The Hunt and the Trap

The packhouse was a den of activities the following morning. Damon had planned a hunting trip in the large woods that enclosed his massive estate, and he was comfortably watching his men prepare.

Elena was hovering around nervously. She had no idea where to go exactly, or if she was supposed to speak at all. Damon barely looked at her as he adjusted the lace of his boots.

When he was done, he climbed onto the horse arranged for him and finally looked at Elena “Nyla, Lucia…make sure she’s settled in.”

“Of course, Alpha. We’ll take very good care of her.” Nyla said very sweetly.

Lucia, already sitting on a stool while she watched, smiled at him. “You can count on us.”

Elena on the other hand saw the two women exchange a strange look. She felt like saying something to Damon about it, but then she changed her mind. If she ever did something like that, it would mean that she was now indebted to him.

“We move out in ten minutes.” Damon finally announced to his men before looking at Elena again. “Stay put, and behave yourself.”

There was nothing like safety or assurance in his words, just a cold command.

By the time the hunting party finally departed, Elena held her breath and prepared for the worst. There was something about his farewell that made her uncomfortable, almost as if he had left her out in the midst of enemies and then expected her to survive.

And she wasn’t wrong.

The moment Damon and his men went out of sight, Nyla turned to Lucia in amusement.

“Shall we begin?”

Lucia was already on her feet and walking towards Elena with so much calm and composure. “You heard the Alpha, didn’t you? He asked us very nicely to help you settle in, and that's exactly what we’re going to do.”

“What does that mean?” Elena asked, looking straight into Lucia's eyes.

“It means,” Nyla purred wickedly, “that all the maids are dismissed for the day.”

Back inside, Lucia snapped her fingers and within moments, the handful of maids around who had been quietly dusting or sweeping, suddenly stopped and froze. They seemed quite confused, until Nyla's voice rang out in a commanding tone.“You’re all dismissed. Go home. Now.”

One of the older maids hesitated. “But… My lady, the chores…”

“Did I speak a foreign language?” Nyla’s tone was so harsh that the woman shrank back quickly. The maids hurried out through the side door, leaving Elena standing alone with them.

Nyla then continued in that devilishly calm voice of hers. “Apart from the rules you received during our last visit, you will also have to earn your keep in this house. So…congratulations, you're on cleaning duty today.”

Elena was shocked. “By myself? This place is huge!”

“Yes,” Nyla said, feigning innocence. “Is that a problem?”

“I… I’ve never cleaned a place like this alone. And I thought…”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Lucia grinned. “We'll be here to supervise and make sure you get it right.”

Nyla nodded in agreement. “You will be starting from the kitchens, then the grand hall, the bedrooms, and windows. Don't forget the laundry also, everything has to be perfect.

Elena’s pulse pounded in her ears. “Damon didn’t say…”

“Damon isn’t here,” Nyla cut in, the smile on her face suddenly turning into a cold stare. “And when the Alpha is away, we decide what happens in this house.”

By noon, Elena's arms were already aching badly from all the scrubbing she had been doing. Her hair was scattered, and she could feel the sweat on her forehead. Nyla and Lucia had been following her from room to room all day, strutting about like two queens, and always seeming to find something she missed just to make her do it again.

"This dresser still has dust on the side,” Nyla called towards Elena.

“It’s clean,” Elena muttered tiredly, angry at what she was doing.

“Is it?” Nyla walked casually to the dresser and then dragged her finger over the side. “Hm. Dust. Do it again.”

Lucia leaned against the doorway, arms folded. “She’s so slow. If Damon comes back and sees this mess…”

The mention of Damon’s name made Elena’s heart leap a few times. “If he knew you were doing this…”

“What?” Nyla mocked loudly. “Do you think he would come over and save you? Don’t flatter yourself kid, you're barely worthless to him…didn't you see the way he looked at you this morning?”

Lucia chuckled. “You’re nothing but a slave in this house, and it's only a matter of time before you're replaced.”

Elena ignored their words, channeling all her rage to finishing her tasks so that she could run away from the two women. Their plan was very obvious… They wanted a reaction. They wanted her to snap so they could run to Damon and twist the story. She wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

By the time she finally reached the grand hall, her knees were raw with pain, and her hands were red from the harsh soap. She could feel their eyes on her as she dragged the heavy mop across the floor.

Nyla’s voice sweetly floated to her again. “Careful, Elena. I'm sure you don't want to slip.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

Lucia, who was passing by, or pretending to be, suddenly kicked the edge of the bucket, sending water pouring across the floor. Elena was too slow to notice due to her tiredness, she stumbled into it. Her feet were swept from underneath her, sending the mop landing on her head.

Nyla and Lucia burst into a wild howl of laughter.

“Graceful,” she cooed, sweetly. “Damon must be so proud to have brought you here.”

Elena managed to push herself back to her feet, wanting to cry as the pain of the fall spread around her body, but she held back the tears.

The work wasn't the worst part, it was the continuous sinister presence of Nyla and Lucia. They did everything possible to make her work as difficult and annoying as possible. When she even took a moment to drink water, Nyla knocked the cup from her hand, pretending it was an accident.

And then there were the whispers about her as if she wasn't even there.

“Look at her,” Nyla murmured to Lucia as Elena scrubbed a stubborn stain from the carpet in the hall. “She probably thinks she has a chance of catching his eye.”

Lucia grinned. “We both know she’s not his type. Too… fragile. He likes women who can keep up.”

Elena kept her head down, her cheeks burning. But no matter how much she ignored them, their voices managed to pierce through her, pulling at her resolve.

Very late in the evening, Nyla finally surveyed the spotless hall with a satisfied nod. “Well, you have survived your first day.”

“Barely,” Lucia added with a smirk.

Elena straightened herself slowly, looking into their eyes for the first time in hours. “I hope you enjoyed yourselves.”

Nyla’s smile was sharp. “Oh, we did. And tomorrow? We’ll do it again.”

Before Elena could think about a response, Damon and his men returned from their hunting trip, carrying several deers and a bear.

Elena’s heart skipped. An unexpected feeling of relief seemed to rush over her, but Damon barely looked at her yet again as he walked past her.

“She’s been so helpful today,” Nyla said smoothly, slipping to his side. “We made sure she got a proper introduction to the house.”

Lucia’s smile was full of pure innocence. “She’s fitting right in.”

Damon nodded once, clearly satisfied. “Good. Keep it that way.”

And just like that, he moved on, discussing the hunt with one of his men, leaving Elena standing there…exhausted, humiliated, and painfully aware that he had no idea what had really happened.