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6: Orders from the Alpha.

Aife pov

I kept quiet as the women helped me to my feet and walked me to the house I didn’t notice earlier; a cute, little building hidden away from the view.

“Why is she staying here alone, not with a housemate like the rest of us?” A woman to my right asked as she helped me up the front stairs.

She didn’t sound bitter or angry as I expected everyone here to be. In fact, she sounded worried, as if something was terribly wrong and for some reason, she wanted to shield me.

“Because those were the direct orders from the Alpha.” The woman to my left explained as she reached into the massive pocket of her apron and pulled out a ring of keys. “Can someone help her stand until I find the key, please?” She added, glancing over her shoulder.

“I can help, Claudia,” a girl shouted and ran up the stairs.

I was so grateful for how gentle and attentive they were. Unlike the men of this pack, all of these women were careful not to hurt me more than I already was.

Claudia tried three keys until she found the right one and instantly slid it off the ring. With a sad smile, she opened the main door and slid inside, waiting for us to enter after her. “This isn’t much, I know, but it’s better than nothing. We keep the empty houses tidy at all times, so you won’t have to clean up until you feel better,” she spoke as she walked to the cozy living room area.

“Thank you for helping me. Even though you don’t have to,” I choked out as more tears filled my eyes.

Experiencing all of those vile things and facing such kindness right after was overwhelming. I felt like I was thrown into a brand new universe, one I would rather have embrace me than the hell that was the main building, as they called it.

“Nonsense,” the younger woman giggled. “We need to stay close to survive. My name is Erin, but don’t be surprised if you hear men address me as Emily or Emma, they’re awful with names.”

“I second that. And I’m Abigail. The one with the keys is Claudia, but I’m sure you already figured that out,” the woman to my left grinned.

They walked me to the small couch and helped me sit down while Claudia disappeared from our view.

I sucked in a deep breath and winced in pain. That guard might have broken a bloody rib.

“My name is Aife,” I breathed out as I leaned my head against the headrest of the couch.

“Oh, don’t sleep, love,” Abigail scoffed. “We need to tend to you first. Goddess forbid Frank broke something and caused internal bleeding. That scum never changes.”

“I should probably tell the rest she’s fine and will be getting some sleep, no?” Erin perked up.

“That would be for the best. They won’t leave until they know the girl is fine and needs some time away from everyone. You and I both know how curious they are. After what Frank did, I don’t think it would be fair to leave the poor thing at the mercy of endless questions. Besides, we don’t know when she was snatched, it might be a pretty fresh and triggering topic,” Abigail spoke as if I wasn’t here, right next to them, listening.

“I could ask Bianca to bring some of her wonder tea?” Erin asked as she walked to the door.

“Good idea,” Abigail hummed and slowly lowered herself on the couch, right next to me.

Although I had thousands of questions, I didn’t feel like I should ask any. From what I already saw, it was clear I wasn’t the first one to be brought here - for whatever reasons this was happening.

We sat in silence for no longer than five minutes until I broke. Her gaze was nearly as intense as that of those monstrous men. “You can ask questions, I don’t mind,” I muttered.

“When were you snatched? From where?” Abigail instantly asked the very questions she was supposedly protecting me from moments ago.

I fought to hold back the tears. All this crying was too much. I had never cried this much in my entire lifetime, let alone in front of someone.

“Eight, maybe nine days ago. From the Midnight Mist.” I didn’t want to share too many details simply because I didn’t know her.

Yes, Abigail was helping me, but I had learned long before I was kidnapped that an enemy will smile to your face and pretend to be a friend. Until I got to know these women a little better, I didn’t have the luxury of trusting any of them.

“Eight or nine days ago? Pardon my ignorance, but why do you sound like you don’t know?”

“I’m not sure because there was an accident and from what I heard from a man in the cells, he told me I was unconscious for a week.” I muttered.

“That is…” Abigail stopped herself for a brief moment and then added a quiet, “unusual.”

Just as I was about to question her odd behavior and words, Claudia stepped in front of us and placed a white box on the coffee table. She sat on the fluffy carpet, opened the box and went through the content of it with a serious expression on her face.

“Stop pestering the girl, Abigail. You are not entitled to getting to know the fresh gossip first-hand,” Claudia spoke without sparing us as much as a single glance.

Abigail huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m not pestering her or trying to get the fresh gossip. I’m only trying to figure out how she got here and why she’s being treated differently than the rest of us.”

Claudia rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Alpha has his reasons. It’s not like we have the right to question him anyway.”

I zoned out while they argued until Claudia asked me to lay on my back and Abigail helped me. She lifted my shirt and slowly ran her hands over my ribs, adding a little pressure to each until a hiss of pain left me and she stopped.

“Thankfully, not broken, but you’re pretty beaten. Why isn’t your wolf reacting yet?” Claudia muttered.

It was clear that the question was meant more to her than it was for me, but I still spoke up. “I don’t have one yet.”

Her eyes widened. “They have never taken anyone who’s not of age. How old are you, Aife?”

I arched an eyebrow. Now, that was a bit that poked my curiosity. So the savages had rules about how old were the women they were kidnapping? Interesting.

“I’m twenty, about to turn twenty-one in three months. Well, a little less since I lost about a week.”

Claudia nodded, but didn’t offer more. Instead, she focused on whatever she was doing and asked Abigail to go to her home and grab some ice.

Although reluctant, Abigail left and promised to return in a few minutes. Claudia watched the door for a bit. Once we heard the footsteps and were sure Abigail really left, she returned her attention to me.

“Okay, so. First, we will deal with the aftermath of Frank’s stupidity. Then, I’ll cook you some food and get you to bed. We are about an hour walk away from the main building, so we leave the houses around 3 am to be on time to cook breakfast. You will join me for the first days and I will show you around so you can learn everything about our responsibilities. Next week you should be able to work alone.”

“I don’t get it,” I muttered.

“Oh,” Claudia gasped. “I almost forgot. You need to see the Alpha first thing in the morning, you’re joining me after that.”

I had to look mad as I stared at her wide-eyed. I understood that they expected I would work for the savages from now on, but I didn’t see a single reason to do so.

While asking important questions would be a wisest choice, I opted to ask the most innocent one - the one that might give me some actual answers. “Where am I?”

“You, my dear, have joined the endless rows of rejects. Now, you are one of us - a woman, unfit for the Crimson Moon warriors. Just like the rest of us, you were ruled to be too weak, small, or, although I wouldn’t agree with it, too ugly for the men of this pack, so you were demoted to the role of a lowly servant.”

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