Maya's POV
The plate fell to the ground after slipping out of my grasp.
"Clumsy servant!" Food was all over the place when Sophia screamed and leaped back. "Observe what you've accomplished!"
I fell to my knees and used trembling hands to try to pick up the shattered pieces. My vision continued to go hazy, and I hadn't eaten in two days. Everything seemed distant and heavy.
"I apologize," I muttered. "I sincerely apologize."
"I apologize, but this won't make up for my ruined lunch!" Food flew as Sophia kicked at the mess. "Make me a new plate and clean this up. Try not to be such a disaster this time."
Connor had told me about the witch two weeks prior. I waited for him to take me on that awful trip for two weeks. But it wasn't Connor who made those two weeks the worst of my life. Because of Sophia, they had been the worst.
"Mrs. Anderson!" Sophia yelled. "Maya shattered yet another plate! It's the third one this week."
Mrs. Anderson frowned as she appeared. "Maya, you must exercise greater caution. Plates are expensive."
I wanted to say, "It's not her fault." "Sophia has been forcing me to work twenty hours a day without eating enough." However, I was unable to say that. No one would take me seriously.
Sophia said sweetly, "She's doing it on purpose." "I believe she's attempting to discredit me in front of the pack."
"I'm not," I muttered. "I would never—"
"Don't tell me lies!" Sophia's tone became abrasive. "Everyone is aware that you're still attempting to take Connor away from me. It won't work, though. Everyone is aware that he is mine."
I staggered to the kitchen to prepare Sophia a fresh lunch after tidying up the mess. My hands continued to shake. I had to continue working even though I was so exhausted that I could hardly stand.
"Maya," Mrs. Anderson uttered softly. "How are you feeling? You look awful."
I wanted to be honest with her. That I had been given impossible tasks by Sophia. That she forced me to scrub the same floor five times in a row. She had informed everyone that I was only permitted to eat leftovers from the table, and even then, only after everyone else had finished.
I lied and said, "I'm fine."
"Are you certain? You're really skinny. When was the last you ate a real meal?"
I was unable to recall. Three days ago, perhaps? Longer, perhaps? Time had begun to blend together in a fog of hunger and fatigue.
I said, "I eat enough," but my stomach's loud growl told me otherwise.
Mrs. Anderson had a dejected expression. "Maya, I'd like to assist you, but—"
I said, "But what?"
"However, Sophia will be our Luna. I can't defy her wishes."
That was the issue. No one in the pack wanted to stop Sophia from mistreating me, even though they all knew she was doing it. I was only a servant, and she would be their leader.
"I understand," I replied. However, I didn't comprehend. I found it incomprehensible that people could stand by and watch someone suffer. How Sophia could be so cruel and still be loved by everyone baffled me.
Sophia discovered me in the laundry room after lunch.
"Maya," she uttered in that phony, charming tone. "I have a special job for you."
My heart fell. The worst jobs were always Sophia's special jobs.
She added, "The upstairs guest bedrooms haven't been cleaned in weeks." "Clean every surface until it shines, please. Additionally, I want it finished by dinnertime."
I glanced at the stack of laundry I needed to do. "However, I still need to—"
"The laundry can wait," Sophia said. "This is more crucial. Unless you're too lazy to perform your duties effectively."
"No, I'll do it," I blurted out.
Sophia grinned. "All right. And Maya, too? Instead of using a mop, use a brush. I want those floors to be immaculate."
I had to get down on my hands and knees to scrub floors with a brush. Hours would pass, and my arms and back would ache. However, I had no other option.
For the next six hours, I scrubbed floors until my back felt like it was on fire and my knees were raw. I was so worn out by the end that I could hardly move. However, Sophia was in the living room with her friends when I went to tell her I was finished.
"Oh, Maya!" she exclaimed. "Just in time! I was just sharing your... predicament with everyone."
Her pals whispered to one another and giggled.
I inquired, "What situation?"
Sophia said naively, "About how you used dark magic to trick Connor into thinking you were his mate." "Everyone is discussing it."
I said, "That's not true," but my voice was so weak that no one could hear me.
"Of course it's true," Sophia's friend Rebecca remarked. "What other way could an Alpha notice a servant like you?"
Another girl added, "I heard she made a deal with evil spirits." "She is now extremely thin and pale as a result. She is being devoured by the magic."
They all chuckled as if this were the most hilarious thing ever. As if my suffering was amusement.
"Stop," I muttered. "Please stop."
"Stop what?" Sophia inquired. "All we're doing is talking. You don't intend to censor us, do you? Since that would be extremely domineering behavior."
Tears began to fall, but I was powerless to stop them. I was too exhausted, too hungry, and too broken to resist.
Rebecca remarked, "Look, she's crying." "How pitiful."
Another girl said, "Perhaps the magic is finally wearing off." "Perhaps she's recognizing her error."
"The only mistake," Sophia said as she got to her feet, "was assuming she could compete with me." "I will always have Connor as my own. Maya is only a short-term issue that will be resolved quickly."
I was afraid of the way she said it. Was she aware that Connor was going to take me to see the witch?
I said, "What do you mean?"
I had never seen a smile so cruel as Sophia's. "Connor told you, didn't he? Tomorrow, he is taking you on a short excursion. To come across someone who can assist in resolving your... condition."
My blood froze. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, Connor was taking me to see the witch.
Sophia said sweetly, "Don't look so scared." "I have no doubt that everything will go smoothly. In any case, for some of us."
I could hardly hear her friends laughing again. I had been dreading tomorrow. Connor would attempt to sever our relationship tomorrow, and if that failed... I recalled the warning from King Alexander. Keep your distance from the witch. How could I stop her, though? I was too scared to think clearly, too exhausted to run, and too weak to fight.
Sophia clapped her hands together and said, "Well." "I have important Luna responsibilities to attend to, but this has been enjoyable. Make sure you have a restful night's sleep, Maya. You're going to have a huge day tomorrow."
With trembling legs, I made my way back to my basement room. My head was spinning from not eating, and my entire body ached. I tried to think as I fell onto my thin mattress. Connor would take me to see the witch tomorrow. King Alexander had said he would help me get away, but what if he was unable to locate me? What if there was a problem?
I could hardly stand because I was so weak. How should I run?
I tried to fall asleep by closing my eyes, but I couldn't sleep because my stomach was empty. I heard footsteps on the stairs while I was lying there in the dark. Footsteps that are heavy. The footsteps of Connor. However, it was too early for his customary visit. He came now, but why?
Outside my door, the footsteps ceased. A key turning in the lock caught my attention.
Connor's voice was different tonight when he said, "Maya." "I'm thrilled." "Awaken. We're heading out right now."
"Now?" Perplexed, I sat up. "But you mentioned tomorrow—"
"Change of plans," Connor said as he entered my room. "Only tonight can the witch see us. Get up."
My legs trembled as I stumbled to my feet. "But I thought—"
"You thought wrong," said Connor. "Come on. We still have a long way to go."
My heart began to race. It was this. I had been dreading this moment. However, I became aware of something awful as Connor took hold of my arm and dragged me to the door. There was no King Alexander. He was nowhere to be found, despite his promise to assist me in getting away. I was alone.
As Connor pulled me up the stairs, I muttered, "Please." "Please don't do this."
"It's too late for begging," Connor stated icily. "Before ruining my life, you ought to have considered that."
I took one final glance at the pack house as we ventured outside into the pitch-black night. Sophia was probably having a party somewhere in there. She had achieved her goal of having me gone forever.
Connor started walking toward the forest, still gripping my arm tightly.
I said, "Where are we going?"
When Connor grinned, he appeared unfamiliar in the moonlight. "To permanently solve our problem."
As we entered the shadowy trees, I realized that I might not make it through whatever came next. However, as we got to the forest's edge, I heard a sound that stopped my heart in its tracks. A howl. From somewhere behind us, long and melancholy.
Connor stopped walking and turned around, so he must have heard it too. He whispered, "What was that?"
This time the howl was closer. Then I heard another sound. Steps. Footsteps running. Swiftly approaching us.
"Connor," I muttered. "A visitor is on their way."