Eliana POV
The heavy oak doors of the courtyard swung open with a violent thud, shattering the morning chill.
My breath caught in my throat. Curtiss, the Pack House Manager, strode onto the cobblestones. The sharp, dry scent of tobacco rolled off him, carrying the heavy, suffocating weight of a high-ranking Beta. Behind him stood two Warriors, their expressions grim.
"Line up! All of you, right now!" Curtiss barked, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
The Omega and Wolfless maids scrambled into a crooked line, heads bowed in submission. I squeezed my eyes shut for a fraction of a second, praying to the Moon Goddess, before shuffling into place beside Ivonne. My collarbone throbbed where Jaren’s teeth had pierced my skin, hidden beneath a thick layer of mud and the harsh, burning stench of lye soap.
Curtiss began walking down the line. He wasn't just looking at us; he was inhaling deeply, his Beta senses hunting for the specific scent that had driven his Alpha into a feral frenzy.
He stopped in front of me.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Curtiss leaned in, his nose flaring. I kept my eyes glued to his polished leather boots, forcing my trembling knees to lock. He frowned, the overpowering stench of lye and mud clearly offending his senses, but beneath it... did he catch a trace of white peach and jasmine?
"She's been sick, Mr. Curtiss," Ivonne blurted out, stepping slightly in front of me. "Throwing up all night. That's why she smells so sour."
Curtiss’s eyes narrowed, his Beta aura pressing down on us like a physical weight. He opened his mouth, ready to issue a command that would force the truth from our lungs.
"It was me, sir."
The voice was breathless, trembling with forced shyness. Curtiss snapped his head toward the end of the line.
Jessenia stepped forward. A cloud of overpowering, cheap floral perfume wafted from her, so thick it almost made my eyes water. She had clearly bathed in it. Her cheeks were flushed, and she kept her eyes demurely lowered. "I was in Lord Jaren's Alpha Suite last night. I... I served him."
Curtiss stared at her. His brow furrowed in deep suspicion. Even as a Wolfless, I knew Jaren’s pureblood Inner Wolf would never be captivated by such a synthetic, vulgar scent. But Curtiss was desperate. Jaren was tearing the estate apart, and the Beta needed a scapegoat to present to his furious Alpha.
"Come with me," Curtiss ordered gruffly, grabbing Jessenia by the arm and dragging her toward the inner estate.
As the heavy doors closed behind them, my legs finally gave out. I collapsed onto the cold cobblestones, gasping for air. I was safe. For now. But a cold dread pooled in my stomach. Jessenia didn't have the bite mark. Jaren’s beast would eventually realize he had been tricked, and the fallout would be catastrophic.
*
By noon, the damp, crowded Servants' Mess Hall was buzzing with the news.
I sat in the corner, staring at the bland, watery stew in my wooden bowl. Across the room, Curtiss had just made the official announcement: Jessenia had been elevated to the status of Lord Jaren’s exclusive Breeder.
She was already wearing a soft silk dress, a stark contrast to our rough cotton uniforms. The Omegas who usually sat at our table had abandoned us, flocking around Jessenia like flies to honey, desperate to curry favor with the Pack's newest rising star.
"Look at her," one of the maids sneered loudly, casting a disdainful glare in my direction. "Eliana actually thought her pretty face would get her an Alpha. What a joke. She doesn't even have an Inner Wolf. A Wolfless freak could never compete with a real Omega."
"Now Jessenia is moving to the East Wing," another chimed in, laughing. "I bet Eliana will be scrubbing her floors by tomorrow."
Beside me, Ivonne slammed her wooden spoon onto the table. A low, guttural snarl ripped from her throat, her Omega wolf rising to the surface, ready to defend me. She started to stand up, her fists clenched.
"Don't," I whispered, my hand shooting out to grip her wrist with surprising strength.
"El, they're insulting you!" Ivonne hissed, her eyes flashing with anger. "Jessenia is a lying, vain—"
"Let her have it," I interrupted, my voice steady and my eyes clear.
I didn't care about their mockery. I had died once because of the East Wing's deadly politics. Let Jessenia take the target on her back. I released Ivonne's wrist and picked up my spoon, forcing myself to swallow the tasteless stew. Every coin I saved was a step closer to buying my freedom and getting my sister Haley out of this hell.
But to survive long enough to do that, I needed to make sure I was as far away from Jaren Griffin as possible before his Inner Wolf realized the woman in his bed was a fake.
