Chapter 27: Warning

Aurora

Two weeks later, Alpha Wolfgang left for the alpha’s summit.

I thought I’d be free from his constant ordering me around, but his fiancée was even worse.

One morning, while I was arranging the bed, she came up to me.

“Aurora, right?” she asked, leaning against the door frame.

~Why does she always play this game of asking me my name?~

“Yes, ma’am. Did you need anything?” I asked, not looking at her as I pulled the sheet over the mattress.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said. She crossed her arms over her prominent chest. “I want you to stay away from my mate.”

“Um, you mean Alpha Wolfgang, ma’am?” I asked, confused.

“Of course! Who else would I be talking about, you dimwitted fool.” She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t understand what you mean about staying away from him, ma’am,” I said. She was talking like I was throwing myself at Wolfgang, not being held hostage by him.

“Stop the act, wench. I know your plan, and I know what you’re up to.” She walked up to me and poked me in the chest. “I know you have a thing for him.”

Shock crossed my face, but I masked it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Wilhelm. I am his maid. Nothing more.”

I gave her a brief smile, then proceeded to pick up the dirty sheets and laundry.

I began making way to the door, but she grabbed me by my arm and spun me to face her.

“Look, you bitch. Stay away from him, or else!” she cried. She shoved me, then whipped her hair back and walked out of the room.

~“How dare she? Bite her head off!”~ Rhea shouted in my mind.

I sighed.

Great. Now I had to deal with Tallulah too, all thanks to Wolfgang and his refusal to let me leave the village.

That night, around dinner time, I was surprised by an invite from the soon-to-be-luna herself. She asked me to join her, the gamma, and the elders in the grand dining hall.

~I want to apologize for my outburst this morning. I got a little carried away with jealousy. I understand that you are the alpha’s maid, and nothing more.~

~Please join me for dinner in the grand hall at 7:00 o’clock sharp.~

~Sincerely,~

~Luna Tallulah Wilhelm.~

I didn’t want to go, but Mrs. Kala said it would look bad if I declined an invitation from the future luna.

So that night, I sat in the grand dining hall with Tallulah, Remus, Aspen, and the elders, feeling completely out of place.

“So, Miss…” one of the elders said to me.

“Aurora, sir,” I said, giving him a weak smile.

“Aurora. How old are you, child?” he asked.

“I recently turned eighteen, sir,” I answered. I hated being the center of attention.

“Have you found your mate yet?” Tallulah asked.

“No, ma’am. Not yet,” I lied.

I couldn’t tell the truth. Wolfgang had warned me about mentioning that we were mates.

“There will be time for that. What’s your role here in the pack? Are you a warrior? A seeker?” Elder Leto asked.

“Um, no sir,” I said.

“She is a maid here at the pack house, Elder Leto,” Tallulah explained.

“A maid? Then what is she doing dining with us tonight?” Elder Aldo exclaimed.

“I invited her, sir. As a token of my appreciation for all her hard work,” Tallulah gave me a smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes.

“If I may say, sir,” Gamma Bowman intervened, “Miss Craton isn’t just any maid. She is the alpha’s personal maid.”

“The alpha’s personal maid? Now that you mention it, I have seen her around. But wait. Did you say ‘Craton’? As in, the late gamma, Rodrick Craton?” Elder Radolf asked.

“Yes,” Remus answered.

“Well what an honor, to meet the late Gamma Craton’s daughter!” Elder Radolf said.

They all began talking about my father and the late alpha. I sneaked a glance at Tallulah and that she was fuming.

After dinner, I was helping Mrs. Kala clear the table and wash the dishes when suddenly, I began feeling unwell.

“You’d think the luna would at least be more diligent in the kitchen when using it. She dirtied almost everything in here,” said the older woman.

She looked at me. “Are you alright, my child?”

“Huh? No, I’m okay,” I assured her.

“You sure, dearie? You’re looking a bit pale. Let me finish here. You head on to bed.”

“I’m okay, Mrs. Kala. There are still dishes to clean, and leftovers to dispose of.”

But she wouldn’t budge. “No, no, no! Go on now. I’ll finish up here. Get some rest.”

“Fine. Goodnight, Mrs. Kala.” I told her, then headed to bed.

~“Thank Goddess Mrs. Kala let us off early huh, Rhea? How about we go for a run before bed?”~ I asked my wolf.

‘Um, I don’t feel very well. Maybe tomorrow.’

She sounded weak.

~“Are you okay?”~ I asked.

~“I don’t know. I’ve been feeling off ever since the dinner.”~

~“Me too. Maybe I’m just tired. Let’s rest for tonight, and tomorrow we’ll see about that run, okay?”~ I said.

~“Sounds good to me,”~ She replied. With a weak smile, she laid down and curled herself into a ball.

***

But a couple of days after the dinner invitation, I was still feeling unwell, and Tallullah was being more demanding about the housework than ever.

It was as if something was draining my strength.

My wolf had been absent lately, too. I tried to contact her, but she was nowhere in sight.

I imagined the announcement of Wolfgang and Tallulah’s engagement had taken a toll on her as well. And she hadn’t seemed too perky the night of the dinner, either.

“You know, you don’t have to put up with it. You are the alpha’s personal maid. Not hers,” Aspen said.

She was helping me with the dishes I’d just brought down from Wolfgang and Tallulah’s room.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind,” I said. It’s not like I would be here much longer, anyway.

I’d decided that I would escape the village tonight. I’d run north, and head to the village my mother grew up in.

It felt like I was meant to go there.

“But she doesn’t give you a moment to rest. She orders you around all day, for work that even the alpha wouldn’t ask you to do.”

She was right. Wolfgang had only ordered me to get his meals and his laundry, or to arrange his bed in the morning.

Tallulah, on the other hand, had me polish all the silverware, clean the bathrooms, and vacuum every rug in the house. And that was just for starters.

“Why are you so nice?” Aspen asked, sitting on a stool as I washed the dishes.

“Um, I don’t know?” I giggled as I placed the dishes on the drying rack and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

I’d been feeling extremely hot lately, and sweating a lot. I hoped Aspen didn’t notice.

“Well, I think you should stop it! People take advantage of you, because you're too nice to say no.” She smacked his hand on the countertop.

“Oh come on. You’re exaggerating,” I said, ducking my hands into the foam.

“Aurora! The bathroom is clogged again! I need you to do something about it!” boomed Tallulah’s voice from the intercom in the kitchen.

I quickly dried my hands on a towel before answering, “On my way, ma’am.”

“I rest my case!” Aspen threw her hands in the air, then stood up and walked out of the kitchen. “I’ll see you later. I’m going to check on what Remus is doing.”

She sighed. “He has been so busy since the alpha and beta went to the summit. We hardly ever have time for each other.”

“Okay. Bye,” I said.

I finished with the dishes and headed up to the bathroom. There, I heard someone knock on the door.

“Miss Aurora Craton?” someone called my name.

“Yes?” I answered. I stood up and took my gloves off.

“You are being summoned into the elders’ office for questioning about a robbery.”

I recognized the voice as one of the house guards.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Please follow me, miss,” he said.

I obliged, still confused. We headed down to the second floor and into the elders’ office, where the three elders, Remus, and Tallulah all stood.

“Please have a seat,” said one of the elders.

I did as I was told, but couldn’t help feeling anxious. What was this about?

“Do you recognize these, Miss Craton?” asked Elder Aldo, showing me a couple of spoons, a knife, and a fork.

“Those are part of the house’s silverware, sirs,” I answered.

“You were recently given the job of polishing them, weren’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“And do you care to explain why we found them hidden in your closet?” he asked.

I was shocked. “What?!”

“The maids noticed that some of the silverware was missing, and we were notified that the last person to touch it was you.”

His eyes narrowed. “When we inspected your room, we found them hidden in your closet, along with a bag filled with clothes. Were you planning on going on a trip soon?” Elder Leto inquired.

“I’m sorry, sir, but there must be a mistake—”

“Don’t you already have a record for stealing?” Elder Aldo asked.

“That was looked into, sir. The matter was cleared up by the alpha and I,” Gamma Remus cut in.

“But wasn’t she left with a warning, Remus?” asked Tallulah.

“…Yes, she was…” Remus said, glaring at the woman. “But I’m sure there must be an explanation. Miss Craton has been working here for the past eight months, and so far, we have had no complaint.”

“This is her second time being ~accused~ of robbery, Gamma Bowman,” Tallulah said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Who knows how many times she had done it before.”

“I agree. I’m sorry, Miss Craton, but we pronounce you guilty of this charge. You will be severely punished,” Elder Leto said.

“What? No!” I stood, but was grabbed by the arm by the guard who’d escorted me.

“Thieving is not tolerated in this pack, Miss Craton. You shall be whipped thirty times, then placed in a cellar in the dungeon for a month. Take her away!”

The guard dragged me out of the office.

I looked around the people in the room, begging them to allow me to explain. My eyes landed on Tallulah, who wore a sinister smirk on her face.

She did this to me. She told me she’d do anything to get me out of the way, and she did this.

“No, wait! I didn’t do anything!” I tried to fight back but was too weak for the guard.

I passed several other maids, who were all whispering and gossiping about what had happened.

“Rory? Rory! What’s the meaning of this?” I heard Aspen’s voice as she tried to run after us, but Gamma Remus held her back.

“Why are they taking Aurora away? Do something!” she said to Remus, but he lowered his head and said nothing.

Of course he wouldn’t do anything. I was nothing to all of them.

Just a simple girl that the alpha had forced into working as a maid.

I was dragged to the dungeons, where I was forced to my knees. My hands were bound by silver restraints to a wall.

The guard who’d brought me down tore open the back of my shirt, exposing the skin.

All three elders and Tallulah came into sight.

“Commence the punishment. Thirty lashes,” Elder Leto said.

“Please…I didn’t do it!” I cried.

Then I screamed at a sudden sting on my back.

“One,” counted Elder Leto.

I began sobbing at the throbbing pain in my back. Why were they doing this to me?

Another sting hit me.

“Two,” Elder Radolf counted.

My shouting could probably be heard all the way up on the fourth floor, but no one came for me. No one cared about what happened to me.

Another sting burned my back.

“Three.”

This went on for what felt like an hour, before the whipping was finally over.

Somewhere during that time, I lost all strength. I fell limp against the wall I was tied to, my vision blurry from tears.

“Take her to one of the cellars and lock her up. She will stay down there for a month,” one of the elders said.

I felt my hands being freed, then someone pulled me up by my arm, forcing me to my feet.

My blouse was hanging loose around me. I clutched it tight so everyone wouldn’t see me naked.

The guard pushed me into the cellar, threw a flimsy blanket over me, and locked the door.

I tried my best to sit up, and looked around.

It was a stone-walled room, with a little cot for bed in a corner and a toilet in the other.

There were no windows. No ray of light came into the place. Only a dim light bulb shined a bit of light through the passageway.

The room reeked of death.

I laid down on the cot, hoping my wolf powers would kick in and heal the welts on my back.

I couldn’t stop crying.

Why did I have to go through all this?

~Moon Goddess, what sin have I committed in the past, that I must pay so harshly?~