LOGINKatherine:The corridors were already alive with morning noise when I swept through them, shoes striking marble, servants bowing low, no one daring to meet my eyes. They knew when I was in a mood.And this morning, I was.Dominic hadn’t so much as looked at me when he left.No kiss. No touch. Not even the smallest sign that I still mattered. He didn’t even turn to face me. Hell, he left me standing there, naked for him, ready for him, but nothing seemed to stir him.I found Brenna outside the kitchens, overseeing the servants’ line. She turned at my approach, instantly bowing.“Luna.” She said softly. “How may I help you?”“Where is she?” I asked. “Where that bitch of a slave?”Brenna didn’t pretend not to understand. “The new one? In the slave wing. She started her chores early. She is almost done with most of them. She went to take a break like the others.”“Good. Keep her there.” I said coldly. “And before morning tomorrow, I want you to get rid of her.”Brenna blinked, then straig
Dominic:Morning came gray and heavy, a thin mist crawling over the courtyard outside my window. It was getting to winter, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before it started snowing again.I’d barely stepped into the shower when I heard the door open.“Dominic?”Katherine’s voice, smooth, composed, almost gentle.I let the water run hotter, hoping she’d take the hint. She didn’t. Her heels clicked across the tile until her reflection shimmered faintly in the glass.“I came to apologize,” she said. “For last night. I know that I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did. And I know that I’ve angered you. I don’t like it when you are angry with me. I am sorry.”I didn’t turn around. “There is no need for you to apologize.”“You stopped me in front of servants,” she continued, undeterred. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper, but you made me look like a fool. As your Luna, you could have at least allowed me the moment before you spoke to me in private.”“You should not have raise
Aria:Brenna dragged me through the corridor in silence.The light from the chandeliers thinned until only torches burned, each one hissing in its bracket like it wanted to keep its distance.I expected shouting, maybe a blow.Instead, Brenna stopped in front of the laundry room door, turned, and looked at me for a long time.“Do you have any idea what that stunt cost you?” she asked finally. Her voice wasn’t loud, just cold enough to raise gooseflesh. “What would have happened if she had laid a hand on you?”I lifted my chin. “You mean speaking when the Luna decided to humiliate me? I am not going to sit back and simply watch as she keeps throwing harsh words at me simply because she thinks she is Luna.”Her hand shot out so fast I thought she’d strike me. It stopped a breath from my face.Her eyes narrowed. “This is not going to get me anywhere with you. If anything, it is only going to make you grow more stubborn.”She took a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose as she did.“
Dominic:Dinner was quiet. It almost always was when the two of us were having it together.Just me and Katherine, sitting at opposite ends of a long table meant for twenty. Silver plates gleamed beneath the candlelight, the steady flicker painting shadows across her perfect, polished smile.The servants moved like ghosts around us, trained to silence. Except one.Aria.She followed Brenna in, carrying a bottle of wine and a tray of plates. Her wrists were cuffed. Her neck was bare. Her chin was high. And I could tell that she was fighting back mocking everyone in the room.Katherine’s eyes tracked her immediately. “Ah,” she said softly. “You’ve put her to work. I was starting to think that she was going to be of no use. But I must admit, Brenna, you have done your job well with her.”“Discipline suits her, Luna. And every slave is capable of being disciplined, one way or the other.”I didn’t answer. I was too busy watching the girl who refused to bow, knowing well that she had a lot
Aria:The door slammed open like a blow.All the girls who were laying, suddenly rose their feet like they were summoned. The one person who lay on her bed, processing what in the world was going on… was me…“Up.” A woman’s voice cracked through the dim like a whip. “On your feet, girl. Now. Did you not hear me speak?”Rough fingers yanked the blanket from me. Cold hit my skin, then a hand fisted in my hair and hauled my head back until my eyes met the face leaning over me.She was all angles, cheekbones sharp as knives, gray hair scraped into a severe knot, eyes the flat color of slate. A thin leather strap hung at her hip like a promise.“I’m Headmistress Brenna,” she said. “I keep order in the slave wing. You don’t eat, breathe, or blink unless I decide it’s time. Understand?”My throat felt sand-scraped from sleep, but I managed, “Loud and clear.”“You’re not special,” she said, voice low with disgust. “Whatever lie your eyes are telling you, forget it. You belong here. On the flo
Dominic:The scent in my room was wrong.Faded. Hollow.Aria’s scent was gone.I noticed the instant I walked in, the air felt empty, stripped of the heat that had burned through it hours earlier. Only cold silence and Katherine’s perfume lingered now.She was sitting on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, a glass of wine in her hand like she owned the place.“Where is she?” My voice came out low.“Who?” she asked, feigning innocence.“You know very well who I am talking about, Katherine.” I said, looking her in the eye.She smiled slowly, setting the glass aside. “The girl? I had her sent to the slave quarters. It’s where she belongs. You know, she is a slave, Dominic.”My jaw tightened. “She’s not a common slave. And I did not permit her to go there.”“She was sold, Dominic. Bought. That’s exactly what she is.” Katherine rose from the bed and glided toward me, her silk robe slipping slightly off one shoulder. “You’ve been letting her roam these halls as if she were special. The pack i







