More Problems

ELSA'S POV:

"Mr. Diago told us to do the job tonight," one person said, and another added, "Ezekiel needs to die ASAP."

I felt a lump in my throat, and a cold shiver ran down my spine, making me feel nauseous.

"Don’t you think it would look too suspicious to kill him at the hunting grounds?" someone else said, breaking the tense silence.

I looked around, unsure of what to do. I couldn’t run to Ezekiel and warn him that his so-called friends were plotting to kill him. Plus, I had no plan to stop them on my own.

"I think Dylan should get close to him, and then we can kill him in a less obvious way," the last voice suggested.

"We should go back to Mr. Diago and come up with a new plan," the first person said, and the others agreed.

"I need to at least see their faces," I thought, gathering my courage and taking a step forward. My body was shaking from fear, and I stumbled as I walked.

A few steps later, I fell hard with a loud thud.

"Who's there?" One of them yelled, and my heart raced. I quickly got up and, luckily, found a place to hide.

After a few minutes of searching, they gave up, and I guess they went back to join the others. Once I was alone, I took a deep breath, and as I turned to head back, I suddenly came face to face with Ezekiel. I had no idea how long he had been standing there.

"I'm pretty sure you know you can get lost, and I wouldn't be able to find you," he said, looking at me intently as if trying to read my thoughts.

"Don't scare me like that again," I replied quietly, brushing past him. "Besides, this woods isn't that big, so I can’t really get lost," I added, trying to lighten the mood.

As we headed back home, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had overheard. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize any of the voices.

"I should look out for Dylan," I decided. At least I had a name to start with.

********

"Did you hear?" Mina exclaimed, grinning widely from behind me.

"What now?" I asked, my voice dripping with boredom.

"The Blood Moon Pack is hosting their masquerade ball next week!" she announced, as if it were exciting news. I rolled my eyes and continued folding Ezekiel’s clothes. Mina and I were on the balcony. While I did the laundry, she chatted about everything from pack gossip to all sorts of strange happenings. I had to admit, it was kind of nice to listen to her—it felt like a distraction.

"The venue?" I asked, pretending to be interested.

"Alpha Nathan's new mansion. I heard the housewarming ceremony and the masquerade ball are on the same date," she said proudly. I paused folding clothes and leaned against the railing. I had no idea Alpha Nathan was building a house. I guess Mr. Graham missed that news.

"Hmmm, that sounds interesting," I said, picking up the laundry basket.

"Don't leave me!" Mina yelled, running to catch up with me.

In the hallway, I headed to Ezekiel's chambers while she went to the kitchen.

By the time I finished my chores for Ezekiel, I was exhausted and really hungry.

As I was about to leave his room, Rue walked in with a glass of orange juice, glaring at me.

"Excuse me," I said quietly.

"Here, take this," Rue said, holding out the juice. I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why?" I asked, my voice coming out more nervous than I intended.

"Don’t question me, b!tch," she mumbled, pushing the glass into my hands. "You think I want to poison you?" She scoffed, then went to sit on the bed while I watched her.

"If I ever wanted to get rid of you, you wouldn't see it coming."

"What do you want me to do with this juice, then?" I asked, clearly annoyed.

"Pour it on your hair," she said, as if it were the most normal thing to say.

Growling quietly, I clenched my fists and glared at Rue. "I can't do that, ma'am."

"Why not? I'm ordering you to!" she shouted, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at me. "Do as I say if you don’t want problems," she warned sharply. I shivered, not just from her words but from what could happen if I didn't obey.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to follow her order. Even though I knew disobeying would cause trouble for me, I wanted to see how far she would push me.

Seeing that I wasn't complying, she got up and walked halfway toward me. "With every fiber of my being, I hate you," she muttered with a nasty smirk. "I don’t mind you disobeying me, but my father-in-law won’t tolerate any defiance from someone as lowly as you," she added, clearly enjoying the moment.

"You’re just a maid, yet you have the nerve to disobey me." Her expression turned icy.

She grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled it so hard that I feared it would come off. "Give me the glass," she demanded with a grin, taking it from my hands. 

Before I could react, she poured the juice over her own hair, and I stared in shock.

"You’re in deep trouble, Elsa," she said, smirking before letting out a loud scream. Moments later, we were surrounded, and I then realized I was in serious trouble.

"What the hell is going on here?”