Soft Cruelty
By evening, the entire pack house buzzed with preparation for the banquet.
The scent of expensive wine, herbs, roasted meat, and fresh flowers filled the halls. Servants rushed between kitchens while guards moved through security checks around the estate.
Katelyn remained exactly where Jocelyn wanted her—in the lower kitchens beneath the main hall.
The underground kitchen was hot and crowded, filled with steam and noise. Pots clanged loudly while cooks barked instructions over one another.
Usually Katelyn enjoyed kitchen work because it kept her hands busy enough to quiet her thoughts. Tonight, however, even that comfort failed her.
She stood beside a counter chopping vegetables mechanically while two older omega women whispered nearby. They stopped talking every time
