chapter 5: Jane

Jane's POV

No one believed that the ruthless Alpha would actually give me the chance to pack my things, but here I was in the corner of the dim room I had stayed in for years, stuffing the few clothes I owned into a worn-out bag with shaking hands.

My heart beat louder than the silence around me, each thump in my chest was a reminder that I had no idea what awaited me outside these walls.

Where would he take me? What would he do to me? What would happen to me? These questions swirled through my mind and I had no answer to them.

The door creaked open, and I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Mia's smug presence carried its own stench, the kind I couldn't miss.

"Oh, our not-so-dearest Jane," she sang mockingly, her voice laced with venom. "I can't help but wonder what Alpha Liam needs you for."

I ignored her and kept packing. There was no point engaging her and her stupid rants. I just wanted to get out with what little dignity I had left. But she wasn’t done. She marched up to me and grabbed my wrist, halting my motion.

“When I’m talking, you listen to me,” she snapped.

I clenched my jaw. "What else do you want?" I asked, staring straight into her cold eyes. "You've succeeded in throwing me out of the pack. What more do you want from me?"

"Don't play the victim now, Jane," she said, her smile growing tighter with cruelty.

I yanked my hand free and turned away, tossing another shirt into the bag. That’s when she dropped the bomb on me.

"Who knows if the Alpha wants to use you as atonement for his curse?"

My hands froze mid-air, my fingers gripping the fabric tightly. I turned to her slowly. "What did you just say?"

"Rumor has it," she said, stepping closer like she was sharing a delicious secret, "that Alpha Liam has been carrying around a cursed heart, and he needs another heart to replace his."

My chest tightened. “You are stupid.”

She only smirked. “I’ll let that slide. Not like it matters if you insult me. You won’t even live past tonight. You’ll be slaughtered, Jane. And your heart, your useless, wolfless heart will replace the Alpha’s.”

“You lied to Alpha Theo, you succeeded in kicking me out of the pack. Because of you, I was rejected publicly, humiliated in front of everyone. Now, you came up with a story to scare me. How petty can you get?”

“Believe me or not, your heart is the only thing that alpha needs. You are just as useless as ever,” she said.

“Thank you for the heads-up, Mia,” I said, sarcasm laced in my voice.

“Just leave already,” she spat.

She turned and walked away, her heels clicking on the floor. The door slammed behind her, and I was left alone with the echo of her words and the pounding in my chest.

Was that why Alpha Liam chose me? A rejected, wolfless maid no one would miss? No one would question him if I disappeared. No one would mourn me if he truly killed me.

And suddenly, the silence didn’t feel so empty anymore. It felt like a countdown to my doom. Every move I made, every step I took, every single thing felt like the last I would do. I was scared because if Mia was telling the truth, then my end is near.

Mia’s words wouldn’t stop echoing in my head as I left the blood moon house. It is tightened around my thoughts like a noose. "You’ll be slaughtered, Jane… your heart will replace his."

I slumped into the back seat of his sleek black car, my bag pressed to my chest. No one said anything. No one wished me a good bye. No one cared.

Alpha Liam sat beside me without saying a word.

Why me? Why did he purchase me? I wanted to ask him but the weight of his presence beside me crushed every word before it left my throat.

I sat stiffly, the leather seat cold beneath me, and the silence became unbearable for me. But I didn't speak. I couldn't bring myself to talk.

I glanced at him, making sure he didn't notice. His face was stone, his bearded jaw clenched and unreadable. Whatever expression I thought I would find wasn't there. He was expressionless. Just silence and a frown so deep.

If I was being taken to die, so be it. If giving my heart for him was what he wanted, so be it. At least it would end with dignity for me.

He had saved me from the humiliation Theo had dragged me through. If death was the price, I could live or die with that.

Eventually, the car turned off the main road and down a gravel path that disappeared into thick woods. Slowly, we drove down the road. A castle caught my attention but it was the least of my problems until the car stopped in front of it.

It stood high and proud in the middle of the woods. A towering fortress of strong stone and ancient accents, wrapped in mist and mystery.

My lips parted as I remained stunned. I had never seen anything like it. It looked like something out of an old tale. A place where secrets were kept, and monsters wore crowns.

We stepped out, and I followed Alpha Liam into the castle. The heavy doors opened, revealing a long marble corridor lit with golden sconces. As soon as we walked in, a group of maids appeared from the shadows, bowing low.

One of them, an older woman with silver-streaked hair and a straight posture approached him.

“Welcome, Alpha Liam,” she said warmly.

“This is… Jane,” he said without returning her greetings.

He pointed at me with a slight nod. “She will be joining you.”

Joining her? He didn't bring me here to kill me? I felt a wave of relief washed over me and it was as if I was breathing again.

“Welcome, Jane,” the woman said, her smile kind but curious.

Before I could return the greeting, Alpha Liam’s deep voice cut through the air again.

“But her duty is quite different,” he said, pausing just long enough for tension to crawl over my skin. “She will work directly for me… especially at night.”

I blinked. My body swayed slightly. Did I just hear that? Working directly for him? Especially… at night?

Working for him in the night as his what? What kind of job does he want me to do? My thoughts spiraled but I dare not question him.

My heart stammered with words that I couldn't let out. I had no idea what he meant, or what he truly brought me here for, but I was relieved because it was clear that I had escaped death.

However, I had stepped right into the center of something I don't know yet.