Triple Alpha's Threat

Ch. 37 - Another Broken Heart

Kiera POV

Evie materialized, shooting me a sharp look that signaled I needed to fall in line. Along the corridor, about fifty women, including some older children, formed a silent assembly against the walls outside our rooms. The air was tense with an unspoken energy.

Evie, visibly in a foul mood and I had no idea why. I was certain it had something to do with me though, and I found myself uncaring.

I moved through a sea of women, their collective disdain palpable. I brushed off their cold glares, each one laden with resentment. These women were prisoners of Chase's, yet a peculiar admiration seemed to underlie their situation.

Despite their apparent satisfaction, I held no respect for any of them, unable to fathom finding solace in captivity.

"Alpha Chase wants the grand hall cleaned. Top to bottom, ceiling and all. I suggest you ladies figure out a way to appease your Alpha going forward, or your days will be filled with making this mansion spotless," Evie warned us. She then turned and scoffed at me. I had no intention of ever appeasing him.

"She is the one making him upset. She ran her mouth to him all morning." A woman pointed an accusing finger right at me, and as if choreographed, they all turned to face me.

"Then I guess we will make the Luna of the South work the hardest today. Here." Evie handed me a toothbrush with an evil glint in her eyes. "You can whiten the grout, then mop the floors." The weight of the toothbrush in my hand felt like a mocking reminder of my status, and the glint in Evie's eyes spoke volumes about the unpleasant tasks that awaited me.

"And if I don't." My eyes burned into this woman's skull.

"Then everyone here will make every second of your day the worst you have ever experienced." Evie's gaze swept down the line of women, her words hanging heavy with a foreboding sense of collective retribution.

"You are all weak-minded prisoners sucking up to a tyrant Alpha. Do you think I care what any of you think?" I glared right back at them.

"I can find a worse punishment for you than cleaning if you prefer." Evie grabbed my wrist, squeezing her hand over the silver bracelet. I whimpered in pain, trying to hide the burn the silver gave me. The air crackled with tension, a standoff between defiance and the threat of escalating consequences.

"Fine!" I gritted my teeth and snatched the toothbrush from her hand.

I had never cleaned anything in my life, but I'll figure it out. I trailed behind Evie down a pristine white marble hallway, its smooth surface gleaming under the soft light. Elaborate portraits adorned the walls, presenting figures of ancient royalty from across the centuries.

In each painting, both the person and their wolf companion were elegantly depicted, capturing a timeless bond. My heart constricted at the thought of Athena. Would I ever feel her again, allow her the freedom to race through the woods?

"Get started, ladies!" Evie's voice echoed through the grand hall, and she took a seat at a random desk placed in the middle of the room.

"This is ridiculous. I don't know why we are being punished for her behavior?" One of the women spoke disdainfully about me, as if I weren't standing right next to her. I rolled my eyes without a care, though everything inside me felt miserable.

I didn't belong here, and I didn't belong with these people. Only months ago, I reveled in the warmth as a beloved Luna and wife. Now, I was a prisoner, shrouded in hate from everyone who surrounded me. The weight of being lost clung to me like a heavy fog, obscuring any sense of purpose in the labyrinth of my uncertain existence.