Serena's POV
The lead maid said nothing. Instead, she walked up to me, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at her. Her nails dug into my skin, making me wince in pain as she leaned in close. My nose flared as I caught a whiff of her foul breath.
“Listen carefully,” she sneered, a wicked smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “My name is Liana.”
Bitch. I rolled my eyes inwardly. I don’t give two shits what your name is. What I really want to know is why you punched me for no apparent reason. Of course, I kept this to myself. Frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to another slap.
She held my face tightly, her nails digging in even deeper. “I’m going to ask you some questions. You’re going to listen and answer. Got it? Because if you don’t, that little slap you got just now will feel like a love tap compared to what I’m about to do next.”
My jaw clenched. The sheer audacity! I swear, this was one of those times I wished I had a wolf. I wouldn’t have hesitated to tear that smug smile off her face with my claws. But for now, I had to stay calm—at least until I figured out a way to get out of this without another slap.
She leaned closer, and the whiff of her breath grew even more unbearable. “When the Alpha called you to the throne room, what did he tell you?”
Seriously? This was why she had to ambush and assault me? Well… it seems Lisa’s warnings weren’t just empty words. I just didn’t expect them to come this soon. Regardless, I would not let myself be bullied.
Defiance surged in me as I looked her dead in the eyes. I threw all caution to the wind as my lips curled into a smirk.
“Fuck off, Li…ana. That’s none of your business.”
To add salt to injury, I forced myself to spit in her face, making the other two maids gasp in shock.
Liana closed her eyes, wiping my spit off her face, and when she opened them, her dark brown eyes had turned into a brilliant amber. Her wolf was surfacing. Oh crap, what have I done?
“You’re going to regret that, you little worm,” she growled. Just as I started to process the fact that I’d just made a wolfed-out psycho maid even angrier, her right hand began to shift as well. Her bones popped, and her fingers elongated, turning into savage claws.
You know, maybe telling her off and spitting on her wasn’t exactly the best decision I’ve ever made.
Inwardly, I scrambled for an escape plan, any plan. But no ideas came—only a growing awareness that I was alone in a back alley with a wolfed-out psycho maid ready to carve me up.
Liana raised her clawed hand, her gaze locking onto mine, and the moment stretched as her hand hovered, ready to strike.
I sucked in a deep breath, bracing myself. I hadn’t even spent two days here, and this was how I was going to go out? The unfairness of it all!
Her claws began their descent, and I shut my eyes tightly, expecting my face to get torn up. But then, a firm voice cut through the silence.
“Enough!”
Liana’s hand froze mid-air. I opened my eyes, and we both turned our heads toward the direction of the voice. Standing at the end of the back corridor was a palace guard. He had an expression that screamed, What on earth is happening here?
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, stepping forward with the kind of confidence that came from years of experience. His gaze shifted from Liana to me, taking in the red mark on my cheek and the way her claws hovered inches from my face.
Liana growled, clenching her jaw, clearly reluctant to let go. But with a final glare in my direction, she dropped her hand, her claws retracting as she regained control.
“I was… having a conversation,” she muttered venomously.
“Like hell you were.” I rubbed my burning cheek, confidence returning as I glared back at her.
The guard raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “That didn’t look like a conversation to me. This is the palace, not a back-alley brawl. Return to your quarters. Now.”
Liana shot me one last look, promising this wasn’t over, before she reluctantly turned and stalked away, the other maids trailing after her. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
The guard watched them go, then turned to me. “You alright?”
I rolled my eyes, letting out a dry laugh. “Oh, you know, just peachy,” I replied sarcastically, rubbing the spot on my cheek where Liana’s slap had landed. “Who doesn’t enjoy getting slapped around by power-hungry maids?”
The guard raised a brow, clearly not expecting the sarcasm. I quickly forced a smile, trying to play it off. “But really… I’m fine. Thanks.”
He sighed, looking me over as if he could still see the faint marks from Liana’s claws, and nodded slowly. “Be careful,” he said, his tone a touch softer now. “It seems you’re new here. It would be wise if you stayed out of trouble with the older maids if you want to survive long…”
Alas, I wasn’t paying attention to his words. I almost drooled as I noticed how sharp his jawline looked in the moonlight, or how his eyes softened as he met my gaze. Moongoddess, this man is way too fine to be a guard.
I swallowed, feeling warmth creep into my cheeks for the second time that night. “Uh… thanks. I’ll try to keep that in mind,” I muttered, realizing my voice had turned a little too breathless.
There might have been a smile flickering on his lips. “You can go back to your quarters now. Try to stay out of trouble, alright?”
“Will do,” I replied, feeling a small, ridiculous flutter in my chest. And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me flustered and whoozy.
As soon as he was gone, I released a long breath, shaking my head at myself.
Get it together, Serena.