SCRAPS AND SHADOWS

Aurelia's point of view

The sting of hot water didn’t bother me anymore.

I plunged my hands into the soapy basin and scrubbed the metal plate with steady pressure, letting the motion numb my thoughts. Grease, scraps, bones, bits of stale bread… everything washed away except the knot in my chest. The knot never left.

Around me, the kitchen buzzed with the quiet clatter of tired hands working too fast, too long. The scent of boiled meat and burned oil lingered in the air, thick and heavy.

“Aurelia.” Lilian’s whisper was sharp beside me. She elbowed my side gently. “Grayson’s in a foul mood tonight.”

I didn’t stop scrubbing. “When is he not?”

“No, I mean worse than usual. I overheard the guards say he broke a chair in his office. Something about the council rejecting his proposal. You should be careful.”

“I’m always careful,” I said under my breath.

“You should be more than that,” she murmured, glancing over her shoulder. “You should be invisible.”

I rinsed the plate and set it on the drying rack. “Not so easy when I’m forced to feed a hundred wolves every damn day.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”

The rest of the shift passed in silence. The usual drudgery. Clean, cook, clean again. I didn’t complain. Couldn’t. The moment I did, I’d risk being labeled ungrateful or worse, disobedient. And disobedience never ended well in this pack.

The second the kitchen lights dimmed, I dried my hands and unfastened my apron. My legs ached, my lower back screamed, and I hadn’t eaten since morning, but none of that mattered. My babies would be waiting.

The dormitory was quiet as I slipped inside. Two tiny figures were curled beneath a worn quilt. Kael was curled like a kitten, one arm across his sister’s chest. Sera’s tiny hand clutched the edge of her blanket, her mouth open slightly as she breathed deep in sleep.

My heart cracked a little, like it always did when I saw them like this. Peaceful. Innocent.

I knelt down between them and brushed their hair gently from their foreheads, placing soft kisses on each brow. Kael stirred, mumbling something unintelligible, but he didn’t wake.

“Sleep, little ones,” I whispered. “Mama’s here.”

Just as I stood and began removing my worn shoes, a sharp knock pounded the door.

My heart skipped. I froze.

Another knock. Louder this time.

I stepped over to the door and opened it slightly.

A tall, broad-shouldered guard stood on the threshold, his eyes cold and unreadable.

“Alpha Grayson summons you. Now.”

My stomach dropped. “Can it wait until morning? My shift just ended.”

“His orders weren’t optional.”

I turned back to the beds, hesitating. But I didn’t argue. Arguing led to punishment. And if I was punished, the children would be left alone.

“Give me a moment,” I said. He stepped aside.

I wrapped my shawl tightly around myself, took one last look at my sleeping children, and stepped into the hallway.

The walk to the Alpha’s office was long and silent. No one else roamed the halls this late. Only the echo of our footsteps followed us.

The guard knocked once at the large door, then pushed it open without waiting.

Grayson sat behind his desk, his sleeves rolled up, a bottle of dark liquor beside him. The room reeked of alcohol and ego.

His eyes met mine with a lazy smirk. “You’re late.”

“I came the moment I was summoned.”

He rose slowly, circling around his desk. His movements were slow, too casual, the kind that made your skin crawl because you couldn’t tell what he might do next.

“Do you know why I called you?”

I shook my head. “No, Alpha.”

“You always say that.” He took a sip from his glass. “Maybe one day, you’ll learn to guess better.”

I kept my hands clenched inside my shawl, unmoving. “If this is about the kitchen—”

“It’s not.” He walked toward me with unhurried steps, stopping too close for comfort. “It’s about you.”

My spine stiffened.

He let out a slow sigh, leaning one hand against the wall beside my head. “You’ve been here two years, Aurelia. Two long, dull years. And you’re still pretending.”

“Pretending what?”

“That you’re not tempted,” he said with a smirk.

My blood chilled.

“You pretend like you don’t notice when I look at you. Like you’re above it all.” He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I recoiled from his touch.

He chuckled. “Still playing the ice queen, huh?”

“Don’t touch me.”

“Why not?” he asked, voice soft like poison. “I could make your life easier. Give those children of yours more than stale bread. A warm room. Real clothes. All you’d have to do is say yes.”

I glared at him. “No.”

He tilted his head, amused. “Just like that?”

“Yes.”

Grayson stepped closer again, until I was backed against the wall, his scent making it hard to breathe. “You always push me away. Makes me think you’re doing it just to see if I’ll chase you harder.”

“Let me leave,” I said, voice low.

But he didn’t move. His hand brushed my waist, and I grabbed his wrist.

“I said no.”

His jaw ticked, but he didn’t stop smiling.

“You know, Aurelia,” he murmured, voice thick with mock affection, “it’s hard to tell if you’re brave or just stupid.”

“I don’t belong to you,” I said, eyes locked on him. “And I never will.”

A beat of silence passed between us.

Then I shoved his hand away.

The smile dropped from his face, replaced by something darker. His eyes flared with warning, but I stood my ground.

Grayson stepped back just enough to let me breathe again, but not enough to leave. “You're not dismissed,” he said coolly.

“I’m not here to entertain you,” I said.

“Funny. You always do.”

My fists clenched under the shawl, and I fought the urge to scream. For Sera. For Kael. For their safety, I had to survive this.

“I’ll stand here all night if I have to,” I said. “But I won’t give you what you want.”

Grayson studied me for a moment, then turned his back with a chuckle. “Suit yourself. Stand there and look pretty.”

He poured another drink, not offering me one.

I stayed still, my heartbeat thundering in my ears, but my spine straight.

I didn’t move.

I didn’t flinch.

And I didn’t give him a damn thing.