Samantha's POV:

“Don’t do that to my niece!”

The voice rippled through the air, and everyone froze. 

I turned towards the voice, my mouth still dripping red with human blood.

A man was seated on a royal carriage and being moved forward by four hefty guards. His hair was gray, proclaiming his age, but his eyes burned bright like a forest fire. 

Michael, the soldier I’d knocked down earlier, stumbled back to his feet, clutching his arm.  “Elder William,” he said, bowing.

Elder William?

Was this him?

 Dracula had spoken about a hidden ally who would help me in my mission.

Alpha Ken backed away from me, his eyes still blazing. Everyone knew better than to interrupt an elder when he stepped into a scene; strict pack rules.

Elder William got down from the carriage and walked towards me. But just when I thought he wanted to reach out for me, he turned to Clara, who had been standing there holding her belly in a protective manner.

“You will find another way to earn your coin than molesting my niece,” he said, his tone calm but deadly.

“Uncle William...” Clara whispered tearfully, collapsing into his arms.

‘What the—’

The other guards couldn't hold back their shock either. Elder Williams turned back to me. “You,” he said, pointing at me with a steady hand, “you will come with me.”

I blinked. I had expected insults or maybe a kick to the ribs.

 He spoke again, louder this time. “Clara is my niece, and anyone who dares bring harm to her will die by my sword!” he concluded, his eyes fixed on the rowdy guards.

The women murmured, and the guards looked confused. But no one dared question him. 

“As for you…” he said, his gaze falling on me, “I will bring you into the house. The Alpha needs strong hands and sharper eyes.”

I stood still, not knowing what to reply. But when I caught sight of Alpha Ken's enraged face, I grinned. 

Elder William was unknowingly offering me a hand. A hand that opened a door I had long wanted to enter.

I followed him quietly through the courtyard, drawing attention with every movement as everyone kept looking at my strange bloodstained outfit. 

“I heard she ripped a guard's head off with her bare teeth,” one whispered.  

“She must be the devil himself,” another said.

“She should be burnt alive.” 

The murmurs were endless.

We got to the Alpha's mansion, and my mouth gaped open at the breathtaking sight. 

When did Alpha Kelvin have the heart to build something like this? He had always been stingy, claiming to hate wastage.

Inside the mansion, the atmosphere was heavy with wealth and something darker; something feral and strangely demonic. 

More than a hundred servants moved about in nervous silence. I watched their steps and almost giggled. I didn't blame them; the eerie atmosphere could put anyone on edge, talk more of mere mortals.

Elder William guided me through narrow corridors. “You’ll start in the kitchen,” he said without humor, glancing sideways at me. “The Alpha’s household runs in silence. Never speak unless you’re spoken to.”

I nodded, even though I knew it would be hard to keep that command.

I followed him further down the corridors until we got to a large door. The guards who had been following us stopped and bowed before turning to leave.

Elder William waited until the guards had gone, then he slowly opened the large door.

“Come in,” he said, stepping first into the room.

The room was dark and dimly lit by a beam of sunlight peeking through a small hole in the cracked walls. The air smelled faintly of burning coal and dried blood. The kind that made one's stomach churn. Surely, this couldn't be the kitchen?

“Sit,” he ordered again, turning his gaze to an old metallic chair by the corner.

 I sat down but immediately felt something cold and piercing curl against my feet and arms, trapping me to the chair.

‘What the hell—’ I shrieked, trying to free myself, but the sharp needles only tore more into my flesh. 

I winced as I felt raw pain surge through me. 

‘Don't cry. Kill or summon demons’ Frank's voice reverberated in my head.

“You won't be able to do anything,” I heard Elder William's cold voice. “Those aren't ordinary needles. They've been fortified with silver and different kinds of spells to weaken or kill any kind of supernatural creature, werewolf or vampire, demon or witch, living or dead.” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Why are you doing this?” I hissed through the searing pain.

“Tell me who sent you,” Elder William said, moving closer to me. “I’ve seen what you can do. You're definitely not an ordinary slave. Did the eastern pack send you? Or was it the Silvermoon heiress? Or an external enemy?” He asked, his eyes peering into mine as if the answers were in there.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” I replied through clenched teeth, my whole body already going numb from pain.

“I'm willing to spare your life, but I can't if you don't help me to. I wouldn't need the guards. These tiny little princesses will make you wish for death.”

 I could already feel myself growing weaker. “Please…” I whispered, “I really don't know what you're talking about.”

He smirked. “Is that so? You only have a little time left before you bleed out.” 

“Kill me,” I suddenly spat. “Just kill me and be done with it. I have nothing to tell you.” 

Elder William looked surprised at my outburst, begging for death when I should be pleading for life. 

I had been to the land of the dead and back, I had been to hell and back. Death doesn't scare me anymore. He just didn't know that.

Elder William cleared his throat. “Very well then. I shall do as you wish,” he said, and reached for a knife by his side.

I closed my eyes and waited for the impact but only felt my feet and hands being freed. The force of the extraction only drew more blood out of me.

I fell to the ground, breathless, as I clutched my chest.

“I'll be watching you,” Elder William said before walking out of the room. 

I tried to get up, but my feet protested. I lay there until I passed out from exhaustion. 

Fuck Dracula and his useless demons. 

*******

The kitchen was another world of its own. A large filthy room of smoke, heat, and gossip. It was divided into sections, and maids were given their positions according to their hierarchy. 

The higher slaves, slaves who had been there long enough, were in charge of the cooking. The second level of slaves served the guards, while the lowest or newer slaves cleaned, scrubbed, and washed the dishes. Only the head cook was in charge of serving the Alpha.

I did my work with silent precision, scrubbing floors and washing dishes until my fingers ached. There were no breaks or short naps, and sometimes we went for days without bathing.

The maids watched me with suspicion. Some with fear, some with loathe.

‘The new girl who came from nowhere, the one Elder William brought himself,’ they would whisper.

I ignored them. I was not there for their friendship but for purpose.

I listened, and I learned.  I noted how the guards rotated their posts, where the doors were left unlocked, and where the Alpha's food was always kept before being served. I kept every whisper and every piece of gossip in my memory.

And when the nights grew quiet, I fed that information to the darkness that waited ever patiently;

Dracula.