Footsteps echoed in the cold, dark underground prison. The stench and humidity clung to the body like an extra layer of skin.
Who would have imagined that in the glamorous mansion of the Stella family, there was such a grotesque and nauseating basement just to lock up a delicate young girl?
"Damn whore! What the hell did you do to make that tyrant come so furious?!" A pale man kicked the prison gate several times without being able to distinguish a small figure in the corner from the darkness.
"Where the hell are you?" Kyle screamed again. And Eris's small figure trembled, afraid of the consequences of her brother's fit of rage. She clenched her hands into fists and refused to lift her face.
The slender man in his late twenties with dark hair kicked the silver iron bars of the prison.
"Shit! Just so you know, if he decides to destroy the family, you won't be saved either! You will die with us!"
"Calm down Kyle, don't you realize she's in there?" Sabrina, a beautiful woman with seductive curves, pointed to the corner of the prison and smiled when Eris froze. She could sense the young woman's fear, which amused her too much.
"Shit, fucking weirdo, why is it done there?" Kyle pulled the keys out of his pocket and continued, "Thanks baby, as expected from my beautiful girlfriend." He flirted as he blew an air kiss to Sabrina.
Then, he opened the prison and pulled the dirty prisoner out. She stumbled and fell to the ground, her body limped from the poor nutrition. She was dizzy and everything hurt.
"Get up!" Kyle ordered, and although she tried, she only managed to stay on her knees panting from the effort.
He strode towards her and held her chin. He patted her cheek with his hand, annoyed.
She didn't dare make a sound. Years of experience taught her to keep her mouth always shut and to speak only when strictly necessary, even if it hurt or she needed to sob.
"You're going to go to the office and fix the shit you created if you don't want an end worse than death, do you understand?" He spoke in a low, chilling tone of voice, containing her fury and contempt.
"Yes, sir." Eris lowered her gaze, unable to see him because of the fear he produced in her. He had always shown her that he was stronger, rougher, and more unscrupulous than her.
It was useless to fight.
Would anyone in the world blame her for not wanting to be beaten, and locked up without food or water in a damp and completely dark place?
"Listen, we're trying to make a good impression on Aleksi's fucking dog. He didn't believe me when I told him I made the perfume, I don't know what the fuck you did, but you need to fix it, say you're shy or you were sick, I don't care, but you need to calm him down. We can't fight him now. Do you understand, bitch?"
Eris didn't answer out loud, she kept her eyes down and just nodded slightly. She was afraid that he would notice her little trick, or that he would suspect her.
Kyle let go of her and almost dragged her to the front door, where several maids were waiting for her.
"I need it to look decent, do it quickly" he demanded.
"Good luck" Sabrina mocked as she walked away with her arm hooked to Kyle's, smiling and moving the mermaid tail of her latest collection dress, as expensive as the "life" of the maids.
They took Eris and almost carried her to the bathroom. They bathed her for the first time in a long time and used products intended only for Sabrina, they were careful and their movements were as delicate as if they were the tip of a feather.
All of them were sold as illegal slaves in the mansion. They all carried the same pain of dreams that could not be and were tied forever with heavy chains of resentment and injustice, for which, none of them dared to take out their comrades.
They knew the enemy was the lords, not a weak girl locked in a prison.
They combed Eris' purple hair, braided it, and gave her new clothes, accessories, and uncomfortable, yet elegant shoes. They even put makeup on her and perfumed her.
All in all, Eris looked like a high-class lady.
She tried her best to imitate Sabrina in front of the mirror. The shoes weren't that high, but it was hard to get used to. Every step she took looked like a cheap copy of a deer learning to walk. Plus, she felt ridiculous, like she was dressed up as something or someone other than herself. But they didn't know who she was either.
A slave? A perfumer? A "creator"?
She was no better than an exotic, rare commodity.
Eris sighed, wiping the sweat from her palms on the fabric of her dress. She was nervous, she would finally meet Aleksi. Every time she heard about him from her brother, he portrayed him as someone ruthless, a wolf that others feared and seemed to have no tears or blood. A machine designed to kill. He didn't beat around the bush, he protected the borders and had the largest pack of all the werewolves.
But, when she had seen him before, he didn't seem like a bad Alpha, she understood the laws and rules between the species and he just followed them to the letter. He cared for humans, respected his pack, and defended the boundaries.
In Eris's opinion, Aleksi wasn't bad, he just had to play the role of a villain. He played a big, strong monster to generate fear and persuade those who wanted to harm others.
The maids led her to the reception room, where a sweaty Kyle and a beautiful, fox-eyed Sabrina were waiting for her.
Kyle grabbed Eris's arm tightly, digging his nails into the delicate, bony skin, he approached and whispered word for word:
"He is the Alpha of Moon Shadow, the largest war pack in the world. Don't you dare offend him. Do you understand?"
Eris nodded and entered the office alone, ready to face her destiny; however, there was no one inside.
She took several steps around the area, looking for him, but the office was not very big and she had already checked her blind spots, had he left? She checked the closed window and looked at the door. Had no one noticed his departure? They were on the third floor, it would not be strange if he could jump from this height.
Eris sighed.
She had lost her bet against fate.
There was nothing out of place, so she closed her eyes in defeat and slid to the ground.
She hated this house. She hated living with her so-called family. She hated her past and everything it represented. She just wanted to be someone else, to live a different kind of life, even if it was for a few moments, without sadness, anguish, or maintaining the appearance of a slave puppet.
That was why she had seen countless futures, so many possibilities at the cost of her blood and strength, and when she saw this opportunity she took it without hesitation.
But… how much had she longed for this moment? And all for what?
In every happy dream she had, he always appeared to interrupt this punishment for her, saving her. So, who could judge her for obsessing a little over him?
She thought she was finally going to be free, but now, what was left for her? If she tried to get out through the window, could she escape beyond the exit before they caught her?
She didn't dare to face her brother, her courage only helped her to imagine a better future. One where she wasn't a slave in her own house, where she always lived in fear of being sold at any moment to a higher bidder after cutting off her hands so that "the formula" would remain a secret.
Eris lowered her head so that the tears would fall without ruining her makeup, she couldn't leave any evidence of humanity or it would be a fatal weakness against her brother.
Someone cleared their throat and she froze. Someone couldn't be in the same room as her, she had checked and hadn't even felt any change in the area.
Her body began to tremble, she didn't want someone from the mansion to see her like that.
She heard a noise behind the desk, so with no other options she slowly raised her face and saw a man sitting in her brother's black leather chair, scrutinizing her with his gaze.
He had an intimidating aura, broad shoulders, and a square jaw. Dark hair like midnight, a little disheveled, and a stubble from a few busy days. The dark circles under his eyes gave a more sickly and tired look to his handsome face and made his gray eyes stand out. He had one foot resting on his knee while drinking a glass of alcohol so that only the goddess would know where he had gotten it from.
"Are you the creator?" His deep voice echoed in the room, a hint of disbelief in his tone.
"I'm sorry," she whispered automatically, standing up and lowering her face. "I… thought I was alone. I didn't see it when I came in."