The Ghost in the Hallway
The water in the bucket was gray. It smelled of bleach.
Sienna dipped the rag in. The chemicals stung the raw skin of her knuckles. She did not wear gloves. Gloves cost money. The Obsidian Ridge Pack did not waste money on the help.
"You missed a spot."
The voice came from above. It was high and sweet.
Sienna did not look up. She knew that voice. It was Lydia. She was the woman everyone expected to become the next Luna.
"Did you hear me, faint-blood?" Lydia asked.
Sienna kept her eyes on the black marble floor. "I heard you, Lydia. I am getting it."
"That is Miss Lydia to you."
A sharp heel came down hard. It landed right on the back of Sienna’s hand.
Sienna gasped. The pain was sharp. It ground her skin against the cold stone. But she did not pull away. Pulling away made it fun for them.
"Oops," Lydia said. She leaned down. Her perfume smelled like roses. "You are so quiet. It is like you are not even here. Just a ghost haunting the hallways."
Sienna gritted her teeth. "Please move your foot."
"Or what? You will growl at me?" Lydia laughed. "You do not even have a wolf."
She pressed down harder. Then she stepped off and kicked the bucket over. The gray sludge spilled across the clean floor.
"Clean it up before the Alpha arrives," Lydia said. She walked away. "The Blood Moon Ball is tonight. We cannot have the place smelling like you."
Sienna sat back. She clutched her bruised hand. She did not cry. Tears did not clean floors.
She reached for the bucket. Lydia was right. She was a faint-blood. She had no scent. She could not shift. To the pack, she was a mistake.
The heavy oak doors at the end of the hall banged open.
The air in the room got heavier. It felt charged with electricity.
Sienna scrambled to her knees. She started frantically wiping up the water. She tried to shrink into the floor.
"Double the border patrols," a deep voice rumbled. "I want eyes on the rogues."
Sienna’s heart hammered.
Julian.
He walked into the hall. Julian Thorne. The Alpha Heir. He was tall and built like a mountain. He had black hair and eyes like molten gold.
Sienna kept scrubbing. Don't look at me.
But she wanted him to look. She wanted him to see the girl on the floor.
Julian stopped.
He was five feet away. His polished shoes stopped near the puddle.
Sienna froze. The air around him smelled like rain and pine. It made her head spin.
"This floor is wet," Julian said. His voice vibrated in her chest.
He paused. For a second, Sienna thought he was looking at her. She felt a strange tug in her gut. A pull.
Just see me.
"Have it dried," Julian said. He stepped over the puddle. He stepped over her hand like she was a piece of furniture. "We have guests arriving."
He walked past. The wind from his stride ruffled her hair.
He hadn't seen her. Why would an Alpha notice a servant?
Sienna looked down at her hand. The bruise was already turning purple.
"You okay, Si?"
Sienna turned. Greta, the head cook, stood in the doorway. She looked at Sienna with pity.
"I am fine," Sienna said. She hid her hand.
"You do not have to go tonight," Greta said gently. "Nobody will notice if you are not there."
The words cut deep. Nobody will notice.
Sienna lifted her chin. A spark of defiance flared in her chest.
"I am going, Greta. It is mandatory."
Greta sighed. "Alright. But stay in the back. The Council is watching."
Sienna walked to her small room. She pulled a garment bag from under her mattress.
Inside was a silver dress she had fixed up. She held it against her body. She looked into the cracked mirror on the wall.
For a moment, the girl in the mirror did not look like a ghost. She looked like a woman waiting for something to begin.
Outside, the massive Blood Moon began to rise over the trees. The air grew thick. The tension tightened like a noose.
Tonight, everything would change. And Sienna wouldn't be invisible anymore.
