The loud voices outside the house seeped through the open door in the servants' quarters—a warning sign not to go in that direction. I turned around, making sure my shabby old jogging shorts wouldn't make even the slightest noise.
But then, the wooden plank under my feet suddenly creaked from the pressure of my weight. I froze, absolutely frightened. I knew every single plank that made up the floors of the pack house. I knew exactly which ones would make a noise when stepped on. How could I have forgotten? Silently, I scolded myself for the careless mistake.
Slipping off my worn-out shoes, I tiptoed through the dimly lit corridor of the first floor, holding my breath almost instinctively. The door was just ahead—so close. I rounded the corner, my heart hammering in my chest when suddenly, my right foot hit something sharp.
Pain flared as the jagged edge tore into the skin around my big toe's nail. I stumbled, crashing down onto the floor, my elbows slamming into the wood. A rusted nail. At least I hadn't stepped directly on it.
"Look at you, crawling on the floor again like a little worm you are—what a miserable display!"
I flinched, my breath hitching at the sound of a familiar voice. Yulianna.
She stood over me, stunning as always. Her long, straight black hair flowed down her back, reflecting the dim orange lamp light like the surface of a dark lake under a blood moon.
Tall. Slender. Beautiful. The perfect female werewolf.
Her deep brown eyes bore down on me, sparkling with dominance as she moved her leg slightly forward. The tip of her designer velvet-covered shoe nudged under my chin, forcing my head up as if I were too dirty to be touched by anything other than her foot.
Despite being the pack's Luna—the true mate to an Alpha wolf—her hatred for me made her feel unclean, and yet, she couldn't help herself. That was why she had others to express that dirty hatred in ways she could not.
Two of her closest friends, the beta twin girls who followed her like a second shadow, stood at her sides, smirking in unison as they watched my lips tremble from the pain of her shoe pressing into my chin.
"Where were you going?"
Yulianna's low, authoritative voice sent a chill down my spine. I parted my lips, but my voice was trapped in my throat. Only a quiet whimper escaped, and their laughter echoed through the corridor.
"Ah," Yulianna said, jerking her foot upward. Pain flared through my jaw as I clamped my mouth shut. "I forgot that you can barely speak. Pathetic, as always."
I dropped my gaze to the floor, pressing my lips together as the insults rained over me again. One of the twins, Marina, kicked my old gray sneakers toward me before wiping her foot on my shirt in disgust.
"Don't scatter your garbage around here, slave. And if you don't know how to speak properly, at least learn how to say 'I'm sorry' when higher wolves address you."
Yulianna shook her head at her friend, a playful gesture as if scolding her, but her lips were still stretched into a grin. "Marina, you're being too harsh on this poor omega! Haven't you seen her father? That fool can barely form a coherent response himself. It's too much to expect someone like her to be any better."
Stepping over me, Yulianna leaned down and grabbed a fistful of my wavy brown hair. A sharp sting shot through my scalp as her claws scraped against my skin.
She smiled, flashing her fangs for a brief moment before pouting and clicking her tongue. "This miserable face is getting on my nerves. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Otherwise, I'd have sent you off for a preventative beating for making a mess in front of me and my friends again."
Her grip tightened, and she shoved my face down toward the floor, mere inches from the rusted nail. My throat constricted, fear clawing at my chest. If she pressed just a little harder…
"Get rid of it before someone else gets hurt," she hissed. "And make sure I don't see you again until tomorrow."
"Yes."
The single quiet word barely left my mouth before her anger flared again.
"Yes, what?" She yanked my head up sharply, my hair pulling painfully at my scalp. My entire weight hung from her grip, and when she bared her fangs, my body trembled.
I parted my lips again, my voice hoarse. "Yes, Luna."
"Stupid bitch."
She shoved me back onto the floor, then turned away, smiling at her friends. With a flick of her hand, she gestured for them to follow.
"Let's go, ladies. I still have so many dresses to try on, and I need your honest opinion on every single one of them."
The twins giggled and followed behind her, like two brainless dolls under her spell.
Silence returned, but the weight of humiliation pressed down on me. Tears burned my eyes as I forced my nails under the wooden plank, whimpering when one of them broke under the pressure. I struggled, biting back sobs, trying to pry the faulty board free.
I prayed no one would hear me.
When I finally managed to pull it loose, I snatched my shoes and dashed toward the servants' quarters, hoping one of the male omegas would still be available to fix the floors.
This encounter with Yulianna… it could have been worse. It could always be worse.