*****CHAPTER 19

MAE'S POV

"Come on in." The girl beckoned me in and moved away from the door, allowing me to walk in freely.
 
"Thank you."  I offered a smile to the girl, which she returned. As I walked into the room, my eyes scanned around the space I would be sharing with two other girls henceforth. It was as small as the room I shared with my sisters and had bunk beds, although it looked a bit more spacious and pretty nice and convenient for a servant's room.
 
"It's not the best, but it's a pretty fine room." The girl said behind me, and when I turned to look at her again, she had her hand outstretched in a welcoming handshake. "Hi.  I'm Piper."
 
I accepted her handshake for a brief second before pulling my hand away again. "Hello, Piper. My name is Mae."
 
"Make yourself as comfortable as you can." She strolled around the room and gestured with her hands as she spoke. "Working for the Alpha is not as bad as it seems. As long as you are loyal and obey simple instructions, you will have an easy stay. Miss Karen can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but don't let it bother you. She is a dog that can bark but cannot bite. And then there's one other...
 
She pointed a thumb to the upper bunk. It was neatly arranged, compared to the other two, and looked quite pretty and organized, as if it were a permanent space.
 
"Taylor.  She used to be the daughter of a Beta of a smaller pack until her family was banished away for a crime, and she found herself working here to pay a debt her family owed to the Alpha for sparing their lives and accepting them in our own pack. So, yea.   She is still a spoiled brat, a perfectionist, and a total bitch sometimes. But she is not all that bad. "Once she likes you, you are safe."
 
"Oh."  I mouthed as I digested all of the information Piper was feeding me.
 
"I have to get going now." "I am part of the group selected to work on the plantation today." Piper began to back away towards the door again.  "Come join us on the plantation once you have changed into your uniform." You can find it in the closet. "See you when I see you, Mae."
 
And then she was off, shutting the door behind her. She would be a great talker. I could already perceive the signs in her.
 
I sighed and scanned the room again. I had no choice but to accept that this is my new life now. Just as Piper had said, as long as I remained loyal and obedient, I wouldn't have a tough time working here.
 
And I intended to keep it that way. But then again, how wrong was I? Little did I know that working in the castle was another adventure that would change the course of my life forever.

After changing into my new uniform, I packed and held my short hair into place with a claw clip and hurried to the castle. When I arrived at the kitchen, I searched my eyes around for Piper and heaved a heavy sigh of relief when my eyes caught her small frame at the same time she raised her hands to the air and waved me over excitedly.
 
The gods! The girl had to be my guardian angel or something of the sort.
 
I hurried to where she was standing, scrubbing and washing some heavy pots and saucepans. Even with the heavy tasks in front of her, she still had that jovial look on her face and looked as though nothing ever bothered her heart.
 
"Come join me." "Miss Karen might give you a heavier task if she sees you idle." She threw me a sponge, and I immediately joined her, soaking my hands in soapy water.
 
"How old are you, Mae?" Piper asked me, and I answered;
 
"Twenty one."
 
"I'm twenty." She washed the pots super fast and with so much expertise that it made me wonder for how long she must have been working here at the castle.
 
But before I could open my mouth to ask her that question, she spoke first.
 
"You know, I couldn't take my eyes off you once I saw you." She smiled slightly at me, her eyes staring appraisingly at me. "I mean, I kept on wondering... how could someone be this gorgeous and still live this shallow, pathetic life of ours?"
 
I looked downcast and only smiled at her words while I washed the pots and tried to keep up with her speed. After a few seconds, I asked her my own question.
 
"If I may ask, for how long have you been working at the castle, Piper?"
 
"Two years."  She replied without a flinch, and I stared at her both in disbelief and impressively. She had served here for two whole years? How did she manage to do it?
 
As if reading my thoughts, she shrugged nonchalantly and continued to talk.
 
"When I was nineteen, my father wanted to sell me off to an older man for marriage. So, I ran off and sought refuge under the Alpha's umbrella. "I prefer it here than with my family."
 
As she narrated her story, I felt some kind of connection with her story, and I could understand how she felt in that situation. But before I could say another word, I heard my name called out.
 
"Mae Barrow?  "Which one of you is Mae Barrow here?"
 
I raised my gaze to see Miss Karen in front of the kitchen, hands akimbo. Surprised about how she knew my full name when I was pretty sure I never mentioned my surname to her, I raised my hand midair for identification regardless, and her eyes shot open in disbelief before she walked fast to me.
 
"You are Mae Barrow?" She asked me, looking completely bewildered by the fact that I was the owner of the identification she was looking for. I couldn't understand why she was reacting this way toward me.
 
"Yes."
 
She scoffed ridiculously and crossed her arms over her bosom now. She eyed me terribly for the second time today before muttering to herself, although I could hear her clearly.
 
"How did he know about her?" "And why was he so specific about her?"
 
"Do you want me to help you with something?" I took the initiative to ask humbly, even though my insides were burning to kick her in the gut and teach her some manners.
 
She cleared her throat again and pursed her lips arrogantly.
 
"The Alpha asked that you come clean his chamber this minute." Miss Karen informed me, and I could hear some of the girls in the kitchen gasp in disbelief. Even Piper stared from Miss Karen to me and back to Miss Karen again in surprise. Even I was slightly worried that the Alpha was sending for me, even though he already has bad blood against me. I wondered if he had plans to punish me again.
 
"The Alpha?"  Piper asked Miss Karen as if trying to confirm if she had heard Miss Karen's words correctly. "Why would the Alpha send for her?" "He doesn't let anyone into his chamber except for his personal servant."
 
The gods!  He definitely wants to punish me and nothing more. Fuck.  It was too early to be getting into trouble with the Alpha over a wrongdoing I was already making atonement for.
 
"The same reason I couldn't believe my ears when he specifically pointed out that it was Miss Barrow here that he needed to attend to his needs." Miss Karen's eyes sized me up again. Getting tired of her arrogance, I rinsed my hands in the sink and wiped them clean against the apron that hung over my uniform.
 
"Fine.   I do not have a problem obeying the Alpha. "So, shall we go already, Miss Karen?" I looked back at the woman, and deep inside me, I was more than nervous and wanted all of this to be done as soon as it started.