Remi's POV
The tension in the air snapped. Every single person froze in place. The knife dropped from Ember's hand, and the others released me like I had suddenly grown thorns.
I turned my head slowly, my heart still thudding painfully in my chest. That's when I saw him.
Zanye.
He stood at the end of the hallway, his posture relaxed but somehow more terrifying than if he had come charging in, while his eyes locked on the scene before him.
When he took a step forward, Ember scrambled off me and the rest of the women scattered from around me, their heads bowed—no longer bold now that someone with actual authority had arrived.
Zanye didn't rush. He walked slowly, each footstep echoing ominously down the hall until he was standing right next to me.
"Zanye, I didn't know you were still in the pack estate. This isn't what it looks like. It's all a big misunderstanding. She… I…" Ember started rambling, not realizing his expression was darkening.
Only when one of the girls beside Ember poked her side and nudged her head in panic did she realize her mistake.
"BETA… Beta Zanye!" Her lips trembled a bit as she tried to correct herself.
But it was too late.
She had already called him by just his name. Even I, who knew next to nothing about werewolves and their customs, understood that calling a ranked official by name without title was disrespectful. And Zanye? He didn't look like the type to take disrespect lightly.
The next second, he slapped her across the face with a force that sent her falling to her knees. Her eyes welled up with tears as she clutched her cheek. "Beta Zanye, I… I didn't mean to—"
He silenced her with a glare. Slowly, his gaze shifted to the girl who had nudged Ember, and she began trembling immediately.
Then he tilted his head just slightly, silently commanding her to do the same.
The girl hesitated, but Zanye's expression didn't change. He just… watched.
Slowly, she turned to Ember, muttering an apology before slapping her.
Ember gasped, clearly not expecting her to go through with it. The girl slowly turned back to Zanye, who was still staring.
"Again?" she choked, almost crying herself.
And when he still said nothing, she continued. Again.
And again.
And again.
Each slap sounded louder than the last. By the fifth time, Ember's pale face was already red. By the seventh, tears had started to fall. And by the tenth, she was crying and shaking, her cheek swollen and bruised.
Only then did Zanye raise his hand, and the slapping stopped. Then he waved his hand, dismissing them.
The girls didn't wait a second. They scattered, Ember clinging to her face, sobbing quietly—but not without turning and glaring at me.
The moment they disappeared down the hallway, I scrambled to my feet and bowed deeply. "Th… th… thank you, Be… Beta…" I stammered, but he was already walking away.
I stared, confused, at his back as he retreated down the corridor.
Why help me if you weren't even going to acknowledge me?
Who was I kidding? He wasn't helping me. He only punished her because she disrespected him—not because she tried to hurt me.
I exhaled and touched my cheek, wincing as my finger came away wet with blood. I frowned.
Like clockwork, not even a few minutes later, Nadia and Vivian returned. Vivian gasped dramatically at the sight of the mess—spilled water, blood on my face, and a knife lying abandoned on the floor.
"What the hell…" Vivian started, but I didn't let her finish.
"You set me up!" I yelled, clenching my fists.
Vivian flinched, clearly not expecting me to raise my voice.
"What the hell are you talking about? Nadia, what the hell is she talking about?"
Nadia said nothing, lowering her gaze to the floor. And when Vivian saw she wasn't going to help, she scoffed and crossed her arms. "And what? Are you accusing us now? Or are you trying to involve us for what Miss Ember did to you?"
I scoffed right back. "I didn't say anything about Ember… did I? Except you knew before. You set me up!"
Vivian's expression faltered for just a second—just enough to confirm what I already knew—but she quickly recovered it.
"So what?" she snapped. "Who are you to speak to us like that? You are below us."
I gritted my teeth, and before I could stop myself, I raised my hand, ready to slap her—something I had been itching to do for a while.
But just as I was about to do something I couldn't take back, a new voice rang through the hallway.
"Where the hell have you been?" Nikolai's voice boomed as he stormed toward us. "And what the hell is going on here?"
His eyes bounced from me to Vivian to Nadia and back. Vivian wasted no time defending herself.
"It seems this human is forgetting her place. Look—she even wanted to hit me," she said. "You should teach her a lesson."
As Nikolai's gaze swept around the scene, I slowly lowered my hand, preparing to accept whatever punishment.
Nikolai dragged his hand down his face, his eyes narrowing in disgust. "Why the hell is she wearing… and what the fuck happened to her face?"
He shook his head, clearly irritated. "This won't do. And the Alpha wants her now."
My eyes widened—and so did the maids'. Their faces turned pale.
"The… the Alpha's back?" Vivian stammered. "I thought he went for a meeting in the next pack? How can he be back?"
"Alpha Thane canceled last minute again," Nikolai muttered. "And things aren't looking too good."
"Wait, give us a second…" Nadia finally spoke. "We could get her changed, at least make her look more presentable for the Alpha…"
"That's the problem," Nikolai snapped. "There should be no 'getting her ready.' She should always be ready. You were told this. The Alpha can call for her any minute."
"Yes, but we didn't know—"
"Save it," he growled, cutting Vivian off. "Just pray the Alpha doesn't find out about whatever happened here. Or you two are as good as dead."
And with that, he grabbed my arm and started pulling me down the hallway.
The closer we got to Damon's bedroom door, the faster my heart pounded. I had hoped I wouldn't have to go through this again, but I guess luck wasn't on my side yet.
I could barely breathe. My legs felt like jelly. Every step felt heavier than the last.
"Wipe your face," Nikolai ordered without looking at me.
I obeyed quickly, using the hem of my skirt to scrub the blood from my cheek even though it stung like hell.
He paused in front of the door and stared at me with an unreadable expression for a second. Then he sighed. "Good luck with that," he muttered and shoved the door open, pushing me inside before I could blink.
The door slammed shut behind me, and the first thing I heard was a vicious growl followed by the sound of something heavy smashing against the wall.
I flinched.
Then I slowly turned around… and froze, my blood running cold as I stared back—not at a man, but at a massive black wolf.