“Rosa, I'm handling Zoe unto you.” The voice of Myra cut off Judith, who was about to reply to me, leaving me with nothing but a knot in my chest.My wolf? She said she heard my wolf.

The word burned inside me even as the heavy footsteps of the Chief Maid approached.

My wolf was dead long ago. It died in a foolish decision I took that I would now forever regret. Well, what does Judith know? She was just a witch, not a werewolf. Maybe she was talking based on her knowledge, but I still wished I had the chance to talk to her more. But she was already gone with Myra.

“Come.” The Chief Maid said, her voice sharp enough to cut meat. She was tall, her hair pulled back so tight that it looked painful, and her eyes were colder than the stone floor. She didn't even spare me a glance as she turned and started walking.

I followed her, my footsteps small as I tried to keep up with her pace. We passed through a side door, walked down a flight of stairs, and into a small garden, then to the maids’ quarters.

“This is where you belong now.” The Chief Maid’s voice rang through the corridor as she pushed open a wooden door.

The inner part wasn’t what I had really imagined. There were rows of narrow beds stretched across a long, dim room. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of soap and flowers and perfumes, maybe. There were buckets and basins lining the corners, with boots and aprons hanging from pegs hammered into the walls.

Girls and women of different ages moved about, some folding sheets, some laughing in small groups, others too tired to even lift their heads. It was nothing like the life I had always had… soft pillows, private chambers, silk dresses. This place was just so cramped, noisy, suffocating.

A few heads turned as I stepped inside. Their eyes swept over me quickly, judging, measuring. Some narrowed their gaze, others looked away, obviously uninterested, even though no one said anything. But the silence was so loud and the weight of being an outsider was beginning to crush me.

“This is your bed.” The Chief Maid pointed to the last bed by the wall. It was a thin mattress with a thin blanket and a bucket under it.

“This place is guarded by simple rules… wake before dawn, sleep after midnight. Complain, and you’ll regret it. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said, but my throat was so dry that it came out as a whisper.

She nodded once and exited the room, leaving me standing.

I lowered myself onto the bed. The wood creaked under me and my hand brushed the thin sheet. It felt rough against my skin. I reminded myself: at least it’s a place to stay, at least I’m not out there with the rogues or getting killed.

“Fresh meat.” A voice snickered from across the room.

I glanced up and saw two maids staring at me. One was clearly older, with lines around her mouth, the other was younger, but they both had the same sharpness in their eyes.

“Where did they pick you up?” the younger one asked, folding a rag slowly.

“From Crescent Pack, didn’t you hear? She’s the intruder,” another girl answered for me, whispering like she was passing around a dirty secret.

The word intruder landed like a stone in my stomach. I turned away and pressed my palm against the bed, trying to stop the tears threatening to fall. Don’t make them see you as a weakling.

Not long after, a bell clanged from the hall. The sound was so harsh, like a bunch of chains hitting metal.

“Up! Chores!” A senior maid barked. She had authority in her stance, and everyone moved quickly, lining up by the door.

I was confused about where to line up, but someone pulled me to the middle line. We were given tasks to do and the next few hours were hell.

I kept scrubbing floors until my knees ached, carrying laundry that was heavier than my arms could bear, and hauling buckets of water that splashed down my skirt. My fingers stung from the soap and my back ached from being bent, but I kept going.

Every time I thought I wanted to stop, I would hear Enrizo’s voice in my head—we can’t let you stay, we can’t let you go—and I would push harder. Survival was the only choice I had.

Some of the maids ignored me and others didn’t bother hiding their dislike for me. One deliberately spilled dirty water near my feet while another snatched the broom from my hands with a smirk.

By evening, when we were sent to the kitchens to serve dinner, my legs trembled with exhaustion. I balanced a tray with sweat rolling down my spine. I was praying I wouldn’t drop anything.

That was when I heard it, the whispers. They were low but loud enough for me to hear. It was from two girls washing dishes.

“They say Lady Myra already has a spy in Crescent Pack.”

“Then why let another one stay here? Unless she’s more useful.”

“Or unless the Lord just likes her face.”

The laughter that followed sounded cringy to me.

I pretended not to hear, but their words echoed inside me. A spy… already there? Who?

My heart raced. If they had someone planted there already, then maybe I wasn’t as valuable as I thought. And what’s going to happen if I appear useless to them?

The question created fear in my chest.

When night finally arrived with the moon shining brightly, the bell rang again, and we were sent back into the quarters. The room was loud with chatter, as I was sharing the room with three other girls.

Around me, the girls laughed and chatted. I could hear the whispers too. They were about me—my name, Crescent Pack, intruder—and words like that, but I chose to ignore them.

I lay down, staring at the ceiling. The ceiling wood was clearly cracked. I shut my eyelids but sleep didn’t come.

Judith’s words returned… your wolf.

I pressed my hand against my chest, where once I felt her heartbeat echo against mine. She’s gone. She died saving Kade.

The thought wouldn’t leave my mind throughout the night. But then, another question rose in my chest… have I really found a place to survive and stay forever or what would be my fate after I’ve given them all the needed information?

But I couldn’t get any answers to the questions in my heart. All I could hear was my own breathing and snores from the girls. The scent of sweat and soap filled the room, clinging to my skin like a reminder of where I now belonged. I turned to my side, hugging my knees, feeling the ache in my bones settle into silence.

And yet, beneath it all, a whisper inside me said… endure, endure, Zoe, you can do this.

I clutched the thin sheet tighter and forced myself to believe that I would survive—because I had to. There was no going back, not after everything I’d lost. And somewhere deep down, beyond the silence of the night and the emptiness inside me, I thought I heard it… the faintest echo of a growl.