Selena

I could barely focus on scrubbing the wooden counters in front of me as my thoughts had been trapped in the Council meeting since morning.

Every possible outcome kept replaying in my mind over and over again until I felt like screaming.

"What if Father discovered I was in Blackbourne? What if Alpha Kael decided to provoke him and revealed it himself?"

The man was unpredictable enough to do something reckless simply because his pride demanded it and worse— "What if they fought?"

I gritted my teeth as different thoughts kept replaying in my head and I dipped the cloth back into the bucket of water.

I hated the fact that I was worried about Alpha Kael. I truly hated it but no matter how much he irritated me, I still knew one thing.

My father was dangerous. Very dangerous.

People spoke of Alpha William’s strength like legends around fires.

Even when I was little, I remembered seeing warriors tremble after training sessions with him. I remembered hearing stories of how he subdued rogue Alphas with his bare hands during border disputes years ago.

He had not become the most powerful Alpha in the realm by accident.

"Selena." I kept scrubbing absentmindedly.

"Selena." Still, I did not answer.

"Selena!!!" I nearly jumped when Marqee shouted directly beside my ear.

"What?" I snapped, almost annoyed that my thoughts were being interrupted.

She blinked at me. "You’ve been ignoring me for the past minute."

I sighed heavily seeing its Marqee and dropped the cloth inside the bucket. "Sorry. I was just busy with a lot of things."

Marqee narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You’ve been acting strange all morning. What’s really going on with you?"

"I’m fine."I said quickly.

"You’re not." She said, sounding so sure of herself.

I avoided her gaze, stood up and went to grab some pile of plates.

The kitchen buzzed loudly around us with cooks shouting instructions and servants rushing about carrying trays and baskets.

Marqee lowered her voice as she said. "This is about the Alpha, isn’t it?"

I almost dropped the plate in my hand. "What?" I asked in surprise.

"You heard me."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." I quickly said while avoiding her eyes.

She folded her arms. "You’ve looked distracted ever since the guards mentioned the Council meeting this morning."

I forced a shrug. "It’s nothing."

Marqee stared at me for a long moment before sighing. "If it makes you feel better, nobody attacks each other inside the Council courtroom."

I looked at her immediately. "There’s a rule?"

"Well... an unspoken one." She shrugged. "Council members and invited guests don’t physically attack each other there."

Physically. The way she emphasized it made my stomach tighten.

"So they attack each other in other ways?" I asked.

Marqee snorted softly. "Constantly."

That sounded exactly like something Alpha Kael would thrive in. I exhaled slowly and returned to work.

For the next few minutes, silence stretched between us while we carried large bowls toward the washing area.

The metal basin in my hands felt unbearably heavy. Just as Marqee and I lowered it carefully onto the table, someone slammed into us from behind and water splashed everywhere instantly.

The freshly washed kitchen floor became soaked again while I stumbled backward.

"What the hell?" Marqee exclaimed.

The male servant who bumped into us merely laughed. "You two are clumsier than blind pups."

I recognized him immediately. It was the same irritating servant who always found ways to mock people weaker than him.

He looked at the mess proudly and said, "Now you’ll have to clean all this again."

My jaw tightened. "You bumped into us on purpose."

"So?" He asked with a sly smirk.

Marqee quickly grabbed my wrist before I could step forward. "Leave it," she muttered under her breath.

But the idiot only laughed louder. "Maybe if you lazy omegas moved faster, then this wouldn’t have happened."

Something inside me snapped as the servant turned and began walking away casually.

Marqee tightened her grip on my wrist. "Selena, don’t."

But it was too late because I already grabbed the nearest large metal spoon from the counter and stormed after him.

"Selena!" Marqee whisper-yelled but I ignored her completely.

The servant had just entered one of the side corridors when I caught up with him.

He looked back lazily. "What now?"

I swung the spoon hard against his shoulder and the loud clang echoed through the corridor.

He screamed instantly. "What is wrong with you?!"

I hit him again and again.

"You think you can insult people whenever you want?" I shouted furiously.

The servant tried shielding himself while stumbling backward. "You crazy woman!"

"Say another word!" The spoon struck his arm this time.

He yelped painfully. By then, my anger had fully surged free.

For days I had swallowed frustration after frustration. I’ve soaked in fear, confusion, humiliation, exhaustion and now this fool has become the perfect target.

I raised the spoon to hit him again. "Selena, stop!"

Marqee rushed into the corridor and grabbed my arm, but I shook her off immediately.

The servant looked near tears as he screamed at me,"You’re insane!"

I stepped toward him again— Then a door nearby suddenly opened and several older figures stepped out at once making everyone froze.

My chest rose and fell heavily while I held the spoon tightly with the servant whimpering dramatically behind me.

Among the people staring at me in shock was the headmistress and judging from her face— She was not pleased.

—

A few minutes later, I sat alone inside the headmistress’ office. The room smelled strongly of herbs and old paper.

Everything inside looked painfully organized. There were shelves, ledgers and cloth bundles. Even the ink bottles were perfectly aligned.

I sat stiffly on the wooden chair while waiting for her return then my eyes landed on a framed painting resting near the shelf.

A younger version of the headmistress stood beside a smiling little girl. The resemblance between them was obvious.

The little girl is definitely her daughter.

I stared at the painting quietly as the child looked happy while the younger headmistress looked happy too and very different from the stern woman everyone feared now.

The office door suddenly opened and I immediately straightened.

The headmistress walked in slowly and closed the door behind her.

For several long seconds, she said absolutely nothing as she simply stared at me and somehow, that silence felt worse than yelling.

Finally, she spoke. "Do you enjoy causing problems?" Her voice was calm. It was way too calm for my liking.

"He started it," I muttered.

"That does not answer my question."

I folded my arms stubbornly. "He insulted us."

"So you beat him with kitchen equipment?"

"He deserved worse." I said almost with a scoff.

One of her brows lifted slightly but instead of shouting, she walked toward her desk and sat down carefully.

"Misconduct is not tolerated under my supervision," she said firmly while I remained silent.

"You are new here, Selena Savano," she continued. "Perhaps that is why you still behave recklessly."

I almost flinched at the fake name.

"You may think fighting solves disrespect," she said, "but inside this castle, actions have consequences."

I stared back at her defiantly. "What punishment?"

Her gaze sharpened slightly. "Your wages for this week are canceled."

That was all? Honestly, I expected something worse. Much worse but still, I almost felt relieved.

The headmistress watched my expression carefully. "You do not seem bothered."

I shrugged carelessly. "It could’ve been worse."

Something unreadable flickered briefly across her face then she dismissed me. "You may leave."

I stood immediately and walked out without another word.

The moment I stepped outside the office, I exhaled deeply. Strangely enough... I felt good.

The servant deserved every single hit. Father had always taught me never to allow people to walk over me and for once since arriving in Blackbourne, I actually felt like myself again.

When I returned to the servants’ quarters later, Marqee rushed toward me immediately. "What happened?"

"They canceled my wages for the week."

Her face fell instantly. "Oh no."

I blinked at her reaction. "What?"

"That’s bad."

"It’s only one week."

Marqee stared at me like I had gone mad. "You really aren’t from around here."

I frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"In Blackbourne’s lower working class," she explained carefully, "missing even one week’s wages means suffering."

My confidence faded slightly but still, I refused to look worried. "I’ll survive."

Marqee sighed heavily but before she could respond, the chamber door opened and Sally walked in quietly carrying a small pouch in her hand.

I barely paid attention initially until I noticed her quickly dipping into her satchel. Then she grabbed another smaller satchel from beneath her bed.

Her movements became odd and suspiciously hurried afterward.

Without saying a word to either of us, Sally turned and slipped out of the room sneakily.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.