Aria's POV
The sound of my own footsteps echoed loudly on the marble floor as I tried to keep up with Damon's long strides. My heart pounded so hard I was sure everyone could hear it. Every pack member we passed stopped what they were doing to stare at me.
"Is that her?" someone whispered.
"The murderer?" another voice hissed.
I wanted to sink into the ground. My hands shook as I clutched the small bag that held everything I owned. Three torn dresses, a broken hairbrush, and a faded picture of Maya and me when we were little. That was it. That was my whole life.
Damon walked ahead of me like I was invisible. He didn't look back once to see if I was keeping up. His broad shoulders were tight, and I could smell his anger in the air. My wolf whimpered inside me, asking me to run to him, to touch him, to make him love us. But I knew better.
"Damon," I called softly, but he didn't slow down.
The pack house was huge – bigger than anything I'd ever seen. Golden lights hung from the roof, and beautiful paintings covered the walls. Everything looked expensive and beautiful. I felt like a dirty spot on something beautiful.
A group of women sat in the main living room, and they all turned to look at me as we passed. They were gorgeous – tall, strong, with shiny hair and perfect clothes. One of them, a girl with bright blue eyes, stood up.
"Alpha Damon," she said sweetly. "Is this your... mate?"
The way she said 'mate' made it sound like a bad word.
"Yes," Damon said coldly. "This is Aria."
"Welcome," the redhead said, but her smile was fake. "I'm Jessica, the pack's head teacher. We've all heard so much about you."
My stomach dropped. Of course they'd heard about me. Everyone knew the story of the Keen daughter who killed her sister.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"It must be so hard," Jessica added, her voice dripping with false sympathy, "living with what you did. How do you sleep at night?"
"Jessica." Damon's speech was sharp. "That's enough."
But the damage was done. Every person in the room was now looking at me with disgust or pity. Some looked scared, like I might hurt them too.
"Come on," Damon said, already walking away.
I followed him down a long hallway that got smaller and darker as we went. The beautiful decorations faded, and the walls became plain white. My heart sank as I realized where we were going.
"This is the servants' wing," Damon said, stopping in front of a small door. "This is your room."
He opened the door, and I saw the smallest bedroom I'd ever seen. There was a small bed, a dresser, and nothing else. The window was tiny, and the walls were bare. It looked like a jail cell.
But I forced myself to smile. "It's perfect," I said, even though my voice cracked. "Thank you."
Damon's green eyes flashed with something I couldn't read. For a second, I thought I saw guilt there, but it was gone so fast I might have dreamed it.
"There are rules," he said, his voice ice-cold. "You don't leave this wing without permission. You don't speak to pack members unless they speak to you first. You don't embarrass me. And you earn your keep like everyone else."
Each word felt like a slap. I nodded quickly, afraid that if I spoke, I'd start crying.
"Breakfast is at six," he continued. "You'll help in the cooking. Lunch is at noon. Dinner is at seven. Don't be late."
"I understand," I whispered.
"Good." He turned to leave, then stopped. "Aria."
Hope flared in my chest. Maybe he was going to say something kind. Maybe he'd changed his mind.
"Don't make me regret this," he said, and walked away.
I stood in the doorway until I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. Then I stepped inside my tiny room and closed the door. The quiet was deafening.
I sat on the small bed and looked around. This was it. This was my new life. I was eighteen years old, and this was all I had.
I opened my bag and pulled out my few things. The dresses went in the drawer. The hairbrush went on top. But when I picked up the photo of Maya and me, my hands began shaking.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the little girl in the picture. "I'm so sorry, Maya. I wish it had been me instead."
The tears came then, hot and angry. I pressed the picture to my chest and cried for everything I'd lost. My sister. My family. My pack. And now, my mate's love.
I cried until there were no tears left. Then I wiped my face and stood up. I was done feeling sorry for myself. I was alive, and I was here. I would show to Damon and everyone else that I was worth something.
I would work harder than anyone. I would be kind to everyone, even the people who hated me. I would show them that I wasn't the monster they thought I was.
"I can do this," I said out loud, trying to convince myself. "I can make him love me."
A knock on my door made me jump. "Come in," I called.
The door opened, and an older woman with gray hair and kind eyes stepped inside. She was wearing a simple dress and an apron.
"Hello, dear," she said softly. "I'm Mrs. Chen, the head cook. I wanted to welcome you properly."
"Thank you," I said, shocked by her kindness.
"I know this is hard," she said, sitting on the bed next to me. "But you're stronger than you know. I can see it in your eyes."
"You're the first person who's been nice to me since I got here," I revealed.
Mrs. Chen patted my hand. "Not everyone here is mean, child. Some of us know what it's like to be lost and alone."
She stood up and walked to the door. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."
"Mrs. Chen?" I called as she was leaving.
"Yes?"
"Do you think... do you think Alpha Damon will ever care about me?"
Her face grew sad. "I don't know, dear. But I know you'll survive this, whatever happens."
After she left, I lay down on the small bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow I would start my new life. Tomorrow I would begin proving myself.
But just as I was getting asleep, I heard voices in the hallway. I pressed my ear to the door and listened.
"She's pathetic," Jessica's voice said clearly. "Did you see how scared she looked?"
"She killed her own sister," another woman responded. "I don't trust her around the children."
"Don't worry about that," Jessica said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "She won't be here long. Alpha Damon just needs time to understand what a mistake this is."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Jessica said, her voice getting lower, "that I have a plan. And by the time I'm done, that little killer will be gone forever."
My blood turned to ice. I held my breath, trying to hear more, but their footsteps died away.
I sat on my bed, my heart racing. What kind of plan did Jessica have? And what would she do to get rid of me?
One thing was clear – I wasn't just fighting for Damon's love anymore. I was fighting for my life.