Chapter 7- Saving Grace

LENA >>

I stood there, frozen in place, my heart pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears.

Moon Goddess, I whispered in my mind, please tell me I didn’t do something wrong. Please don’t let this be a trap. Please… not the Alpha. Anyone but him.

I couldn’t breathe properly. Fear had wrapped itself around me like a steel chain. My thoughts ran wild. What if I’d done something without realizing it? What if I was being summoned for punishment? My fate… was it already sealed?

Suddenly, a sharp voice snapped me out of my spiral.

“Are you by any chance deaf?” the head slave barked, her tone as cold as winter.

I blinked and quickly bowed my head in shame. “I-I’m so sorry for not answering right away,” I stammered. “I was just… scared.” My voice was low, almost a whisper. My heart hadn’t stopped racing.

She didn’t care about my fear. Her eyes were hard, unbothered.

“There’s no place here for scared little pups,” she said flatly. “If you want to survive in this pack, you’ll have to toughen up. Wolves without strong hearts don’t make it past their first year. They die—simple as that. So unless you want that to be your story, tighten your seatbelt, girl.”

I nodded quickly, bowing again. “Yes, ma’am. I understand. I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

She didn’t respond. She simply turned and walked off. I didn’t waste a second before following her.

As we walked, I tried to get my breathing under control, but everything around me pulled at my attention. The pack grounds were… breathtaking. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. The buildings looked like something straight out of a storybook. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and the air smelled of pine.

We kept walking—and walking—until my legs felt like they were made of stone. Just when I thought we’d never stop, we finally reached a door. She didn’t knock. She just pushed it open and stepped in like she owned the place.

I followed slowly.

Halfway inside, she stopped abruptly, turned to me, and said, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

And so, I waited.

I was standing with my back turned when someone bumped into me—hard.

I swallowed my irritation, forcing myself to do the polite thing. I shifted to the side, hoping they’d pass without trouble.

But no. Of course not.

It felt intentional. The bump, the way her shoulder slammed into mine—she could have walked past without touching me, but she didn’t. She wanted to prove a point.

“Oooopppsss, my bad,” she said with fake sweetness. “If only you weren’t so blind and knew how to get the hell out of the way.”

Then she shoved me—hard.

I stumbled backward, my hand scraping painfully against the rough wall behind me. I hissed at the sting, but what hurt more was the laughter that followed.

My heart dropped when I looked up—and my blood boiled when I saw her face.

It was her. The same girl who had yanked my hair earlier like I was some animal.

I clenched my fists. Every part of me wanted to shove her back.

But I held myself in check. Barely.

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I almost tasted blood. I stepped aside, giving her space.

As she walked past me, she slammed her shoulder into mine again—harder this time—making me stagger forward.

“Wicked-ass hyena,” I muttered under my breath, just low enough so I thought she wouldn’t hear me.

But she did.

“What did you just say to me?” she snapped.

I turned slowly. Her eyes locked onto mine, burning with rage. She looked like she was ready to pounce.

“I didn’t say anything,” I replied quickly, trying to keep my face neutral.

“It wasn’t nothing,” she growled, stepping closer. “I heard you. You said something.”

She started advancing on me.

I had had enough. “You want to know what I said? Fine. I said you’re a wicked-ass hyena.” I let the disgust drip from my voice.

She blinked in disbelief, then quickly called over her little pack of minions. They gathered around her, glaring at me like I’d committed the greatest crime in the world.

“She’s the one,” the girl told them, pointing at me. “She fought with me, and as if that wasn’t enough, she had the audacity to call me a wicked-ass hyena.”

The minions circled closer.

“Who gave you the right?” one of them sneered. “You just got here and you’re already picking fights. Do you even know who she is?”

“Yes,” I said flatly. “She’s a slave. Just like all of you.”

They froze for a moment, caught off guard.

“And by the way,” I continued, my voice sharper now, “you all look malnourished. Instead of wasting your energy ganging up on innocent slaves, maybe you should get on the cooks’ good side so you can eat something decent before you drop dead from starvation.”

Gasps. Angry mutters.

But I wasn’t done.

“Actually,” I added, eyeing them from head to toe, “the time you spend baking under the sun, gossiping and sniffing around like stray dogs, you could use to take care of your skin. Because right now? You all look like ugly-ass hyenas who rolled in dirt and forgot what soap was.”

They looked shocked—offended—but I could see the cracks in their confidence.

“I mean seriously,” I smirked. “If you’re going to act like the pack’s mean girls, at least look the part. You can’t be ugly and mean—it’s just embarrassing.”

I couldn’t believe those words had actually left my mouth, but at this point, I didn’t care.

Their faces burned red, and they started closing in on me. I took a step back.

Why is the head slave taking so long? This would’ve been the perfect time for her to show up and save me from getting beaten to a pulp.

They were still moving toward me when a voice rang out.

“Let her go. Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves? Bullying a slave that you should be protecting?”

It wasn’t the head slave’s voice.

The bullies froze, muttered something under their breath, then turned to me. “You’re lucky today. You won’t be next time.”

They walked off.

I turned toward the voice. A girl about my age stood there, her arms crossed.

“You must be new here,” she said, walking up to me. “I’m Alina.”