3. LAURA.

Kayla.

We were all packed into the same room like sardines.

There was barely space to stretch our legs without brushing against someone else. The air was thick, stale with sweat, fear, and the metallic scent of the chains still clinging to some of our wrists. The walls were cold stone, towering and indifferent, trapping in every shaky breath and muffled sob.

No one spoke much anymore.

We were waiting.

Waiting for whatever came next.

Waiting for judgment.

Waiting for the next phase of our lives to begin, whether that meant servitude, suffering… or death.

Hours passed slowly, painfully. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, twisting it into tight knots. My throat felt dry, my head light, but I forced myself to sit upright, alert. Weakness was not an option.

Then the door creaked open.

The sound sliced through the silence like a blade.

A guard stepped in without expression and, without a word, tossed a few pieces of bread onto the dirty floor. They scattered unevenly, landing in corners, near feet, against the wall.

That was it, no plates, no care, just scraps.

Girls scrambled instantly.

The room erupted into desperate movement, chains clanking, bodies pushing, hands reaching, hunger overpowered dignity.

I rushed forward too, not because I was desperate for the taste, but because I had one thought, clear and unwavering: I must survive in order to kill the Alpha triplets.

I needed to be alive.

Alive meant strong.

Strong meant capable.

Capable meant revenge.

My fingers closed around a piece of bread. It was hard and slightly crushed from hitting the ground, but it didn’t matter. I hadn’t even lifted it to my mouth when a shadow loomed beside me.

Before I could react, the bread was slapped from my hand, It hit the floor again.

I frowned but said nothing, I bent down calmly and picked it up again, brushing off the dirt with my palm.

The movement came again, the bread was knocked from my hand a second time, slower this time and deliberate.

My jaw tightened.

I straightened slowly and looked up.

Laura.

Of course.

Her familiar sneer twisted her lips, her eyes glinting with the same cruel superiority I had endured for years.

Without warning, she spat on my face.

The warm, disgusting sensation slid down my cheek.

A few girls nearby burst into laughter, sharp, mocking, eager to align themselves with power, even in captivity.

“Freak,” she muttered, wiping her own hands as if I were something dirty. “Do not think because we are in the same situation currently that we are at the same level.”

Her voice dripped with disdain.

It was the same tone she used in school, the same look, the same cruelty. She leaned closer, her shadow falling over me.

“What now?” she taunted. “Do you plan on eyeing the position of the Alpha’s personal maid?”

My fingers curled slowly into fists.

“Girls, come over!” she called loudly.

Shit.

Why didn’t I think about it earlier?

Almost all the girls in my class were turning eighteen this year. A few had already turned.

Of course they would be here.

Of course she would be here.

Even in chains, even on the brink of being handed over to wolves Laura still found a way to torture me.

I was still lost in my thoughts when it happened.

Four girls stepped forward at once, their shadows falling over me before I could fully register their intent. Rough hands seized my arms, fingers digging into my skin as they yanked me upright.

“What are you…” The words barely left my mouth before they tightened their grip.

I struggled immediately, twisting my wrists, trying to wrench free, but hunger and exhaustion had already weakened me. My muscles burned uselessly against their strength.

“Let go of me!” I hissed, jerking backward.

They only tightened their hold. Their nails bit into my skin. My shoulders ached as they forced my arms behind me, immobilizing me completely.

And then Laura stepped forward.

Her expression was calm and before I could brace myself, her hand fisted into my hair.

Pain shot across my scalp as she yanked my head back.

The next second….my skull slammed against the stone wall, the sound loud and sickening. It echoed through the small room, bouncing off the walls like a gunshot.

A sharp burst of light exploded behind my eyes. My ears rang violently. For a moment, everything blurred.

A few girls gasped softly.

Others simply watched.

Some turned their faces away, pretending not to see.

Blood began to flow slowly from the back of my head, warm and sticky as it trailed down my neck. My vision tilted. The room seemed to spin lazily around me.

I hadn’t even recovered from the blow when Laura moved again. She stepped on the bread she had thrown earlier, grinding it beneath her heel into the dirt.

Then she kicked it upward with the tip of her shoe.

“Open her mouth,” she ordered coldly.

Two of the girls obeyed without hesitation.

Their fingers dug into my jaw, prying my mouth open despite my resistance. I tried to clamp it shut, but dizziness weakened me.

Laura shoved the crushed, dirty bread inside.

It scraped against my tongue. Dust and grit mixed with the metallic taste of blood.

“I have to make sure you aren’t fit to be chosen,” she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

She released my hair abruptly. My head slumped forward, but the girls still held me in place.

Laura stepped backward slowly, positioning herself in the center of the small room as though it were a stage and she was the performer.

“My parents willingly gave me to the Alpha triplets,” she declared, her voice rising confidently. “The position of the Alpha’s personal maid is mine.”

The words echoed against the stone walls.

“I am not blabbing,” she continued sharply. “I cannot go into details yet, but after reading my fate, things are about to change for us humans. So I advise you all to back down.”

She thundered the last sentence with authority, daring anyone to challenge her.

Silence followed.

No one spoke.

No one questioned her.

Either they believed her nonsense… or they had never desired the position in the first place.

Who in their right mind would want it?

To serve those Alphas?

Demons themselves.

Ruthless. Heartless. Beasts.

My head still throbbed violently, blood slowly drying against my skin. I lifted my gaze slowly and locked eyes with Laura.

She thought she was securing her future, she thought she was eliminating competition.

She had no idea.

I wasn’t competing.

I wasn’t aiming to serve.

I would not let the Alpha triplets go unpunished.

I would kill them.

With my bare hands if I had to.

And as I stared at Laura through the haze of pain and humiliation, I made myself one silent promise….No one would stand in my way.