Esmeralda
I stirred in my sleep, snapping my eyes open slowly and shielding them with the back of my palm from the bright light that shone above me.
A small smile played on my lips at the peaceful sleep I had the previous night.
Last night was different, different from the other nights I had.
Last night was peaceful, it was so relaxing that I slept soundly, like a baby.
Last night was free of nightmares.
Thanks to Alpha Kade.
Speaking of Alpha Kade, his scent still lingered in the room, though faintly. And judging from the scent, it was as if he returned to the room after I had slept.
Did he come back to check on me?
I shrugged my shoulders, knowing the Alpha had better things to do than get involved with an Omega.
He probably forgot something that he came to retrieve. Maybe the first aid box.
Or maybe not…
But I had seen him leave with it. Maybe he came to check up on another thing.
A frown descended on my face at the thought. It was high time I stopped thinking I was special to him.
Was I?
Maybe I was.
Because he treated your wound, made your food and fed you doesn’t make him crazy about you. Snap out of it, Esmeralda!
I was about to put on the garment of downcast, but I tore it to shreds before the sadness that accompanied it began to creep into my soul.
It was safe to say that I was having some effects on him, even if he wouldn’t admit it, I could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at me, the way he reacted to my touch, the way he treated me like a gentleman.
His presence chases away the least amount of worry in me. His presence made me safe.
But not everybody gets the Alpha to give them that treatment.
I sat up, taking away the bed sheets that covered me, but then, it dawned on me.
I didn’t cover myself with it last night, even when it was cold.
Who did?
There was only one way to confirm.
I lifted the bedsheets, raising them to meet my nostrils before sniffing the familiar scent.
Alpha Kade!
Not only was his scent on the sheets, but I could also smell it faintly on my lips.
Did he… kiss me?
No. He didn’t. I mean, he couldn’t. Why would he kiss me?
Erasing the thought from my head, I got out of bed, preparing for the day’s work.
My foot was better, the pain had subsided greatly and I could walk with it.
Placing the foot on the table, I took off the disturbing bandaid plastered on it, tossing it in the thrash before going to the bathroom.
When I was done, I got clad in one of the dresses Jade gave me. A black boyfriend jeans and a nude long-sleeved crop top that had an opening at the front, allowing a small amount of my boobs to peek.
It was temporary, till I got the annoying uniform that identified me as a housekeeper.
“Fuck!” I screamed with widened eyes when my eyes landed on the wall clock.
“Past 9 pm! Why did I fucking sleep so long?”
Was I given a pill?
Or was it the aspirin?
No doubt, Alpha Kade would be mad at me for not cleaning his quarters in time.
I was fucking screwed.
The day was over, I couldn’t render any service till the next day.
Maybe I would use my foot as an excuse.
That was if the excuse was accepted.
I walked down the hallway with slumped shoulders, and thoughts about my punishment filled my head.
In my former Pack, Crescent Moon Pack, maids get taken to the correction room and they are severely whipped for skipping a day or not doing their chores properly.
Does this Pack punish their maids for skipping a day?
I will find out tomorrow.
A soft whimper escaped my lips, as my stomach rumbled in worry.
What punishment would I be given?
Would I be punished in the presence of the other maids or would I be punished alone?
There is no doubt that Vanessa’s heart will be filled with a great deal of joy when she finds out I was punished for slacking on my duties.
Who will punish me?
Was there any correction room here?
Help me, Moon goddess.
I halted, freezing in my tracks when I heard faint sounds of footsteps behind me.
Turning sharply to the source of the sound, I was met with the usual emptiness of the hallway.
I could feel a presence lurking in the shadows, stalking me.
Strange.
But who was it?
I hope it wasn’t Vanessa. It shouldn’t be Vanessa.
Overtaken by fear, I hastened my footsteps, almost practically running when an arm pulled me into the darkness with another hand covering my mouth, cutting off my screams before they were out.
My senses heightened at the sense of danger and I struggled to free myself from the grip of my captor, but then, the scent filled me.
A witch’s scent.
I could mistake that scent for anything in the world.
“Selene?!” I asked, shocked by her prank, “Why did you scare me like that?”
My hand sat on my chest with my eyes briefly shut as I took deep breaths to calm myself.
“Sorry about that, but it was the only way to get you without being noticed,” She pouted, giving me an apologetic look. But then, her face creased in a frown.
“Don’t do that again,” I said, steadying my labored breathing, “For a second, I thought it was Vanessa,” I hissed in annoyance, hitting her side with my elbow, “Why are you here?”
She scoffed quietly, “Why am I here?” She asked, surprising me as her voice was mixed with surprise and anger.
“You fucking told me that we will escape,” She gritted, lowering her voice to avoid being heard, “It’s been days and instead of you showing up, you locked yourself away, making me worry myself to death. You made me wait for hours that night, hoping you would show up but you didn’t. Why did you do that? I thought you were locked away in some kind of prison. Worse of all, I thought you’d been killed by that son of a bitch Alpha,”
Fuck!
I didn’t know what to do, guilt pricked my heart as I watched Selene raging before me.
I left her for days without keeping in touch.
I was a bad friend.
Instead of keeping her abreast of the situation, I let myself get lost with Alpha Kade.
“I’m sorry, Selene,” I muttered, pouting my lips as sadness descended on my face, “I swear I didn’t mean to keep you in darkness,”
“But why didn’t you show up after that day? You knew you wouldn’t be escaping anymore, you could have told me. I was almost caught and now, I risked my life again coming here. It’s not fair, Esmeralda,”
I was about to hug Selene when my eyes landed on her hand. Using my weak sense of sight, I could see dried blood and some scratches on it.
“Let me see,” I demanded, stretching my hand to get Selene’s hand who hid the injured hand away from me, “What are you hiding?”
Taking her hand in mine, my gaze hovered over the bruised part and at once I recognized the cause.
Claws.
Her skin was ripped with claws.
“Who used those claws on you?” I asked, biting back the rage in me.
Selene sighed, forcing a weak smile, “It’s nothing,” She replied, waving off the question.
“Selene,” I called with a stern voice.
“Fine. That night you told me to wait for you, I was attacked by a guard on duty. He questioned me for wandering which I wasn’t really doing. But when I wouldn’t answer him, he tried to punish me…”
“So you were caught… because of me,” I sniffed, almost breaking down in tears at the sight of her blood stained hand.
“Stop talking like that. Don’t blame yourself. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten clawed if I didn’t give myself away. I wasn’t caught. I just ran away when he tried to punish me, so in the process, I got clawed. It’s just a scratch. I am fine now,”
“I’m sorry for putting you through this stress,” I cried, pulling her into a warm embrace.
The sight of the bloody hand brought a terrible feeling in me.
I felt like a bad friend.
I caused her pain. Always.
Selene was always the one that does things for me, risking herself, taking the blame, getting hurt, and taking my punishment while I do almost nothing.
She was too good to me. I didn’t deserve her.
“I got caught that night, by Alpha Kade,” I said, breaking the tears.
Shock sprawled on her face, “Did he punish you? And lock you up?
“He didn’t. I tried to set her free, but then, she started screaming and she gave me out. He heard her and came into the wing… out of fear for what he would do to me, I fainted,”
“Heavens!” Selene cried, holding onto me dearly, “I’m so sorry for getting mad at you. I didn’t know you went through all these,”
“I just woke up some minutes ago after he treated me last night when I injured my foot,” I explained, turning off the familiar butterflies that tickled my belly.
“I’m sorry about that. Hope you are fine now. Did he hurt you?” She bombarded me with questions, examining my body for any marks.
“He didn’t. Thank goodness,”
“Thank goodness,” She said in relief, giving me a warm smile, but it lasted for only a few seconds, ” I have to leave now. That guard I told you about, he has been monitoring me lately and I don’t want to be caught. I will be back soon, okay? I just came to check up on you,” She said breathlessly, planting a kiss on my forehead before giving me one last hug.
“We are not running away again, are we?”
“No. Take care of yourself and stay away from trouble, okay?” I said, squeezing her hand gently.
“I will. You too do the same. I love you,” She blew a kiss at me before vanishing as she came.
Loneliness hit me when she left, leaving me alone in the hallway.
I was bored, I needed something or someone to talk to. Maybe giving myself a tour would help kill the boredom.
I hadn’t taken many steps before loud howls filled the air.