The Alpha's Saviour

Chapter 24- Guard Swap

Jaycee's POV:

I awoke to the cell doors opening. The screech of silver scraping along the cold stone floors was hard to miss. I groaned as my heavy eyelids fought to open. I was sure it couldn't be morning already.
"Come on sleepy head, let's not waste our twenty four hours of power sleeping." Layla's voice carried excitement and it reached my ears.
"What time is it?" I groaned struggling to awaken my muscles enough to stand.
"Midnight." Layla said bouncing on the balls of her feet. She grabbed me by my arms hauling me up and dragged me towards Stuart who seemed just as irritated to have been woken up at this time.
We made our way towards the showers and my eyes widened at what I saw. All the maids and bed warmers had identical grins on their faces. Identical emotions shone in all of their eyes. Enjoyments mixed with anticipation, anger fused with impatience. The shrill screams of the guards had my attention turn towards the rows of mouldy showers. Icy cold water rained on their skin, bouncing of layers and layers of goose bumps. Some guards shook in silence with scowls on their faces, others cursed at their situation.
"Hey Fin hurry up you have lots to do today, and don't forget your towel!" One of the maids I recognised as the vampire girl, called out to her guard before throwing the dry towel into a dirty puddle on the floor. She was the one I remebered drinking the glass of blood and eating the congealed soup before Stuart took it off her to pass my way. She looked at me with a smile. "I'm Cassy by the way, not sharp tooth as they call me."

I smiled impressed she remebered her name. "I'm Jaycee, not Blue as they call me. I laughed enjoying the lightness in all the girls eyes today.
It wasnt long until all the guards had showered and dressed. It took all my willpower not to laugh when I realised the girls were making the guards wear our maid outfits with nothing underneath, paired with old withered flats. Most of the outfits were slightly too small even through they grabbed the largest ones we had. They looked comical when squeezed into their much larger bodies and the shoes would definitely give them painful blistered within minutes.
Half the guards were made to collect eggs, fruits and veggies for the day while the others were in the kitchen attempting to make breakfast. I say attempting because every few seconds someone was splattered with hot oil, fishing egg shells out of batters, or slipping on something that had fallen on the floor. Flour and sweat clung to them like a second skin.

One of the guards struggled cutting fruit with the very blunt butter knifes we were expected to use. I frowned when I saw one of his nails elongate into a shape claw. Cassy caught my frown and realised what I had been looking at.

"Layna darling" Cassy called out. "Would you mind arranging all the guards injections for today?" I frowned in confusion just as the guards heart rates spiked at her words.
"Injections?" Fin questioned earning a slap to the face from Cassy before she took a step away from him. I saw the rage cross his face. I panicked noticing his claws raise high. He was going to strike her while her back was turned, and hard. Before even I could react, Layna who was much closer grabbed his fist and lifted him by his throat. His eyes widened at her strength before she realised what she was doing and lowered him to the ground. Her fingered gripped his throat tighter before she spoke.

"Only cowards fights when someone's back is turned." She reached over the the tray on injections that someone must have placed on the kitchen bench, and injected Fin with it. She went around administering every guard. Stuart looked my way pleadingly as she approached him.
"Wait!" I called out getting confused looked from both guards and maids in the kitchen. "We need Stuart's wolf aware in order to cause Rachel pain. If their wolves are unconscious they won't feel the betrayal." The maids and bed wards all nodded in understanding, Stuarts feelings on the other hand went from relieved to worried.

Breakfast went by in a blur. Many maids found eggshells in their pancakes, and fruit seeds in their juices, but the most amusing of all was when Jeff and Viren walked in bursting into laughter at the state of their guards. They both had tears in their eyes as the sat at their tables. Viren eyes his food cautiously refusing to eat.

"Come on Viren how bad could it be?" Jeff asked spearing a large piece of scrambled eggs with his fork. He bit down once... then twice. He gagged spitting the egg out into his plate. Blood and a small shard of glass accompanied it. Jeff's black eyes of his wolf peered out in anger. He squeezed his fists attempting to reign in his wolf.

"Alpha, don't hold back just because it was your guards." Viren's amusement was held at bay as he spoke but u could see it clear as day with a simple glance in his eyes. "You with the red hair, Stuart I presume." Viren caught Stuart off guard as his eyes widened before he nodded in confirmations. "If a maid had done this what would the punishment have been?"

Stuart paled considerably. "Ah if it happened to one of us guards, we would use a leather whip to deliver ten lashes on the kitchen staff." Viren smirked picking up on the way Stuart worded his reply.

"And if it happens to alpha Jeff?" Viren asks with a brow raised.

Silence filled the air for a long ten seconds before Stuart swallowed. "Ten lashes... with a silver chained whip."

Alpha Jeff stood up. "Can all the kitchen staff line up please." No one moved a muscle.
Layna stepped forward after a few seconds. "Fin, Stuart and Nathan, you heard your Alpha.

The three guards took a step towards the centre of the room.
"Excuse me Alpha. I was there when either Fin or Nathan broke the glass, Stuart happened to have been standing -"

"It doesn't matter who was guilty." Jeffs voice boomed cutting me off. "If it was you maids you all would have been punished regardless, unless we knew for sure who actually had done it." I swallowed and nodded not wanting to once again get on Jeffs bad side. There was only so much I could defend Stuart before it got noticed.

After breakfast we all head outside to the whipping posts. Cassy and two other maids had volunteered to deliver the punishments.
Stuart, Fin and Nathan were secured to the tall metal poles. The sound of silver chains dragging along the concrete was all you could hear before they flew through the air.
"One." Jeffs voice boomed as he counted. The smell of blood and the sounds of their screams that they tried and failed to conceal, had bile raise in my throat. I was lucky I was standing behind them. The last thing I needed was to feel their pain, even if they deserved to get back what they have all done to us at one time or another.

While everyone's focus was on the crowd, my eyes scanned the area. Some bed warmers wore grins on their faces. Sensing their feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment was easy. Others flinched remembering their own experiences, however what caught my attention next was Viren. His eyes weren't fixated on the three men, or the whips as they flew in the air. No... his eyes tracked the river of blood that ran down their backs and crimson droplets splattered on the floor. I wouldn't have quested it at all if his eyes hadn't followed one particular drop of blood that splattered onto my cheek. His head turned and his sharp eyes met mine. A sharp breath was all I managed before my hands raised on their own to my throat. A feeling of thirst so strong it rendered me speechless.