Chapter 01.

Rune.

“Hmph, look at her, so dirty,” I knew that high-pitched voice anywhere. In my kneeling position, I froze, clutching the chipped wooden handle of the cleaning brush tighter.

“It suits her so well,” I heard the second voice that affirmed I wasn’t hearing things, and I was, in fact, right that Rachael and Jummy, my ex-friends, were behind me.

A bile rose in my throat as I shut my eyes and hoped they wouldn’t approach me. I looked down at my shabby grey dress, eyes locked on the streaks of dirt and dirt lines on it, all from the work I’d been subjected to just that morning.

“She’s so pathetic. I can’t even believe we were once friends with her,” Jummy huffed.

I imagined Rachael with a smirk so wicked only she could pull off as she said,

“She was never my friend; I only let her hang around because you wouldn’t shut up about her,” I forced the bile down, willing myself not to cry, not to waste a single tear on them.

I didn’t cry when the declaration of my family’s involvement in treason was made by the Alpha a little over four months ago, which sent my mother and younger sister to the dungeon and subjected me to torture. I was demoted to a servant position, a position below an Omega, a position reserved for rogues who managed to stay in the territory. My father was declared dead, we were told he killed himself when he got caught. I didn’t cry then so I wasn’t going to cry because my former friends were being mean.

“That’s so mean of you to say,” Jummy said with a fake gasp, and I decided it would do me a lot of good to finish with my cleaning and leave.

Servants were tasked with cleaning public spaces like the pack halls, medical houses, libraries, and the likes, and I was sent to the medical house for the first time. Usually, luck was always on my side, and I avoided highly populated areas, but I guess my luck ran out. I continued cleaning, eager to finish up and leave before my friends decided to make a scene.

Other wolves passed me with stink eyes as I wiped the dirt under their legs, and though I wasn’t used to it, I didn’t let it bother me much.

Luckily, neither Rachel nor Jummy said a word to me while I worked. I shouldn’t have been at ease; I should’ve known they were planning something.

“Rune, I didn’t know you were cleaning the medical house today,” I heard a soft, tiny voice say behind me; from the sound of the voice, I knew the person was kneeling like me, and a tiny sigh of relief escaped my lips. I turned slowly and beamed at Kimi. She was a young wolf who became a servant when her family escaped without her, and in search of them, she stumbled into Shadow Moon Pack just a month after I was demoted. I took an immediate liking to her because she resembled my sister, Maris, with their cute button nose, tiny heart-shaped lips, and body, although I felt Kimi was a little slimmer than Maris. They were also the same age, sixteen, with similar mannerisms.

“I didn’t know I was cleaning the medical house until twenty minutes ago. Nora fell ill,” I explained to her, to which she smiled lovingly and nodded.

“I’m done cleaning my portion; you need any help?” I shook my head immediately, sensing that she must’ve heard Rachael and Jummy and thought I was in some sort of danger.

“I don’t have much left,” I pointed at the small portion left to clean, and she nodded.

“Let’s have lunch by the waterfall when I’m finished,” I nudged her side slightly with my elbow and smiled. With a smile, Kimi got up to leave, and relief flooded my heart at the thought that Rachael and Jummy would let her be. Boy, was I wrong!

“Watch where you’re going, Freak,” Rachael’s high-pitched squeal resonated through the room, followed by a thud the moment I carried on with my cleaning, and I whipped my head to their direction so fast I thought I would break my neck.

Kimi sat on the floor with her hands behind her and her cleaning tools sprawled on the floor next to her, with dirty water flowing from the bucket beside her.

“Are you blind or just plain stupid? Look, this dirty water is everywhere on my dress,” Rachael wailed with fire in her eyes. Sure enough, the side of her lavender dress was wet and a little brown from the dirty water, but the subtle smirk Jummy threw my way told me everything I needed to know. They did that on purpose.

Kimi sat there with her lips slightly parted and fear in her eyes as other wolves now gathered, reprimanding her for something that wasn’t even her fault. That was the thing with servants; no one came to our rescue when we were being mistreated and bullied by others, especially Omegas. They believed that we were criminals set loose, and the only way to tame us, to stop us from committing more crimes, was to instill fear into us.

“I’m sorry, please forgive me,” Kimi got on her knees and rubbed her palms together. I bit my lower lip as I watched her. There was nothing I could do for her; servants were mistreated every time, and Kimi was just unlucky that it was her turn.

I thought those things, but the nagging feeling that it was my fault Kimi was being bullied suffocated me. If she hadn’t spoken to me, she would’ve been fine; she would’ve been free to go.

Rachael leaned toward Kimi and smoothed out her chestnut brown hair, but in one split second, she yanked a handful of it, raising Kimi’s lanky body a fraction.

“If you were going to apologize so quickly, why did you do it then?” I bit down on my lips harder, so hard I tasted blood.

“Yes! Drag her! These foolish servants think they can do whatever they like. They are so disrespectful!” someone said to the right of me.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, please believe me. It was a mistake, and I’m very sorry,” Kimi pleaded, but all Rachael did was laugh, clearly loving the tears that had started to pour from Kimi’s eyes.

“A measly apology is not going to cut it,” Rachael released Kimi’s hair and dusted her hand as though Kimi was filth.

“I’ll do anything, just please, forgive me,” Kimi cried.

“Don’t listen to her; you need to beat her up, or she’ll do it again and think crying and begging will help her out,” Jummy scoffed, and the wickedness in Rachael’s eyes gleamed. She loved the idea. Of course, she did; a majority of wolves loved violence more than they loved breathing, and Rachael, more than anyone, fell into that category. She had always been mean since we were pups, beating up everyone who didn’t listen to her and getting away with it since her father was the Beta of the pack at the time. She carried herself with an air of confidence because she was convinced that she would be our Alpha’s mate.

“You’ll do anything?” Rachael asked, and Kimi nodded impatiently.

“You have to help her,” my wolf, Zarah, yelled, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t help Kimi even if I wanted to. I wasn’t the daughter of a high-ranking warrior anymore; I didn’t have the right to tell them to stop or the power to protect Kimi. Rachael and Jummy weren’t my friends anymore –they were never my friends, to begin with– so even though I wanted to, even though I felt like I should help her, there was nothing I could do.

“I want you to march over there and smack that servant across her face five times,” Rachael pointed to me. My eyes widened at the same time Kimi’s brows shut up to the roof of the building.

“I, I, I, but...she didn’t do anything?” Kimi gulped as her eyes darted from me to Rachael.

“Wrong answer,” Rachael raised her hand, and with a violent force, she smacked Kimi across her face. Tears fell from my eyes as I watched Kimi kiss the floor. The poor girl didn’t deserve that; she was only caught in the crossfire of the hate Rachael and Jummy had for me.

“Are you ready to do what I asked you to do?” Kimi couldn’t look Rachael in the eyes. She was not ready to slap me, but she also didn’t want to get slapped.

“Get up now, march over there, and smack her. I’m not going to say it again,” the room was quiet now. Everyone watched with wide, curious eyes. A wolf was being bullied, but they saw it as a source of entertainment.

Kimi didn’t move.

“No?” Rachael’s blood boiled. I could hear it from the short distance between us. This wasn’t about taunting me anymore; she felt disrespected, and it didn’t sit well with her knowing Kimi would rather get slapped than slap me.

Rachael circled her fingers around Kimi’s neck, pulling her up to her feet, and raised her hand again, this time higher than the first time; then she looked at me, her green eyes blazing with even more hatred. I knew the next slap would cause damage.

My legs started moving before I could register what was going on, and I stood in front of them.

“I know it’s me you want. Leave her alone.”