Chapter 5

~Fate’s POV~

I was holding onto consciousness by a thin thread. I was fighting a losing battle against the darkness that threatened to pull me under, to escape from the pain racking through my body. Through dazed eyes, I watched Alpha Xan stride through the crowd, straight toward me, his eyes a forbidding scowl.

I dimly wondered if he was coming to save me and my foolish heart leapt in ill-placed joy. I had been avoiding him since the day I discovered that I now bore another person’s face instead of mine. I remembered how the shock had made me lose consciousness and the pack doctor had told me the Alpha brought me in.

I had been terrified that I had revealed something incriminating while unconscious and had stayed as far away from his chambers as possible to avoid drawing his attention. Surprisingly, he had not called for me too and I couldn’t help but wonder if he would dismiss me for being inadequate in discharging my duties as his maid.

Nonetheless, it would really be great to have someone fight for me against the bloodthirsty crowd eager for my blood to be spilt.

All of this forsaken drama had started a few minutes ago when Melissa had accused me of deliberately spilling hot soup on her expensive clothes. It was really not my fault but Briella’s. Having made herself out to be my sworn enemy, Briella had gone out of her way to spread tales about me to the other maids.

Judging by the sly looks and whispers behind their hands, the tales she told were nothing favourable. But it was nothing new to me. My life in my former pack had been worse than anything Briella could cook up.

Today, while serving Melissa her meal in the pack’s kitchen, a foot came out of nowhere before me, tangling up my feet and causing the hot plate of soup to slide off the tray onto Melissa’s clothes. She had let out an ear-splitting shriek and roughly pushed me away from her. I fell and sat, stunned, staring at the mess I had inadvertently created.

“I-I’m sorry, Melissa,” I stammered out an apology through bloodless lips, my hands shaking in anticipation of the dress-down she would surely deliver.

“How dare you, you little tramp?!” she yelled, fingers clenched as she glared at me with murderous intent.

“Are you trying to kill me?” she questioned, shaking off the maids who surrounded her and striding forward to stand before me, arms akimbo.

“How could you do this to our soon-to-be Luna, Fate?” a sickeningly sweet voice drawled in false concern.

“Briella!” I breathed under my breath.

She had caused this incident. She was truly ruthless in her quest to make me suffer for a crime I didn’t even understand. She smiled gloatingly as she stared at me.

A stinging pain on my cheek brought my attention back to Melissa. I cradled my hurt face and peered up at her through a haze of pain.

“How dare you not pay attention to me after this wicked crime you have committed against me?” she questioned furiously, hate in her glittering gaze.

“Are you trying to kill me? Were you sent by one of the other jealous she-wolves? Is that what this is all about?” she continued, becoming increasingly visibly angry with each question and I shrank back in fear.

“You! Get me Adam,” she ordered, pointing to one of the maids in the crowd that had gathered to witness my humiliation.

The maid immediately spun away as I tried to plead my case.

“I’m really sorry, Melissa. It was truly not my intention to hurt you. Someoe must have-”

“Oh please save it! I don’t want to hear your false excuses, maid!” she cut in scornfully and I fell silent, awaiting my fate.

Ava looked at me tearfully with concern, twisting her apron in her restless hands. Briella on the other hand, had a satisfied smile as she looked down at me superciliously.

“What happened?” A harsh male voice asked as a man entered the kitchen.

He was tall, though not as tall as Alpha Xan, and had a lean, muscular build. He was dressed in a brown tunic and trousers and a whip hung through the tan belt around his lean waist along with a sword in its scabbard. His handsome face was marred by a scowl that was firmly directed at me.

“Adam, can you imagine that this wench tried to kill me by drowning me in hot soup?” Melissa wailed, scampering to his side the minute he stepped in.

“What?!” he roared, causing me to flinch violently in terror.

“You worthless wolf! I will show you your place in this pack. You are nothing and no one!” he declared. The fury coating his tone made me shiver uncontrollably in fear of what he would do to me.

“I-I’m deeply sorry. Mr Adam sir,” I began, clueless about his status in the pack but knowing he bore some authority because of the caution and respect everyone accorded him.

“That’s Beta Adam to you, wolf,” he cut in coldly, and I knew I was done for.

“Take her into the courtyard and tie her to the tree,” he ordered, motioning at the two male guards who accompanied him into the kitchen.

Ignoring my protests and pleas, the guards dragged me into the same courtyard where Alpha Xan had selected me as his maid and bound me tightly against the thick trunk of a tree. Beta Adam stalked towards me, followed closely by Melissa who had a satisfied smile on her face.

I was wondering how things had gone wrong so quickly when he reached out with a sharp knife glinting in the sunlight. I shrank back against the ropes as the knife’s edge drew closer to me before stilling in shock. Beta Adam stripped my clothes with the knife, leaving me bare to the waist, a malicious smirk on his lips.

Bone-deep terror swept through me as he gripped and drew the whip in his belt. I nearly fainted from fear as I realised that he intended to whip me for my actions. Not even my parents in my former life had treated me this cruelly for such a simple reason.

And all of this was because a jealous fellow maid witch had taken a dislike to me. I clenched my teeth and decided not to let any of the eager faces of the crowd see my tears.

“I’ll rather die than let them see me weak,” I vowed silently and clenched my teeth tightly, steeling myself against the pain that would come.

Adam raised the whip impossibly high and my eyes drifted close. I remained unshaken in my resolve to stay strong regardless of my fear.

The first feel of the whip on my body tore away my breath. Pure agony encased my body and I didn’t know when the first howl ripped from my lips as I thrashed wildly against my binds.

Heedless to my pain, Adam continued to deliver blow upon blow until my voice turned hoarse and I felt about to slip into blissful unconsciousness or death. At this point, either would be welcome.

“There had better be a good explanation for this, Beta Adam,” a cold voice snatched me away from my sweet relief and if I had any more tears, I would have wailed in frustration. As it was, I could only watch as Alpha Xan walked to my side.

“She tried to kill Melissa, Alpha,” Adam replied, bowing his head slightly as he dragged in heavy lungfuls of air, covered in sweat from his exertions.

“Is that true?” Alpha Xan asked incredulously, turning to Melissa.

“Yes, Alpha,” Melissa replied meekly, fluttering her lashes at him.

Alpha Xan's face hardened and became forbidding as he turned a terrible scowl upon me, dashing any hope I had of being rescued by him.

“You shouldn’t have done that, little maid,” he said in a whisper that was for my ears only.

“Now you have to bear the consequences.”

My last sight before finally sliding into unconsciousness was the seemingly conflicted look in his gaze. Hate, concern, and chilling fury warred for control and I couldn’t help but wonder why.