XavierFor the most part, the slave girl had been entirely emotionless. From the moment I spotted her in the shop, she wore only one look on her face—a calm, submissive expression, which sometimes shifted with fear. But otherwise, remained still and unmoving.Now, for the first time, something else shown on her face.It wasn’t quite a smile, but a semblance of something close. A flutter of excitement, or perhaps surprise.Hope. That was the look she wore. A look of hope. How refreshing.“I-I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked.She was skittish. A stray, seeking help, but too timid to approach all the way. I wanted to reach for her, but I couldn’t allow myself to scare her off.She stammered. “I—You said I…”“You’ll be free,” I assured her.The unsure expression on her face pulled a chuckle out of me. This one was different. She was smart and in control of her emotions. But somewhere beneath her calm was a raging storm. She had a temper; I could smell it. And I could smell the grief
ValerieFor breakfast, we sat at the long dining table. Once again. Lucas sat on one side while I sat beside the Alpha on the other. The only difference now was that Lucas’s pet hadn’t shown up.I wondered where she was. Had she left last night?Her presence, from what I had noticed, had entirely vanished.For dinner the night before, the Alpha and I had sat at a completely different table to eat. It was a much smaller room, with much more comfortable chairs. I wondered why we didn’t eat there again. Was it Lucas’s presence that brought us to this table?I liked the other room much better.I could hear my own thoughts there.Breakfast, however, was just as marvelous as always. Smells wafted from the table and roused a hunger in me I didn’t know I had. Not just savory meats and side dishes this time, but desserts as well—fresh baked bread and cookies and cakes.I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had cake.And then, goodness, the fruits! Fresh fruit littered about, sliced elegantly i
ValerieI was escorted back to the Alpha’s room once he’d left. The servant who accompanied me was aloof and cold. He sat not a word as he led me to the room, and not a word as he left me there at the door.I was beginning to feel like none of the servants really liked me. I could understand why, what with all the special treatment I’d been given, but it wasn’t as if I’d asked for any of it. It wasn’t my fault that I’d been selected by the Alpha for whatever this insane undercover mission was. If anything, I had hoped to make friends with some of these people. Why did it feel as if I was so below them?I did my best to greet them when they came to clean the room or to bring me water or tea from the kitchen. I waved when I passed them in the halls, and I made sure to thank them every time I needed their assistance with something. But still, they loathed me. Probably due to all of the privileges I’d been granted. I was allowed to use any facility I wanted in the castle. I was treated m
ValerieHer pack?No way. Samantha was a wolf?She wasn’t like any werewolf I had ever met before. She wasn’t tall and muscular, she wasn’t physically imposing or dangerous-looking. She was…tiny.Samantha laughed at the expression on my face. I must have been making an obvious one.“If you’re wondering, no. I’m not human. I’m a werewolf, just like our Alpha.”“But you don’t…” I didn’t know how to say this without coming across the wrong way. I swallowed. “You don’t look like…”“I look like a human, right?” she asked. “I’m an Omega. We’re much…smaller. I’m sure it’s easy to mistake me for a human, so don’t worry about it.”An Omega. I stifled a gasp. It hadn’t been polite to ask, but I couldn’t help it. I knew the wolf society had a very strict pecking order when it came to their hierarchy. I knew Omegas were at the bottom of that hierarchy, but I had no idea they looked so…human.“I’m guessing you want to know why I’m here,” Samantha said. She wore a warm smile that made me feel a lit
ValerieMy heart ached for Samantha. Even I—as a slave—had been given the opportunity for freedom. The life of a slave was not an easy one, but I had been torn from my family, not banished by them. That was entirely different. Even if Samantha had been given the opportunity, any chance at actually living her life free and in peace would be squelched the moment she approached another wolf.I wanted to ask if she’d ever thought about escaping to the North. But I worried it was another stupid question that would simply put a damper on an already-dark conversation.And anyway, who was I to talk? I wanted freedom so badly, but what were my chances of surviving in the wild, too? I was even more of a target as a human than Samantha was as a rogue. The only difference was that I would be scooped up off the streets and stuck back in a slave shop if anyone spotted me.That sounded even worse than being imprisoned or killed.I felt a grim and uneasy thought sweep over me. Would it even be possib
ValerieI regretted my snooping the moment I had to seat myself in front of Lucas for lunch. I hadn’t meant to spy on him anyway, I was just curious. And then…confused. Why had he kissed a statue?But I couldn’t bring myself to ask, nor could I explain myself. Why had I been watching from the window, anyway? What kind of intention did he think I had?I had done everything I could to avoid him—even asking the servants if I could eat at the other dining room. The servants claimed the other rooms were currently occupied, though I doubted it. Lucas and I were the only ones here, and I had just dined in the other room nights before. I had a feeling they only wanted to make my stay here as excruciating as possible.It was understandable. I didn’t blame them.They had watched their master haul a new servant home, only to find out I would be sitting at their large tables eating their fancy food and bathing in their luxurious tubs and sleeping in the Alpha’s bed.I would probably hate me, too
ValerieI followed Lucas out into the garden, where the air carried the smell of fresh roses and fertile soil. I hadn’t seen a flower in ages—not a real one, at least. Werewolves were not typically fans of flowers, or any plant with an overwhelming smell, really. Their noses were far too sensitive.Occasionally, the aunts would bring in fake flowers for certain sales events, to give the shop a bit of a homier feeling. They said the sight of them would evoke thoughts and feelings from the patrons—thoughts and feelings that would eventually end in a purchase. But it never felt quite the same, and the only thoughts they ever evoked from me were the ones of my mother’s garden. How desperately I wished I was standing in it. Smelling the sweet, floral aroma.But here, the smells circled around us anew with every breeze of air. The sweet, heavy scent of roses wrapped me like a warm blanket. It brought me right back to that lovely garden, and the flowers she used to growing in it when we were
Valerie It wasn’t until a cool breeze swept by, that the spell my memories had on me was broken. I was no longer in the study with Mathilda. Instead, I was awake again, staring into Chelsea’s eyes. “What do you know of Cearysal?” Lucas asked. I had almost forgotten he was there. I flushed a little and took me hand away from the statue. I shouldn’t have touched her. That wasn’t becoming of a slave. “Not very much, Lord Lane,” I admitted. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t interested—just that the tome did not hold much information about the empire. “There isn’t a lot of information out there for us…humans,” I explained. “I know only that the empire collapsed in just half a century. But I don’t know why. No one knows why. And no one knows what happened to the king and the princess.” Lucas smirked, looking somewhat satisfied by my answer. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “Your history stories seem to be so selective. As if the fine details were plucked out and replaced with fairy tales. The