Chapter 2 1: The scorn of the parkhouse

"Do you favor this one?"

"No, the other pleases me more."

Lena swallowed hard outside the dining hall, steadying herself. Kara's companions were mischief-makers, ever eager with a cruel remark when she stood before them.

With measured steps, she pushed open the heavy doors and entered, bearing a tray of honeyed figs, spiced almonds, and goblets of dark wine.

Laughter faded at once.

Lena kept her gaze lowered as she approached the long banquet table, the tray steady in her hands. The ladies reclined on their cushioned seats, their silk gowns pooling like liquid opulence. Their eyes trailed her every movement, sharp with something Lena had long since learned to recognize: jealousy.

"It is truly absurd," Valeria murmured, idly tracing the rim of her goblet. "How does a mere servant possess such a face?"

Lena's grip on the tray tightened.

"Indeed," Selena drawled, a smirk tugging at her lips. "With features like that, one might mistake her for someone of station. And yet, she is nothing more than a wretched little slave."

"What a waste," Valeria sighed, affecting a wistful air. "A face like hers ought to be adorned with jewels, not rags."

Lena reached the table and began pouring the wine, her movements deliberate, precise.

She felt their eyes upon her, crawling over her skin like unseen hands, seeking flaws to exploit.

"Perhaps we ought to remedy the matter," Valeria mused.

Selena laughed. "And how shall we do that? Mar her lovely face? A pity, truly."

Lena set the final goblet in place and turned, eager to leave. One step. Two. Almost there.

The great doors groaned open.

The air shifted.

Voices ceased.

Kara Voss had arrived.

Lena did not need to raise her head to sense the change in power. The sharp click of Kara's heels against the polished floor echoed through the hushed chamber.

Her gaze swept the room, cool and assessing, before settling upon Lena.

"What is going on here?"

Kara's voice was smooth, almost languid, yet Lena knew better. Beneath the silk was always steel.

Valeria and Selena exchanged glances, their grins sharp with amusement.

Valeria straightened eagerly. "Oh, nothing, Kara. Merely your servant, Lena. She has been most insolent toward us."

Lena's stomach knotted tighter.

Kara arched a perfectly shaped brow. "Is that so?" Her gaze turned to Lena, cold and assessing. "Well? Speak."

Lena's throat constricted. Words felt useless, trapped somewhere between fear and fury.

"Answer me."

Selena leaned in, voice dripping with false sweetness. "She mocked you, Kara. Said you were nothing. That as long as she remained more beautiful than you, you were unworthy of attention."

The lie struck like a lash.

Lena stiffened, breath shallow. She wanted to deny it, to protest, but she knew better. Speaking now would be no different from digging her own grave.

Kara studied her for an agonizing moment before exhaling sharply.

"You believe yourself prettier than me?"

"I... I never-"

Kara raised a hand, and the room obeyed her.

"You have been a thorn in my side for long enough." Her lips curled in something that might have resembled a smile, but there was no warmth in it, only cruelty. "Strip her down."

The world tilted.

Rough hands seized Lena's arms.

"No, wait." Panic flared in her chest. She struggled, but the guards were stronger.

Kara stepped closer, tilting her head as if amused. "Six strokes. One for each of your lies."

Lena's breath hitched.

She was forced to her knees, her body betraying her even as her mind screamed for control. Fabric tore. Cold air bit at her skin.

Then, the first stroke landed.

White-hot pain slashed across her back. Her hands curled into fists. Don't scream. Don't give them the satisfaction.

The second came sharper. The third, crueler. The fourth, relentless.

Her vision blurred. Copper flooded her mouth. She had bitten the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out.

The fifth stroke wrenched a strangled sound from her throat.

The sixth-

"Wait."

Kara's voice sliced through the air like a whip. The guards halted at once.

A muscle in Kara's jaw twitched, the word prettier echoing in her mind like a curse. It sickened her.

Slowly, she stepped forward and plucked a knife from a guard's belt.

A smirk curled her lips. "I know exactly what to do with that face of yours."

"No, Kara. Don't." Lena's voice broke, raw with terror. "Please, not my face."

Laughter rippled through the room, soft, cruel, entertained.

Kara sighed, tilting her head. "I love to see you beg, Lena. You never have before. But now? To save your pretty little face?" She turned the knife in her grip, letting the blade catch the light. "That makes me want to ruin it even more."

She flicked her fingers. "Hold her down."

"No!"

The guards pressed Lena against the cold stone floor.

Kara took a deliberate step forward.

Then.

The doors slammed open.

"Enough."

A voice cut through the brutality, sharp as a blade through flesh.

The guards stilled.

Even Kara hesitated, her smirk flickering into something less certain.

Lena's breath came in ragged gasps. She lifted her head just slightly, her vision swimming, but she felt it, an unmistakable shift in the air. A presence that commanded attention.

"It's the Beta," someone whispered.

Silk rustled as the girls bowed in unison.

Lena swallowed hard, keeping her gaze lowered.

The Beta's voice was warm, affectionate, as she approached her daughter. "Baby," she cooed, resting a gentle hand on Kara's shoulder. "Your wedding to the Alpha is tomorrow. Shouldn't you be at the market, choosing your wedding dress?"

Kara's lips curled at the reminder, her posture softening just slightly.

Then her gaze flickered back to Lena.

The warmth vanished.

Her expression darkened. "She's ruined my day!" Kara snapped. "How dare a common, stupid human insult me?"

Lena shut her eyes, bracing herself.

The Beta chuckled, the sound rich with amusement. "I'll take care of her," she said smoothly, her tone laced with cunning delight. "After today, you won't have to lay eyes on her again."

Lena's stomach dropped. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress, gripping tight as the weight of those words settled deep in her bones.

She knew exactly what it meant to be taken care of.

Kara huffed, tossing the knife aside with a flick of her wrist. "See that you do." She turned on her heel, striding away without a backward glance. Her friends followed, obedient as ever, their laughter echoing like a cruel melody.

Then, silence.

Footsteps. Slow. Measured. Drawing closer.

Lena kept her gaze down, breath shallow.

A shadow loomed before her. The Beta crouched, one finger tilting Lena's chin upward.

Her gaze flickered with something unreadable.

"Hmm." A soft hum, almost thoughtful. "Good thing your face is still untouched, slave. Such a pretty thing... for now."

A slow, cruel smile curved her lips as she straightened.

"Prepare her to meet Alpha Ethan."