Chapter 23— The service game.
1085 Words
Chapter 23— The service game.
KYRA
“Rise and shine, Princess.” The snicker made me stir but it was the icy water raining down on me that woke me right the hell up.
“What the hell…?!” My shout came out half-choked as I struggled to breathe against the stream of freezing cold water on my face.
Callie stood above me, arms crossed, that stupid, annoying, smug look tugging at her lips. Beside her was one of the girls who’d been bullying Maddy yesterday, holding an empty bucket with water still dripping from its rim.
“Well,” Callie said in a sickly sweet voice, “since you’re clearly too lazy to wake up on time, I thought I’d help.”
I blinked, my soaked hair plastered against my cheeks, my mind scrambling to make sense of her words. “It’s not even—”
Her voice cut me off. “Oh, didn’t Amanda tell you? Those on the lists are expected to be up earlier than anyone else.”
I gritted my teeth, counted from ten backwards to keep myself from lashing out. “It’s not even six yet,” I spat, unable to keep the anger at bay.
“Well then, consider this your alarm. A lesson in punctuality.” She turned, laughing as she walked out, the other girl trailing behind her.
What is this? High school all over again?
I lay back down on the wet sheets, in a pool of icy water, and cursed under my breath. My eyes felt like sandpaper. I should have retired early, but instead, I’d spent the night with Alpha—Leon when I should have gone to my room but I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy his company.
That man hadn’t looked at me with disgust, just pure curiosity, but still, my walls were high.
I didn’t know him that well. And just because he came in like
Taking a deep breath I pushed myself up and out of the bed, and stripped the sheets. I wanted the bed to be dry before I returned, but I stopped. That would mean opening the windows. And the door was not secured.
First, the note. Its bearer must have slipped in easily. Then Callie, too, she had entered without me hearing a thing.
It was that easy for someone to come in and kill me.
By the time I changed and made it to the kitchen, the sky was still gray. Fifteen of us, as usual, were lined up at the counter while Amanda assigned everyone to their respective tasks.
“… The Alphas will be entertained in the main hall after breakfast. So, Ferguson, Lila…” I tuned her out after that.
Once again, Maddy and I were paired along with some others I wasn’t familiar with. Thank the goddess those bratty girls weren’t with us. Maddy glanced my way and looked away quickly when our eyes jammed. Her eyes were red like she hadn’t slept.
As Amanda continued talking, my mind drifted. The first day of the convention was what I called the “All smiles,” where every Alpha had to pretend they liked the other because to fight during the convention was to be punished by the Alpha king.
You’d be breaking what the convention stood for.
The second day was entertainment day, which I called the “Indulgence day.” It usually meant there was lots of food, music, and a chance for Alphas to boast about the successes of their packs. Hell, even do whatever the f**k they want as long as the host's Alpha tolerated it.
This was the day you get to witness the animalistic side— no, sorry. That would be an insult to animals. Rather I’d say the monstrous side of some of these Alphas. They’d do anything all in the name of entertainment. Fun.
Today was “indulgence day.”
When we arrived at the entertainment room, only a handful of Alphas were present. The place already smelled of smoke and strong liquor, even this early.
The moment we stepped inside, Maddy tensed beside me. Her breath hitched.
I turned slightly, frowning. “You good?”
She ignored me and shuffled forward. I guess she wasn’t forgiving me anytime soon.
‘Or she does not want to be your friend anymore,’ My smart-mouthed wolf scoffed.
Alpha Rowan sat in a corner with a plate of crackers and peanut butter. When he saw me, he lifted one slightly and gave something I’d call a nod. Strange. He’d barely looked at me yesterday.
Eric, on the other hand, was impossible to miss. He lounged in the center of the room, sprawled on a couch like he owned the place, with two girls pressed against him.
He whispered something to Alpha Damon, who grinned, then turned his gaze on me. The look he gave me made my stomach twist.
I turned away, focusing on the tray in my hand, setting the glasses, doing anything, pretending I didn’t feel the burn of their eyes following me.
The chatter continued while we served and did what was asked of us. I’d noticed Elora at the end of the room, along with the witch, but I’d ignored her, making sure my eyes didn’t dart towards them again.
The sound of cutlery on glass broke through the chatter. Callie smiled. “Alphas, and Lunas.” She addressed with a coy smile. “I’m sure we are all getting bored. I mean these games are beginning to lose their charm. So I’m suggesting we add a little twist to it, don’t you think?”
She completed her statement, her eyes on me. Something told me these twists to this game had something to do with me.
Elora smirked, swirling her drink. “What twist do you have in mind, Callie?” Two f*****g devils I was sure were cut off from the same cloth.
Callie’s eyes gleamed. “I like to call this game the service game. Each Alpha gets to pick a servant and tells them what to do. Nothing too serious, just something for fun.”
I felt a chill crawl down my spine.
Maddy and the other girls shared an awkward glance. I guess I wasn’t the only one having this sense of unease.
Eric leaned forward, his grin stretching wide. “I will go first.”
Callie nodded and leaned back against her chair.
Eric’s gaze swept around the room before landing squarely on…
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