Cilla’s POV
Sitting on the sofa, I turned on the TV and started to scroll through the channels as the twins picked up their toys.
“No TV for you until this whole room is cleared of your toys,” I stated, leaning against the backrest.
No one said a word or tried to protest. I glanced at Dalia and she just twisted her face before bending to pick up a brown doll.
“Is it so hard for you to always put away each toy after you finish playing with it? Why do you have to scatter them everywhere? Now you have to much work to do.”
The twins did not say anything.
I was proud of what I had done in only one work. I had transformed them from little devils to obedient angels. I was no fool though. That was a very short time for anyone to completely change. I could see the resentment they tried to hide behind their stares so I tried to always be on the lookout. I didn’t want to underestimate those little devils.
Mirabel was actually happy with the progress and liked to see the house look neat again. Apparently, the girls rarely even listened to her. They obeyed the father who was a tough man.
The alpha did not spend much time at home. He spent most of his time away and I was yet to figure out what exactly he did. I had only met him once. A tall, big man with a stern face. I had felt so scared of him, but was relieved when he didn’t give me much attention. Judging from the familial interactions, the man was crazy about his beautiful wife and loved his children a lot. Theirs was the only normal family I had seen in a while.
Life was going on well until a man called Jardon Baker arrived. He was the head warrior, middle aged and very married. From the first day I met him when going back to my quarters after a long day, I knew he was trouble. He didn’t say anything to me on that day, but started harassing me the next day.
I was teaching the twins how to take care of flowers in the garden, a chore they hated when the man walked to where we were. There are people you meet and somehow you feel you need to be wary of them. Jardon Baker was one of those for me. I knew I would never like the man.
“Good morning, Princess Dalia and princess Malia.”
“Good morning, Mr. Baker.” They said happily.
“What’s going on here?” Jardon asked me.
“I’m teaching them some gardening.”
“Since when do princesses need to learn these things?”
“They’re always doing the same things. I wanted to show them a different world from what they’re used to. They didn’t want to come out here but they’re now enjoying the session. It’s always good for girls to grow up to be well rounded. Life always has a few tricks up its sleeve.”
Jardon frowned. “That’s deep. What happened to you?”
“A lot of things have happened to me but i have no interest in talking about them. No offense.”
Jardon tilted his head. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“I don’t, and I don’t really care. All I know is that you’re interrupting my session.”
“You have quite a big mouth, don’t you? You know, it’s not good for a young lady to speak so much, especially when addressing elders and people in powerful positions. Women are more beautiful with their mouths shut.”
“Well, I don’t care about being beautiful. My job here is to babysit these beautiful girls. That’s all I want to do right now so please excuse us.”
“I’m the head warrior,” he said. “I’m basically in charge of this pack. Although you’re very stubborn and loud, I still want you. Actually, my body does. I always get what I want.”
“I don’t know what you want me for but I’m not interested as you can see. Since you think your position is so powerful, go on and do your job.”
The man chuckled and shook his head. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Cilla Markle.”
“You’re still new here, but you will adjust. Have you seen the other slaves? Most of them came here acting like they owned the world but we shaped them into what we wanted. We are going to shape you into a proper slave, as well. I will do it. I have to go now, but mark my word. I always get what I want.”
After threatening me, Jardon marched away while I stared at his vanishing figure. He reached the herb again and disappeared into the row of trees next to it.
I turned to check on the girls. They were a few metres away from me, picking some beautiful red flowers. I headed to their spot.
“Why are you picking so many?” I asked.
“We want to make flower crowns,” Dalia said. “Will you help us?”
I smiled. They were so cute when they behaved well. “Of course. You need to pick the flowers with the stalks in order to make a flower crown. They won’t work when it’s just the petals. Follow me. Let’s find a suitable plant.”
“Okay.”
I led them to a row of flowers that I had used to make a flower crown before.
“These ones can work. So, we have to choose a plant that has a lot of branches. See, those ones over there. They are too young. If we take out a lot of stalks from them, they may get stunted. A plant needs its leaves in order to grow. We don’t have a knife but we can use out hands to break the stalks we need.”
I guided them to get the stalks they needed. We sat on the grass and started making crowns. When we finished, the girls put on their crowns and ran off, after telling me that they were going to show their mother.
The new version of the twins reminded me a lot about my siblings. Hanging out with them somehow made me unable to focus on the void the loss of my family had left in me.
After some time of quiet, I felt a presence behind me. When I turned, I saw a pale girl wearing a cloak. She was wearing a lot of eyeliner. This created a stark contrast between her pale skin and dark eyes.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she said. “You’re the new girl.”
“Yeah, who are you?”
“I didn’t believe what they said, but now I see it’s true. Those little devils are actually changing, thanks to you.”
“That’s true. I just hope the change is permanent. I would love to see them grow up to be great young women, not spoilt princesses who just live to spend mummy and daddy’s money.”
“Good for them.”
“I’m Cilla.”
“Raven. I’m a witch.”
A witch? I needed a witch.
“That’s great to know,” I said, standing up. “What are the rules on seeking witch services here?”
“Let me guess, in your old pack you had to seek permission before doing it?”
I nodded.
“Well, it’s the same here.”
“Too bad, I was about to ask you for a favour.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“The rules?”
“Do I look like someone who obeys the rules?”
“No.”
“So?”
“You can help me?”
“What do you want?”