KAYE'S POV

Margaret woke me up even earlier than usual the next morning.

"Get up," she barked through the door. "We need extra food prepared. The warriors who fought last night need to eat."

I dragged myself out of bed. My whole body ached. I had barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Ethan through the bond. His pain. His exhaustion. His mind spinning with worry about the attack.

I splashed cold water on my face and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was already busy. Five women were working at different stations. They all stopped and stared when I walked in. Their expressions ranged from disgust to outright hatred.

"You," Margaret pointed at me. "Start with the dishes. Then you will peel potatoes. Lots of them."

"Yes, ma'am."

I went to the sink and started washing. The water was ice cold again. My fingers went numb within minutes. But I did not complain.

Sara walked past me carrying a tray of eggs. She bumped into me hard enough that I stumbled. The dish I was holding slipped and cracked against the edge of the sink.

"Oops," Sara said with a smile. "Looks like you broke another one."

"I did not—"

"Margaret!" Sara called out. "Kaye broke a dish."

Margaret looked over from the stove. Her expression hardened. "That is the second one. No breakfast and no lunch today."

"But she pushed me," I said.

"I do not care." Margaret turned back to her cooking. "Break things, you do not eat. Those are the rules."

Sara smirked at me and walked away.

I kept washing dishes. My stomach was already cramping with hunger. The food Ethan had left yesterday was gone. I had eaten every crumb. And now I would have nothing until dinner.

If I even got dinner.

The other women in the kitchen whispered to each other. I caught bits and pieces of their conversation.

"Two wolves died last night because of her kind."

"My cousin was one of the injured. He might lose his arm."

"The Alpha should have killed her when he had the chance."

"Maybe someone should do it for him."

That last comment made my blood run cold. I kept my head down and kept working. But my hands were shaking.

An hour later, Margaret handed me a huge bag of potatoes. "Peel all of these. And if you waste too much, you will not eat tomorrow either."

I took the bag to the corner of the kitchen and started peeling. My hands were already raw from the cold water. The knife felt heavy. But I worked as carefully as I could.

Sara walked by and deliberately stepped on my foot. Pain shot up my leg.

"Watch where you sit," she said. "You are in everyone's way."

I moved to a different corner. But ten minutes later, another woman "accidentally" kicked over my bucket of peeled potatoes. They scattered across the floor.

"Clean that up," Margaret said without looking.

I picked up every single potato. My hands were bleeding now from the knife and the rough potato skins. But I did not stop.

This was my life. Every day. Getting worse and worse.

Through the bond, I felt Ethan. He was in a meeting somewhere in the packhouse. I could feel his frustration. His anger. But not at me. At something else.

I wondered if he knew what his pack was doing to me. If he cared.

Probably not.

***************************

By the time lunch rolled around, I was dizzy with hunger. The smell of food cooking made my stomach cramp so badly I had to sit down.

The kitchen staff ate at a small table in the corner. They had roasted chicken, fresh bread, vegetables. My mouth watered just looking at it.

I sat on the floor in the opposite corner with nothing.

Sara looked over at me and smiled. Then she took a huge bite of chicken and moaned. "This is so good. I am so full. I might not even be able to finish."

The other women laughed.

"Maybe we should give her the scraps," one of them said. "Like a dog."

"Dogs are more useful than she is," Sara replied.

More laughter.

I closed my eyes and tried to ignore them. Just a few more hours. Then dinner. Maybe.

But deep down, I knew they were going to find a reason to take that away from me too.

*************************

The afternoon was worse. Margaret had me scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees. The stone was rough and cold. My knees were bruised within an hour.

Every time someone walked by, they made sure to step on the part I just cleaned. Or they would spill something and make me clean it again.

"You missed a spot," Sara said, pointing to a tiny mark on the floor.

I scrubbed it.

"No, you made it worse. Do it again."

I scrubbed it again.

"Still not good enough."

This went on for twenty minutes. Finally, Margaret called Sara away to help with dinner prep. But the damage was done. My hands were bleeding. My knees were raw. And I was so exhausted I could barely see straight.

Through the bond, I felt Ethan getting closer. He was coming this way.

My heart started racing. Was he coming to the kitchen? Why?

The door opened. Ethan walked in.

Everyone stopped working. The kitchen went silent. All eyes turned to the Alpha.

Ethan looked around the room. His gaze landed on me. I was still on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. Blood dripped from my fingers onto the stone.

Something flickered in his eyes. Anger. But I could not tell if it was anger at me or anger at what he was seeing.

"Margaret," Ethan said. His voice was controlled. Too controlled. "A word. My office. Now."

Margaret's face went pale. "Of course, Alpha."

She followed Ethan out of the kitchen. The moment the door closed, the other women started whispering.

"He is going to punish her for being too soft on the Moonstone bitch."

"No, he is going to tell her to work Kaye harder."

"Maybe he is finally going to order her execution."

I stayed on the floor, not moving. Through the bond, I could feel Ethan's rage. It was building. Growing. But I could not tell what it was directed at.

Ten minutes later, Margaret came back. Her face was red. She looked furious.

She walked straight to me. "Get up."

I stood slowly. My legs shook.

"The Alpha says you are to be fed three meals a day," Margaret said through gritted teeth. "No exceptions. Even if you break something. Even if you make a mistake. Three meals. Every day."

Relief flooded through me. Ethan had protected me. In his own way.

But Margaret was not done. "He also says that if anyone in this kitchen lays a hand on you, they will answer to him personally. That includes verbal abuse."

Sara's face went white.

Margaret looked around at all of them. "The Alpha has spoken. You will follow his orders. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," they all mumbled.

Margaret turned back to me. "Go clean yourself up. Then come back and help with dinner."

I walked out of the kitchen on shaking legs. My hands were still bleeding. My knees hurt. But for the first time since I arrived, I felt something other than terror.

Hope.

Maybe Ethan did not accept the bond. Maybe he still hated me. But his wolf would not let him watch me starve.

And that was something.

*************************

I went to the bathroom and cleaned my hands as best I could. The cuts were not deep. They would heal by tomorrow.

Through the bond, I felt Ethan. He was back in his office. His rage had faded, but something else had taken its place. Guilt.

He felt guilty for what his pack was doing to me.

I did not know what to do with that information. So I just stored it away and went back to the kitchen.

Dinner prep was quieter. No one spoke to me. But no one tripped me or pushed me or insulted me either. They just worked around me like I was invisible.

It was better than being tormented. But it was still lonely.

When dinner was ready, Margaret handed me a plate. A full plate. Chicken, vegetables, bread, and a piece of fruit.

"Eat," she said. "Alpha's orders."

I took the plate to the corner and ate slowly. Every bite felt like a gift. I had not realized how hungry I was until I started eating.

Through the bond, I felt Ethan. He was eating too. In his office. Alone.

And for just a moment, I wondered what it would be like if we were not enemies. If the bond had snapped into place under different circumstances.

Would he be kind? Would he smile? Would he hold me instead of pushing me away?

I would never know. Because the past stood between us like a wall. And I did not think anything could tear it down.

But at least I would not starve.

And right now, that was enough.