SAVANNAH
I didn't have much to pack. I bundled up some old clothes the housekeeper gave me and, most importantly, the money the King gave me.
That was all I had to survive.
Shrouded by the night and darkness, I crept through the hallways, glancing nervously in every direction, intent on escaping.
When I reached the kitchen, I searched for the back door—I wasn't about to risk using the front.
My gaze landed on the countertop where the King's meals were served, and anger flared in my chest. How could they do something like that?
Who would be so cruel as to send an innocent person to certain death?
The maid who had helped the injured one was my prime suspect—the one who had the chance while I wasn't paying attention.
Maybe they were both in on it.
I slipped out into the inner courtyard, darting toward the gate where carts of supplies came through.
The forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding. I froze, fear creeping in—I had no idea where to go. Part of me considered shifting into a wolf and running, just running far away from these lands.
But then, fireworks boomed in the distance, in the direction of the pack, and I looked that way, indecision growing in my chest.
I had nowhere to go. What if they were still searching for me? And if they weren't, then what?
I'd be a rogue without a pack, an easy target for anyone who wanted to take advantage of me or sell me as a slave to some brutal pack.
Maybe the Governess could help. If I explained everything, maybe she'd give me another job—she was more level-headed than the King.
I was betting everything on that, so I started down the stone path leading from the mountain into the valley, toward the Winter Moon Pack.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
I knocked repeatedly on the door of the Governess's house.
A woman I had asked pointed me here, but the house was dark, and no one answered.
Was she at the celebration?
I thought about going around to make sure no one was home, but then an angry man's voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Hey, you! What are you doing creeping around someone else's place?"
I turned in surprise to see a tall, menacing warrior flanked by two others.
"Sir, I'm just looking for Madam, the Governess of the King's castle. I work for her," I replied, trying to sound calm, though my heart pounded.
"I know exactly who you are—the King's maid—and you're the one we've been searching for. The King has ordered your capture. You're coming with us."
Panic clutched my chest. "With you? Where?"
"Wherever we feel like taking you, traitor. We know all about your attempt to poison His Majesty. Grab her!"
"No, no, I didn't—wait, let go of me!"
Pain shot through me as one of them punched me hard in the stomach, doubling me over in agony.
Two of them grabbed me by the arms, without an ounce of mercy, and started dragging me down the narrowest, most secluded streets, heading toward the forest.
"I'm innocent. Please, let me speak to the Governess. I can explain..."
I tried to plead as I stumbled through the trees, through the darkness, further and further from the town, deeper into the forest, in some unknown direction.
No matter how hard I tried to break free and fight, I was no match for two strong warriors.
"Shut up, or the next hit will be right in your snout!" the one who seemed to be their leader shouted, walking ahead of us.
"Plenty of nerve to go after the King, but now you're playing the victim! Throw her here and search her!"
He ordered, and I was thrown to the ground with force. I groaned in pain as I hit the hard earth covered with dead leaves, but I immediately tried to shift into wolf form to escape.
"Don't even think about running away from this!" One of the men lunged at me, yanking my hair, while another pinned my wrists above my head.
I struggled, but I was completely overpowered.
They touched me crudely, searching through my clothes, and it disgusted me how they groped my breasts and even between my legs, which I desperately tried to keep closed.
"Boss, look what she had hidden between her tits," one of them sneered, pulling out the pouch of money the King had given me.
"Keep it and let me go, please. I'll leave your pack, I beg you, I'll go without looking back!" I begged, my voice shaking, but their expressions were full of malice. And I knew they had nothing good in mind.
"Of course, we'll keep the money," the one holding my wrists said with a cruel laugh, "But don't think you're getting off that easy. Didn't you want to fuck with a man? Well, lucky for you, there's three of us."
"No! Let me go, you bastards! Help... help!"
Despite their strong slaps, I tried to keep screaming until exhaustion. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth from the blows, but I couldn't stay silent. I needed to call for help.
But soon they stuffed a rag into my mouth, and all I could do was whimper.
"Finally, you shut up, damn it. Shall we get this over with?" the man on top of me asked the leader.
"Do whatever you want. She's got decent tits, but with that face, I'm not interested. Just hurry up. We can't stay here long," he grumbled.
With horror, I saw how the man on top of my stomach stood up and started unbuttoning his pants while talking to the one behind me about how they were going to rape me and their preferences.
They were dividing my body as if it were just a piece of meat.
They said King Fenrir ordered this, and something shattered inside me. I would've preferred he killed me with his own hands over this humiliation.
It must have been true because only he knew about the aphrodisiac, unless they worked for the person who framed me in the first place.
But who had enough influence to command three warriors from the pack?
"Wait! Wait, my dick goes limp seeing all those scars. What an ugly face, damn, she could've been a bit more attractive," he suddenly said, taking off his shirt and throwing it over my face.
His sweat-soaked stench overwhelmed me, and I gagged in disgust.
Now, in the darkness, I felt more vulnerable than ever I fought with all I had when his hands forcefully opened my knees to access between my legs.