Chapter 66 066
Chapter 66
Thalia's POV
They came for us at dawn.
Two guards unlocked the cells and told us to follow them. My mother looked tired and defeated. Probably the same way I looked.
We were led upstairs to the main hall. The entire pack had gathered. At least a hundred wolves watching us like we were entertainment.
Varian stood at the front with Marcus beside him. On a table between them sat two metal collars.
My stomach turned. I'd heard about tracking collars but never seen them up close. They looked heavy and uncomfortable. Designed to mark us as wolves who couldn't be trusted.
"Thalia Winters and Elena Winters," Varian announced to the assembled pack. "You have both been found guilty of abandoning pack responsibilities. Today you accept the consequences of your actions and begin your reintegration into this pack."
"We didn't abandon anything," my mother muttered under her breath.
The guard next to her tightened his grip on her arm in warning.
Varian continued like he hadn't heard. "For the next year, you will wear these collars as symbols of your probationary status. They cannot be removed without pack authorization. They will track your location at all times and alert us if you attempt to leave pack territory."
He picked up one of the collars. "Step forward, Thalia."
I didn't move. Every instinct screamed at me to refuse. To run. To do anything except submit to this humiliation.
"Now," Varian ordered.
The guard pushed me forward. I stumbled but caught myself.
Varian held the collar open. "Kneel."
"No."
"Kneel or be forced to kneel. Your choice."
I looked around the hall. Saw people watching with a mixture of pity and satisfaction. Saw Shelly smiling like this was the best day of her life.
I knelt.
Varian placed the collar around my neck. It was cold and heavy. He locked it with a key and stepped back.
"You will wear this as a reminder of your place in this pack. As a reminder that defiance has consequences."
The collar felt like it was choking me even though it wasn't that tight. The weight of it pressed down on my shoulders.
"Elena, step forward."
My mother walked forward on her own. Didn't wait to be pushed. She knelt without being told.
Varian placed the second collar around her neck. Locked it. Stepped back.
"You are both now officially under probationary status. You will follow all pack rules without question. You will complete any work assignments given to you. You will report to the pack council weekly. Failure to comply will result in additional punishment. Do you understand?"
"Yes," my mother answered quietly.
Varian looked at me. "Thalia? Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Good. You're dismissed. Report to the work coordinator for your assignments."
The guards led us out of the hall. I could feel everyone's eyes on us. Could hear whispers starting as soon as we passed.
Outside, my mother touched her collar gingerly. "How are we supposed to live like this for a year?"
"One day at a time. That's all we can do."
The work coordinator was a woman named Margaret. She looked us over with clear distaste.
"You'll be assigned to kitchen duty," she informed us. "Preparing meals for the pack. Cleaning up after. You work from dawn until all tasks are complete. No breaks unless authorized."
"When do we eat?" my mother asked.
"After everyone else is served. You get what's left over."
"And where do we sleep?"
"Servants' quarters. Shared room. You'll have two beds and basic necessities. Nothing more."
She led us to the kitchen where three other wolves were already working. They looked up when we entered and their expressions ranged from curious to hostile.
"This is Thalia and Elena," Margaret announced. "They're on probation. Show them what needs doing."
One of the women, older with gray streaks in her hair, stepped forward. "I'm Sarah. You'll follow my instructions exactly. No shortcuts, no complaints. Understand?"
"Understood," I replied.
Sarah set us to work immediately. Peeling vegetables for the midday meal. My hands cramped within an hour but I didn't stop. Neither did my mother.
The collar rubbed against my neck. Every movement reminded me it was there. Reminded me I was being watched and tracked.
Around midday, Shelly walked into the kitchen.
"I wanted to see how our newest workers were adjusting," she announced cheerfully.
Sarah immediately straightened. "They're doing fine, Luna. No problems."
"Good. I'd hate to hear they were causing trouble already." Shelly walked over to where I was working. "That collar suits you, Thalia. Reminds you of your place."
I kept peeling vegetables. Didn't look up. Didn't respond.
"Nothing to say? How unlike you. Usually you're so quick to talk back."
"I'm working. Like I was told to do."
"See that you continue. And remember, I'll be watching. Any slip-up, any hint of defiance, and I'll make sure Varian extends your probation."
After she left, Sarah relaxed slightly. "Don't let her bait you. She wants you to mess up."
"I know."
"Then keep your head down and do the work. A year goes faster than you think."
But it didn't feel fast. The first day dragged on forever. By the time evening came, my hands were raw and my back ached from standing.
We ate after everyone else like Margaret had said. The leftover food was cold and sparse but we were too hungry to care.
The servants' quarters were exactly as basic as promised. Two narrow beds. One small window. A chest for belongings we didn't have.
My mother sat on her bed and touched the collar again. "I keep thinking I'll wake up and this will have been a nightmare."
"It's real. We're here. We have to deal with it."
"How? How do we deal with being treated like criminals in a pack we once belonged to?"
"We survive. We get through the year. And then we figure out what comes next."
"What if there is no next? What if Varian never really lets us go?"
"Then we'll handle that when it happens. But right now we focus on getting through today."
My mother lay down without bothering to change clothes. "I'm sorry I got you into this."
"You didn't get me into anything. I made my own choices."
"Choices I influenced. If I'd just stayed quiet when Varian exiled you—"
"Then I'd have faced this alone. I'm glad you came with me even if it ended up here."
She didn't respond. Within minutes she was asleep from exhaustion.
I lay on my own bed staring at the ceiling. The collar felt heavier than it had this morning. Like the weight was increasing with each hour.
One day down. Three hundred sixty-four to go.
I touched the metal around my neck. Cold. Unyielding. A physical reminder that I wasn't free. That Varian controlled where I could go and what I could do.
Tomorrow would be the same as today. Kitchen work. Following orders. Being watched and judged.
And the day after that. And the day after that.
A year of my life spent proving I could submit. Proving I'd learned not to challenge Alpha authority.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But the collar pressed against my throat and I couldn't get comfortable.
Eventually exhaustion won out and I drifted off.
I dreamed about Haven. About the brief time when I'd thought I might actually be free. When independence seemed possible instead of just a fantasy I'd been chasing.
When I woke up the next morning, reality crashed back immediately.
The collar. The servants' quarters. The knowledge that I had three hundred sixty-three more days of this ahead of me.
I got up and got ready for another day in the kitchen.
Because what else could I do?
Fighting would only make things worse. Running was impossible with the tracking collar.
All I could do was survive each day and hope that eventually this would end.
Hope that after a year, Varian would actually let us go like he'd promised.
Hope that we wouldn't lose ourselves completely in the process of proving we could obey.
But hope felt thin and fragile.
And the collar around my neck felt permanent.