Chosen as Her Maid

Elsa’s Pov

The morning sun spilled over the pack house, gilding the tall windows with an almost holy light. Inside, the air was anything but holy. Servants scurried through the halls, carrying trays, linens, decorations all in preparation for Crystal’s convocation. The ceremony that would seal her as the Luna of the pack.

And for the first time, I was summoned not alone, but with every other maid in the estate.

We gathered in the grand hall, our heads bowed, our hands folded neatly in front of us. The room smelled of polished wood and burning incense, but beneath it was the sharp tang of tension.

At the front stood Alpha Caleb.

My chest tightened at the sight of him. He was dressed simply, but authority clung to him like a second skin. The Alpha’s aura pressed down on us, forcing many maids to keep their eyes glued to the floor. But I couldn’t look away. Not completely. Not after everything.

I remembered the days when his voice had once been soft in my ear, when I thought his arms were a refuge. Now, standing tall and unreadable, he felt like a stranger.

And beside him stood Crystal.

Her golden hair gleamed, her smile was poised and flawless, but her eyes were sharp and full of hunger. She looked at us not as pack sisters, but as tools objects to polish and place at her convenience.

Caleb’s voice filled the hall, deep and commanding. “The Luna’s convocation is approaching. It will be an event to show the strength and unity of this pack. Every detail must be perfect. Every hand must serve with loyalty.”

His eyes swept over the rows of bowed heads. For a heartbeat, they lingered on me. Just long enough for my heart to kick painfully against my ribs. Then he looked away, as though I were no different than the girl standing next to me.

“From today,” he continued, “Luna Crystal will select her personal maids. They will serve her directly, attend her during the convocation, and remain by her side after.”

A ripple of whispers moved through the hall. This was no small duty. To be a personal maid meant being under constant scrutiny, bound to Crystal’s every whim. Some looked eager. Others looked terrified.

I only felt sick.

Crystal stepped forward gracefully, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Her smile widened, and she let her gaze sweep across the gathered maids like a predator circling prey.

“Well,” she said softly, though her voice carried. “I already know who I want.”

She moved slowly, savoring the moment, watching the way we tensed under her gaze. Then, like a queen bestowing favors, she lifted her hand.

“Lila.”

My friend stiffened beside me. Her eyes darted to mine, wide with fear. She took a trembling step forward.

“Dahlia.”

A tall girl near the back bowed quickly and hurried to stand at Crystal’s side.

“Ruth.”

Another maid obeyed.

And then Crystal’s smile turned sharp, triumphant, cruel.

“And… Elsa.”

The air left my lungs.

For a moment, I thought I had misheard. My ears rang with the sound of my own heartbeat. But when I looked up, Crystal was staring directly at me, her lips curling in satisfaction.

“Come forward,” she ordered.

My legs moved before my mind caught up, each step heavy as stone. I could feel the weight of every gaze on me. Whispers filled the room curious, mocking, some even pitying.

The girl who was once the Alpha’s mate. Now standing in line as his Luna’s servant.

I stopped beside Lila, my fists clenched so tightly the skin burned. My eyes flicked to Caleb.

And I glared.

Glaring so hard it was a wonder the force of it didn’t cut through him.

But Caleb didn’t flinch. He didn’t acknowledge me at all. His expression was carved from stone, his gaze fixed somewhere above us, as though I were invisible. As though I had never been his.

The rejection hit harder than any blow.

Crystal, delighted, clasped her hands together. “Perfect,” she said brightly. “These four will serve as my personal maids, day and night, until the convocation is over. Their duties will be… extensive. And any failure will be punished. Harshly.”

Her words dripped like honey, but everyone heard the venom beneath.

The hall fell silent. No one dared object. Not even Lila, though her lips trembled as though she might cry.

My wolf snarled faintly in my chest, but I forced her down. Now was not the time.

The meeting continued, with instructions for cleaning, cooking, arranging decorations, and preparing the convocation chamber. But I barely heard a word.

I could not pull my gaze from Caleb.

The Alpha who had once marked me, once whispered promises against my skin, once sworn I was his. Now he had stood by silently while Crystal chained me to her side.

My anger burned hotter than the shame.

When the meeting ended, the maids dispersed quickly, hurrying back to their duties. I lingered only a moment, my glare locked on Caleb until the very last second, until I turned sharply and followed Lila out the door.

As we walked down the corridor, Lila grabbed my arm, her voice hushed and frantic. “Elsa… what will we do? She’ll make our lives hell. You know she will.”

I forced a smile, though my insides trembled. “We’ll endure,” I whispered. “She wants to break me, but I’m not the same girl I was before. Let her try.”

Lila’s eyes filled with tears. “She won’t stop until…”

“She won’t win,” I cut in, firmer this time.

Even as I said it, a part of me doubted. A part of me knew Crystal’s cruelty would only grow sharper, now that she had me bound in her service.

But I also knew this: if I survived Caleb’s betrayal, I could survive her.

*****

Author’s pov

Back in the hall, Crystal lingered beside Caleb, her voice sweet as silk. “Thank you, my Alpha,” she purred. “Now she will know her place.”

Caleb’s expression remained unreadable. “See that she does,” he said curtly.

Crystal’s smile widened.

And though his face betrayed nothing, deep inside, Caleb’s wolf shifted uneasily, for reasons he did not care to name.