chapter thirty-eight

**POV Cassandra**

*Flashback off*

“Hurry up, you fool! Scrub that floor properly! The Alpha King does not tolerate dirt. He is strict about cleanliness and wants the floors he walks on to be so shiny that he can see his own reflection!” The head maid yelled in my direction, her gaze sharp as a blade. Her tone was like a whip that constantly reminded me of my place here.

I swallowed hard, sweat dripping down my forehead. My hands trembled with exhaustion as I scrubbed the filthy floor with all the strength I had left. But the old, worn-out rag they gave me barely worked, leaving streaks and dirt wherever I passed.

Suddenly, a girl approached and crouched beside me. “Here, use this. It’s better than that yellow sponge. If you keep going like that, you’ll end up with blisters on your hands, and it will take all day to finish this task.” She handed me a bucket with a much better brush than the rag I had been struggling with. I nodded, surprised by her unexpectedly kind gesture amid the ch