Chapter 13 Chapter 13
Anya’s POV
Oh, gods, no. The entire pack, every servant, every guard... they would all be gossiping, whispering. The girl in the Alpha's bed.
My life here wasn't just in danger anymore; it was about to become a living hell... shit.
I slipped out of the room, keeping my head low, but I barely made it two steps before Carla was at my side, matching my frantic pace.
She leaned in, her voice a harsh, urgent whisper. "What the hell just happened? You... and the Alpha?"
I shook my head violently, my heart pounding. "No! Nothing happened between us! It's not like that."
"If it's 'not like that,' then tell me why you were in his bed?" She grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with disbelief. "And look! It's morning. You're alive. Doesn't he turn into an uncontrollable beast at midnight? How... how did you survive?"
"I don't know," I whispered, shivering. "I honestly have no idea..."
Carla opened her mouth to ask more, but a shadow fell over us. Madam Divina stood at the end of the hall, her face a mask of cold fury. She frowned deeply when her eyes landed on me.
"You," she barked. "Come with me, human."
Carla let out a shaky, terrified breath as she watched me go. I followed the Head Maid into the servant's quarters, my stomach twisting in knots.
The moment the door clicked shut, she spun around. I didn't even see her hand move.
Crack!
Her palm collided with my cheek with such force that my head snapped to the side. The room spun, and I tasted blood. I gasped, clutching my stinging face, stumbling back.
"How could you seduce the Alpha?!" she screamed, her composure shattering. "Do you really think a filthy human like you can tame him? Huh?!"
Before I could answer, she lunged. She grabbed a handful of my hair and dragged me toward the stone washbasin filled with water. "Let's wash that sin off you!"
She forced my head down, trying to shove my face into the water. I thrashed, panic rising, until the door burst open.
"Madam, stop! She didn't do anything wrong!"
It was Carla. She threw herself between us, prying Divina's hands off me.
I stared at her, stunned. She came for me. She was the only person in this hellhole who had ever tried to save me. Do I even deserve a friend like this?
Divina snarled and backhanded Carla across the face. Then she grabbed Carla’s hair and slapped her again, harder. Carla cried out but took the hits, refusing to move.
"Stop it!" I screamed. I found my footing and shoved Divina away, shielding Carla with my own body.
Divina stumbled back, breathless with rage. She glared at me, her eyes narrowing into slits. "How did you do that?"
I stepped back, trembling. "Do... do what?"
"How did you manage to get out of his chamber without a scratch?!" She advanced on me again, her voice dropping to a hiss. "What did you do to him? Are you a fucking witch?"
She grabbed the collar of my dress. "Let's see what marks you're hiding!"
"No!" I cried, trying to push her away, but she was too strong. With a violent rip, she tore my dress open, exposing my shoulder and chest to the room full of gasping servants.
Humiliation burned hotter than the slap. I tried to cover myself, tears springing to my eyes.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors slammed open, hitting the wall with a thunderous boom.
The room went dead silent.
Alpha Kai stood in the doorway. His presence filled the room, dark and suffocating. His eyes swept over the scene—Divina's raised hand, Carla cowering, and finally, me... standing there with my clothes torn, my skin exposed.
His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking visibly in his cheek.
"That's enough."
I stared at him, my eyes wide and frantic, blinking away hot tears. He crossed the distance between us in two long strides. Without a word, he shrugged off his heavy coat and draped it over my trembling shoulders, shielding my exposed skin from the prying eyes of the other servants.
His hand closed around my upper arm—firm, possessive—and he pulled me to my feet. He didn't look at me; his cold, lethal gaze was fixed entirely on Madam Divina, who was now trembling, the color draining from her face.
"She is my personal servant," he stated, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the silent room. "You will not lay a hand on her again. She is mine... to touch. Do you understand me?"
Madam Divina couldn't even look him in the eye. Her gaze flashed nervously to me, filled with fear and a lingering hatred, before dropping to the floor. "Y-Yes, Alpha."
He didn't wait for another word. He turned and steered me out of the room, his grip on my arm unyielding as he marched me down the corridor.
Only when we were far away from the servant's quarters did he stop. He spun me around to face him, his expression intense. His eyes scanned my face, narrowing as they landed on my swollen lip where Divina had struck me.
He reached out, his thumb gently brushing the split skin, coming away stained with a drop of red.
My breath hitched. I expected him to wipe it away. Instead, his eyes darkened, and he brought his thumb to his mouth. He licked the blood from his skin, savoring it with a disturbing familiarity.
I stumbled back, shock rippling through me. "W-What... what are you doing?!"
But before he could answer, the heavy sound of hooves on cobblestones echoed from the courtyard nearby.
We both turned toward the main gates. A massive figure was dismounting from a black warhorse. He was a giant of a man, broad-shouldered and muscular, radiating a dark, imposing energy.
He tossed his reins to a stable boy and strode toward us, his boots crunching heavily on the ground. He stopped a few feet away, and his predatory gaze slid past Kai to lock directly onto me. A slow, oily smile spread across his face.
"Alpha Kai..." he drawled, his voice thick. "I didn't know you kept such... pretty servants."