Chapter 5

Katherine:

The sound of his growl still echoed down the hall when I turned the corner, catching her scent there.

It came from his chambers, right where she was with him.

My chambers were on the other side of the house.

My nails bit into my palms as I waited. A moment later, the door opened, and she walked out.

Aria Wren.

The slave who hasn’t been here a day and yet, already managed to ruin more than she should for me.

She walked out barefoot. Hair tousled. Lips swollen.

The sight made something vicious curl low in my stomach. And it took everything in me not to growl.

She froze when she saw me, her posture stiffening, but her eyes, those brazen, silver-gray eyes, didn’t drop.

“Luna,” she said quietly. No bow. No fear. Just calm, steady defiance. If anything, she looked angry.

My voice came out smooth, though it burned to keep it that way. “Out for a stroll, are we? My Alpha’s quarters must be terribly comfortable if you’ve already started making yourself at home.”

Her expression didn’t change. “I was ordered to stay where the Alpha could watch me. I was simply following the Alpha’s order, Luna. You needn’t worry, I chose to leave,”

“Watch you? And you ‘chose’?” I laughed softly, stepping closer. “You’ve mistaken this for privilege, little one. And the fact that you think that you have a choice amuses me, truly.”

She did not respond, instead, she held her head high as she looked me in the eye. The woman needed someone to break her, and it seemed to me that Dominic was not going to be the one to do it.

“You’re not seen here, you’re owned. And your place is not in his quarters, and I believe that the Alpha has other duties to take care of. He wouldn’t command a slave to be in his presence.”

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t speak. That silence enraged me more than any insult could.

“You will not wander around like you belong here,” I continued, my tone turning sharp. “You will not walk these halls unless summoned. And you certainly will not breathe the same air as your Alpha unless I permit it. I am the Luna here, and the Alpha has no time for the likes of you.”

She met my gaze, unflinching. “Then maybe you should keep a tighter leash on him. He is the one who wants me to be around him.”

My hand moved before I realized it, fingers lifting, ready to slap her across that insolent mouth.

But I stopped. Barely.

I could feel the eyes of passing servants on us, the air heavy with tension. If I struck her now, I’d be proving her point.

Instead, I smiled. Cold. Controlled.

“You’re bold,” I said softly. “But boldness doesn’t keep slaves alive here. If anything, it turns their lives into hell. And I doubt that you came here to suffer, or was this part of your plan?”

“I’m not a slave,” she replied, voice steady.

“Oh, you will be,” I promised, leaning in close enough that she could feel my breath. “Because I’ll make sure of it. And if you think that you being the daughter of Alpha Wren changes things, you are wrong. He sold you, and that makes you lower than any Omega we have here.”

She stiffened, and I expected a response, a comeback, anything from here. She said nothing. If anything, she did not even react.

I straightened and signaled to the guards. “Take her to the slave quarters. Far from the Alpha’s wing. Make sure she remembers where she belongs. And if she takes so much of a wrong breath, punish her for it.”

“Yes, Luna.”

They stepped forward, but Aria didn’t flinch. Even as they grabbed her arm, she held my gaze. Unmoving. Unbroken. She just kept looking at me as if waiting for me to react, warning me, maybe. Daring or challenging.

Something about it unsettled me more than I’d admit.

And I knew that if this kept going, things were not going to end well.

When she was gone, I exhaled slowly, letting the mask slip just enough to feel the heat of jealousy simmer beneath my ribs.

Dominic hadn’t touched me in days.

And now his scent was tangled with hers.

That girl had no idea what she’d started.

But I was going to be sure that I was the one to end it.