Chapter Eleven

I followed closely behind Matilda as she made her way in quick brisk steps through the corridors and down the stairs before cornering toward a long hallway. We passed by a few people and I couldn't help but notice their gaping stares knowing now that they hated my father and wanted me dead, according to Rowan, a feeling of unease settled itself in the pits of my stomach.

We entered a bustling kitchen where the aroma of cooking meat and fresh herbs filled the air. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday but I didn't need to be told that nobody cared about that.

The other servants stopped what they'd been doing as soon as I stepped in behind Matilda and not a single one of them bothered to hide their blatant state or the disdain it held.

“Get back to your work!” Matilda roared at them and instantly, they returned to what they'd been doing but this time other than the sounds of knives chopping and pots being stirred, silence filled the air

Matilda turned to me. “You are on kitchen duty and your first task is to wash these dishes.” She gestured to a mountain of dirty plates and utensils. “Make sure they're spotless. Moving forward, you'll be awake at dawn and be in the kitchen to assist with cooking breakfast, you'll wash the dishes and meet Marcellus, who's in charge of cleaning and you'll be assigned the floors you are to clean. For afternoons, you'll do laundry and run errands, and by evening, I expect to be back in the kitchen for dinner preparation and you'll serve dinner to the Alpha and the rest of the members who have dinner with him. Is that understood?”

A sense of fear wrapped around me at what she'd said and I felt my eyes widen at every word she spoke. She couldn't be serious, right? But when I looked into her unsmiling, impatient eyes, I could tell the last thing a woman like Matilda would do was tell a joke, much less one directed at me. The woman was serious, I was to do all of the tasks she’d just mentioned.

“How…” the question I wanted to ask stuck in my throat, too heavy to make its way out.

“You can choose to throw a tantrum like a child and shift yet again, destroying everything or you can shut your mouth up and get to work. The choice is yours but remember your actions are not without consequences. Get to work!”

With that, she marched out of the kitchen leaving me alone with the rest of the servants who began whispering among themselves and sneaking glances at me unabashedly. It was obvious they were gossiping about me but from the hate they had for my father, to my status as a stranger, to the tattered clothes I wore, it was hard to figure out what exactly they were saying.

I shut my eyes briefly before opening them back again and with that, I moved toward the stacks of plates and got started with them even though I'd never in my life had to do the dishes.

It was harder than I thought. I spent what seemed like endless hours washing them, food crumbs from last night had hardened on the plates and refused to wash off despite my efforts. Frustration marred my face and I focused as hard as I could on the task before me ignoring the snide remarks and giggles from the other servants as they ate and laughed merrily.

The food was ready and nobody bothered to offer me any and as the minutes passed, the hunger continued to bite into my stomach and made doing anything possible. I was hungry and fatigued and my wolf had become restless.

“Here you go,” Someone said, passing me a plate of plain rice, boiled potatoes, and roasted meat. I looked up and my eyes met the pitiful ones of another servant.

She had a small, petite frame, and her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail framed her heart-shaped face. Her skin was smooth and pale, with a smattering of freckles across her face. I gladly took the plate from her slender hands.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

She gave me a soft smile. “You're welcome,” she paused. “I am Ada,”

I nodded and with that she slunk off, returning to her duties and getting lost in the vast kitchen. I paused to eat, digging into my food hungrily, barely stopping even as I felt myself almost choking. The hunger I felt stung my stomach.

As I ate, more plates were dropped into the existing stack and I had to swallow back tears. When I was done eating, I returned to washing the plates and I just resumed when Matilda returned.

“You are still on the dishes?” She asked, anger lacing the edges of her voice.

I tightened my fist on the sponge and murmured an apology.

“Leave that,” she barked irritatedly. “Ada, go with Scarlett to Marcellus and get started on cleaning the rooms.”

Ada reappeared with a small nod and began to make her way out of the kitchen. I dropped the plate and went after her just as I heard Matilda reassign the dishes to someone else, I heaved a breath of relief.

Ada and I walked down the corridor and she glanced at me shyly. I could tell she was a quiet, introverted person and I wondered what her story was, what the story of every other person in the pack was.

“All of these must be hard for you seeing as your father is a Beta,” she said, breaking the silence.

I felt my hand form a fist at the memory of it, tears stung my eyes and I was barely able to fight them back.

“It's okay,” Ada said softly. “It'll take a while but you'll get used to things around here soon enough,”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“It was difficult for me too,” she admitted as we cornered into a hallway. “My father used to be a wealthy merchant and when he was killed, some men took us and tried to sell my siblings and me off. Alpha Rowan bought us.”

I turned to her sharply, shock infiltrating me. “What?”

She smiled. “He wants what’s best for us. You might not believe so but if he was going to hurt you because of your father’s…” and she kept quiet as though she’d said something she was never meant to have uttered.

I stopped. “Tell me!” I demanded.

“I’m afraid it is not my story to tell. I am only a servant,” she said just as the door opened and a huge man with graying hairs stepped out.