RayneAs I scrub the floors of the Grand Hall clean, I ask myself an important yet heartbreaking question: Will I ever get out of here? From the time of my birth, I've been a slave. A slave to the MoonWater pack. I've never had the opportunity to be anything else. My mother was a slave, which makes me a slave, too. She wasn't born a slave, but that doesn't matter here. They don't care that she was sold into slavery by her own mate—my father—to pay off a debt he had with some ruthless men. They never took pity on her. Not once.I, along with the other workers, have been up since four in the morning to get the house ready for the big event. There will be over a hundred guests from all the packs in the area and they all have to be fed. Rooms will have to be provided. The house can comfortably accommodate a hundred guests. It used to be called a 'palace' back in the day, but things had changed significantly since the old Alpha died. His son is now in charge of the pack and he felt that

RayneI open my eyes. There's too much light this time and I put a hand up to shield my eyes. I can't open them all the way, not yet anyway. There's a ringing in my ears that doesn't go away even after I scratch my throat. My head hurts and inside of me, there's a rumbling. Like a storm. It isn't hunger. It's something else, something that makes me feel on edge and terrified. When my eyes have finally adjusted to the light, I look around me and see a strange room. The kind of room I shouldn't be in. I'm lying on an enormous poster bed with red covers and sheets. Directly across from me, there's a large dresser with candles and a vase with fresh flowers. The floor is carpeted, and the windows are open, hence why there's so much light in the room. I sit up hurriedly, ignoring the spinning in my head. I rub my face with my hands and keep my eyes closed until the spinning stops. When I open my eyes, I see that I'm still wearing the white dress. The right sleeve is bloodied, and when

RayneI’m dressed in Denise’s best clothes. She might not think they’re better than what I was wearing before but they are. I twirl around in front of the mirror in my bedroom and take in my appearance. Her ‘best clothes’ consist of a black dress with a tight bodice and flared skirt. It’s presentable—that can’t be disputed—but it puts a little too much emphasis on my cleavage. She has also helped me put my hair up in a loose chignon and my neck is fully exposed. She has also spritzed some perfume on me. She claps her hands and says, “Wonderful. You look like a different woman! All you need is to put on a little weight to fill out your hips and you’ll be perfect!”I don’t agree with her. I don’t think this dress is appropriate at all. “Can I get a shawl or a coat? Something to cover up a little bit more?”“Nonsense!” she says, waving her hand at me. “This is perfect. This is an outfit worthy of the Luna of MoonWater.”“Denise, my circumstances are different. You know that.”“Nonsense

MaxI gulp down the entire glass of whiskey and refill it as soon as I slam it down. There's a pain behind my eyes that I can't seem to rub out of them. In fact, rubbing my eyes worsens the pain. A curse leaves my lips and I finish my drink. Behind me, the door opens. I don't bother turning back to see who it is. It seems there's always someone in my room who has an opinion to give me, as if their 'opinions' can make any of this better. "Drinking again?"I roll my eyes to the sound of her voice and pour myself another glass. When she sees this, she rushes to my side and puts a hand on my arm to try to stop me. I give her a black look but she doesn't release me or back away. "You need to stop this, brother," Veronica says. "Killing yourself isn't going to make any of this better.""Who says having a few drinks is going to kill me?""You know what I mean," she spits. "Everything you do, you exaggerate. There is no limit with you. If you keep this up, you'll drink yourself right int

Rayne "Oh, Rayne," Denise says as she paces the bedroom floor. "This is bad. This is terrible! Why didn't you tell her about him? Why?"I shake my head. "I don't know. I got scared!""Scared of what?" she asks loudly. "What could possibly have scared you? Look at what you've gotten yourself into!"I lower my eyes and rub my scalp with my fingertips. I can't describe how desperate I feel. The Second Beta, the person who scares me more than anyone else, is going to be my bodyguard. He'll be close to me at all times and 'protect' me from harm. How is he going to protect me when he's the only one harming me?I'm screwed. I'm done for. I now wish more than ever that I could go back in time and tell her that I take back what I said. That the Second Beta gave me the black eye. That he's a monster who loves the pain and suffering of others. The only people he takes care of are the elites of the pack. He treats the servants like garbage, and he's twice as cruel to the servants girls like me