“Come, Sophia,” the head servant said, walking into the laundry room where me and three other servants were washing the clothes that we had been assigned to thrice every fortnight.
Usually, doing the laundry was the one job I disliked the most because of the harsh detergents we were forced to use—it burned the inside of our nails and made the skin on our fingers tender and easy to peel, but it was a favorite detergent of the family because of its lingering fine fragrance on clothes.
Unlike other days, today I focused on my task with a silly smile on my face, remembering the incident from earlier. I barely noticed the head servant until he repeated himself.
“Come with me!” he yelled, causing me to flinch.
The two other servants watched me with undisguised interest as I walked behind the head servant. I wasn't blinded to the fact that even though for years I’d been subjected to gossip and snide remarks from the rest of the servants due to the complex relationship I had with Alexander, it had intensified ever since Callan’s presence.
I thought I’d grown a thick skin to whatever anyone had to say about me, but recently, the snide remarks and looks were making me uncomfortable, and for the first time, I was giddy with anticipation at leaving this place behind and starting anew somewhere.
I had one condition I had yet to tell Callan about, but I didn't doubt he would be willing to accept it. It would be advantageous to both of us. I hated how the news about Callan and me had spread among everyone else like fire to grass, but I couldn't blame them. In a place like this and between us servants, every piece of information was newsworthy for buzz, and even though other than Leah I hadn't told anyone else, it was now a believed rumor.
“The Alpha and his guests have gone riding. You and the other girls will take snacks and drinks to them by the waterfall,” the head servant’s loud voice as usual resonated through the walls as we passed by the long hallway leading from the laundry room to the kitchen.
“Oh,” I said, my mind returning to my massive portion of the clothes I’d left behind that I hadn't even started on. I’d been to the pack’s waterfall once with Alexander, and it was quite the distance.
“I still have the clothes—”
He cut me off sharply. “You'll wash them when you return. Elena specifically asked that you join the other servants today.”
I stopped. “She did?”
I was left completely ignored when his hand yanked on the door handle, and he disappeared inside, leaving me to reel at the lingering impact of his words.
It made no sense that Elena had requested for me. I knew her well enough to know she was hardly ever up to any good— she was, after all, Alexander’s sister.
For a while, she hadn't had the time for anything else because she had been spending most of her days occupied with studying for her tests, but if she was going riding, I was guessing she was done, and I still had the memory of her declaring Callan as hers. Somehow, it left a bitter taste of uncertainty rolling down the back of my throat.
I pulled the door open and stepped in. The sight of the usual bluster that the kitchen seemed to always be in met me. The cooks moved with unrest, and the air was thick with the rich aroma of whatever was on the stove. The picnic baskets had already been prepared, and my eyes went to the two girls who were getting ready to leave for the waterfall. I felt a pang in my chest that neither of them was Leah.
I didn't think I was going to need her, but still, she did have a tendency to overreact, and I might just end up getting her into trouble for my sake like she always had. So instead, I focused on helping the head servant place the last pieces of sandwich into the basket.
“Be careful not to bring any attention to yourself when you get there,” he whispered to me with an undertone of worry that made my brow crease in confusion. Odell was known to be strict and difficult to please, but it was obvious that despite his rigorous dealings, he cared deeply about each of the servants under his supervision, and I was grateful for him.
“I won't,” I promised before heading out with Abigail and Eloise, each of us laden with two heavy picnic baskets.
The aroma from the basket made my stomach churn with hunger or nervousness—I couldn't decide—but I was leaning towards the first because it was almost midday, and I hadn't had breakfast yet.
We were only allowed two meals per day in accordance with Alexander’s rule: one by midday and the other in late evening. Hunger was a powerful tool to wield in getting people to do what needed to be done.
The silence in our trip was soon broken by the hearty laughter that reached us from up ahead. I could see the group of people that were gathered by the waterfall, settled in two groups on two different large mats, the horses tied a little farther from them by the large oak tree that stood out impressively in the area. A few warriors were scattered about and standing at alert.
I didn’t have to search for him. He was like I had thought him to be—the complete center of attraction wherever he found himself. His presence was authoritative enough to command the attention of everyone else around him as they seemingly faded into the background, listening raptly to what he was saying.
Elena was seated by his side, looking up to him in a way that made my guts twist with an unfamiliar feeling. I fought through it and kept my expression neutral as we reached them but not close enough to interrupt their ‘high society conversation’ with our substandard existence.
“Do we start serving them now or…?” Eloise asked, setting the picnic basket on the mini table set aside.
At her question, I reflexively glanced behind at the group to find Callan’s steady eyes on me. It was so unexpected and at the same time intense enough that I felt my breath hitch in my throat.
My pulse quickened.
My heart pounded faster, and I could feel the trail of fire from his gaze sending heat down my back, and still, I couldn’t break the contact.
“Ahem, Sophia,” Eloise said, shoving me in their direction. “Maybe you should go ask them.”