Rejected Slave, Fated Queen

My knees are bleeding all over the freshly cleaned floor. They sting as the cheap soap enters the wounds. I daren’t make a sound. My hands are scrubbed raw. “Hurry UP!” Beta Nasir cracks the whip by his side “Guests arrive for Alpha Ahriman’s engagement announcement tomorrow - DON’T let us down! This place needs to be cleaner than spotless!”I snort into my bucket, trying to hide my grin. This guy is as horrible with language as he is everything else. How can anything be cleaner than spotless? Idiot. Finally the floors are deemed acceptable. Nasir commands us to head back to our barracks. Calling our slave quarters a ‘barracks’ is like gilding a turd. They’re a shack. Cold, no glass in the window holes, simply thin wooden roofs on top of thinner wooden walls. At least it’s not raining today. Brian catches my eye as us slaves troop out. I wink at him and his shoulders visibly relax. He needs to guard himself better - if anyone knew how he takes pity on us slaves, how he sometimes b

Nomia pov I lie down on the cot carefully, trying to nurse my wrist away from the hard base. Eventually, sleep takes me - I’m not sure how long I’m asleep for but the cell door clangs open suddenly and I jerk awake.Machteld stands, silhouetted in the doorway, with another bowl of soup and some more bread. She frowns down at me, holding my wrist. “Manfred coulda told me your wrist needed setting too. Men!” she scoffs, setting down the tray and walking out. I remain on my side, watching her. “Sit up!” she commands as she re-enters the cell, holding a small plank of wood and some bandages. I hurry to comply, though I don’t want to. Machteld takes my arm - not gently - ignoring my flinch. She runs her fingers up and down my arm - squeezing as she goes. “Well.” she sucks on her teeth “Nothing feels out of place; I’ll just stick a splint on it and bandage it up. Should be healed before sale.” With all the significance of discussing the weather, Machteld wraps my wrist tightly, turns and

Nomia povI startle awake when the door bangs loudly against the wall. Beta Jared’s loud rough voice slurs when he tries to speak to someone. My nose scrunches of its own accord as it's assaulted by the stench of alcohol. I can barely suppress a painful groan, my back is killing me, my muscles slightly spasming and almost shooting into cramps. My hands and feet are no longer painful but now cold and numb. I bet if I could move to see them, the lack of blood flow would have left them tinged with blue.I hear Beta Jared stumbling around, he’s drunk alright. I hear second footsteps, they are lighter and steadier. I wonder who was so unlucky or unwise to join Beta Jared to his room. You don’t have to be a mind reader to see that he is no good. Suddenly I feel his dirty breath over my face and his laboured breathing in my ear, “Sorry puppy, it got later than expected. But you’re well trained aren’t you? You don’t need much.” And he pulls off the blindfold, taking a few of my hairs, caught i

Nomia POVThe Innkeeper was right. The moment Beta Jared returns from breakfast he grabs the chest and then grumbles something which sounds suspiciously like ‘Come!’Coupled with his glare, I don’t take too long to comply. The carriage from yesterday is waiting for us outside the Inn. Alpha Zared is already there. He looks annoyed. Alpha Zared and Beta Jared discuss pack business and travelling to other realms. I find it difficult to follow as I don’t really understand. I do learn that Alpha Zared’s pack is called Golden Claw. Only the strongest, cruellest alphas name their packs after weapons. Most name their packs after the moon goddess or her celestial bodies and hope she will provide them strength and protection. I tune back in and try to commit to memory as much information as I can. Knowledge is power, that's what the Red Star slaves always used to say. It didn’t help them much, but I can only hope. Maybe one day I’ll be free to travel to other realms? I’ll be happy and safe.

Zared POV My half sisters Emerald and Amethyst will take care of Aurum. As the three of them walk away, I watch. Malachite, Garnet and Ruby stand waiting and smiling. I have work to do first, since I’ve been gone for a few days with Jared. I trust Janus to run things, but there’s always something that requires my signature or decision. I smile at the girls in greeting, but walk past them and make my way to my office. There is a stack of papers waiting for me on my desk and I don’t bother holding in my sigh. People always think being an Alpha is glitz and glam. But it’s mainly paperwork. Listening to petty disputes. Mediating the less petty disputes. Occasionally fighting a war and,if you’re me, winning them. We’re all animals. And because us werewolves accept that, we choose not to weaponise our wars. Instead we largely agree to meet at a designated place; intimidate the hell out of the enemy, fight a bit, kill a few, catch even more and then sell them to slave markets to cover the