Chapter 13 Waiting for her death
I stepped inside the room, the door clicking shut behind me.The bed was narrow and uninviting.
Both girls were already there, waiting. The one with the smeared eyeliner was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a cigarette between her fingers, smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling. She didn’t say a word, just stared at me.
The other girl stood by the small dresser, holding a folded set of clothes.
"Get your clothes," the girl by the dresser said flatly, tossing the folded bundle onto the bed without even looking at me.
I didn’t move right away. My feet felt glued to the floor.
“What are you waiting for?” the one on the floor muttered, flicking ash into an empty glass. “You think anyone’s going to save you? Change. The Madam doesn’t like disobedient ones.”
I swallowed hard, glancing between them.
With trembling fingers, I picked up the clothes.
The fabric slipped through my fingers, light and thin. My stomach sank when I realized what kind of clothes they were, a short, sheer dress barely long enough to cover me and a thin slip of fabric that could hardly be called undergarments.
My hands clenched around the bundle. “I’m not wearing this,” I said before I could stop myself. My voice came out smaller than I intended, but firm enough to earn both their attention.
The girl on the floor raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. “Oh? You think you have a choice?” she asked, exhaling another stream of smoke that drifted lazily between us.
The one by the dresser laughed under her breath, a cruel, humorless sound. “Sweetheart,” she said, leaning against the wood, “you’re lucky the Alpha even let you breathe this long. If the Madam hears you’re refusing, she’ll make sure you regret it.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered, though my heart was thundering in my chest. “I’m not putting this on.”
The girl on the floor stubbed out her cigarette and stood, her smile fading into something colder. “Then maybe you should pray he kills you quickly tonight,” she said quietly. “Because if he changes his mind… you’ll wish you’d done what you were told.”
Just as she was done warning me, the door burst open.
A third girl stepped in, her breath quick and her cheeks flushed as if she’d been running. “They’re calling everyone downstairs,” she said sharply, glancing around. “The party’s starting, Madam wants all of you there now.”
The two girls exchanged a look, annoyance flickering in their eyes.
“Already?” the one with smeared eyeliner muttered. “He’s not even here yet.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the newcomer said, rolling her eyes. “She said if you’re late again, she’ll throw you to the guards herself.”
That was enough. The girl at the dresser snatched up her coat, muttering something under her breath. “Lucky you,” she said to me as she passed, brushing my shoulder with deliberate force. “We’ll see how long that mouth of yours lasts.”
The one with the cigarette followed, giving me one last cold smirk before she slammed the door behind them.
For a moment, the room fell into a heavy silence again. I exhaled shakily, not realizing I’d been holding my breath.
“You can relax now,” The third girl spoke.
“This is my room,” she said evenly. “Not theirs.”
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
"Don’t touch anything that’s not yours, don’t move my things, and we’ll get along fine.”
Her tone wasn’t cruel, just… tired.
“I—okay,” I murmured.
“Good.” She walked past me, opened the small drawer, and began pulling out her own things. “The Madam’s rules are simple, stay quiet, do what you’re told, and try not to get noticed. The ones who get noticed usually disappear.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Without another word, she grabbed a small tin from the dresser and went into the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the folded dress still sitting on the bed.
I stared at the clothes for a long moment until when I recalled the Alpha's words.
My death was pending.
The thought made my stomach twist. I sank down onto the edge of the bed, the thin mattress creaking under my weight.
The bathroom door creaked open behind me. I turned slightly as the third girl stepped out, wiping her hands on a towel. She’d changed into something far flashier, a sparkling silver dress that clung to her figure, her lips painted blood-red. Her eyes met mine in the mirror’s reflection before she spoke.
“Tell me about yourself,” she said casually, setting down the towel. “I heard you fought with Rinna, and you disobeyed Alpha again.” Her tone wasn’t curious, like she was trying to figure out if I was some kind of threat, or just another lost cause sent here to die.
I looked away, my jaw tightening. “It’s all useless,” I said flatly
“Suit yourself,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Doesn’t matter anyway. You won’t last long here, we all want Rinna to be our luna.”
She grabbed a tiny purse from the dresser and headed for the door.
“Good luck,” she said without turning around, her tone dripping with irony. “You’ll need it.”
And then she was gone, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I just rested my head down but I didn't want to close my eyes.
Anything could happen if I slept.
My mind kept replaying everything. The Alpha’s words. I wanted to see how it would take before Alpha Kael came for my life.
The clock on the wall ticked softly, each second scraping against my nerves. The faint music from downstairs rose and fell, laughter mixing with the low pulse of drums. It sounded distant, like a world I didn’t belong to.
I just stayed still, eyes wide open in the dark.
Waiting.
For footsteps.
For the lock to turn.
For him.