Mabel’s POV
“Need me to double-check the bathroom again?” Clara asked, peeking from behind the door.
“No, it looks good. Thanks,” I said with a smile.
They both relaxed. Clara and Kate had been nervous when I first gave them instructions, but now they listened closely and carried out every detail without hesitation. Bathrooms were done, dusting next, then fresh bed linen. By mid-afternoon I’d walk through and see if anything needed fixing.
After breakfast Zane and Tyler left for warrior drills, and Vivian headed out with errands. The house felt quieter, yet busy enough with Clara and Kate working.
“I’ll check on you later,” I told them. “If anything’s missing, just let me know.”
Kate nodded quickly. “Yes, Luna.”
The word still felt strange in my chest. I wasn’t Luna. Not yet.
They returned to cleaning, and I slipped out, a
Mabel’s POV"Don't kill her!"The voices broke through the ringing in my ears. Muffled, sharp, like they came from far away."I was only teaching her a lesson.""Shut up. Tie her up before someone comes."Hands pinned my wrists. Another weight pressed down on my legs, heavy and cruel. A rough palm slid up my thigh, fingers squeezing like I was prey. I twisted, tried to kick, but my body wouldn’t move the way I wanted. My skin crawled at the sound of his laugh."We don’t have time for this."The hand left me. My chest heaved."Quiet down. Hurry. If we take her now, maybe Alpha Zane will pay.""Even if he won’t, she knows something. She’ll talk.""They always talk."A cloth yanked over my eyes. My arms were pulled high above my head. Panic tightened my throat.If they drag me away, no one will find me. If I stay, who will come?They want to use me a
Mabel’s POV“Who goes there?”The sharp voice cut through the trees, and I dropped into a squat before my brain even caught up.I froze, every breath trapped in my chest.Through the bushes I had seen them. Four men. At first I thought they were part of our patrol, but something was wrong. Zane told me the warriors usually run in wolf form, and when they’re human, they wear the same dark gray shirts. These men wore green and brown, blending into the forest.Not ours. Rogues.My pulse hammered in my ears. What were they doing this close to the packhouse? Zane always said they slipped through the borders, but with patrols circling nonstop, I never thought I’d actually face them.The men whispered, their voices low and restless. The breeze carried fragments: avoided… no time… find it. My stomach flipped. Whatever they were after, they weren’t supposed to be here.I
Mabel’s POV“Need me to double-check the bathroom again?” Clara asked, peeking from behind the door.“No, it looks good. Thanks,” I said with a smile.They both relaxed. Clara and Kate had been nervous when I first gave them instructions, but now they listened closely and carried out every detail without hesitation. Bathrooms were done, dusting next, then fresh bed linen. By mid-afternoon I’d walk through and see if anything needed fixing.After breakfast Zane and Tyler left for warrior drills, and Vivian headed out with errands. The house felt quieter, yet busy enough with Clara and Kate working.“I’ll check on you later,” I told them. “If anything’s missing, just let me know.”Kate nodded quickly. “Yes, Luna.”The word still felt strange in my chest. I wasn’t Luna. Not yet.They returned to cleaning, and I slipped out, a
Mabel’s POV“Clara will wait for you after breakfast to get instructions about the rooms,” Zane said.I felt my lips twitch, but I forced myself not to frown. He noticed, of course, and kept watching me.“Fine,” I muttered.“If something is bothering you, you can tell me,” he pressed.I shook my head against his chest. Clara hadn’t done anything serious besides showing too much skin and poking her nose into places it didn’t belong. Annoying, yes, but not something I wanted to complain about.“I was just thinking about Nelle,” I said instead.His eyes narrowed. “What about her?”“I’m sure she’s uncomfortable with Trevon and Lina coming here.” I tilted my face up. “You said you’d talk to her.”Zane sighed. “After breakfast I need to check in with the warriors. It’ll take about
Nelle’s POV"Nelle, are you done with the food yet?"Tina’s voice snapped me out of my daze. I blinked at the table and realized it was just the two of us left."Wait... the others left already?""Yes. They went to the study for evening debriefing," Tina said as she gathered a stack of plates. "And we need to clean up."My eyes widened. "We need to clean up? Where are the Omegas?"Whenever I visited the Lightclaw packhouse with Trevon, Omegas served me. Back at my aunt’s place, she handled everything. I had never touched dishes in my life."They went home after dinner, like they always do," Tina explained. "I usually take care of this, but since you’re here, I expect you to help."I frowned. "Why me?""Come on. It’s just plates and the dishwasher. Ten minutes, that’s all."Ten minutes or not, it wasn’t about the time. It was about my dignity. I crossed my
Mabel’s POV“You think one little kiss is enough payment for eleven guests?” Zane’s voice was low, his arms still locked around my waist.I had just finished explaining the list of visitors. “Tanisha and Trevon are bringing four people. Navy is coming with Max. And Sullivan will join with Tyler and Jamal.”Zane’s frown grew deeper with each name. “Why is Sullivan coming?”I shifted on my feet. “Navy was talking to me, and Max was nearby. He was on a call with Sullivan, and… well, Sullivan asked if he could come. He said he had free time. I already said yes.”Zane gave a stiff nod, though his eyes narrowed. I could feel the tension pressing off him. “Right.”Something about his tone told me he didn’t buy the story. I could tell he was piecing things together in his head. Still, I had no idea what to say to make it sound less suspicious.