Cleaning helped, at least that was what she told herself as she knelt on the floor scrubbing it hard until her knees and fingers were sore. Grime and dirt had soaked into the wood as though it hadn’t been used in a while.

Maya appreciated the work as it kept the thoughts at bay and, most especially, it kept away the realization of what she was reduced to. Busy hands calmed the mind.

She stood to her feet after the last cleaning was done. The floor sparkled underneath her bare feet. She had also gotten rid of the cobwebs that covered the ceiling, dusted the vanity, and the wardrobe. She still needed polish for the wood, but Maya knew she wasn’t going to get her hands on that.

Every inch of the room was clean, and she was satisfied with what she had done. The lack of a bed was a problem, but at least she didn’t have to stay in a dirty room anymore.

She looked down at her dress, and the blood stains were the least of her worries. There were dirt stains all over the white dress. To call the dress white felt like a crime.

There was no mistake that she was now the dirtiest thing in a room that once had dead cockroaches and spiders in every corner. Unfortunately, she couldn’t clean herself. With no spare clothes or underwear, there was nothing for her to change into.

There was also no sign of her old clothes; she didn’t know what the maids had done with them, but something told her it was nothing good. Maya was still contemplating her options when she heard a loud knock on the door.

She jumped, startled. She knew there was quite a celebration happening because of the wedding. Children were running around, and she heard a few repeat the vows the High Priestess had said on the altar.

Maya was a bit envious that she wasn’t a part of it, but she was also grateful, as it made the mansion empty enough for her to clean her room without drawing attention.

She walked toward the door and opened it slightly, poking only her head out. Bess stood in front of the door with a tray and a single covered dish. Maya looked from Bess to the dish and then back at her face without saying a word.

Bess’s nose flared in anger. "This is for you," she said and shoved the tray forward. If it weren’t for the partially closed door, it would have hit Maya in the chest.

Maya could smell something sweet from the tray. She studied Bess, wondering if she should accept it. She didn’t trust her. But, she was hungry and had just spent the latter part of the morning deep cleaning her new room.

She slowly opened the door wider. Revealing herself to accept the tray. Bess’s face broke immediately into a smile as she took in Maya’s appearance. She looked like she was struggling to keep her laughter in.

Bess brought her hands to her mouth when they were finally free. Her shoulders shook, and her eyes filled with tears. Maya’s hands tightened on the tray and her chest felt tight with embarrassment.

She couldn’t stop the maid from laughing at her. Maya could pretty much imagine how she looked. There was dust in her hair, and her white dress was no different from a rag—a far cry from the High Alpha’s daughter she once was.

Pig!

Alaina’s words echoed in her head, and Maya fought back the tirade of emotions, otherwise she might turn into a sobbing mess in front of a maid who took delight in her pain.

"A change of clothes," Maya simply said, interrupting Bess’s laughter.

"What did you say?" There was a slight threat in Bess’s tone, as though daring Maya to repeat her words.

"A change of clothes," she repeated slowly, as if speaking to a child. The maid didn’t scare her; Alaina did a better job. "I’d like a change of clothes and some underwear too."

Having dealt with servants for so long, Maya was immune to their antics. Though servants weren’t disrespectful to her in Father’s mansion, once in a while, a new servant who was unaware she wasn’t just a young woman in charge but rather the High Alpha’s daughter might say something uncouth.

Servants were still servants, and regardless of how she was treated by their Alpha, Maya was still the High Alpha’s daughter and now she was Alpha Keenan’s wife. She wasn’t unaware of this; she simply wanted to make amends.

Maya didn’t mind cleaning her room or doing her laundry, but she refused to stay in dirty clothes. She didn’t care what they gave her to wear as long as it was clean.

"Anything else, High Alpha’s daughter?" Her words dripped with sarcasm, and Maya didn’t miss the way Bess looked her up and down as she spoke.

"Shoes," she replied, staring down at her bare feet.

Without another word, Bess marched away from the door, rolling her eyes while making irritated noises and shaking her shoulders as she walked away.

Maya watched her go for a moment before withdrawing into her room. She closed the door and rested her back on it. She hoped she would be able to get some clean clothes, but Maya couldn’t help but have doubts.

She could make all the demands she wanted, but if Alpha Keenan deemed it fit to deny her these things, there was truly nothing she could do. She was at his mercy.

Maya sighed and dropped to the ground. She wanted nothing more than to pretend she was strong and that she could bear whatever he threw in her direction for the sake of him learning the truth, but it felt so far away and out of reach.

She shook her head and concentrated on the meal before her. At least she got lunch. She was, after all, too hungry to be sad. She opened the plate to reveal a slice of apple pie.

This could barely be enough for lunch, especially after the task she had done, but it smelled delicious, and she brought it to her lips. Perhaps because she was starving, it was easily the best thing she had ever tasted.