6. The rejection.

OLENA

"Ahhh!" I screamed as I suddenly woke up. My skin was soaking wet, and I was shaking like I had just come out of freezing water. I hugged myself tightly, trying to stop the cold from biting into me.

"Will you get your ass up!" a rough voice yelled.

I quickly stood up, even though my eyes were closing. As my vision became clearer, I saw her, that stern looking woman, staring at me like I had done something wrong. I held my breath and looked down.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn’t mean to. Please don’t punish me," I said softly, almost whispering.

"Do you think you're here to rest?" she shouted. "It’s almost five o’clock! What did we say about waking up at four?"

"Please, this is my first time," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "I...l promise it won't happen again."

I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes, her presence alone was enough to freeze me in place. My eyelids were still heavy with sleep, and it took everything in me not to sway or collapse on the spot.

"Go outside now and join the others in the queue!" she snapped. "I’ll let it slide only because it’s your first day. But next time..."

She raised a bucket as if to throw it at me. I flinched, eyes squeezed shut but nothing came.

"Run along!" she barked.

I bowed quickly and darted outside, my bare feet slapping the cold ground. The sky above was still swallowed in darkness, not even a hint of morning light.

This is so exhausting. And I have to do this every day?

I looked around, trying to piece things together. How did I even end up here? Did I black out after they let me go?

Gosh, that dungeon.

It felt like a pit straight out of hell. And if what I went through was just a taste of it... I don't even want to imagine the full course.

I looked ahead. A line of girls stood in front of me, most wrapped in thin towels or standing there in nothing but their underwear. So, this was bath time?

I can't stop thinking about that necklace. There has to be a way to get it back and I have to retrieve it today.

"This is just weird,"

Snippets of conversation drifted from the girls ahead.

"But how's that even possible? How can he just die like that?" one of them whispered.

"And he was so good in bed," another added with a half-laugh.

My eyebrows shot up. Seriously? That’s what they’re talking about right now?

Then I noticed something. There were two lines. The one beside me was moving steadily, the girls in it gradually disappearing into the building. The one I was in? Barely budged.

I hurried over to the moving line, nearly slipping as I held a girl's hand.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, removing my hands.

She didn’t answer. Just looked back at me, rolled her eyes, and turned away.

I started to feel people staring at me. Some looked with bad eyes while others were just shocked. A few girls whispered behind their hands. One of them was bold enough to reach out and touch my hair.

“It’s real,” she laughed. “This bitch actually has silver hair.”

Her friends burst into laughter. I stared straight ahead, pretending not to care, even though my face was burning.

“Hey, silver-haired girl,” The girl in front of me turned slightly and smirked. “You’re new, right?”

“Uh… yeah,” I said quietly.

Then she stepped forward, and I realized it was her turn. The line moved, and then I noticed that we were going in two at a time. We had to bathe together. My stomach turned. Stripping in front of a stranger felt like another kind of punishment.

The bathroom was bigger than I expected, with two rusted showerheads and cracked tiles.

“So… what do we do after this?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

She rolled her eyes. “Just follow me.”

We rinsed off quickly and wrapped ourselves in towels. Two more girls joined us as we stepped into a narrow hallway. The girl I’d followed led us into a room.

Black clothes were scattered on the floor. Some girls were putting them on, others were cutting and adjusting them with scissors.

So this was the next step.

And somehow, it felt even more unreal than the dungeon.

“What are you waiting for? Put them on,” the girl said.

I nodded, picked out one of the gowns, and slipped them on.

She turned and started walking away, so I followed her out of the room.

“So… this is how we get our clothes?” I asked.

“You’re right, silver-haired.”

“Don’t call me that. My name is Olena.”

“I don’t care,” she replied with such a harsh tone as I sighed.

We walked into a large space where all the girls were already dressed in black with hands carrying long brooms, buckets filled up with water and mopping sticks, cleaning the hallway.

I looked around and realized that we were already inside the castle. Tall black pillars surrounded the area and it looked like it wasn't far from the slave quarters.

“What do you think about the guard that died?” she asked suddenly. “Because I feel like I’m the only one who thinks he deserved it.”

I stared at her, confused. Why was she asking me that?

“Oh, right,” she said with a smirk. “I forgot you’re new, let's go to these rooms and clean it,"

She led me into the room, gently pushing the door open with a soft creak. It was empty, but it didn’t feel abandoned. It looked like someone was supposed to be here. Probably a woman.

The room was beautifully arranged, at a corner on top of a red table was full of makeup, lipsticks lined up like little soldiers, and brushes placed neatly. The bed was made with clean white sheets, covered in soft flower patterns.

“Did you hear Kimboo is dead?” one of the girls outside was gossiping. “And June’s friend got badly hurt from what happened last night.”

“Maybe that’s why she’s acting like this,” another girl replied in a mocking tone.

I turned and saw the lady I came with, standing just outside the door. She wasn’t coming in, just standing there, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white and her eyes full of fire.

So... her name is June?

And Kimboo, that name. It hit me all at once.

Wasn’t he the one who almost raped me last night?

I gasped.

He’s dead?

I didn't know whether to feel happy about this or not, I just wondered how he had died.

“June,” I said softly, walking up to her.

She didn’t move, just stood there like a statue. But as I got closer, I saw tears quietly slipping down her cheeks. My breathe caught for a moment.

Gosh… those girls.

I opened my mouth to say something but before I could get a word out, something struck me from behind. Cold water drenched my head and ran down my back. I gasped, shivering.

A mop?

I spun around, furious.

“Hi, bestie,” a familiar voice sneered.

She stepped toward me, chewing gum as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

“Chloe told me to stick with you wherever you go,” she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “So what are you doing here, huh? Aren’t you supposed to be in the kitchen? Isn’t that your favorite place to work?”

Ava.

Chloe’s loyal sidekick from high school. Memories came crashing back. The insults, the pranks, the cruel laughter behind closed doors. So this is what Chloe meant when she said she’d be bringing some friends over. Just to make sure my life here is pure hell.

My fists balled at my sides, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe and there's nothing I can do.

So I ran.

Out of the room, down the hall, heart pounding like a drum. I found an empty room, rushed inside, and slammed the door shut behind me. The lock clicked.

My fingers trembled as I slid down the wall. Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to breathe, to calm the shaking that had taken over my entire body.

I turned around when a pair of piercing red eyes locked onto mine, my breath caught. My heart pounded so hard, I thought it might leap from my chest.

Before I could move, a rough hand yanked my hair, pulling me back. My head hit the door with a loud crack.

Pain shot through my skull, exploding behind my eyes.

“I, Lycan King Abraham,” he growled, his breath hot against my face, “reject you, human slave, as my mate. And banned from accepting the rejection!”