Chapter 15

Hazel's POV 

I find it hard to sleep, the fear of Alpha Xavier's threat gripped me as I turned it over and over in my mind. My mind swirled with fear and uncertainty of what he plans to do with me tomorrow.

Is he going to throw me back into the dungeon? Or is he finally going to execute me? Wild thoughts came popping into my mind, thoughts that made me shiver with fear.

What about Marianna?

I hope I hadn't gotten her into trouble. She has only been good to me. I wouldn't want her to suffer because of me. 

I couldn't rest, my mind was troubled with wild imaginations of what might happen. 

It was already dawn before I finally dozed off. After what seemed like an hour, a faint knock on the door jolted me awake. It's morning already. 

I yawned as I stretched my sore body. Still feeling sleepy due to lack of enough sleep, I called out, still yawning "Come in."

I couldn't wait to see Marianna after what happened last night. My heart beats with anticipation as the door opens. But instead of Marianna, a stranger came inside my room. 

She is tall and slim, she has a stern look on her face that made me flinch back. 

“Time to get up,” she said sharply, her tone lacking Marianna’s usual warmth.  

"Who are you?" I asked confused, still don't know why she's the one here instead of Marianna.

“I’m Bianca, the new head maid here,” she replied, throwing me a dress that looks like a uniform.

"What do I do with these?" I asked, holding the clothes in my hands, confused. 

“Get dressed, right now. You’re expected in the kitchen right away.”

"Kitchen? Why?" 

She let out a bitter laugh. 

"Do you think you're here to be served? Snap out of your fantasy and follow me to the kitchen right now" she ordered as she turned to leave. 

"Wait, where's Marianna?"

She stopped and turned to me, her eyes cold. 

"Marianna? I don't think you'll ever see her again."

My heart skipped a beat. 

"What happened to her?" I asked anxiously. 

"You're asking as if you don't know, she was sent to the south pack house for breaking the curfew rule last night. It's the worst nightmare for any servant to work there." She said, an evil smile on her face. 

My heart sank. This is all my fault, she got into trouble because of what happened last night.

She had warned me of the dangers of getting caught but now she's the one bearing the consequences because of me. 

"Get up right now and get to work, I don't tolerate slackers" she snapped, startling me from my thoughts. 

"Don't expect me to take it easy on you like Marianna did" she sneered and walked out of my room slamming the door shut with a force that almost broke it down. 

I quickly got up and wore the dress she gave me. I have seen it on the servants in the mansion so much to have recognized it as the servant's uniform. 

I followed her to the kitchen and found it full of activities. Servants are going back and forth, carrying trays of food, cutting vegetables and attending to the fire. The heat from the oven was suffocating, I tried to move away from the heat but met with Bianca's glare. 

She pushed me toward a heap of dirty plates. 

"Start washing, everything has to be slate clean by the time I return, or else you'll regret it." 

I wanted to refuse but her glare warned me not to. 

She turned to the other servants, assigning them work to do, they obeyed her without any questions. It seems that she's also hard on the servants too. 

As I started washing the heap of plates, the other servants shot me disdainful looks. They whispered to each other and laughed at me. 

"She's the traitor's daughter who killed her mate and now she's mated to our Alpha" I heard one whisper. 

"Mated, as if" another servant said as she looked me down and they all laughed at me.

Humiliated, I avoided their gazes, I bent my head and concentrated on washing the plates as if my life depended on it. 

The whole atmosphere is filled with tension, it's almost suffocating. 

"Do you hear what happened to Marianna? She was sent to the south pack." one servant said.

"Poor Marianna, she'll have an awful time working there" the other one replied, tossing the neatly cut vegetables aside. 

"Now we're stuck with working with Bianca" another servant sighed.

I stiffened my ear to listen. I feel so guilty about what happened to Marianna. I should be punished instead of her. 

Few minutes later, Bianca came back and the servants stopped chatting immediately.

"You still haven't finished washing the plates?" Bianca snarled, startling me. 

I looked at the plates that I've washed, it's more than the unwashed ones, considering how much it was, I have done well. 

"You don't expect me to have finished washing that much plate in such a short time," I snapped, angry and frustrated. 

I felt a sharp pain as she slapped my face with her open palm with a force that sent me flying across the end of the kitchen. 

"You don't talk back to me, do you understand?" she said, walking angrily towards me. 

I quickly gathered myself and stood up before she could get to me. 

I nodded, already shaking.  

"Get back to work and finish it before I come back or else you'll regret it" she threatened. 

I nodded again, my mouth too dry to utter a word. 

I held my cheek with my palm, still feeling the sting of the slap. 

The other servants stifled their laughter as Bianca stormed out of the kitchen 

My body shakes with anger that I couldn't express. I tried to fight the tears that threatened to pool my eyes. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I refuse to be more humiliated than I already am. I hurried to wash the plates before Bianca came back.

After washing the dishes, I was given another task to do of fanning the firewood into flames. After several minutes of blowing air to the firewood, my eyes were already popping red and itchy because of the smoke, my face was already dripping with sweat before the firewood finally burst into flames. 

Bianca on seeing that I've completed the chore was not satisfied. She kept giving me one work after the other but I couldn't complain, the last thing I needed was to make her angrier. 

By the time I finished the last task, I collapsed into a stool, massaging my sore hands as I tried to take a break. 

“You’re not finished yet,” Bianca said, appearing out of nowhere.  

"I have been working since the day break, I am tired and hungry" I said my voice weak. 

It's already past lunchtime and I haven't eaten breakfast. 

"You don't get to eat until you finish up all the work" she said, looking at me with disdain. 

"Marianna may treat you like a Luna but you're nothing but a criminal, a traitor's daughter. You belong in the dungeon" she said, spitefully. 

I choked back the tears that threatened to escape my eyes. 

It seems that being in the dungeon is better than living in this mansion. I don't even know my place here anymore. Mated to the Alpha didn't seem to change my fate. It seems that wherever I find myself, I end up being bullied. 

"Stand up right now and get to work." She snarled. 

I struggled to get up on my feet, my body sore with exhaustion.

“The Elder’s meeting is this evening, you're going to be in charge of serving the elders drinks.” she said, an evil smile on her face. 

"What? I can't ---" I protested.

"No excuses, you're serving the elders this evening and that's final" she snapped. 

I felt my heart skip a beat as I imagined myself walking into the meeting and serving the elders that wanted so much to execute me. 

Why does Bianca insist that I serve the elders?

Why does it feel as if I'm walking into a trap?