8. You...

Kayla.

I pushed myself up slowly, my body trembling from exhaustion and shock. The world around me felt distant, as though I were moving through a thick fog. Lily’s body lay motionless beside me, her eyes half-closed, her blood staining the grass beneath her.

For a moment, my feet refused to move.

My chest tightened painfully, and I felt the urge to collapse beside her, to hold her and scream until my throat tore apart. But the sharp whistles of arrows slicing through the air earlier still echoed in my ears, and the memory of Lily’s final words rang louder than anything else.

You must survive, Kayla.

My fingers curled slowly into fists.

I took one last look at her lifeless form before forcing myself to turn away. Every step felt heavy, as though chains had been wrapped around my ankles, but I kept moving.

I needed to survive.

I started running again.

The cold wind whipped against my face as I pushed forward, my legs burning with each step. My breath came out in uneven gasps, my lungs screaming for air. The ground beneath my feet felt uneven, but I didn’t dare slow down.

I had barely been running for two minutes when a loud whistle suddenly cut through the air.

The sharp sound echoed across the garden, long and commanding.

Slowly, my steps faltered.

I stopped.

Around me, the chaos that had filled the place moments ago seemed to die down, leaving behind an eerie silence. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to catch my breath.

The whistle…My mind slowly pieced it together.

I guessed the ten persons they needed had survived.

The realization made my stomach twist.

My eyes moved across the garden.

Bodies.

They were everywhere.

Young ladies lay sprawled across the ground in unnatural positions, their clothes soaked in blood, arrows still embedded deep in their chests. Some stared lifelessly at the sky, their eyes wide and empty. Others lay face-down in the grass, unmoving.

The air smelled faintly of iron.

My hands clenched tightly at my sides, my nails digging into my palms.

The wolves will pay for this.

The thought burned inside my chest like fire.

My gaze shifted again, searching through the remaining survivors.

Laura stood not too far away.

Her face was a total mess right now. Dirt smeared across her cheeks, and her hair was tangled wildly around her face. Tear tracks cut through the dust on her skin, and her eyes looked swollen and hollow.

She looked just as broken as I felt.

Before anyone could speak, a cold voice rang out across the field.

“A straight line.”

Ronald.

His tone carried authority, sharp and emotionless.

Immediately, the few of us who had survived began moving. None of us dared to hesitate. We silently walked toward the front, forming a single file just as he commanded.

Ten of us.

Only ten.

I stood stiffly in the line, my body still trembling faintly. My clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin, damp with sweat and streaked with blood that wasn’t entirely mine.

My gaze remained forward, but I could feel their eyes on us.

Watching.

Judging.

“You survived.”

The voice came from the side.

Scott.

A scoff followed his words, low and mocking.

I barely had time to react before he stepped closer. His hand suddenly shot forward, grabbing my chin roughly. His fingers dug into my skin as he forced my face upward.

Pain shot through my jaw.

He tilted my head from side to side, studying my face like I was some object being inspected.

His gaze moved slowly over my features, calculating.

Then he released me just as roughly, tossing my chin to the side as if I were nothing more than trash.

“Not bad… at least…” he drawled lazily. His lips curled into a faint, cruel smirk. “…there are no laughter in your mouth.”

For a brief second, there was silence.

Then Seth and Sage burst out laughing behind him.

Their laughter echoed loudly through the garden, sharp and mocking, bouncing off the cold stone walls surrounding the field.

The sound grated against my ears.

But I said nothing.

I simply stood there in the line, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white, the burning hatred inside my chest growing stronger with every second.

““She seems to be a tough one.”

Sage’s voice cut through the tense silence, calm yet laced with amusement. His eyes lingered on me with unsettling interest, as though he had just discovered something entertaining.

Before I could react, Seth stepped forward. His lips curled into a cruel smile as his gaze locked onto mine.

“You just got lucky, pathetic human,” he said coldly.

His words dripped with disdain, every syllable meant to humiliate.

“I had aimed directly at you.”

My stomach tightened at the casual way he admitted it.

His expression darkened slightly as he tilted his head, studying me like prey that had somehow escaped the hunter’s blade.

“Your weak human friend helped you,” he continued slowly.

The mention of Lily sent a sharp ache through my chest, but I refused to let it show on my face.

Seth’s smile widened, clearly enjoying the tension.

“If not,” he went on, his voice turning almost mocking, “you would have been among the bodies lying here.”

His hand gestured lazily toward the blood-soaked garden behind us, where lifeless humans still littered the ground like discarded objects.

Before I could even react, he leaned forward slightly and spat.

The warm liquid struck my cheek.

For a split second, my entire body froze.

Humiliation burned through my veins like acid.

My hands trembled slightly at my sides, my fingers curling tightly into fists. Every instinct inside me screamed to wipe it off, to fight back, to scream in his face.

But I didn’t move.

I simply stood there, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

Seth didn’t wait for any reaction.

He had already lost interest.

With a careless wave of his hand, he signalled to Ronald.

“Take them away.”

His voice carried the tone of someone dismissing worthless objects.

Without a word, Ronald turned slightly, indicating for us to follow.

The survivors began to move immediately.

No one dared to disobey.

We turned in unison and started walking away from the horrifying field, our steps slow and stiff. The air still carried the metallic scent of blood, and the weight of everything that had just happened pressed heavily against my chest.

I had barely taken three steps when a loud voice suddenly echoed across the garden.

“Wait!” Sage’s voice thundered through the air.

Every single one of us froze instantly.

Even Ronald stopped mid-step.

For a moment, the entire place fell silent again.

Sage stepped forward slowly, his gaze fixed on us as though reconsidering something. “I don’t think there is any need for further assessment,” he said thoughtfully.

His eyes scanned the line of survivors before settling on me. Then he raised his hand and pointed directly at me.

“You.”

My heart pounded heavily in my chest as all attention shifted toward me.

“She is perfect to serve us,” Sage continued, a sly smirk slowly formed on his face, the kind that made my skin crawl.

“Exactly.” Scott’s voice joined in. “I like the fire burning in her eyes.”

His gaze locked onto mine with unsettling satisfaction, as though he had just confirmed something.

“She definitely could kill for us once she becomes our loyal dog,” he added casually.

The words struck me like a slap. My chest rose and fell rapidly, anger surging violently through my veins.

But I remained silent.

I had learned quickly that showing weakness here would only entertain them more.

“Sage’s perception has always been strong,” Seth said with a shrug, then he glanced toward Ronald. “So Ronald, take her.”

His tone was final.

“She is to resume duty immediately.”

A brief pause followed before he added the words that made my stomach twist.

“She is our personal maid from henceforth.”

The declaration hung in the air like a chain being locked around my neck.

My nails dug painfully into my palms.

“As for the rest,” Scott continued, barely sparing them a glance, “distribute them randomly.”

His voice carried absolute authority.

There was no room for argument.

No room for mercy.

With that, Scott turned his back instantly, already done with the matter as if the decision meant nothing.

His brothers followed suit without hesitation.

Within seconds, the three of them were already walking away, as though none of this mattered, as though we were nothing.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, my breathing uneven as the anger inside me continued to burn fiercely.

The triplets stood tall in their arrogance, convinced of their absolute power.

To them, this was nothing more than control, domination and ownership.

But what they didn’t know…What they had absolutely no idea about…Was that in their arrogance, they had just made the greatest mistake of their lives.

They believed they had chosen a servant.

A loyal dog.

But the truth was far more dangerous.

Without realizing it, the Alpha triplets had just chosen the very thing that would one day destroy them.