In the dungeon…
Lieutenant Klark gathered everyone in the dining room that was getting crowded with more than twenty people in it. Not everyone had a place to sit, as they would take turns eating, so now some of them were standing in the back.
Klark had an important thing to announce, "Alpha Damon is hosting a party in the packhouse for Elders and other officials of the pack."
Among twenty warriors present, Lisa stood in the back.
Lisa was NOT in a good mood.
Since she arrived at this horrid place, she was soaking and scraping and wiping, and even though she was wearing rubber gloves, her nails broke, and her skin looks like she was fifty years old! To make things worse, they were expecting her to cook!
Lisa knew she was in trouble because those were stern-faced warriors and she feared that she won't have a good ending if she gives them food poisoning.
She tried to explain that she is not much of a cook, but they accused her of avoiding work with, "Every Omega knows how to cook."
Well, she was obviously not like all other Omegas, but no one would listen to reason, and they looked at her strangely when she said how she never cooked, other than some limited experience her mother forced on her. When Lieutenant Klark said how she was courting time in the dungeon cell, Lisa piped it down.
Luckily, last night they had leftovers from lunch, so she reheated those and added some scrambled eggs, and no one suspected a thing.
For breakfast, they brought fresh bread from the town, and she made simple sandwiches and coffee while saying that due to all the cleaning, she doesn't have much time to prepare an elaborate meal.
They let it pass, but Lisa was not sure how long she can drag this.
Lisa felt like crying. She hated cleaning and she hated cooking even more. No one EVER expected her to do these things, but now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The worst part was that Lieutenant Klark confirmed in front of many warriors how Lisa was free to leave once the cleaning was done, and after slaving for the whole day, she was done only with the first cell! There were thirty cells on the second level, and considering that there are two more levels below, Lisa feared that this might take years. YEARS!
By the time she finishes all of them, the first ones will get dusty!
Lisa wondered, how come they don't have a dedicated cleaning crew for these things? She wanted to ask Lieutenant Klark about it, but she couldn't find the right timing.
Lisa was so exhausted last night that she plopped on the bed and slept like a log. Through the haze of her sleep, Lisa thought that she heard a female voice screaming how she doesn't belong in the dungeon and that she was there by mistake.
"Yeah, join the club…", Lisa mumbled before she continued sleeping.
Was that a dream? Or did a noisy female really end up in the dungeon?
Even if that was real, Lisa had no sympathy for the woman who cried in the middle of the night how she was wronged. Did she need to clean? No. Lisa would rather sit in the dungeon than do this wretched work. Well, in a clean dungeon, not in a dirty one.
With Lieutenant Klark calling them to gather, Lisa hoped he will say that all this was a big joke and she can leave, or at least some of these bulky guys to help with cleaning, but instead, he spoke about a party at the packhouse. What nonsense was that? Was he rubbing it in how Damon, Talia, and others were enjoying while Lisa was slaving there?
"How does that impact us?", one warrior asked what was on Lisa's mind and she was glad that she didn't need to ask because everyone looked at her strangely when she would ask questions.
"We are aware of the strained relationship between our Alpha and senior leadership of the pack. This is an obvious sign of their relationship improving…", Klark said and lowered his voice, "And there are hints that soon we might get a Luna."
After Maya, Talia, Kalina, Mindy, Marcy, and Nora had lunch in town on the previous day, the whole Darkbourne was buzzing how their Alpha found them a Luna.
The warriors exploded into excited murmurs. Luna was a big deal.
"Quiet!", Lieutenant Pete (aka second in command) exclaimed, and the chatter stopped abruptly. "The information about the party is official, but about Luna is not. Keep that among yourselves until we get confirmation. Is that understood?"
"YES, SIR!", they roared in unison and Lisa shrunk. She didn't expect they will be so loud.
"But we are going to celebrate.", Lieutenant Klark said. "Jules! Ron!"
Two warriors stepped forward, and Klark continued, "The two of you will go to Darkbourne to get some drinks and meat for everyone. Tonight, we will have a barbecue. You leave in five minutes."
"Understood!", two warriors said in unison, and the crowd dispersed.
Lisa looked around while feeling a bit relaxed. With barbecue for dinner, they won't ask her to cook.
She looked at Jules and Ron dejectedly. How come they get to leave, and she was stuck to clean?
Suddenly, Lisa got an idea.
She approached Klark. "Lieutenant Klark", she called sweetly. "Can I go with them?"
"With Jules and Ron?", Klark asked and when Lisa confirmed, he asked, "Why?"
"I can help them buy stuff, and also… when I came here I didn't know I would be staying longer. I want to stop by my place and pick up a few necessities."
Klark had a feeling Lisa wanted to avoid work or maybe to escape altogether, but it didn't make sense. Even if she relaxes instead of working, that idle time will only prolong how long she will stay here, and with warriors accompanying her, she won't get a chance to escape. They are all guarding prisoners for a reason. No one escapes.
Well, if she really wanted just that, it won't be a problem. And if she wanted to give them a slip, she will find out how that's not an option.
"Sure. You can go with them.", Klark said, and Lisa smiled brightly.
Lisa was happy that after only a small hike through the forest, they got into a car for the rest of their journey. Walking all the way back would be a problem.
"Do you know who the future Luna is?", Lisa started chit chat while Jules was driving. She knew that Marcy was about to arrive, but after considering how Damon was treating Talia, Lisa wanted confirmation.
"Lieutenant Klark told us to keep it to ourselves.", Ron reminded her. "We shouldn't spread or encourage gossip about Alpha."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Aren't I one of you? At least while I'm on this task. Besides, it's not spreading if it stays between us."
Ron thought about how it makes sense. Luna was a big deal and he already talked about it with other guys, so… "Yesterday, a group of women had lunch in town. Beta Maya, Kalina from the Lightclaw pack, and Mindy from the Blue River pack were there. The main person was Marcy from the Red Moon pack. Everyone knows that she has her eyes on Alpha Damon, and with her eating in such a high-profile manner, things seem to be going in the right direction. Also, Alpha Damon specially sent treats. That never happened…"
They were not wrong, except when it came to the person. Their future Luna was at that table, but it was Talia. However, the gossip and people's guesses were navigating toward Marcy.
Lisa listened to every word hungrily and she let out a long sigh.
Of course. Marcy, the princess of the Red Moon pack. Why else would Damon accept someone who was not his fated mate?
They were having lunch in town and enjoying, while Lisa was stuck with dirty work.
Dejection swelled within Lisa.
If she had a noble background, would Tony mark her the moment she turned eighteen years old? If that happened, he wouldn't get to recognize Kalina as his mate, and Lisa wouldn't end up cleaning the fucking dungeon!
Lisa thought about Talia and that made her feel a bit better. Talia was discarded, just like Lisa. Lisa thought how that was something they had in common. Actually, Talia had it worse because Damon ditched her in favor of Marcy who was not even his fated mate.
