I love him

Stella stood outside alone with only a piece of her maid's uniform on, sweat running down her fragile body and dripping onto the floor.

It was the middle of the night, and the harsh night breeze was an even greater enemy to Stella at this point.

After she had embarrassed the royal family in front of Alpha Sterling and made Luna Emilia look like a fool, Stella's punishment that night was to clean the entire Gammas' Quarters. That was what she had been doing, and when she was done, she also had to spend the night outside the mansion until Luna Emilia gave her permission to return inside.

The gammas keeping watch over the mansion also watched Stella carefully to make sure she never took a step away from the spot where Luna Emilia had instructed her to stand.

Stella was like one of the living dead at this point, but she kept standing. She was used to it; pain had become her essence. Stella couldn't feel any part of her body, but just as if the Moon Goddess had finally taken notice of her, Charlotte suddenly came out of the mansion.

"Your punishment is over," Charlotte said grumpily, as though she had been disturbed from her sleep just to bring Stella the news.

Stella remained standing there. She wanted to rush into the mansion and collapse onto her tiny mattress, but it felt as though she would lose a leg if she moved.

"Alpha instructed that you come into the mansion and rest. I wonder who spoke to him on your behalf. It's not as though you deserve such kindness," Charlotte said cruelly, without the slightest sympathy, before walking back into the mansion and closing the door behind her, leaving Stella alone in the quiet courtyard.

Stella remained standing, her eyes locking with the grey eyes of the dark silhouette watching her from the mansion balcony.

She could still make out his face despite the darkness. It was the Alpha of the Midnight Pack, and he had watched everything they had done to her without saying a word. Could he be the one who had ended her punishment?

Sterling had been standing there all night, even sending his beta to keep an eye on Stella.

It was from his beta that he learned she had been ordered to clean the Gammas' Quarters in the middle of the night. To Sterling, the punishment made no sense. She was a woman.

He immediately sent word instructing them to stop her punishment, but unfortunately for Stella, she had already begun cleaning long ago.

After Sterling left the dining hall, he had been restless the entire evening, so much that even his beta noticed and asked what was wrong.

He had opened up to his beta, telling him how he felt, and his beta confirmed that Stella was truly his mate. His beta was shocked, while Sterling was confused as to why he even had a mate. It wasn't as though he needed one. His life was far too dangerous to involve a woman.

Sterling sighed before finally breaking eye contact with the woman staring up at him, then turned and walked into his room.

It was only after he disappeared that Stella snapped out of whatever trance his eyes had placed her in. She shook her head, confused about why she had been standing there staring into the darkness, when someone's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss, it's cold outside. Come in," a man with brown hair said from the corner of the mansion.

Stella turned toward the shadows where he stood and recognized that he wasn't from her pack. He must have belonged to the Midnight Pack.

Stella offered him a small smile before hobbling into the mansion, heading toward the maids' quarters where she would sleep.

Luca watched until she disappeared from sight before entering the mansion himself to let Sterling know she was safe.

Carefully pushing open the door to her room, Stella stepped inside, her eyes scanning the cold, dark room that contained nothing but a tiny broken window.

She shivered from the cold before walking over to where she usually kept her candles so she could light it. She had spent most of the day scrubbing toilets, and all she felt now was exhaustion and cold. Even her fingers had turned white.

The gammas and the other maids had electricity in their rooms. Stella alone was forced to use candles.

Weren't they afraid she might accidentally burn down the mansion, just as she had burned down her parents?

But before Stella could even strike a match, she turned when she felt someone's cold gaze on her.

"Stella," Vivian called sweetly, slowly clapping her hands in the darkness while Stella struggled to make out her figure.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't be here at this time of the night. You might catch a cold," Stella said after recognizing Vivian. Then she turned back to continue lighting her candle.

"I don't catch colds. I'm not as weak as you are, Stella. I'm the soon-to-be wife of Alpha Sterling," Vivian snapped, sounding offended.

"So what else do you need? I accepted Luna's punishment outside, and Alpha permitted me to come inside," Stella said innocently, completely unaware of Vivian's evil intentions.

Stella hissed in pain when Vivian suddenly stepped on her hand.

"What are you doing—"

"I'll start with those fingers you used to touch and bewitch Alpha Sterling. He told my father to stop your punishment. How dare you bewitch him!" Vivian screamed, interrupting Stella before putting her full weight onto Stella's fingers.

Stella cried out, struggling to pull her hand away, but Charlotte rushed into the room and covered her mouth. They had planned this together.

"Shut up. I'm not done with you yet," Vivian shrieked, irritated by Stella's cries for help, while continuing to grind her foot against Stella's hand.

After she was done, Vivian finally stepped away. Yet she still didn't look satisfied. Charlotte kept her hand firmly over Stella's mouth so no one would hear her screams.

"Vivian, please let me go. I don't even know who you're talking about," Stella begged, though her words came out as broken sobs. She was too exhausted to fight back after spending hours scrubbing floors.

"You purposely fell into him to get his attention, you slut!" Vivian screamed like a madwoman before bursting into tears.

"But you were the one who made me trip!" Stella shouted back, only to choke when Charlotte suddenly slapped her across the face.

"You were supposed to fall on the floor, not on him! I love Sterling. You don't get to take him away from me!" Vivian cried hysterically.

Stella stared at her in confusion. Why was Vivian acting as though she wanted the rumored cruel Alpha? Stella didn't even know the man. Why would she ever want to take him away from Vivian?

"I swear I have nothing to do with this," Stella pleaded, tears clouding her vision as she desperately hoped Vivian would believe her.

Before she could finish speaking, Charlotte slammed her head against the wall.

The impact was so violent that Stella immediately felt her consciousness slipping away.

"You'll kill her," Vivian whispered, covering her mouth in shock.

"You're too kind, Vivian. Let me deal with her for you," Charlotte replied while Stella slumped against her tiny mattress, blood running down her forehead.

"Father said no one should kill her," Vivian reminded her, but Charlotte let out a cruel laugh.

"Of course I won't kill her. I still wonder why your parents insist on keeping her alive."

She glanced at Stella, whose body remained motionless on the floor, though her eyelids fluttered enough to prove she was still alive.

"She's useless," Vivian scoffed, folding her arms before turning and walking out of the freezing room.

Deep down, she wondered how anyone could survive in a place like this. It had to be the coldest room in the entire mansion.

Although Vivian already had everything including the life Stella should have lived, it still wasn't enough to stop her from envying Stella.

The moment Vivian left, Charlotte continued the beating, punching and kicking Stella over and over again.

Not once did Stella fight back.

When Charlotte finally grew tired, she walked out, abandoning Stella to her fate.

Stella could only whimper on the floor, unable to move. Every part of her body hurt.

"Stella! Wake up this instant!"

The loud voice from the doorway jerked Stella back to full consciousness.

She had only drifted into a light sleep while thinking about her miserable life. Stella knew she couldn't continue living this way.

She had to leave this place.

"I'm awake," She whispered weakly, barely able to make out the figure standing in her doorway.

"Room Ten needs immediate service," the person ordered before slamming the door shut. Their footsteps echoed as they walked away.

"Okay," Stella whispered, wiping her runny nose with the back of her hand before forcing herself to stand.

Walking was almost impossible after the brutal beating, but Stella still managed to pull herself up. She picked up one of her worn-out cloaks and staggered out of the room.

She walked barefoot toward the Alpha's quarters, the cold marble floor feeling like thousands of needles piercing her feet.

The hallway was silent. Everyone appeared to be asleep except for the few gammas standing guard outside one particular room.

That wasn't the room she had been assigned to, but Stella didn't care.

She knew exactly who was inside.

And he was the only person who could help her escape this place alive.

The gammas shot her cold glances as she approached, and Stella immediately recognized that they belonged to Alpha Sterling.

"Take off your cloak," one of them ordered.

Still shivering, Stella obeyed without protest.

After recognizing her as the maid their Alpha had shown mercy to earlier, they stepped aside and allowed her inside.

At this point, Stella no longer cared about the consequences.

All she wanted was to survive.

She hadn't expected gaining access to Alpha Sterling to be this easy.