Violet’s POV
I knew the moment Merrin’s wife smiled at me… it wasn’t kindness.
It was a trap wrapped in silk, dripping with poisoned sweetness.
Her eyes lingered too long, that quiet, judging kind of stare that made my skin crawl. So when she suggested I stay in the horse quarters, I knew I had to run.
Even slaves don’t stay with animals.
So I just bowed slightly and said, “If that pleases you, Alpha.”
But I had something else on my mind, something Merrin didn’t know.
The stench hit me before I even reached the place, thick, sour, and wet.
Hay mixed with rotting sweat. The smell of something alive and dying at the same time.
My stomach turned.
But I swallowed hard and walked in anyway. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Not Merrin. Not his wives. Not anyon
