Gianna

We arrive at the camp long after the sun has set.

Words can't describe the exhaustion I feel. I'm pretty sure my feet are bleeding, and I'm so hungry that it feels like I have a hole in my stomach.

Though the sky is pitch black, the camp isn't. That's because there are bonfires lit everywhere. Tents—some of them huge—are being erected all around us. I look around and see slaves sitting on the ground everywhere, all of them looking as miserable as I feel.

"Over there," a gruff voice says behind me. I'd almost forgotten that the Beta was standing behind me. He points toward one of the biggest tents, and I head straight toward it, praying that I won't fall and slam my face against the dirt.

We near the tent, and then I stand close to the entrance, breathing hard, eyes downcast. He stood in front of me, and I feel him looking at me but for some reason, I can't look up. I refuse to meet his eyes.

"You're assigned to me," he finally says. "You're going to be my personal slave. I give you an order, you obey it unquestioningly. If you don't, you'll be punished."

I look up in disbelief, but he's walking inside the tent. This can't be happening to me. How can I work for the man who killed my husband and turned my life upside down just this morning? This has to be a cruel, twisted joke.

A punishment for having survived.

"Slave," I hear him call.

My sore feet move before I can wrap my head around it all. I look around briefly and take note of everything. The interior is not at all what I expected a tent in the middle of nowhere to look. I spot furs and velvet, upholstered chairs all around. The bed is covered in furs, too, and the ground has been covered by a thick carpet so we're not stepping on the sand.

He's standing by the bed, undressing. First, he removes the protective armor from his upper body and carefully sets it down on a wooden chest at the end of his bed. His entire body is muscular—this frightens me because I know I wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Suddenly, he looks at me over his shoulder. "You can put that down."

I realize he's referring to the sack. Carefully, I set it down. I'm relieved. I didn't realize just how heavy it was until now. I rub my arms and he instructs, "Fill that tub in front of the fire with water from the buckets outside."

I spot the tub he's referring to—it's heavy and metallic. All my life, I've never been given orders like this. I've always had maids do everything for me. I step outside, ignoring the way my feet sting every time I take a step.

I see the buckets of water he referred to. Hauling one up—it's even heavier than the sack—I carry it back into the tent. He's still busy getting undressed and hardly pays any attention to me. I pour it into the tub and figure it needs a little more water to be full.

Once that's done, I stand aside and wait for more instructions. The tub has been warmed by the fire, which means it doesn't take long for the water to start to heat up.

The Beta then removes all his clothes and makes his way toward me. I feel his eyes on my face as he climbs into the tub. He sinks into it with a groan of delight, and some of the water splashes my feet.

The seconds become minutes. His eyes never leave me. His voice then cuts the silence. "What is your name, slave?"

I say the first one that comes to mind. "Ingrid."

"How did you end up as a maid for the Alpha?"

I flinch when he mentions Jacob. My whole body starts to shake, and I have to fight off the tremors to think of a convincing story to tell him. I had a maid when I was younger, and she used to tell me about her life as she combed my oiled hair. So, I give him that story.

It's all a lie. I barely pay attention to it because it's one I already know.

"You must've been very competent if you worked in their household," he remarks.

Slowly, I nod. "Yes."

"Then, surely you know that you're supposed to help your master bathe?"

I tense up completely. Yes, of course. Why didn't I think about that? He points toward the wash cloth near the fire, and I reach for it. The hand holding it is shaking lightly as I move to his side. I stare at the back of his head and imagine myself doing something terrible. I hate this man. Hate that I have to play slave to him when he killed my husband and so many other people.

I dip the rag in the water before rubbing it along his skin. Nausea rolls in the pit of my stomach, but I keep doing it. The feel of the cloth against his skin makes my skin crawl. I don't want to be here, touching him.

In fact, during that walk, I asked myself if it wouldn't have been better to die alongside Jacob.

My life feels meaningless now. Look at what I've become. What else am I supposed to endure while I'm disguised as a slave? What else will this man ask of me?

He puts his hand up, signaling for him to stop. Then, he rises, water droplets gliding down his naked body. I keep my eyes on the ground as he moves around the tent, drying himself before getting dressed into loose pants and a black long-sleeved linen shirt.

Before I realize it, he's standing directly in front of me. At least he's dressed. "To verify your tale, you're going to have to undress."

My eyes widen in horror and I step away from him, prepared to do whatever I can to prevent this. "You've mentioned a hard life, and you mentioned punishments. Those kinds of things leave marks behind, Ingrid."

My face reddens. "Why would anyone lie about such a thing?"

His eyes search my face. "I have a feeling you're not being entirely honest."

It's like fear has been injected into my heart. It's pounding uncontrollably and I have this wild thought to do something completely crazy, like try to run.

The Beta stares back at me with his intense gaze. I can almost see his thirst for blood written all over his face. It's either this, or the risk of death or punishment, and once more, I choose life.

Maybe I'm just as selfish as he is.

The maid's uniform is just a long, loose brown dress that can easily slide down my body once I undo the knot near my throat. I loosen it, and let the dress's material slide down my body.

Then, I turn my face away as his eyes take over my body.