Swoosh!
Feeling the air of the whip on her lower back, Aurelia tensed and hurriedly squeezed her eyes shut.
Just when it was an inch away…
"What do you think you're doing!" A stern voice suddenly boomed.
The warrior abruptly halted, quickly tossing the whip away as Mikael Armand stomped towards him.
The senior maid hurriedly got on her feet, eyes darting around nervously.
With her face pressed against the floorboard, Aurelia clenched her teeth tightly, exhaling in relief.
Her savior?
What a relief.
"Are you deaf? I asked a question!" She heard her savior's stern voice again and her tense muscles gradually relaxed.
A rational person. Who would've thought this deranged pack had people like him around.
"Councilman, I was just doing… I mean, I was just punishing this dirty maid who doesn't know her place." Came the senior maid, seeming to grapple for words.
Aurelia subconsciously shivered in disgust and almost gagged at the mere thought of it.
What, seduce him? The Alpha?
That bastard she saw this morning who slaughtered her fellow rogues and asked for their heads to be on spikes?
Not in a million years!
If anything, she'd be slicing his head off once she got Damien and the other rogues into the city!
As she thought like this, she didn't realize she was trembling all over in rage.
Mikael Armand turned his attention to her at this moment, watching her tremble, he mistook it for fear.
She was tied so tightly to the bamboo bed that her face was pressed against it, hidden from view unless he crouched to see her.
So he didn't bother with her and simply looked away.
When he didn't say a word for close to a minute, the senior panicked and stepped forward.
Fearing he misunderstood her, she nervously began explaining again, "My lord, she's just a dirty maid. Unworthy of seeing the Alpha's face."
"Yet, she dared to stay in his room until he got back from his hunt and even spoke to him. She did everything she was warned not to."
Aurelia couldn't believe her ears.
Wait, what?
She was being punished just because she stayed in the Alpha's room? What was the deal with these people?
They were just as twisted as that madman. Not that she expected anything less seeing how he had been their Alpha for almost two decades.
"Let her go this instant." Mikael ordered sternly out of nowhere, clasping both hands behind him.
The senior maid was astounded and reluctant to do as ordered while a wave of relief washed over Aurelia.
She could stand being whipped, but if they did, her identity as someone without a wolf would be exposed too soon.
She'd become popular for the wrong reason which would inadvertently make it hard to get close to any guard at her.
She was still thanking Mikael in her head when she heard the senior maid's trembling voice protesting, "My lord, if you let her go this time, she'll want to try…"
Aurelia was already cussing her out in her head when her 'savior's' voice came up again.
"The next time she tries something like this, just pluck out both her eyes."
She paused, blinked in surprise and was distracted by the sound of his retreating footsteps as he began strutting away.
Almost immediately, she felt someone's heated gaze on her.
A second later, she dramatically began begging for her life, "Please… please spare me. I really didn't know it was a crime to speak to the Alpha. Forgive me. It'll never happen again. I beg you!"
The senior maid listened to her beg for several seconds before she inched toward her and gripped her tightly by the hair.
Aurelia clenched her jaw in pain, holding back the groan trying to claw its way out her throat.
"If you as much as look in his direction again, I'll first chop off your fingers before plucking out both of your eyes, do you hear me?"
Aurelia grimaced in pain, choking out, "Ye-yes! I hear you loud and clear. I'll never look in his direction ever again!"
"I'll remain invisible whenever he's around. I just want to make enough money to pay off my mother's debts. That's all. Please don't kill me. I'm the only one she has left!"
Her frightened cry convinced the senior maid she got the message.
Three seconds later, she released her hair and stomped off with the warriors.
Aurelia continued whimpering until she no longer heard their footsteps.
She had just taken a deep breath when someone's cold hands came upon her.
"I really promise not to do it again. I'll never jeopardize my life. I swear on my…" Thinking they snuck back to teach her a lesson, she was about to swear on her mother's life when Gretchen hushed her.
"Shh… it's me. Don't struggle with the ropes. They tangle more the harder you tug them."
Aurelia quickly went still, patiently waiting for the ropes to come off.
Once they were off, she sat up slowly, gently massaging her bruised wrists.
Then she glanced down at her leg, they were tied the tightest. As someone with very pale and delicate skin, everything was a threat to her.
And at the moment, her skin was marred with fresh bruises, her wrists raw from the ropes, like a doll tossed and battered.
"I guess no one told you." Gretchen mused out of nowhere, sitting on the ground, her back resting against the bamboo bed.
"Tell me what?" Aurelia raised a questioning brow, her eyes not leaving her body as she wiped off the dirts on the surface of her injuries.
Gretchen was silent for a moment before she rephrased, "How do I put it? It's common everywhere, but Luna Carmen doesn't like it."
"Alphas are known to take interest in any woman they find appealing. It doesn't matter if they have an heir already."
"They can have as many woman as they want. Alpha Axton is no different. He has three women on the side and he got them by asking them to run his bath."
Aurelia's eyes abruptly darted to her in surprise, "What?"
Gretchen mummed, already expecting this reaction.
"Mhm. He doesn't ask just anyone to run his bath. You see, running his bath means you'll also be in the bathing pool with him and he'll do whatever he pleases with you."
"So, my friend, you should consider yourself lucky to have caught the eyes of Alpha Axton on your first day here."
Contrary to her words, she clenched her fist as she spoke.
Aurelia noticed this and slid to sit on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest as she joked, "You say that like it's a good thing, so why do you look like that? Or do you wish it was you?"
"What, never!" Gretchen instantly recoiled in horror, the words rolling off her tongue before she could stop herself.
Aurelia was baffled.
Gretchen swallowed and lowered her gaze.
"Not a lot of people know when the Alpha has made his choice, but Luna Carmen and her maids always know."
"So, before it becomes official and you get a chance to actually be seen as one of the Alpha's woman, you'll go through hell."
Aurelia slowly shifted towards her, whispering, "I don't like the Alpha. He scares me. How do I turn down this supposed privilege?"
Gretchen chuckled, turning to look her square in the face, "He has a type. Pale-skinned, timid, and fragile. Like you. And Luna Carmen is the jealous type."
"The rumors says he has asked over a hundred women to run his bath, but so far, only three people are alive to be his women.."
Aurelia scratched her head in confusion.
"I don't think I understand where you're going with this, Gretchen."
Seeing how innocent she was, Gretchen grimaced sadly.
"The Alpha hates pale-skinned people because they bleed too easily, he's even more irritated when they're timid and it irks him to the core when they seem fragile."
"He didn't choose you because he wants you, he chose you to make you a target for the Luna. For her to break you."