Prologue

Lizzy's:

‘It’s payment time.’ The fatso creature announced, rubbing his dirty hands all over his chin. A few of his pimples have popped open and the trickle of blood with some fluid is smudged over the place. I grimace in disgust at the sight of the lusty grinning wolf so did the girls behind me. However, none among us does anything except inhale and exhale deep breaths, an exercise that has become part of our lives for some time recently. 

The sound of cutlery clinking slowly fades away as a wave demanding attention takes over. 

'Yeah! Yeah! I 'now. Don't gimme that look, ya rats. Get'n my offi'e. She-wolv's first.' Jared winks at a recent joinery who shuffles behind a feeble-looking wolf. Alas! None could be spared from his predatory eyes–except us. 

‘I am going to slap that smirk off his face before we take on those Alphas.’ Julie hisses in my ear, gritting her teeth together so hard, I fear she might powder them in no time. Poor teeth! 

'I swear.' She adds afterwards, balling her palms to the side. Her blonde shoulder-length tresses flew from side to side when she craned her neck, snapping the cramps. 

‘I’d do much worse but now is not the time, Jul.’ Sierra fists the cleaning cloth and grits her teeth too. Fury dances in her green eyes. The bulging veins in her forearms make me gulp. Honestly, I would never have thought of messing around if I were Jared. The pathetic wick has a huge lot coming. He deserves nothing less. 

But as many of you might have figured–he is a blind punk who could do nothing but wick his dick deep in any cunt available. Against all the decent odds, my employers had other plans. He winks at Sierra and cares for the small of her back while walking past her.  

Oops! It's gonna be a war!

Sierra unflinchingly stares at the round pouch or his back thereof and lets out another venomous hiss. ‘I am done tolerating his shit. Not a day longer.’ She exhales heavily that from the companionship of more than two decades, I know I would never want to be the subject of. 

'And some'f ya'll be kick'd off today. Slacking off and expect'ng me to pay for ya. I ain't tolerate your shit. Either work'ard,' He looks at us. His eyes zoomed especially on our chests and linger a second longer there. 'or piss off whatever dirt'hamber ya come from.' 

His moustache itched from the two sides of his upper lips as a permanent displeased expression is plastered on his ugly face but it picks up shades when his eyes meet with that of Sierra's green.

'Ya! Ya, first!' He points at her. I share a look with Julie before my eyes settle on another silent creature who has always been my companion but hardly makes it known. Lily, my head maid, plays with the hem of her dress nervously.

Poor girl! I feel bad for her. She has been anything but herself after…after…

Ah! Three years and I still cannot come up to talk about it. Let's just say, Guneet was the perfect mate someone like Lily could ever ask for. 

'Hur'y! N't got'll day.' Jared yells banging the door of his office closed. 

'Just this week.' I remind Sierra as calmly as I could manage. 'We cannot afford it. Please.' I beg her with my eyes. 'You know we cannot lose it all after coming this close. Next week, she'd be in the town and we would be outta here in no time. ' 

Sierra nods inhaling and exhaling a couple of times. She gives us a reassuring smile. Julie squeezes her fists. I pat her back as if preparing her for the worse. 

Junky Jared, as the girls like to call him, is a pain in the ass for an employer–above the fact that he is a godforsaken wolf. He is a crook who likes to shout profanities like he is chanting a mantra, is never satisfied no matter how hard and perfect one works, and is a pro at finding defects. But, he is highly successful in managing the inherited bar cum restaurant: The Tiffany's, and helping the enemies in disguise, like us, unconsciously because Tiffany's hires almost anyone without an identity or background check. 

'Some'f ya ear'ed bonus.' The slurry voice adds in a soft murmur bringing the noise of the cutleries clashing to an immediate halt. 

There are rounds of happy chatter. No wonder Saturday is everyone's favourite. It has to be. It provides us with everything other days in the week are incapable of: freedom, happiness, and money.

'Start'ng with Sarah,' He flashes me a disgustingly lustful smirk and points at the back cottage where his 'office for official purposes is. 'Sierra. Be quick!' He nods and walks to the back of the hall before he disappears behind two shabby wooden doors.

Sarah has been my identity for more than eighteen months that I have spent in this shabby inn cum restaurant cum bar cum brothel cum dorm. 

For three years, we have been an orphan, a hobo, putting up on the streets and living at the werewolves' mercy. It has been three years of extreme poverty, torture, and penance. 

From riches to rags. From castle to tavern. From soft, fluffy beds to hard cold floors. From Empress Lillian to waitress Sarah. From The Ahi-Empire to Chaitali, I have come a long way, yet it feels strange every time someone addresses me without the title. I am still not used to the harshness in people's tones. Being a royal, I am more used to people treating me with the utmost respect, abiding and clinging to every syllable that comes out of my mouth.

It takes me a moment to comprehend that the ugliest of the uglies, the lord of ugliness is expecting me to follow him. The piercing eyes are on me. Had I been in the castle, I would have ordered that brat's execution in a snap. 

Every bit of it because he came ruining your world. Ella, my serpent hisses in my head. If only he had not ruined our life, killed our protector...we would have been subject to none of it. 

'If HE,' She emphasised. 

'What are you going to buy this week, Liz?' Julie asks with a smile on her face. She speaks 'Liz' in whispers, looking around to check if anyone is eavesdropping. No one does. No one would. No one cares. It is always like this in the whole mm.

I frowned at her, taking the concubine's whole being in my head. Kaia is still charming, happy, and compassionate as she used to be three years back before...the final war. 

No wonder Jared has a soft spot for her and... me.

His ugliness has soft spots for every single living creature with a vagina. After all, he has got a reputation to maintain, and a family to cherish. Well, quite a few on that note! Ella rolls her eyes. 

And I cannot agree less. 

Jerk Jared is passionate about only two things in his life-the Tiffany's, my workplace, and making as many babies as he can. The bald guy with a pouch for a tummy is already serving twenty of his pups back home and another one is due by the end of the month with his third wife.

Population explosion, anyone?

It has been more than a year since I have been working at Tiffany's and not a single day has passed by since he did not suggest doing 'something' to enhance my prospects.

The audacity! The tolerance!

Dignity is my first precious commodity that was sold before I stepped foot in Chaitali. I just wish I could kill even a single one of them. I cannot. Not now. I don't want to be spotted. I would not do anything that'd make the Alpha suspicious that I am alive. I want to take him the way he did to us: surprise.

To divert my anger towards a more sophisticated being who would not report me right away, I look at Lily's face hotly, hating the chirp in her voice.

She is getting way too comfortable in this pathetic life as a waitress amongst the dogs. Has she already forgotten our days of hardship? Has she forgotten the nights on the streets? Has she forgotten the vengeful oath? Has she forgotten all about Guneet's roasted meat the wolves had feasted upon?

'Pages!' I muse in a stern voice, giving her a harsh look that makes her smile fall immediately. 

Better! Oh, can there be anything more exhilarating than bullying someone's subordinate?

'You will buy pages? Again?' She raises her perfectly shaped eyebrows in disappointment. Her composure changes and her shoulder falls. Maybe she was expecting another reply but I have none of it.

'Yes.' I nod, suddenly out of breath. I have been buying tons of pages every week—around eleven. I can only afford that much. Pages are extremely expensive in Duong, especially after the launch of those sleek devices with flat touch screens and an accompanying pencil with changeable nibs-they call them tablets.

I like to scribble my plans, my days of misery, and the schedules on pages alongside some stories that get published at Royalties and help me earn thirty rupees or a hundred. It offers me peace and perfect anonymity.

The production of paper is out of fashion nowadays. There are only a handful of companies that still make it and they charge handsomely for the painful efforts. I, very obviously, cannot afford it with this pathetic job as a waitress. The life I used to have!

As I untie my apron and make my way to the back of the room, I am reminded of the big day approaching.

Luna running Queen on the visit! The big poster read. I roll my eyes at the beautiful smiling face of Luna Arin: the faithful companion of my nemesis. My hatred towards him knows no bounds. If only I could reach him and kill him in the most painful way possible right now, right this moment.

'Very soon!' I exhale audibly. 

As I open the backdoor, I am gritted by slight drizzles. I look up to spot heavy grey clouds looming over the place. It is going to be the first rain of the monsoon as it was on the day when everything changed.