LOGINIRIS POV Early the next morning the head maid announced all of us to come outside, I hadn’t even recovered from the shock of what Ryker did the previous day.My hands automatically went to my throat, Snow had healed the wound but the skin there was still sore. My mind still reeled. I could admit i really passed my boundaries, knowing we had no good relationship I shouldn’t have touched his things especially his late wife’s. “Why is the witch calling us?” Mira groaned Stretching out her sleepy hands and sat up from her small bed. She rubbed her eyes and yawning loudly and looked completely exhausted.I wasn’t even listening to her, I gave a small, distracted nod as I tied my hair back with a string. A heavy, dark fear I didn’t understand was sitting in my stomach, and I couldn’t shake it off.We walked outside into the cold morning air. Dew had fell from the Sky wetting the floor.The other maids were already out there, huddled together in groups.The air grew tense.The head m
~AUTHOR POV~The smell of roses and wet dirt filled the air. It was trapped under the tall stone ceiling of the private bathhouse.Steam drifted up from the big wooden tub sunk into the floor. It made the dark, pointy wall designs look blurry. Bright fire torch glowed from the wall, making a dancing shadows on the wet marble walls.Two beautiful women in white silk dresses knelt by the tub. The clothe hugged their bodies. Their hands were covered in oil as they touched a man’s chest.The first woman ran her fingers lightly over his collarbone, stopping on the thick scars on his tanned skin. The other rubbed the tight muscles on his back, her warm breath hit his neck. Their movements were slow and hypnotic.His eyes closed enjoying the soothing pleasure.The air suddenly shifted.He didn’t open his eyes, instead lifted his left hand out of the water.Water droplets fell from his fingers. A black ring on his index finger carved like a snarling wolf glowed faint red.The big oak d
RYKER POV The scent of blood always clears the mind, but right now, it only made the beast in my chest roar louder. My claws were dug into her throat. Under my palm, her pulse fluttered like a dying bird—fast, frantic, and fragile. A single bead of blood slipped down her pale skin, staining the collar of her wretched maid’s uniform. "How dare you touch her!!!" My voice didn't sound human. It was the guttural, grinding fury of my wolf, demanding absolute ruin. Iris stared up at me, her gasp cut short by the iron grip of my hand. Her eyes, wide and glassy with sheer terror, darted from my face down to the framed portrait she had dropped onto the mattress. Lola's face smiled back at us from the bed, untouched by the violence filling the room. "I-I..." Iris choked out, her fingers weakly clawing at my wrist. Her grip was pathetic, "I was... just..." "Silence!" I slammed her harder against the bedpost, the wood groaning under her weight. My wolf was screaming at me. He wanted to r
IRIS POVI wiped off the book shelf’s with a napkin, there were different books, history, pack welfare and war strategy. So, Ryker was the reading type. That's surprising, for a man who seemed to communicate mostly in threats. Mira was busy dusting off the sofa and cleaning the table spotless.I picked one of the books that caught my interest; Titled the history of the Moon.The paper made crinkly sound as I opened the page. My eyes skimmed the elegant writing about the Moon Goddess and the profound, inescapable nature of the mate bond. I was just about to turn the page, completely absorbed. “Be careful Iris, you can’t touch his things,” Mira warned her hands on her waist. Her brow narrowed in worry. Startled me quickly closed the page and returned the book back on the shelf. "I was just..." I trailed off, clearing my throat. "I’ve finished wiping the shelf." “Oh,” Mira sighed, her expression softening. “Since you are done, why not go clean the bedroom? I will join you immedia
IRIS POVTHREE DAYS LATER~"Can you pass me the basket, please."“Sure.” My voice came out rougher than I intended. One hour of scrubbing clothes had made everything ache—my back, my shoulders, even my jaw."Here." I shoved the knitted basket across the damp grass, not bothering to hide the exhaustion dragging at my arms. The thing was heavier than it looked, Ryker soaked tunic was arranged inside.Mira's fingers curled around the handle, and she pulled it onto the flat stone beside her with a grunt. She started laying the wet clothes out on the grass—one, two, three—each one slapping softly against the blades.Then she looked at me. "You're getting faster at this." A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Your hands aren't shaking like they did yesterday."I glanced down at my once delicate fingers. My knuckles had turned red and swollen beyond recognition, yet I didn’t notice. I was clearly getting use to this hardship."If I don't get faster, that witchy head maid won't go easy on me.
IRIS POV I scrubbed and swept different floors for what felt like eternity, my arm ached and my knees throbbed from kneeling on the cold stone for too long. The rough bristles of the brush had designed raw patches on my palms, and the water in the bucket had turned a murky from all the dirt I had pulled out of the cracks. I didn't know how many hours had passed. Time moved differently her, it was slow like a wading mud. I wiped the sweat dripping from the corner of my face, and the smell hit me making my stomach twist. I smelled like filth and despair. The uniform I wore was now stained with brown dirt. Ugh! So irritating! The head maid had come earlier, her beady eyes scanning my work with cruel satisfaction. if she saw that I finished a job early, she would keep giving me more chores until my body gave out. So I slowed down, dragging the brush across the stones in lazy circles. It didn't matter. She still found more for me to do. "Don’t you dare rest!" she had sneer







