Chapter 6

I tried to hug her, but she winced at the attempt, so I released her and gently helped her sit on the bed. Her body was covered in a mosaic of cuts, inflicted by claws and knives, and I knew that those wounds would leave lasting scars, just like the ones I carried.

"I'm so sorry, Julia. I didn't realize that my actions would result in this," I apologized, tears streaming down my face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, brushing aside my apology. I wiped my tears, mustering a soft smile for her.

"This is my new room. A guard brought me here," I replied, and she furrowed her brow, a look of utter confusion crossing her face.

"Why is this your new room? You're married to Alpha Victor. Shouldn't you be staying in his house?" she queried, her voice filled with genuine bewilderment. I shrugged, at a loss for how to answer her probing questions.

"I don't think Alpha Victor acknowledges our marriage. He believes that Alpha Caleb sent me here to spy on him and the Pack. So, he won't treat me like a wife, but he also won't let me leave. I'm caught in this limbo, back to being an Omega," I explained with a bitter scoff, my brows furrowing.

"He's insane," she blurted out, and I nodded in agreement. I couldn't disagree with her. Victor was truly deranged, more of a maniac than an alpha. "Even if he doesn't want to accept you, does he have to degrade you to an Omega? What will people say if they find out that he reduced his own wife and the Luna of his pack to an Omega?"

"He's sending me a message, really. It's like he's saying, 'You belong here, don't dare to hope for more. Stay here, hide in the shadows, or else you're as good as dead. Nobody cares about an Omega. Nobody will care about you,'" I elaborated, my voice laced with bitterness and resentment. "He called me weak, pathetic, and wolfless—a disgrace unfit to be his wife or the Luna of his pack."

"He's a lunatic," Julia stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I mean, when I tried to escape through the window, that bastard pushed me off the building and reveled in it. And when I woke up, he actually expressed disappointment that I didn't die. That was the lowest of the low," I added, a shiver running down my spine at the memory.

Suddenly, a knock interrupted our conversation, and Julia muttered a "come in." The door swung open, revealing a plump woman with an imposing presence. She wasn't particularly tall, but her stature commanded attention. Her face, though pretty, lacked any hint of warmth or compassion.

"The two of you look like nothing but trouble, considering you've managed to get injured even before starting work," the woman pointed out, her disapproving gaze assessing both Julia and me.

" Who are you? " Julia asked, ignoring what the woman said. She turned to look at Julia, smiling pitifully as she eyed her from head to toe.

" You look like you're in pain. Just a little more time and you'll get used to it, " she assured, clasping her hands together.

" I am Sarah, the head of this place, " she introduced and my lips curved to form an ' o ', remembering what the guard said about Sarah coming to tell us what to do here.

" From tomorrow, you're to resume work. You will both be in the kitchen, tasked with cleaning, washing and serving. You are not allowed to cook or touch food ingredients unless given orders by the chefs there. You'll both serve the higher-ups during breakfast, lunch and dinner and also tend to all their needs, " she informed and we both nodded in understanding.

" For every complaint the higher-ups make against you, you'll be punished accordingly and if you make mistakes they aren't pleased with, they have every right to punish you in their own way. But it'll be avoided if you give them the respect they ask for and also try to understand each of their preferences, " she added.

" You can ask the other girls about the people you'll be serving and what you should expect from them. You must wake up at five every morning to assist in the kitchen before breakfast which starts at seven. You'll clean the kitchen and assist before lunch which is by two and do the same for dinner which is by eight. If you have any questions, direct them to me, though I believe that both of you should know how it is being done, " she said again and walked out of the room without waiting for our response.

Julia looked at me and I shrugged, not knowing what to say. This was our life now. No, it has always been our life, but this was a different thing entirely. I was now to serve the person who was supposed to be my husband, without letting anyone know I was actually married to him.

" We can do this, right? " I asked her and she nodded, smiling softly, though I could see the worry in her eyes. Who wouldn't be? This was so new to us. At least, we weren't scared of anything in the Moonfire Pack as we already knew everything about what they needed and what to expect from them. So, it wasn't much to a burden to us.

The door swung open once again, and the guard barged into the room. I clenched my fists, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes at his recurring rudeness. I longed to confront him about his incessant habit of entering without knocking, but the fear of provoking Victor and inviting further punishment held me back.

"The Alpha wants to see you in his office, right now," he ordered, his voice carrying a weight of authority. I turned to Julia, and our eyes met, silently exchanging a mixture of concern and apprehension.

' What does he want this time around? '