I suddenly cracked up, fully realizing that this was real. I didn’t know what was funny but I laughed.

“No.”

He turned beet red at my answer. “No?”

“No. I won’t take off my clothes. Get me the fuck out of here.” I rose to my full height and folded my hands, a sham smile on my lips.

The sudden smirk he gave me, chilled me to the bones but my stance didn’t falter.

“Well then, I guess you leave me no choice but to whip you.”

That, that right there was what made my facade falter, I snapped my gaze to the maid beside me, but she gave me none of her attention. “W-What?”

He couldn’t possibly think of whipping me, could he? I looked around to find out that we had the attention of other guards and maids close by.

He beamed. “I have always enjoyed mixing pleasure and pain. But I must say, the pain I inflict on innocent humans as you gives me so much pleasure.”

He looked at the maid beside me. “Hold her down.”

The next few seconds were a complete blur to me. The next thing I knew, she bounded both of my wrists with her hand. I was shocked at the amount of strength a feeble girl like her had.

The guard harshly ripped my gown into two from the back, baring my back and ass to him. The only thing stopping my breast from the eyes of others was the front of my gown.

I heard the sound of the whip in the air before I felt it and it burned. I screamed nonstop in anguish as he whipped me three more times in the same spot. All attempts to free myself from the maid’s grip were futile and all I could do was stand there and take it.

By the time he was done, my face was red from all the tears and pain and the throbbing in my head intensified.

The maid gently steadied me and I watched with blurry eyes as the guard glared at her.

“Bath her and give her what to change into. When you’re done, take her to Yelena who will assign her duties to her.” He barked out the order before storming off.

She pursed her lips and inhaled before loudly exhaling. She softly helped me out of the gown and my heel, leaving me in just my black pair of panties.

I wrapped my arms around my chest– inwardly cursing myself for refusing to wear a bra– as she walked me to the other edge of the fountain, which was far from the leering eyes of others.

“Wait here.” She ordered before walking away. I looked into the forest, a few metres away, wondering what would happen if I tried to run away.

I shivered when the feeling of being watched washed over me, I quickly looked back at the mansion and my eyes caught a glimpse of a retreating figure in the shadows of the window right at the top floor of the building. My cheeks flushed at the thought of someone watching me.

“This should help for now.”

Carla’s voice startled me and she looked at where my gaze was before looking down at me.

I looked at her hands to find her holding a washcloth and a small bottle of oil.

“This is for your wound.” She announced, shaking the bottle of oil.

She giggled when she saw the sceptical look on my face. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. You aren’t the first girl to be whipped.”

Her smile warmed my heart and I felt the need to introduce myself. “I’m Akira.”

She made me sit on the tiled edge of the fountain and I winced at the chilliness. “I know. Your friend told me about you.”

I gasped, surprised. “Eve? I thought she was placed in the other cell.”

She nodded as she placed the washcloth in the water before wringing the water out. “She was, until last night. She isn’t as stubborn as you are.”

I chuckled, the chuckle turned into a whimper as she placed the surprisingly soft and warm cloth on my back. The water from the fountain was also warm, immediately alleviating the pain on my back.

“What do you mean?” I asked her desperately trying to choke back a sob as she gently wiped the cuts on my back.

“She didn’t put up a fight. Unlike you and the other girl.” She responded, wringing out the mixture of blood and water from the cloth.

Eve was the fiercest one out of both of us. I was confused as to why she hadn’t put up a fight.

“What’s your name?” I asked, recalling that I forgot to ask her name.

“Carla.” She smiled.

She added a black substance to the washcloth and when it began to lather, she started wiping the makeup off my face.

“That’s a beautiful name,” I murmured with my eyes closed as she rinsed the dirt off my face.

She finished washing me up in silence and I gently changed into the maid gown after she applied the oil on my back.

It was a black dress with white trim, and a full skirt. She then gave me a pair of simple black loafers and styled my red hair in a loosed ponytail.

Once I was dressed to her content, we both walked to the house with my ripped dress, thong and heel long forgotten.

Madam Yelena was a short greying older woman, with a permanent frown etched on her face. After Carla had introduced me as ‘another’ new maid, she had looked at me with a scowl on her pouty lips before shoving a; broom, mop and metal bucket in my hands and assigned me to the Beta’s mistress bedroom.

Each cleaning maid had to go with a guard just in case they wanted to try anything funny. Those were Madam Yelena’s words.

After long and strenuous hours of scrubbing the bathroom and thoroughly cleaning the bedroom, I and two other girls of my age were asked to trim the trees in the garden before I was finally shown my room.

It was a small room, with a twin post bed, which meant I had a roommate. I looked around for her belonging but I found none.

It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep, although the mattress was hard and the sheets were cold, I drifted off within minutes, with Eve in my thoughts.

A few minutes into my sleep, I felt someone lightly tap my shoulders. “Wake up, Akira, Madam Yelena wants to speak to us.” A familiar feminine voice spoke.

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. My head pounded hard and I was thirsty.

“Heyyy.” I yawned with a smile when I saw Lenny.

She grinned back, it almost felt like all that happened was a nightmare until she spoke.

“Thank heavens we’re roommates. We have to go.”

I quickly followed her to the enormous kitchen, where all the maids were gathered and madam Yelena was already speaking with a scowl on her face.

She was talking about the annual ball coming in a few days and how we needed to please the Alpha with our arrangements when I heard someone gasp beside me.

“Akira!” Eve’s girly voice rang through my ears.

My eyes filled with tears and I immediately rushed to hug her.

I quickly rambled off questions to her, mainly about what the hell we were doing here.

And she answered them all in one breath, allowing me to ask questions and giving me the right answers.

“So you’re telling me that werewolves are real, ninety percent of the people living here are werewolves and this is a ‘wolf pack’?” I asked dryly, my arms folded across my chest.

Although she answered my questions as well as she could, I still thought she was lying, none of it was making sense.

She nodded.

Lenny and I stared at her like she was out of her mind.

“And their Alpha is the infamous Alpha Ares?”

She nodded, once again.

“So Nana’s stories were true?” My jaw was almost touching the ground.

I had occasionally told Eve about the stories Nana told Ama and I. The thought of Nana and Ama had my heart clenching and my eyes teary.

“Why the hell are you still calm? I can’t stay here, Eve!” I whispered, looking around the whole place. And in my peripheral view, Lenny nodded in agreement.

Eve looked at the floor, then I knew something was wrong. “My father is a werewolf and was a member of this pack, he was among the wolves who were exiled.” She exhaled loudly. “Look, I want to leave, but I can’t. If I get caught trying to escape, my punishment will be grave because I am a werewolf.”

“What?!” I cried out, gaining the attention of the girls closer to us.

Madam Yelena suddenly interrupted us. “Except you all want to be whipped by the guards, again, I strongly suggest you shut up.”

It was finally the day of the annual ball. It was frightening how much I was growing accustomed to this prison.

Over the week, I had been whipped once, when I slept past the time we- the maids-normally got up. But l was still rebellious and Madam Yelena still loathed me. It was a win-win situation.

We were all dressed in a different maid attire. It was a black French maid attire, with a white ruffled half-apron, stockings and black high heels. I was curious as to why we were given a different attire but when I saw the lustful stares of the male wolves, I suddenly knew why.

The male slaves were on black slacks, a white dress shirt and a white apron. Some of them were teenagers while others were young adults.

The mansion was massive, it was built in a Beaux-Arts style with Greek and Roman adornment. It also had; arched windows, grand arched entryways and stairways and polished marble floors. It embodied large rooms with ornate interiors. It truly was magnificent.

The dining hall I was in was grand and with gothic style. Its interior was also striking. It had one large table for the Alpha, his mistress and a few other important people and little tables for other families in the pack, there was also a huge dancing floor in the middle of the ballroom.

The symphonic orchestra was soaring and it made the whole air in the hall peaceful, which I was sure was quite the opposite in a hall filled with werewolves.

“Are you ready?” Eve asked beside me. We were all standing closer to the backdoor of the hall, with heavy trays on our hands.

I nodded my head but my heart was beating rapidly, over the past few days I had noticed signs of non-human behaviour from the people here and I was starting to think Eve was telling the truth.

I watched as eye-catching men and beautiful ladies strode in, adorned in flamboyant suits and dresses. The female werewolves were beautiful with tall and slim figures. While the males were packed with muscles and were very tall.

Once they were all settled, something strange coursed through me and I felt him. Then I saw him.

He was there. Right there.

Strikingly handsome in all of his lethal glory, with a sculpted jaw that I could see from afar and mid-night black hair in a man-bun that reached the top of his collar. He was tall, extremely tall, with his muscled body wrapped in a tailored-to-perfection black dress shirt and a matching black suit.

He was accompanied by his mistress. She was exceptionally beautiful and tall just like the rest of the female wolves. With platinum blonde hair and an hourglass figure, her make-up was also done to perfection.

Everyone – including me- stood in a submissive stance as he sauntered towards the table like he owned every ounce of air in the room, as though he commanded it to will. A small part of me could not help but admire his lethal, powerful grace.

I watched, stunned, as he paused his stride to his table and stood, transfixed, before he inhaled deeply, his jaw twitched and he ccontinued his walk, but this time he looked irritated.

Eve looked at me with a grimace on her face. “That’s our cue to begin. Remember, Akira, please be on your best behaviour, you don’t want to make the Alpha angrier than he already is.”

With a clap from madam Yelena, we started moving. The trusted maids were asked to serve the prestigious people while we were asked to serve the people of the lower class, the inferiors.

As we started serving the dishes, I distinctively remembered Madam Yelena’s words; only speak when spoken to and always keep your head bowed.

Eve had explained to me what a mate was and I could still remembered Nana’s words. But I was confused when the mated males continuously kept looking at my cleavage like i was fresh meat. It was nauseating.

When we were done serving the first round of dishes, we quietly stood beside our assigned tables, just like we were instructed. Hands folded at our backs and heads bowed.

I was in the kitchen, arranging the next round of dishes for my table when someone suddenly tapped my shoulder. My feet were aching by this time and with a sigh, I turned to see another maid. She looked about ready to cry, I craned my neck a little to look at her face, she was pretty and very tall.

“Can you help me give this to the Alpha?” She nodded to the gold tray on her hands filled with exotic bowls of soup.

I felt my heart stop. Not the Alpha.

“He already snapped at me twice.” She continued when I gave her a questioning look. “I understand this might be hard for you, but you’re new and....” She trailed off.

I shuffled on my feet, I wasn’t so sure why she chose me out of all the girls -and boys- here. But something compelled me to help her.

“Sure.” I nodded, collecting the tray from her.

She grinned. “I’ll attend to your table. They won’t even know you’re gone.”

With wobbly legs, I walked out of the kitchen to the Alpha’s table. As I walked towards him, waves and waves of electricity, I couldn’t comprehend, coursed through me, desire spiked through my veins and I suddenly couldn’t breathe.

I stood beside him and we both inhaled at the same. A woodsy and masculine scent filled my nostrils, my desire heightened and my pussy throbbed.

I slowly exhaled but that didn’t stop my shaky hands as I placed the tray on a vacant space and carried a bowl of chicken soup.

He raised his head and as our gazes clashed, something terrible happened.

The bowl of soup slipped from my hands and I watched with my mouth open as the soup slowly spilt on his expensive suit. Everyone simultaneously gasped in horror and all the chatter around the hall stopped, earning the attention of everyone.

He didn’t flinch when the hot liquid burnt him, instead, he kept his gaze on me, sharp grey eyes burning with anger and his granite jaw flexed.

I took a small step as he stood up, loudly swallowing the lump of saliva lodge in my throat.

He looked older, like he was in his mid-thirties, but I wasn’t fazed by his age. I had always loved the age-gap tropes in the romance novels stashed in my bedroom.

What was I saying? This was the Alpha, not one of the sexy male leads in the novels.

“Who are you?” He asked calm and collected, his gaze ran slowly down my shaking figure and he clenched his jaw when his gaze landed on my pale thighs and cleavage on display.

His husky voice made me clench my thighs tightly, instead of feeling fear, I was wishing he could spank my ass red and take me over the table beside us. My face flushed at the naughty thoughts running through my head.

What was happening to me? I was scared of him but with the fear came an absurd amount of desire for him.