LUNA'S REVENGE VOWS

CARLY'S STRUGGLES

The entire palace was bustling as Alpha Hulbert had hosted a grand banquet for the royal families whom he'd invited. To celebrate his new position and also, for killing the traitors. And for this, the kitchen was bustling just as equally as the maids were busy preparing the meal for the banquet and so on.

Hilda, the head maid was in charge, she dipped her hands into the already prepared meal before putting it in her mouth. She gagged. “This is too salty. Again!”

The maid she scolded shivered in fear. “Yes, ma.”

Glancing around and seeing the rest of the maids doing their work lazily, Hilda shouted, “Do your work properly and faster” Her gaze then settled on Carly. “You. Come here!”

Although tired and hungry, Carly quickened her steps; approaching Hilda. “Yes.”

“Go to the wine cellar and fetch us some red wine,” Hilda ordered. “Not just any red wine but, those special ones.”

“Okay” Carly dashed out of the kitchen, heading to meet Daisy, the head of laundry. “Please, I need the key to the wine cellar. Hilda asked me to go fetch red wine from there”

Daisy handed over the key to Carly. “But, are you alright? You look exhausted”

Carly brushed off Daisy's worry with a smile. “I'm fine. Thank you for the key. I'll make sure to return it soon.”

With that said, Carly continued her way to the wine cellar, but this time her movements were not as energetic as before as her hunger suddenly started to get the best of her and her body slowly started to feel weak.

“Hang in there, Carly” she begged herself. When she'd successfully gotten to the wine cellar, she let out a sigh of relief, inserting the key into the door lock.

As the door creaked open, she made her way through, searching rampantly for the red wine Hilda had specified, but it wasn’t there anymore.

It was hot and stuffy inside the wine cellar as Carly puffed her breath, dabbing her sweat off her forehead. “Are we out of chidears?” She used her hands to fan herself. “It's so hot and stuffy in here.”

The ground under her feet began to spin, as Carly soon collapsed out of hunger and exhaustion.

An hour had gone by and seeing that Carly was still yet to arrive, Hilda sent Helen, one of the maids in the pack who strongly loathed Carly, to fetch her.

“Why do I have to go fetch Carly?” Helen fumed, as she hurried. Already thinking of what to do when she reaches.

When she got there, she saw Carly on the floor and thought she was slacking off, so she immediately rushed to tell Zoya instead of Hilda who sent her.

“You lazy thing!” Zoya barked, dumping a bucket of cold water on Carly, jolting her up.

“My princess…” Carly started but was silenced as Vanessa lands a hot smack right across her cheeks.

“I've been too nice that you think, you can come here and cut yourself some time while the others are busy working?” Zoya quarreled and Helen smirked.

Zoya glanced over at the guards beside her, “Grab her and follow me.”

“My lady, please. Forgive me” Carly cried at the top of her voice as the guards dragged her behind Zoya, but it fell on deaf ears. Heartless just like her brother.

They came to a stop in the 'torture room'. A room that was strictly reserved for rogues, deserters, and people that committed treason against the king.

It contained different weapons that were made of either silver or contained wolfbane. Clutching onto a silver whip with a pair of hand gloves, princess Zoya stalked Carly, slowly approaching. “Don't you forget that you brought this upon yourself.”

The guards covered their eyes immediately, Zoya raised the weapon to the air before it crashed against Carly's skin. Her screams filled the entire room and also the sound of the whip.

Zoya didn't stop even as Carly began to bleed until she was called by Hulbert her brother. As she exited the guards she came with, Carly wept; slowly dragging her feet back to the kitchen. Using the walls to support herself.

When she'd arrived, Hilda shook her head; disappointed. “I'd asked you to go grab a red wine from the wine cellar, not to go sleep. Do you think any one of us here have slept since the preparations?”

Carly lowered her head, “I'm sorry”

“If you are sorry then, you should work twice as hard” Hilda said, handing her a maid's outfit. “One of the maids has fallen ill; take her place.”

Carly looked down from the outfit back to Hilda. “I'm sorry, but I'm too weak to do this. Can look for someone else?”

Hilda scoffed. “I thought you wanted to make up for your shortcomings. From the look of things, you can still move.”

“Yes, but--” She had just been brutally scalded with silver; she could feel blood draining out of her body by the second. Why couldn't they see that?

“Honestly, I would have asked someone else, but this is an essential banquet--all the royals would be there-- so it's only mandatory that the prettiest maids be there, and you are considered one of the prettiest even after being hit. Don't you think it's unprofessional to have an ugly maid appear at the banquet since the Alpha King would be present too?” Hilda concluded, which seems to have persuaded Carly, as the latter had come to see that she didn't have a choice.

Taking the maid's outfit from Hilda, she said in what sound like a whisper. “Okay.”

“Hurry up and change into it.” And Carly did just that.

Inside the banquet hall, with clinking glasses and a magnificent display of gold and jewels. Alpha Hulbert held a wine glass, engaging in numerous conversations with one member of a royal family to another. “And how are things going, Gregor?”

Gregor, the next in line to the Scarletmoon pack, responded. “Some rogues are being stubborn.” He sent a message with that statement but, others didn’t.

“There appears to always be a Judas in the pack these days” Alpha Esther, the only female alpha in the banquet added. “No one dare crosses the other in my pack.”

“That aside, I believe you would need some extra hands, Gregor?” Alpha Stephen, the adopted son of Alpha Ken of the Blue Moon pack, chimed in, “My people would be able to help you at anytime.” He winked.

“That's right, Stephen,” Alpha Hulbert said while nodding in total agreement. “Also, thank you for the tips on that traitor, Alpha Phil.”

Stephen waved it off as if it were no big deal. “I'm always happy to help. After all, he deserved it. And look at you, an Alpha of the pack. We trust you will do better and guide with your great wisdom.”

“And what about the Alpha King?” Esther changed the topic, “Is he still coming?”

“He'll be here,” Alpha replied with a chuckle.

Clinking his glass with a spoon as he called everyone to a hush, Alpha Hulbert announced. “Let us toast to the alliance against the traitors.”

“To demonstrate my sincerity” He continued. “I have already executed Alpha Phil who had secret dealings with others, to go against the king and now, his body had been put on fire and reduced to ashes!”

As an excited cheers filled the air, Carly, who couldn't believe her ears, lost her balance, as the tray of glass in her hands all crashed to the ground; causing a shriek of horror from the crowd of people nearby and also catching the attention of Alpha Hulbert and the royals gathered around him.

“I'm sorry” She apologized to everyone as she squatted down to clean up the shattered pieces of broken glass, placing it back on the tray.

The Alpha king and her father used to be friends, so how could he have burnt her father's body? Now she couldn't ever mourn him, even if she wanted to.

Different sorts of emotions coursed through her veins. When she was able to stand up to her feet, Carly got dizzy and was on the verge of passing out, but she was caught by the member of a royal family. No one had even expected Ralph to show up, as he seemed more interested in women than his duties and that made him easy to please.

“Thank you,” Carly thanked him and quickly moving to escape from his touch, but he only tightened his hold on her, scanning every inch of her body.

“There are various ways to thank me without words, you know.” His respond came at last.

Alpha Stephen signaled Hulbert to speak up, seeing this as an opportunity to get Ralph on their side if things do go sideways.

“Ralph, do you like this slave?” Alpha Hulbert asked, “You know, she happens to be the daughter of the traitor.” He added and Ralph raised his right brow.

“Interesting. I didn’t know she was this beautiful.”

“I gave her the marks on the skin. That is to remind her, that she is nothing but a slave now.” Zoya mentioned and everyone nodded.

“Nice one. I want her still.” He said, licking his lips.

“Then shall I present her to you as a gift?”

Ralph touched Carly's delicate skin readily. “I'd be more delighted to accept her. Is she a virgin?” He inquired and they burst into laughter.

“Why don't you find out?” Gregor teased.

Carly struggled to free herself from Ralph. “No, I refuse!” How dare they discuss her as if she were an object and not a person with feelings. She was once a noble lady not a slave.

They all completely ignored her voice as in his eyes, a slave had no right to refuse. He didn't even spare a glance at Carly, he simply waved his hand to the servants, “Take her away. Clean her up and bring her to the room prepared for Ralph.”

“Yes, sir!”

As they carried Carly away, covering her mouth to silence her screams, she desperately prayed that her wolf would come out, but it didn't… no one came to her rescue. They all just watched her get dragged away and when she was out of sight, they went back to their party.

Esther watched with keen interest as the guards dragged Carly away. “Why are you still keeping her around?” She asked.

Alpha Hulbert shrugged. You could say he considered this as his last act of kindness towards Phil. “Why are you worried about a maid?”

“Me?” Alpha Esther laughed. “I just know trouble when I see one, and she looks like it”

Taking a sip off her glass, Esther advises honestly. “I'd watch my back if I were you, Hulbert.”

“That’s ridiculous. Don’t tell me you are drink already when the party is yet to begin.”