“That serves her right.” Verena said with a dark chuckle. She was feeling triumphant, knowing that her plan had worked perfectly. She turned and looked at Kai. His eyes were on the door. He turned to her and without being told she raised herself from his lap.
“What’s wrong?” Verena asked. “Everything was going so well.”
“I have work to get done.” Kai said and got to his feet. “You should leave.”
You should leave. Almost like an apology. It made Verena feel sad. He wasn’t commanding her out, he was asking her to leave.
What was so special about that slave?!
“My alpha,” Verena said, her voice cracking.
He turned to her, and for a moment his gaze was soft and kind. “I’ll send for you.” He said.
It sparked some hope inside her. She smiled brightly at him, blinking back her tears. “Good night, my alpha.”
He nodded in reply.
Verena left. As she walked out, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing the right thing.
****
There were hushed talks among the servants. From what Karen had gathered, the blood moon was in a week. That meant that all the unmated wolves had a chance of getting their eternal mate from the moon goddess herself.
Karen hated the blood moon. It reminded her too much of the coming of age party her father threw for her. How he wanted to see her off, sell his own daughter. The blood moon was when she got her mate. Who then rejected her and still kidnapped her as slave to carry out revenge on her father.
Karen wished she would fall asleep and the blood moon would pass while she was asleep.
“Aren’t you excited for your mate?” A voice drew Karen out from her negative thoughts.
She turned to see Elise, one of the servants. She and Elise had beds side by side. Elise wasn’t rude to Karen, but she wasn’t nice to her either. She was just someone Karen worked with.
Karen sighed. “My mate?”
“Yes!” Elise said with a smile. “I really hope I get a kind and loving mate.”
Kind and loving mate huh? Karen thought back to Kai, he was far from kind and loving.
“I hope you do.” Karen said with a smile. “Will you leave the pack if you do?”
Elise frowned. “Why would I want to leave? I like it here. Alpha Kai is very generous to us, he doesn’t maltreat us, we get amazing food, and we don’t work ourselves to death. It’s a pleasure to serve him, and I would love to continue serving him.”
Karen frowned. “What do you mean generous?”
Elise shook her head. “I was captured during a war. My pack went to war against Alpha Kai’s pack a really foolish thing to do if you ask me. And believe me when I say, I like it here a lot.”
Karen found it hard to believe. Kai was generous?! Maybe to others but most definitely not to her.
Elise shook her head again. “Anyway, there’s no point thinking about the past! How about you, you excited?”
Karen smiled sadly. “Sure. I’d also want a mate.”
Elise placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s do our best to make sure the preparations go smoothly.”
“Sure.” Karen said with a smile.
“Could you help me with those?” Elise pointed to a basket of laundry.
Karen went to pick it up. She bent down and picked up the basket. A scream suddenly ripped through her throat as she heard her shoulder crack.
“Karen!” Elise screamed and ran up to her.
Karen grabbed her shoulder, her eyes squeezed shut with pain. It hurt. It hurt so bad like her arm had been ripped off. Hot tears poured from her eyes. Elise peered into her face, her face drawn in concern.
“Was it too heavy? What happened?!”
Karen couldn’t speak. Strangled sobs left her lips.
“Stay here okay?! I’ll call Inez!”
Elise ran off to get help. Karen felt her knees go weak. She fell to the ground, craddling her broken arm in her good arm.
She couldn’t wrap her head around what had just happened. The basket wasn’t even very heavy. She didn’t know what had happened.
Lately her body was getting weaker. Karen felt scared, she didn’t know what was going on. She had no one to talk to about it, and she still had to do her duties everyday.
“What happened here?” Inez sharp voice reached Karen’s ears. “Are you okay?”
“No! Her arm just broke out of nowhere!” Elise said.
Inez crouched down and examined Karen’s shoulder. It was swelling up and looked red. She could see her bone clearly dislocated. She looked at Karen’s tear stained face.
“You should rest for a bit.” Inez said. “I’ll call for the healer and….”
There was a cracking sound in the air. Karen watched, horror filled her eyes. Her dislocated bone snapped in place. She screamed bloody murder, tears rushing down her eyes. Elise screamed and passed out, her body hitting the floor in a dull thud.
“Oh my goodness…” Inez gasped.
Karen cried quietly. “It hurts….”
Inez rose to her feet and helped Karen get to her feet. “Take the day off. You should rest.”
Karen didn’t stop crying. She wanted to hug Inez and be hugged back. It started with crying about her shoulder, then it turned into crying about her hurt and everything else.
Inez held her awkwardly as she cried. “You’ll be okay…” Inez kept saying.
Karen didn’t believe her.
****
The head of the servants lowered her head as Kai spoke to her.
“What is wrong with your servants?” Kai snapped at her. “Is it too much to keep a place clean?! Why are they all slacking off?!”
Inez bowed, she had never seen their alpha this irritated before. “I’m sorry, My Alpha. Shall I send Karen to you?”
“No.” Kai said sharply. “Give her work someplace else. Send someone other than her to me.”
Inez nodded. “I’ll do just that.”
“The blood moon is coming around. I can’t have lazy servants ruining it. Is that clear?!”
“Yes, my alpha.”
“Leave.” Inez bowed, she turned and walked away from his suite.
Kai rubbed his temples. He could feel a nasty headache brewing. He felt irritated and angry.
He called Nicolas through their mind link. Nicolas appeared a few minutes later.
“How are the preparations going?” Kai asked, his irritation showing in his voice.
Nicolas sighed. “You’ve asked me this like five times today. And My answer remains the same. It’s going fine. Perfectly fine. Relax and let me handle things.”
“How do you want me to relax?!” Kai snapped at him, eyes narrowed in anger. “The servants are getting excited and forgetting to do their duties, everything seems to be falling apart, and now you’re telling me to relax?!”
Nicolas would have taken offence in his transfered aggression. But he didn’t. He knew exactly why Kai was angry and irritable.
But their Alpha was a very stubborn man.
Nicolas smiled brightly, throwing him off balance. “You seen very tense, alpha.”
Kai glared coldly at him. “Watch your damn mouth.”
Lately Kai had been more than cranky. And Nicolas was always on the receiving end of that. It sucked, but Nicolas endured it. Kai wasn’t very good with emotions, he preferred to keep to himself and solve his problems alone.
Well, if Karen was a problem.
“We can’t have you like this for the blood moon.” Nicolas said solemnly.
“It’s in seven days.” Kai grumbled. “I’ll be okay by then.”
Nicolas thought about the blood moon. He was still unmated, which was not really a bother for him. But he found himself thinking about getting his own mate. His eternal mate.
He looked at Kai. Kai already had a mate, one he had rejected out of hatred. Yet he still kept her around.
He wondered if it was the lack of Karen’s presence that was making his alpha so cranky. As much as ut pained Nicolas to admit it, the times Karen was around Kai was calmer and more relaxed.
Especially since the last time he had actually gotten some sleep.
Nicolas wanted to ask about Karen. But he felt Kai wouldn’t like that.
He instead directed his thoughts to his own mate. He was secretly excited, wondering who it would be.
***
“Where is she?!” Verena’s voice echoed through the air. “Where is that slave?!”
“What is the matter, Mistress Verena?” Inez walked up to her and asked.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Verena snarled. “Where is Karen whatever her name is?!”
“She’s unwell at the moment. ” Inez tried to explain. “She needs some rest and…”
Verena rolled her eyes. “Like I care!” She stormed off, screaming Karen’s name on top of her lungs, opening and shutting doors. She got to the shared room and instantly spotted Karen asleep on the bed. “There you are. Bitch.” She spat.
She walked over to Karen’s sleeping form and roughly grabbed her hair startling her awake. Karen’s eyes flew open and she flaired around, trying to pull Verena’s hand off her head.
“What is this?! Playing the pity card?!” Verena snapped.
“Let me go!” Karen screamed and hit her hand. “What on earth is wrong with you?!”
Verena leaned into her face and snarled. “This blood moon, Alpha Kai and I will be mated. Better start making plans to get your disgusting self out of here.”
Karen stared at her defiantly, fire sparking in her eyes. “Like he would be mated to a whore like you.” She hissed.
Verena backhanded her across her face. Karen cried out as her head whipped to the side. She raised her head up and glared at Verena.
“Don’t worry ” Verena said with a wicked smile. “He hasn’t sent for you in ages, even if he does, the mark will be gone. And it will be my word against yours.”
“You’re a true bitch.” Karen said. “And I truly feel sorry for you.”
Verena tapped her cheek twice. “No honey. I’m the one who feels sorry for you.”