THE ARRIVAL

My grip on the handle of my bag tightened as I lifted it closer to my chest. Looking outside the window of the carriage, I gazed at the grand mansion looming ahead. Several tall pillars stood at different sections of the mansion and they were so large that I could only imagine how thick they were going to be if I was to get close to them. 

Thick ivy crawled up the pillars and scattered across the stone wall of the mansion, giving it shades of green that added to it's magnificence. Large arched windows lined the walls, giving off a golden glint as the sun hit their glass. The light casted off of it exuded a warm, almost inviting glow that seemed to be a stark contrast to the cold and imposing features of the building. 

My grip on my bag lessened.

Slowly, the carriage rode into the mansion's compound and the uncomfortable graveled path beneath it's wheels slowly transitioned to smooth cobblestones. 

I was still taking in my new surrounding when the carriage suddenly came to a halt at the entrance. Almost immediately, the carriage door swung open, revealing two uniformed men whom I assumed to be servants. They were dressed in what seemed to be the uniform apparel of the house-a finely tailored tunic made of soft velvet adorned with intricate embroidery around its sleeves and helm. 

I brought my bag to my chest as I slowly came down from the carriage. "Welcome," one of the servants said as he gave me a warm smile. "You must be the new servant." I gave the man a small smile before nodding slowly. Chuckling, he asked, "Elora, is it?" 

"Yes," I said after a small hesitation. "That's... that's my name." It looked like he had already been informed about my coming. Were all the other servants informed? What had been said about me? 

As if reading my thoughts, the servant said, "Alpha Alaric briefed us about your arrival this morning. And the reports given to us by your overseer at the rear court just shows how much committed you are." His smiled widened as he gestured for me to walk towards the entrance. "You will make a good maidservant."

Although I appreciated the compliment that was being showered upon me, I could not help but feel my chest tighten at the title he had addressed me with. From the top to the bottom in the blink of an eye. 

I felt tears form at the corner of my eyes but I quickly blinked them away as I smiled at the servant. "Thank you," I managed to say, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions that was brewing within me. I followed behind the servant as we headed to the entrance, my footsteps echoing on the cobblestone path. 

As we walked, I took a moment to have another glance at my surrounding. Large gardens stood at different sections of the mansion's compound and each and about ten servants moved around them, pruning and tending to the myriad of flowers. 

Guards stood at every corner, some with their eyes fixated on the gate and the rest glancing around where the servants worked. The guards acted like predators watching their prey, waiting for them to make any wrong move. 

It sent chills down my spine. 

"Oh, don't mind the guards," I heard the servant say. I looked up and saw him standing close to a pillar, his eyes on the guards too. "They might look rough, but they wouldn't hurt any of the servants." He turned to me. "They wouldn't hurt you. You're safe." 

Somehow, his reassuring words did the exact opposite of what he intended them to do. Instead, I felt more unease settle over me. I nodded slowly, trying to force a smile as we continued on. 

We reached the grand entrance of the mansion and I couldn't help but awe at the imposing double doors standing before me. My eyes ran over the carefully carved patterns that covered it's entire frame. Each carve seemed to tell a story. 

Before I could take a good look at what they said, the door creaked open slowly, causing me to jump a little from the startle. I turned to the side and saw the second servant, who had been silent throughout the walk, gesture for me to follow him. 

"I'll take you to your quarters where you will freshen up," he said as he gave me a short glances. "But before we do that, I'll have to take you to Alpha Alaric. He's expecting you." 

The mention of Alpha Alaric's name caused my heart to skip a beat. I recalled all the times he visited, the conversations we had and how lost I had been as I stared into his eyes. I had felt sad when he stopped visiting me even though I wasn't that worried. 

Seeing myself in this situation, one would think I would be overjoyed knowing that I was going to see him and this time work in the same building he slept in. I actually had a different feeling from that. 

I couldn't call it fear as I wasn't afraid of him, but the thought of meeting him all of a sudden after a month of not seeing him did send chills down my spine. What if he acted different from how he did back then? I did see him murder two men with ease and without remorse. Considering it had already been a long time since we saw, would he act that way towards me. I knew the men deserved what came to them but what if I was to make a mistake and he was feeling 'bored' like he did back then. The mistake might not be as much as theirs but a mistake is still a mistake... right? 

I felt my heartbeat begin to increase as we crossed the large corridor and headed towards the interior of the mansion. My echoed footsteps were a clear contrast to the rhythm of my heartbeat-calm and collected versus a scattered cascade of drums. 

I closed my eyes and took in a long deep breath as I tried to calm myself down. Maybe I was just overreacting. The sudden change of environment was taking a toll on me. That was why I was reacting the way I did. 

The sound of a door creaking caused me to shoot my eyes open. I looked up and sighted a large door standing in front of me slowly open, revealing a tall figure behind it. 

I felt my throat immediately go dry as I saw who it was. "Hello, Elora," Alpha Alaric said as he gave me a small smile. "Welcome."