Chapter 2 Be made difficult

I followed Daisy into the manor, and we crossed a boulevard to a white house. Daisy showed me to a bathroom where I could wash up.

Standing under the shower, I felt the hot water wash over me while Daisy's instructions still echoed in my ears.

"From now on, you are a slave to Alpha Devon." Alpha Devon, the mysterious man who purchased me at a slave auction for a million dollars.

Why would he spend such a large amount of money on me when his name was already engraved in my mind?

"Are you done with the shower, you stinky pig?" Daisy asked, banging on the bathroom door. "Don't waste time, you have a lot of work to do!"

I quickly dried off and put on an old dress that Daisy had given me. Then I stepped out of the bathroom to find Daisy waiting outside the door, looking as sullen as her dress.

"Your task for today is to clean the attic with Genna," said Daisy, summoning another girl named Genna, who was around the same age as me and had a pale face covered in tiny freckles.

"The attic needs to be cleaned before lunch, or else I'll punish you with chores! Do you understand?" Daisy said.

Genna and I nodded quickly and waited for Daisy to leave. Genna led the way down a shady path to a small, secluded loft. She got me a broom and a rag, and we began cleaning in the dusty attic.

"What's your name?" Genna asked as she swept the floor with her broom.

"Aray," I replied. I raised my long broom to poke at the cobwebs on the ceiling, but just as I was about to touch them, Genna yelled in my ear.

"Don't touch that!"

But it was too late, and thick dust fell from the ceiling, covering my head and body.

"Are you okay?" Genna asked with concern.

"Dust got into my eyes." My eyes burned like hell.

"I'll get you some water to wash your eyes."

Shortly after, Genna returned with a bottle of water to carefully clean the dust from my eyes. After some time, I was able to open my eyes again, and the stinging sensation lessened.

"Thank you!" I said to Genna. "My name is Aray."

"I assume you haven't done chores before?" Genna looked at me. "Why did you become a slave?"

"Because of a mistake my father made. I went from being Bate's daughter to becoming a slave." My heart ached at the mere mention of it, like a tear in my soul.

"You were Bate's daughter?" Genna gave me a shocked look. "So you used to be a lady. I knew you weren't meant to be a nameless wolf."

"Let's clean ourselves up before Daisy leaves us alone," I suggested, not wanting to dwell on the sad subject. I grabbed the broom and continued with the cleaning.

"As a friend, I wanted to let you know," Genna whispered as we worked, "You need to behave yourself here. Our master is very strict. There was once a slave who was executed for making a mistake."

"You mean Alpha Devon?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"You can't address Alpha by their first name," Genna cautioned, putting her finger to her lips and gesturing for silence. "Only refer to them as Lord."

"So what should I be cautious of?" I nervously tightened my grip on the broom.

"Don't make any mistakes and avoid making direct eye contact with your master," Genna looked around warily. "You shouldn't laugh or dress up in front of Luna. She doesn't like the women on the estate to be more beautiful than her."

"Does our master have a mate?" I asked curiously.

"Luna and Alpha chose mates. Our Alpha married a widow who had a son."

"He must have loved his wife," I remarked. It was customary for alphas to choose their destined mates, and only a few alpha males without mates opted to marry non-mates. Loyalty to a mate was a werewolf tradition.

"I don't think so," Genna replied. "Sometimes other servants see Alpha returning in the middle of the night with other women."

He turned out to be a polyamorous man.

"Do you have any personal experience or sightings of Alpha?" I asked.

"Don't," Genna shook her head. "But everyone says he's a grumpy, unattractive man in private."

So, is he hiding behind a screen to conceal his unappealing appearance from others?

I can't even begin to imagine what kind of man he must be.

"How dare you slack off here!" Daisy's voice came from behind us as she swung her stick at Genna and me.

"Get back to work!"

The rattan hit me so hard that it stung, but I pushed through the pain to continue cleaning. After we finally finished clearing out the loft, Daisy instructed us to mow the garden again. Genna and I had to toil under the scorching sun without any breaks or drinks. There were moments when I nearly passed out, but thankfully Genna was there to assist me.

"Just tough it out, it'll be over soon," Genna comforted me.

I forced myself to keep working until late afternoon, when we finally completed our tasks. However, Daisy only gave us a single slice of bread for supper, and Genna and I had to endure her harsh treatment.

I entered the manor alone, and as I walked along the path that led to the utility room, I could feel my body trembling. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the bushes next to me, blocking my path with his body.

"Well, well, look who we have here!" the man crossed his arms over his chest and spoke in a mocking tone. "Isn't this Arya?"

I looked up at him, noticing his red hair glistening in the sunlight. There was a distinct scar, about an inch long, at the corner of his eye, resembling a coiled snake. As he stared at me, a trace of mockery played on his lips, and his eyes were filled with disdain.

"Jim?"

"That's right, it's me," he sneered. "I never expected the once proud Arya to become a slave. And not just any slave, but my father's slave. It seems like today is the perfect time to settle the score with you!"

"What do you want?" I immediately raised my guard.