002| Doomed For Hell
980 Words
~ARIA~
The tray felt heavier with every step I took.
There were about five of us here to serve the warriors.
The sound of their drunken laughter from the closed hall was enough to send shivers down my spine.
My hold on my tray tightened until my knuckles ached.
The girl beside me shivered so violently the wine rippled inside her goblets.
I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or cold.
But one thing was clear… none of us intended to be here.
The head maid went ahead of us, her tone cold as she announced our arrival.
Moments later, the door were opened and we were ushered inside the hall.
As we got closer to the door, the sharp smell of ale, sweat, and roasted meat rushed at me, turning my stomach.
Warriors filled every corner of the hall. Some of them sat around long tables, arguing over their victories.
I lowered my head and kept moving.
‘Don’t look at anyone. Don’t give them a reason to notice you.’
The tray trembled slightly in my hands.
Almost there…
A sharp whistle suddenly cut through the hall.
“There! That’s one’s new.”
My feet froze instantly.
Before I could pretend I hadn't heard it, chairs scraped loudly against the floor.
Several warriors pushed themselves to their feet.
“Beautiful lady!” one of them called with a drunken grin. “Come pour me some wine.”
“No, over here!”
“I saw her first!”
“Forget the wine,” another laughed. “Come sit on my lap.”
The laughter grew louder.
The other girls were quickly swallowed by the crowd.
One screamed as someone lifted her clean off the ground.
Another tried to pull away, only for two warriors to drag her back admit roaring laughter.
I instinctively stepped backward.
Wrong move.
A broad hand wrapped around my wrist before I could take another step.
The tray slipped from my fingers.
It crashed onto the stone floor, goblets scattering in every direction.
My breath caught.
“So pretty…” the man holding me murmured, his bloodshot eyes roaming shamelessly over me.
He was enormous.
His fingers tightened painfully around my wrist.
I twisted, trying to free myself, heart slamming against my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered quickly. “Please… let me bring you another drink.”
Instead of answering, he laughed.
The sound drew two more warriors over.
Within seconds they had formed a loose circle around me.
My eyes darted toward the entrance.
The heavy iron doors had already been pulled shut.
The guards hadn’t even looked back.
My escape was gone.
“Where do you think you’re running?” one of them asked with a crooked smile.
Another leaned closer.
“So timid.”
“I like timid.”
Their laughter blended together until I could no longer tell who was speaking.
I forced my voice to stay steady.
“Sirs… please… I.. I can bring more wine. Just.. just let me go.”
I took a careful step sidwways.
A warrior shifted with me, blocking my path.
Another stepped in front of me.
My pulse hammered against my ribs.
Every way out disappeared.
One reached for my arm.
Another brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
I flinched so hard my back struck the cold stone wall.
The impact knocked the breath from my lungs.
They closed in.
I pressed myself against the wall, wishing I could somehow disappear into the stone.
“Please…”
The word barely escaped my lips.
Nobody listened.
A rough hand reached toward me again…
Suddenly, a goblet crashed against the wall beside us, shattering into pieces.
The loud noise caught every one’s attention.
In the next second, the hall fell silent.
The laughter stopped and their shouting ceased.
Even the drunken argument died mid-sentence.
The warriors around me stiffened.
The all turned toward the entrance, as though the goblet had come from there.
Then someone near the entrance called out,
“Alpha!”
The grip on my wrist disappeared so quickly it almost made me stumble.
Every warrior strengthened at once, their heads lowered.
The men who had surrounded me stepped back as though they had never touched me.
I quickly tugged my dress back into place with trembling fingers, my hands refusing to steady no matter how much I tried.
Only then did I dare look toward the entrance.
A tall man stood beneath the doorway.
Alpha Aramic.
The Luna’s husband.
Our Alpha.
His gaze swept calmly across the hall.
Then it stopped… on me.
Something tightened inside my chest.
His expression was unreadable.
Yet, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that he was studying me.
I immediately lowered my head.
What was I doing?
Looking directly at the Alpha was the last thing I should be doing tonight.
When I finally risked another glance, he had already taken his seat at the head of the table.
His Beta remained at his side, alert despite the relaxed atmosphere.
This was my chance.
Keeping my head down, I quietly edged away from the warriors.
One step.
Then another.
The door was only a few steps away, and yet no one has stopped me.
Hope flooded my lungs.
I desperately prayed as I quickened my steps.
I was only a few strides from the door when footsteps sounded behind me.
They’re after me again.
My heart slammed against my chest.
I didn’t dare turn around.
I walked faster.
Just a little farther…
Then a deep voice cut cleanly through the hall.
“Hey, Omega.”
I stopped.
The single word rooted me to the floor.
Slowly, I turned.
Alpha Aramic was looking directly at me.
His Beta was already making his way across the room.
“Come,” the Beta said politely but firmly. “The Alpha requires your service.”
- Writer
