Aria’s POV
The sun was barely up when I left the room, as I made my way down the narrow hallways of the pack house. The past few days had been a blur of trying to adjust, trying to find a place in this world I’d been thrust back into. But today felt different. There was an unease in the air, a tension that made my skin prickle.
I hadn’t been walking long when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and there she was-Giselle.
Her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight, elegant bun, her cold gray eyes locking onto me with that same contempt she’d shown since the moment we met. She was regally dressed, every inch the lady of the house, and I knew right away this wasn’t going to be a friendly encounter.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our little runaway slave,” she sneered. “You woke early today.”
I straightened my back, forcing myself to keep calm. “Good morning, Giselle,” I greeted her.
“That’s Lady Giselle to you!”
I ignored her retort. “Is there something you need?”
She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust. “Need? From you? Hardly. But there are a few things that need to be done around here. Since you’re not doing anything important, why don’t you make yourself useful?”
I bit back the retort that sprang to my lips. It wouldn’t do any good to argue with her. Instead, I nodded. “Of course. What would you like me to do?”
Giselle’s smirk deepened, clearly pleased with herself. “For starters, the floors in the dining hall could use a good scrubbing. And the laundry- Alpha Denderick’s clothes are a mess. You’ll find the wash basin outside.”
I hesitated for just a moment, the indignity of it all biting at my pride. But I reminded myself that I had to play this carefully. I couldn’t afford to make any more enemies here. “I’ll get started right away,” I said quietly.
“See that you do,” she snapped. “And don’t think for a second that you can skulk around this house like you belong here. You’re nothing more than a slave who’s gotten too comfortable. I won’t tolerate you stepping out of line.”
Her words cut deep. But I refused to let her see how much they hurt. “I understand,” I murmured.
Giselle’s eyes narrowed as if she were searching for some sign of anger in me. When she found none, she huffed and turned on her heel, heading towards the grand staircase. “I’ll be back to check on your progress,” she threw over her shoulder. “And don’t think I won’t notice if you’ve been slacking off.”
I watched her go, my fists clenched at my sides. It took every ounce of self-control not to scream after her, to tell her exactly what I thought of her and her cruel, petty games. But I knew that would only make things worse. So, with a deep breath, I turned and headed towards the dining hall.
The floors were already spotless, but that didn’t matter to Giselle. She just wanted to see me on my knees, scrubbing away like the lowly servant she believed me to be. I found a bucket and filled it with water, grabbed a rag, and kneeled on the cold, hard floor. As I began to scrub, I couldn’t help but wonder how things had come to this. How had I gone from being Alpha Logan’s Luna to… this?
But then I thought of Edward, of his bright eyes and innocent smile, and I knew I couldn’t give up. I had to be strong, for him. I had to endure, no matter how much Giselle tried to break me.
Time dragged on as I worked. My mind wandered to thoughts of Logan, of the life I’d left behind. I didn’t miss it, not really. I didn’t miss the physical and verbal abuse, that’s for sure. And then, there was Denderick…
I hadn’t seen him since the last altercation we had when I’d told him I felt nothing for him. It was almost as though he was deliberately avoiding me, which was all for the better.
Why then did I seem to miss his presence?
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice Giselle until she was standing right over me. “Still on the floors, I see,” she called out.
I looked up at her, my knees aching from the hard stone floor. “I’m almost finished,” I replied evenly.
“Good,” she said, though the satisfaction in her voice was unmistakable. “When you’re done here, you can take the rugs out and beat the dust out of them. We wouldn’t want the pack house to look as filthy as you.”
Her cruelty took my breath away, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me react. “Yes, Giselle… Lady Giselle.” I muttered.
She folded her arms, tilting her head to the side as she studied me. “You know, it’s pathetic, really,” she mused, her tone almost conversational. “The way you think you can just waltz back in here like you’re something special. But you’re not. You’re nothing. Less than nothing.”
I paused in my scrubbing, meeting her gaze with as much calm as I could muster. “I don’t think I’m anything special,” I said softly. “I’m just here to do what needs to be done.”
Her eyes flashed with irritation. “You’re here because Denderick feels sorry for you,” she spat. “That’s the only reason you’re still breathing. But don’t think for a second that it’ll last. I’ll make sure you’re out of here soon enough.”
“Why do you hate me so much?” I couldn’t help but ask. “You barely even know me!”
Giselle’s expression hardened. “Because you’re a reminder of everything wrong in this world,” she said coldly. “You’re a stain on this pack, a disgrace. And I won’t have you dragging us down.”
Her words stung. “I’m not here to drag anyone down,” I said quietly. “I’m just trying to survive.”
“Survive?” she sneered. “You should have stayed with Alpha Logan if you wanted to survive. But no, you had to come crawling back here, expecting sympathy. Pathetic.”
I bit my lip, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. “I didn’t come here expecting anything,” I said. “I just… I just want to take care of my son.”
“Your son,” she repeated. “Another burden for this pack to bear. You should be grateful Denderick hasn’t thrown you out on the streets.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the door to the dining hall creaked open. Giselle and I both turned to see Alpha Denderick standing in the doorway.
“What is going on here?”