The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 56

POV: Selene

With the elders’ backing, Isabella’s power within the manor became absolute.

She was the unofficial Luna, her every whim a command, her every suggestion a decree.

And her primary focus, her pet project, was making my life a living hell.

She found me in the laundry room, a place I had been assigned to work for the past week, my hands raw from scrubbing sheets.

She glided in, smelling of expensive perfume and smug satisfaction, a cruel, beautiful smile playing on her lips.

“Selene, dear,” she began, her voice a silken purr that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. “My mother-in-law and I feel that your duties have been a bit… pedestrian. A member of the Volkov household, even a servant, should be challenged. To build character.”

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on the floor. I knew this was a prelude to some new form of torture.

“We have a kennel on the far side of the estate,” she continued, circling me like a predator. “It is where we house the new pups, the ones who have not yet been integrated into the pack. They are young, wild, and sometimes… aggressive.”

My blood ran cold. I knew of the kennels. It was a place the staff whispered about, a place where even seasoned pack warriors were wary to enter alone.

“The current keeper has taken an unexpected leave of absence,” she said, her smile widening. “And we feel that you would be the perfect replacement. A bit of hard, honest work will do you good. Consider it an opportunity to… prove your courage.”

It was not a request. It was a death sentence, delivered with a smile.

She was sending me into a cage of untrained, potentially feral werewolves.

She was hoping I wouldn’t come out alive.

“Your duties begin tomorrow at dawn,” she finished, her voice bright and cheerful.

Then he left, the gate clanging shut behind me with a sound of absolute finality. I was alone.

The sounds from within the kennels were terrifying. Low growls, the scrape of claws on concrete, the occasional, high-pitched yelp of a dominance dispute.

My inner wolf, the timid, suppressed creature, was whimpering in terror, begging me to run.

But I thought of Leo, of his trusting grey eyes.

I thought of Isabella’s triumphant smile.

I would not give her the satisfaction of my fear.

My resolve hardening, I took a deep, steadying breath and pushed open the heavy inner door, stepping into the belly of the beast.