4

~Brielle 

I woke up to a pair of blue eyes peering down at me. 

“Oh my,” I gasp, falling back into reality. I push away from the girl, only to realise she wasn’t alone. Three others surrounded my bed, staring down at me like a foreign object, one almost completely on my bed. I had to rub my eyes and remember where I was before I could understand what was going on. 

I’m in Ren’s estate. I made it safely to island, and I’ve been accepted into this place by someone who has been here for three years. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Unless these girls are planning to kick me out.

“What’s going on?” I question, when none of them say anything. 

Two of the girls exchange glances. One of them looks strikingly similar to Raven, with sleek long hair she has pulled back behind her with a band, however, her eyes are a soft green. She’s foreign to this Pack, and I can’t put my finger on where she might be from. Passion Pack, maybe? She has rather prominent features, with a straight pointed nose and a sharp jawline that only makes her expression harsher. 

“What’s your name?” another girl asks. She’s the one almost completely a top my bed. She has a devilish smile, that lights up her icy blue eyes. They are a stunning feature upon her, but don’t catch my eyes as much as the red curls she traps within a bun on her head. She seems slightly heavier than the other girls, with puffy cheeks. 

“Brielle,” I say nervously, tucking my knees up to my chest. “Who are you guys? Do you work here?”

The girl the red hair points to herself, the girl with the prettiest eyes, and the other girl, who stares at me blandly. “I’m Mabel, this is Amora and of course, Della. You work with us now. We do the laundry for this place. You’re in our unit now.”

I’m stunned, trying to remember each name to the face. 

“How long have you all worked here?” I question. I’m trying to figure out if any of them have the same plan as me. Make as much money so I can so I can escape this place forever. Unless of course, working here is a dream job. Or maybe they are here to see the Alpha. “What’s it like?”

“Della likes it here, but that’s because she’s as boring as the clothes we handle,” Mabel says, glancing cheekily toward a girl who seems standoffish. She has pretty brown eyes that almost swallow her whole face. Her hair - a soft brunette - is braided neatly.

Della scowls. “Sorry I’m not here to fondle the Alpha’s underwear.”

“That’s besides the point,” Amora says tiredly, cutting the two off before an argument can insue. “We have to get upstairs. Maiden Ambrose is the head of the laundry unit, and unless you want to get scolded, I wouldn’t be late. 

The three, already ready, wait rather patiently for me to dress and ready myself. Mabel did my hair while I washed my face, braiding it down my back. 

So far all these girls seem kind. Some more irritable than others, but they don’t seem to mind me entering their unit. I assume it’s because they will be left with less work. However, I make a mental note to get too close to any of them. I’m not going to be here for long. I’m hoping to leave as soon as I get the funds. 

Mabel links her arm around mine as we walk up the stairs toward the laundry unit, whispering in my ear. “Rose has you sorted with the employment thing. She told us to look after you. You’re apart of the family now.”

I smile gratefully at her. 

The laundry unit was on the same floor as the kitchen, hidden behind walls, keeping us from being seen from anyone who dwells within the Alpha’s manor. There are a few machines mounted on the wall, a few baskets full of clothing and towels, and a table to fold it all. 

Maiden Ambrose didn’t seem to have a care for me being here. She only paused for a few moments to tell me what to do.

She stood in front of me, hands battered from cleaning propped on her heads, steely grey eyes glaring down on me. “Here’s the rules. You do everything in order, or as I say. Mabel or Della will help you, they have been here the longest. You will have a specific amount you are expected to finish every day. You do not leave until it’s done. You go from here, to the kitchen, to your sleeping quarters and that is it. No one delivers laundry to any part of the house but me, unless I say otherwise. You must not ever be seen by anyone beyond these walls, unless they work here like you. You’ll be paid weekly.”

With that, Ambrose didn’t give me a single glance, going on about her work.

Mabel was very helpful, telling me how to sort the clothes and what settings the machines should be on. She informed me that we were cleaning all the servants clothes, and that Ambrose dealt with of Alpha Ren’s finer clothing. It didn’t bother me, but Mabel seemed irked.

I was busy folding the white load when conversation arose. 

“So Brielle, what made you come here?” Mabel asks lightly, pulling freshly cleaned clothes into a basket at her feet. 

“Parents kicked me out, and the pay where I was working wasn’t so good,” I inform her. “I thought if I come here, I’ll have a better chance at getting back on my feet. Honestly I just want to get out of this Pack.”

“I can relate,” Amora says pointedly. 

Della walks over, dumping another pile of clothes to fold in front of me. “You know, the money is pretty good here. But there are other ways to make a little extra. Or should I say, a whole lot extra.”

I perk at the sound of that. With stiff joints in my hand from folding, I would be happy to do more to get a little extra in my pocket. The quicker I get out of here, the happier I will be, adn at this point, I’m up for anything. Even if the glare Mabel sends Della seems like some kind of warning. 

Della comes to stand right next to me, leaning to face me. “A lot of girls have gotten out of this place because they have done a few extra favours for the Alpha.”

I frown. “But we aren’t allowed to go near the Alpha, right?”

“Well, he isn’t going to turn you down if you show up at his door. That is, if you get there in the first place, but that’s apart of the fun,” Della murmurs, a smile that turns my stomach queasy gracing her face. “You do a favour for him, and he will surely be happy to return one to you. You get me?”

“Shut up Della,” Amora scolds, grabbing the girls hand to lead her back to her work. “Don’t listen to her Brielle. No one is that desperate to get out of here to do that.”

I brush what they said off, going back to my work. 

By the time night rolled around, all the girls had finished and gone off to dinner, leaving me to finish the last of my quota. I was just finishing folding the last sheet over the table, when Maiden Ambrose burst into the room, frantic as she slides a basket full of clothes in an array of colours onto my bench. 

“My husband was in an accident…” she says quickly, pulling her apron off to throw across the room.

I startle. “Oh, I’m sorry-”

“Take these up to the Alpha’s room, and don’t you dare tell anyone I left early, or are letting you do this,” she tells me, pointing to the basket. “And don’t you look at him, or talk to him. Understand?”

I have no idea what to say, I’m so stunned. Ambrose is clearly desperate to get out of here and help her husband, so I murmur in agreement, abandoning my sheet for the basket of clothes belong to Alpha Ren. Ambrose disappears out the door, leaving me be. 

What I’m meant to do, I’m not sure. There are instructions about how to get to his quarters plastered on the wall, so quickly, I study it, hoping to ingrain it in my mind. I can’t mess this up, as much as my heart is beating rapidly, as much as I’m starting to sweat without even moving. 

Ren seems to have an array of tunics within this basket, and a few other shirts. I don’t go through it though, my mind too busy on something else. 

You do a favour for him, and he will surely be happy to return one to you. You get me?

Those words ring in my mind. Would I be foolish enough to pull something like that out of pure desperation? I shake the idea out of my head. I need to make it to Ren’s room. Hopefully no one will see me. 

And I hopefully Ren won’t be in his room when I get there. Hopefully.