Alpha abused mate

CHAPTER 5:: BEFORE THE RED MOON CELEBRATION

LUCY P. O. V

Why was I needed there? The words echoed in my mind as my body shook with fear.

I could not understand why it was me. Why not me and Gloria? Why did they choose me for the dark room? The thought kept repeating over and over, louder than my heartbeat.

The dark room was the place ruled by the woman with the strong aura, the one everyone feared.

My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand when the figure with the creepy voice appeared at the door to summon me. I followed, each step heavier than the last.

When I entered, I saw them—the three girls who had bullied Gloria the first time we arrived.

Now, with me, we were four in the room. Without a word, we were sent into a large hall to clean, the very hall where the Blood Moon celebration would take place, where the Alpha and the Luna would sit in power.

The woman led us to a side room, filthy and covered in dust. “Get to work,” she ordered before slamming the door behind us.

I picked up a broom and began sweeping, but the oldest girl sneered at me.

“Keep cleaning, chief’s daughter,” she mocked, her words dripping with poison. The others laughed cruelly, their voices echoing in the dirty room.

I tried to ignore them, but she stepped closer, eyes burning. “I’m talking to you.” She snatched the broom from my hands.

“Stop this,” I whispered, then louder, “Stop this!” I reached out, trying to pull it back. My chest tightened with anger and fear.

Before I could fight further, the door swung open with a slam. The woman with the harsh voice entered, her gaze sharp as a blade.

“What is happening here?” she demanded.

I stood frozen, clutching the broom tightly in her hands. As the other girl beside me also held my broom tight, our eyes both fixed on the lady who had just stormed into the hall.

Her voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. She demanded to know what was going on.

My heart began to beat fast. I tried to speak, to explain what had happened, but the other girl spoke first, her voice trembling but filled with bitterness.

“She wanted to hit me,” she said quickly, pointing at me, “because I told her she’s just a maid, not the chief’s daughter.”

The words cut through me like a knife. I stared at her in shock. How could she twist things like that?

My lips parted to defend myself, but before I could speak, the lady’s eyes turned on me — cold and filled with hatred.

“You are not a chief’s daughter,” she spat, her voice echoing in the large room. “You are a maid. And not just a maid — a wolfless, useless human like you doesn’t deserve any respect. Now follow me!”

Her words sank deep into my heart. I felt something inside me crumble, like a piece of me had been broken forever.

My throat tightened, but I didn’t dare talk back. Slowly, I followed her out of the hall, my head lowered, every step heavier than the last.

We entered another hall, this one far bigger but dusty and full of cobwebs.

The smell of old wood and dirt filled the air. I looked around — it was clear no one had cleaned there in months. The lady turned sharply to me.

“Clean it up,” she ordered. “Alone. Since you want to cause a scene with the other girls, you can prove yourself useful here.”

Then she turned and left, the sound of her footsteps fading down the corridor. I stood there for a moment, the broom still in my hand, my chest aching.

My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I swallowed them down. I looked around the large hall, knowing this was going to take hours. I checked the small clock on the wall — it was already midnight.

My body trembled as I started sweeping, tears mixing with the dust that filled the air.

I cleaned and scrubbed, my back aching, my hands blistered. I didn’t even know how long I’d been working until I looked again at the clock — it was already two in the afternoon.

I had been cleaning for more than half a day without rest. My knees gave way, and I sat down behind the door, completely exhausted. My eyes blurred, and I felt light-headed.

That was when Gloria walked in.

She had a broom too, her face tired but gentle. She looked at me for a while, then smiled faintly. “You must be so tired,” she said softly. “Come, let’s go eat. There’s food.”

Her words felt like a small light in a dark tunnel. I gathered every bit of strength left in me, stood up slowly, and followed her out of the hall.

My body ached with every step, but the smell of food made me realize how hungry I was. We ate quietly — plain food, but to me it tasted like comfort.

Afterward, we returned to our small room and lay on the bed. I barely remember closing my eyes before sleep took me completely.

When I woke up again, it was midnight. Panic shot through me — I thought I had overslept and would be punished. I sat up quickly, my heart pounding, but then I saw Gloria lying peacefully beside me.

No one had come to shout. The quietness of the night wrapped around us, and slowly I lay back down, letting my tired body rest again.

The next morning came with the usual routine. We woke up and began cleaning again, the same long hours, the same silence between the sweeps of the broom. Days passed like that, one blending into another, until the air around the house began to change.

Whispers filled the halls, laughter and footsteps became louder. Something was coming. Then I remembered — the Red Moon celebration.

That morning, Gloria and I were still lying in bed, too tired to move, when the door suddenly slammed open.

The sound made me jump. A harsh voice shouted, “Get up! It’s the Red Moon celebration!”

My heart stopped. The words hit me like cold water. The Red Moon. I remembered my fate in that celebration — the one everyone feared, especially the wolfless ones like me.

My hands trembled as I pushed myself up from the bed. My throat went dry, and my body felt heavy again, but not from work — from fear.

I glanced at Gloria. She looked at me with worry in her eyes but said nothing. She knew what the Red Moon meant. Everyone did.

I could already hear drums outside, people laughing and shouting. The celebration was beginning, but for me, it was not a celebration at all. It was the night where pain hid behind the music, where secrets were buried in the firelight.

As I stood up, I thought of how I had once been someone different, someone with hope. Now, I was just Lucy — the maid, the wolfless girl, the one they said was useless.

I wanted to believe they were wrong, but deep down, I feared they were right. My chest tightened as I stepped out of the room, into the bright, cruel day of the Red Moon. Whatever waited for me there, I had no power to stop it.

But I still walked forward,

To be continued