Chapter One

“How dare you?!”

The skin on the left side of my face felt the burning sting. It made my eyes water and my temples throbbed more painfully.

“I’m s-sorry. It was not intentional.”

I apologized in a broken, low voice that was trying not to produce a crying sound. My hand clutched the side of my face that had just received a painful hit.

“You slave, kneel!”

The Luna commanded and I did without hesitation. What had happened was an accident, it was not done intentionally but the Luna was glad to have seen an opportunity to punish me again. The tea I’d been asked to bring to the Beta’s daughter, Zaryn was now spilled on the young woman’s body, some had spilled to the floor. Even though I had apologized, Zaryn still raised a hand to my face. I was not usually this clumsy and the Luna knew it, but I’d been ill for the past two days and I was expected to do my duties even with the sickness.

“Look at my beautiful clothes, Luna. The clumsy maid has ruined it”

Zaryn whined angrily.

“I’m so sorry my darling.”

“What do I do?”

“Maybe you should go home and change it, then when you return, we’ll go ahead with our discussion.”

“Okay. Thankfully it’s not far, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Alright, my dear.”

Zaryn stood and uses her heels against the back of my bare feet as I knelt, I winced in pain but neither paid attention. I knew she had done that on purpose and the Luna had seen it. I blinked my eyes furiously to stop the tears from coming. I had been swamped with work for days, worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk and now I did one mistake. Mistake caused by an exhausted, sick body and I was been treated like some horrible servant. I should be used to this suffering by now. This life of strife and hardship, I should be used to it. 

Every other maid in the manor looked okay despite being a maid. But I looked like some destitute being on the brink of death. I was underfed and overworked, courtesy of the Luna and her son, the Alpha could care less. There were days when I missed my mother who had also received the same fate as I was receiving and had ended up dead. Sometimes, I fear that would someday become my fate too.

“Look at me, you useless girl”

I raised my forlorn expression to meet the Luna’s angry one. 

“Y-Yes L-luna?”

My pale, unhealthy body was on edge with nerves and fear.

“See what you did?” 

Her blue eyes bore into mine and the look in the made me shiver lightly.

“It was not intentional Luna. I’m sorry.”

My temples throbbed harder, my stomach churned slightly. My eyes were hot and I felt feverish but I dared not shiver before her. It would only make my situation worse.

She stretched her hand and slapped me again. I almost hit the floor from the force of it.

“You are going to pay for this.”

My heart skipped a million times hearing that. What punishment did she have for me? I pray I did not die from the exertion of it. I might be living a terrible life but that did not mean I wanted to die a terrible death and not so soon. I did not want to end up the way my mother had ended up.

“I-I’m sorry, Luna. It was a mistake please I beg you.”

Panic made the tears I’d been holding spring and stream down my face in torrents, momentarily blurring my vision for a bit in their haste to roll down my eyes.

“Shut up and get up on your feet, right now!”

She commanded. I was not as fast as I had been when she’d asked me to kneel. My whole body ran on pure antsiness, and shook badly partly as a result of it and partly as a result of the outbreak of the fever my body had been fighting. It took all of my will to steady myself for the lightheadedness that almost swept me off my feet when I raised myself and stood.

She head towards the door and I knew it was an unspoken command that I should follow her, I did. I wrung my hands and wiped at tears that kept falling. I followed her and was surprised when we passed the cell she usually had me locked in, even the empty dark room that she frequently threw me in for whenever she was displeased at me and wanted me beaten. We walked till we got out of the big manor and onto the grounds of the pack. I wondered where she was taking me to when I saw the large, expansive farmland workers were on.

“Now, that is your punishment?”

“I-I don’t u-understand Luna.”

I wiped tears again.

“What don’t you understand? Go there, right now and join them to work.”

“Please, Luna. Please. My body aches badly. Please, I beg of you Luna. Be kind enough to show mercy.”

Growling angrily, she gave me a hard knock on my forehead and pushed me till we got near to the farm.

“Norsan.”

She called out to a young guy who ran over to us as soon as he realized it was the Luna.

“Good day, Luna.”

He bowed.

“Yes, good day.” Then she pointed to me. “I want her to finish a large portion.”

I saw the guy’s gaze sweep to me in a quick manner and they settled back uncertainly on the Luna, and I understood what he was thinking. The far was off limits for women. It was considered a backbreaking work so female servants were not allowed to work on the farm, just the men.

“And why are you still standing there, Norsan?”

She gave him the stink eye.

“I’m sorry, Luna.” Then to me, he said. “Follow me.”

I tried one last time. “Please Luna. I’m sick.”

“Did you not hear him?”

Her glare was deadly.

Left with no other choice, I followed the young man into the farm. I was the only female here.

“I want her to have a big portion, Norsan.”

Luna called after him. There was a warning belying her statement.

“Yes, Luna.”

Oh my goodness! My shoulders slumped in hopeless resignation and more tears poured as Norsan allocated a portion to me.