Chapter 1 Wolfless - Amelia’s POV
The kitchen sink was cold against my raw hands as I scrubbed at the remnants of a meal I hadn't been allowed to eat. Water sloshed over a stack of plates, carrying away gravy and bits of meat—my stomach clenched at the sight of food being wasted when I'd had nothing but stale bread since yesterday morning. I glanced at the clock: 11:37 PM. The pack had finished their dinner hours ago, but the dishes were left for me. Always for me.
'You should eat some of it,' Kaela growled in my head. 'They won't notice. They never do.'
I shook my head slightly, careful not to make the movement too obvious in case anyone walked in. The cameras in the corners of the kitchen had been installed after I'd been caught stealing food once before. The memory of that punishment made the scars on my back prickle with phantom pain.
'It's not worth it,' I told her silently. 'Besides, it's cold now.'
'Better cold than starving,' she grumbled, her presence in my mind shifting restlessly like a caged animal. In many ways, that's exactly what she was.
A plate slipped through my fingers, clattering loudly against the metal sink. I froze, waiting for someone to burst in and accuse me of breaking pack property. When no one appeared, I exhaled slowly and reached for the next plate.
My fingers were red and cracked from the harsh cleaning chemicals, tiny cuts stinging with each new dish. The fancy soap Luna Elena insisted on using for the pack meals wasn't meant for bare hands, but no one had bothered to replace the rubber gloves after they'd worn through last month. I wasn't worth the expense.
'One day I'll tear their throats out,' Kaela snarled. 'Every last one of them.'
'You can't,' I reminded her, the familiar exchange as routine as the work itself. 'And even if you could, you wouldn't. You're not a killer.'
'The hell I'm not,' she shot back. 'I'm a wolf. It's in my nature. And they deserve it.'
I didn't argue. Some days I almost agreed with her. Not today, though. Today I was too tired, my body aching from scrubbing floors in the main hall before tackling these dishes. The broken rib on my left side throbbed dully, a constant reminder of a beating from three months ago that had never properly healed.
The kitchen door swung open, and I hunched my shoulders instinctively, making myself smaller. It was Ruby, carrying a tray of empty coffee mugs from the evening council meeting. Her eyes met mine briefly before dropping to the floor—the safe way to acknowledge another servant without drawing attention.
"Still at it?" she murmured, low enough that it wouldn't carry beyond the kitchen.
I nodded, watching as she set the tray down on the counter. Ruby had been born into service, but she carried herself with a quiet dignity I'd never mastered. Her hands were as rough as mine, but she moved with purpose, never wasting a motion.
"There's another meeting starting," she said, moving to the expensive coffee machine that only ranked pack members were allowed to touch. "Beta Dominic wanted fresh coffee."
My stomach knotted at the name. Beta Dominic was Alpha Marcus's right hand, cold and methodical in his cruelty. Where other pack members were chaotic in their abuse, he calculated exactly how much pain to inflict for maximum effect.
'Fucking asshole,' Kaela spat. 'One day I'll—'
'Please,' I cut her off. 'Not now.'
Ruby glanced at me, one eyebrow raised slightly. She thought I was daydreaming again—they all did. The wolfless girl talking to herself. If they only knew.
"You okay?" she asked, measuring coffee grounds with careful precision.
"Fine," I lied. "Just tired."
She nodded, understanding without needing details. "Save those leftovers in the blue containers, not the red ones. Luna Elena wants them separated."
I followed her gaze to the serving dishes I'd set aside. "Thanks for the warning."
The coffee machine hissed and gurgled, filling the kitchen with a rich aroma that made my empty stomach clench. Ruby and I worked in silence for a few minutes—me scraping food into containers, her preparing a tray with the fresh brew. It was as close to companionable as life got here.
The kitchen door swung open again. This time, my whole body went rigid.
Beta Dominic stood in the doorway, his frost-blue eyes sweeping over the kitchen. He wore the same clothes from earlier, dark jeans and a charcoal button-down that made him look more like a corporate executive than a werewolf enforcer. His dark hair was perfectly styled, except for that distinctive silver streak that somehow made him more intimidating.
"Is that coffee ready?" His voice was calm, almost pleasant, which only made my heart race faster.
Ruby straightened immediately. "Yes, sir. Just finished."
She picked up the tray with steady hands and turned toward him. I kept my head down, focusing on the containers I was filling, trying to become invisible. It nearly worked.
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Ruby took a step toward Dominic, who was still standing just inside the doorway. She didn't realize how close he was until she'd already started to extend the tray. Their proximity, the angle, the slight tremor in Ruby's arms—it was a disaster waiting to happen.
The tray tilted. Coffee sloshed over the rim of a mug, splashing across the front of Dominic's shirt.
Ruby froze, horror washing over her face. "I'm—I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't—I'll clean it up right away!"
The room went deadly silent. Even the hum of the refrigerator seemed to fade away.
'Move back,' Kaela warned me. 'Now.'
I obeyed instinctively, shrinking against the counter as Dominic looked down at his stained shirt. His expression hadn't changed, but something had shifted in his eyes—a coldness that dropped the temperature in the room by several degrees.
"I'm sorry," Ruby repeated, setting the tray down and grabbing a kitchen towel. "Please, sir, let me—"
Dominic's hand shot out so fast I barely saw it move. The crack of his palm against Ruby's face echoed like a gunshot. She stumbled backward, the towel falling from her hands as she hit the edge of the counter.
"Clumsy bitch," he said, his voice still eerily calm. "Do you have any idea how much this shirt cost?"
Ruby touched her cheek, where a red handprint was already forming. "I'm sorry, sir. It was an accident—"
The second blow knocked her to the floor. A small whimper escaped her lips as she curled in on herself, one arm raised defensively.
'Amelia, don't,' Kaela warned, sensing my thoughts before I'd fully formed them.
'I can't just watch,' I argued silently, even as fear froze me in place.
'Yes, you can. You have to.'
But Ruby looked up at me then, her gray eyes wide with pain and fear, and something inside me broke loose. I'd been in her position too many times. I knew what would happen next.
"Beta Dominic," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "It really was an accident."
His head swiveled toward me, as if noticing my presence for the first time. "What did you say, wolfless?"
The slur stung, as it always did, but I forced myself to step forward. "The tray was heavy, and you were standing close. Anyone could have spilled it."
'What the fuck are you doing?' Kaela snarled. 'Shut up!'
Dominic's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Are you telling me how to think, little nobody?"
"No, sir." My voice shook. "I just—she didn't mean to do it."