CHAPTER 23: SAY THAT TO MY FACE

Color rose hot in Marta’s cheeks. "I’m not as useless as you," she spat.

"Whatever," Rhea replied, unbothered. "All I care about is how good it tasted." She tapped her temple, then dragged her finger along the side of her head, pointing to the dried blood crusted there. "And next time, when you tell your version of the story, don’t leave out the details — especially when the proof is still right here."

All eyes followed her as she straightened. "Now, if you’ll excuse me."

Rhea continued toward the door, Seraphine and her daughters shifting aside to give her a clear path. None of them moved to stop her.

"You’re letting her go?" Marta’s voice cracked out, sharp with disbelief.

Even the other Omegas in the kitchen were just as shocked. They had expected the usual — Rhea dragged across the floor, a slap, a punishment, something to remind her of her place. They had witnessed Seraphine’s ruthlessness toward Rhea in the past, had seen her tear into the girl without hesitation. To see her walk away now felt unthinkable.

Seraphine exhaled, shoulders easing as though she had been holding her breath the entire time. She ignored Marta entirely.

"Are you seriously letting her go just like that?" Marta pressed, her voice rising, brittle with outrage.

Seraphine’s gaze flicked lazily to her. "Nobody is stopping you from handling her yourself. I just cannot believe you let a filth walk all over you in your own kitchen."

Marta’s throat bobbed. Her fingers twitched at her apron, fury bubbling under her skin, but reluctance rooted her in place. After all, Seraphine was still a Beta, higher in rank. To push further risked more than Marta could bear.

Seraphine scoffed, turning to her daughters. "Come. Let’s go."

Lyra and Lena fell in step with her, the three sweeping out of the kitchen without a backward glance.

Marta stood seething, her chest rising and falling with every harsh breath. She grabbed a wooden bowl from the counter and flung it against the wall. It shattered, splinters skittering across the stone floor. The other Omegas flinched at the outburst and immediately bent over their tasks, hands moving faster, heads ducked low.

Her gaze pinned suddenly on Jonas. The boy froze, his shoulders hunching under the weight of her stare.

"This is all your fault," Marta hissed, her voice vibrating with venom. "If you had done the simple task of reporting to the Alpha instead of running to that insufferable Seraphine, I wouldn’t be standing here humiliated."

Jonas stammered, lips trembling. "I...I’m sorry, Marta, I—"

"Come forward."

He hesitated.

"I said come forward!" Marta snapped.

Jonas shuffled out from the sink, each step reluctant. The others glanced at him with pity before quickly lowering their heads, returning to their chores, desperate not to draw Marta’s wrath next.

"Kneel," she ordered.

Jonas dropped to his knees, head bowed. Marta turned sharply, seized a large clay bowl from the counter, and filled it at the sink. Heavy and wide, it sloshed as she slammed it into his hands.

"Raise it."

His arms shook as he lifted the bowl above his head, the weight already biting into his shoulders.

"This will serve as a warning," Marta said coldly, her lip curling. "Next time, do not make such a mistake."

Jonas trembled, sweat already beading on his brow as he tried to steady the load.

"And if you spill a drop," Marta added, her voice hard as stone, "there will be no food for you for three days."

Jonas nodded quickly, his eyes squeezing shut as tears slipped free, his arms quivering under the strain.

Rhea’s feet dragged along the hallway, her head throbbing with every step, the sting of dried blood at her temple a constant reminder of Marta’s brutality. She thought of going to the healers, but they were as annoying as most of the people she’d encountered since arriving in the pack. She’d had enough of people getting on her nerves for one day. Sleep was all this body needed. Sleep, and silence. The beta quarters weren’t far ahead.

Her thoughts dulled, until a low groan rippled through the stillness.

Rhea stopped. Her gaze flicked left, then right. The hallway stretched empty, lined with uniform doors, not a soul in sight. She waited, holding her breath. Nothing. She shook her head. "I must have heard wrong," she muttered, and started walking again.

The sound came again.

Sharper this time — a whimper, raw enough to crawl under her skin. Rhea froze mid-step, breath caught, eyes narrowing. Slowly, she turned her head, gaze settling on a single door. The noise seeped from behind it. She stared at the door, lips pressed tight, the silence between cries pressing heavier by the second, until another broken sound slipped through, pitiful and gut-deep, the kind that made her chest ache despite herself.

Her brows knit together.

Not my problem, she told herself. Not my business. This pack was already a nest of vipers; the last thing she needed was to stick her hand into someone else’s mess. She shifted her weight, ready to keep walking.

But the whimper came again, weaker this time.

Her jaw tightened. Her feet rooted to the spot. One hand flexed at her side as she stared at the door, torn between turning away and reaching out. She hated that sound, it was too raw, too desperate.

Her body leaned forward an inch, then pulled back. Conflicted, she muttered under her breath, "It’s none of my damn business... right?"

A sharp, hushed whisper slipped through the door, harsh and urgent— "Stay still, dammit. I’ll be done before you know it." The voice was strangely familiar.

Another whimper followed, thinner, shaky, pressed down like someone was choking it back.

Rhea’s eyes narrowed. "Ok, I’ve had enough of this," she muttered. Her hand went straight for the handle, rattling it hard. Locked. Of course. She gave the wood a sharp rap with her knuckles. "Is anyone in there?"

Silence. Too heavy.

"I know someone’s in there. Open up," she called, firmer this time.

From the other side came a clipped voice, low and irritable: "Go away, we’re busy."

Rhea’s head tilted. That voice wasn’t the same as the one that had whispered.Were there more than two people inside?

Her lips pressed thin. "Are you sure everything’s alright in there?"

The second voice barked back, sharper now: "I said stop disturbing us!"

Rhea’s brows arched. She stepped closer to the door, her voice dropping, steady as steel. "Come and say that to my face."