The sun didn't rise. It just showed up, dull and sad, like everything else in this cursed valley.
I was still sitting by the broken hut wall when the horns blew.
"Everyone outside!" a guard shouted. "Now!"
I didn't move. Not until I saw the others stumbling out, half-dressed, half-alive. I followed, my legs stiff, my heart heavier than the chains we used to wear.
The courtyard was filled. Women clutched their children. Men stood like shields. Elders leaned on whatever they could find. No one spoke; we all knew something was coming.
Then he stepped forward. The same guard from the ceremony, smiling like he enjoyed the taste of suffering.
"Nightfang," he said in a booming voice. "From this day forward, you will serve Darkmoon Valley. Not as guests, not as allies, but as laborers."
A woman gasped. "Laborers?"
He raised a scroll. "Females, ages fifteen and above, will report to the royal kitchen…"
No one said a word. "Did I stutter?" he barked. "You will cook. You will clean. You will serve. Prisoners, nobles, and even the King himself."
A man stepped forward. "You can't take our wives."
The guard turned. "You want to keep her? Then you both go. She cooks, you scrub the floors."
"I won't let you…"
He didn't finish. The guard struck him down with the butt of his spear.
"Anyone else?" he asked, eyes scanning the crowd.
No one moved.
"Good," he said. "Now the children."
My stomach dropped.
"Ten to fifteen," he called. "Step forward. You'll be distributed, one child per household. You'll clean, you'll serve, and do whatever your master demands."
A woman screamed, "No! Not our children! Please!"
Then he turned to the crowd. "Lastly, males, sixteen to twenty-five, you'll work the farms. You'll till the soil, gather poultry, and build fences." He stepped closer to us and continued, "Prepare yourselves to leave your families now."
People started breaking, crying, screaming, and holding each other like it was the last time.
*****
The stench of smoke and boiled meat clung to me as they shoved me into the royal kitchen. I stood, watching as women cooked. Then a woman tossed a sack into my arms.
"Cut," she ordered. "Everything in it."
I looked down. Vegetables, dirt still clinging to them. My fingers trembled as I grabbed a knife.
Around me, women bent over their tasks, curses slipping from their lips like bitter wine. "If our Alpha still lived," one spat, "we wouldn't be rotting here like slaves."
"Nightfang was pride," another hissed, pounding dough with her fist. "Now look at us. Dogs in another man's pack."
Their words sliced deeper than the blade in my hand. I wanted to shout, to tell them everything would be fine, but I was too weak.
Then a guard entered. "You, Riya."
I froze. "What?"
"The King summons you."
I dropped my knife slowly. The women muttered behind me as I followed him, my heart beating faster with every step.
When we arrived at the King's chamber, I broke. "Mum!" I ran forward, ignoring the guards, and threw myself into her arms. "Please, just one moment. Just a moment with my mother. Please."
The King raised an eyebrow, but after a pause, he waved his hand. "Grant them time."
We were led into a quiet chamber. My hands clutched hers so tightly I thought I might never let go.
"Mum, it's unbearable," I burst out. "They've scattered us across various places. The children cry all night, the men are broken, and the women…" My voice cracked. "We're exhausted, tired."
Her eyes softened, but her tone stayed steady. "Riya, listen to me. He could have done worse. Much worse. This… this is mercy, in his eyes."
"Mercy?" I choked. "You call this mercy? When we're whipped for breathing too loud? When they drag children from their mothers? When they laugh as we cry? How can you… how can you defend him?"
"I don't defend him," she whispered. "It's just been a day; it's too early to complain."
I shook my head violently. "No! You're his wife now, his Luna! You have power. Influence. You could beg for us. You could tell him to stop this torment."
Her grip tightened painfully on my wrists. "And lose the little ground I've gained? You don't understand, Riya. Every word I speak is weighed. Every glance, every silence. If I push too hard, I lose everything. And then who will watch over you? Who will keep even this small mercy alive?"
I felt the tears break free. "So we suffer while you smile at his side? We are tired, Mum."
Her face broke for a moment, sorrow spilling through the mask she wore. "Riya… my heart bleeds with every step I take beside him. But I cannot save everyone at once. I must be patient. You must be patient."
Before I could answer, the guard brought us back. I stood in front of Darius while my mother sat by his side.
"Touching," he said coldly. "But enough."
Darius leaned back in his chair, curving his lips into that cruel smile he wore when he thought he had already won. My stomach knotted. Something worse was coming; I could feel it in the silence.
He looked at me, his eyes sharp as steel. "Your father left debts, girl. Heavy debts. Do you know the name Dorian Steele?"
I froze. "Yes," I whispered. "A merchant, my father's business friend."
"Correct," Darius said with a cruel smile. "Your father owed him more gold than Nightfang could ever repay. Now Nightfang is ash, and debts must still be honored."
"So…" I raised my head, backing away. "What do you mean…"
"You will serve him," Darius declared. "In his restaurant, under his command. You will return only when the debt is cleared."
My knees nearly buckled. "No! Mum!" I clutched her arm, desperation ripping me apart. "Don't let this happen. Please. Please! Say something! Stop him!"
Her lips parted, but no sound came. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she stayed still, silent.
"Mother!" I screamed. "I can't survive without you, please!"
Her shoulders trembled. "Riya… there's nothing I can do. I hate myself for letting this happen, but I am bound, Riya. Bound in ways you cannot yet see. I promise you will be fine under Dorian; he isn't as tough as you think. I'm sorry…"
"Dada, please, come and rescue me." I cried. "How do I survive? I'm certainly going to die!"
She flinched, her tears spilling at last. "Riya, forgive me."
"No!" I clawed at her hands, trying to hold on. "I don't want to go! I won't leave you! You're all I have left; don't let them take me away!"
Guards seized my arms, dragging me back. I thrashed, screaming until my throat burned.
"Mother! Please! Don't let them take me! Don't let them…"
Her figure blurred behind my tears, her face twisted in agony as she reached out but didn't move. Didn't fight.
Darius's voice cut through it all. "Take her to Dorian Steele. Her servitude begins today."
The doors slammed. My screams echoed down the stone halls, my mother's silence cutting deeper than any blade.
And just like that, I was sent off in one of Darius's cars. To the human realm, to pay off my father's alleged debt.