eyes. That he would be the one to take me from the shop and feed me delicious

XavierFor the most part, the slave girl had been entirely emotionless. From the moment I spotted her in the shop, she wore only one look on her face—a calm, submissive expression, which sometimes shifted with fear. But otherwise, remained still and unmoving.Now, for the first time, something else shown on her face.It wasn’t quite a smile, but a semblance of something close. A flutter of excitement, or perhaps surprise.Hope. That was the look she wore. A look of hope. How refreshing.“I-I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked.She was skittish. A stray, seeking help, but too timid to approach all the way. I wanted to reach for her, but I couldn’t allow myself to scare her off.She stammered. “I—You said I…”“You’ll be free,” I assured her.The unsure expression on her face pulled a chuckle out of me. This one was different. She was smart and in control of her emotions. But somewhere beneath her calm was a raging storm. She had a temper; I could smell it. And I could smell the grief

ValerieI was escorted back to the Alpha’s room once he’d left. The servant who accompanied me was aloof and cold. He sat not a word as he led me to the room, and not a word as he left me there at the door.I was beginning to feel like none of the servants really liked me. I could understand why, what with all the special treatment I’d been given, but it wasn’t as if I’d asked for any of it. It wasn’t my fault that I’d been selected by the Alpha for whatever this insane undercover mission was. If anything, I had hoped to make friends with some of these people. Why did it feel as if I was so below them?I did my best to greet them when they came to clean the room or to bring me water or tea from the kitchen. I waved when I passed them in the halls, and I made sure to thank them every time I needed their assistance with something. But still, they loathed me. Probably due to all of the privileges I’d been granted. I was allowed to use any facility I wanted in the castle. I was treated m

ValerieMy heart ached for Samantha. Even I—as a slave—had been given the opportunity for freedom. The life of a slave was not an easy one, but I had been torn from my family, not banished by them. That was entirely different. Even if Samantha had been given the opportunity, any chance at actually living her life free and in peace would be squelched the moment she approached another wolf.I wanted to ask if she’d ever thought about escaping to the North. But I worried it was another stupid question that would simply put a damper on an already-dark conversation.And anyway, who was I to talk? I wanted freedom so badly, but what were my chances of surviving in the wild, too? I was even more of a target as a human than Samantha was as a rogue. The only difference was that I would be scooped up off the streets and stuck back in a slave shop if anyone spotted me.That sounded even worse than being imprisoned or killed.I felt a grim and uneasy thought sweep over me. Would it even be possib