CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: THE BREAKING POINT

Selene’s POV

I should have known today would go badly.

The moment I saw those two walking toward me, I knew my luck had run out again.

Even back in the palace, we never got along. Meriya and Arlena always wore fake smiles, hiding sharp claws underneath. They never missed a chance to humiliate me. Back then, I still had a name... still had dignity. And even then, they hated me.

Now? Now that I was nothing? A slave with no family, no power, no protection?

They were going to destroy me.

I lowered my gaze quickly, hoping they would just pass by or lose interest. But no. Of course not. The goddess must enjoy watching me suffer, because they found me too quickly—smirking like noblewomen with golden crowns, pretending to care.

"Selene?" Arlena gasped with fake surprise, covering her mouth like she had just seen a ghost. "Oh my, it really is you!"

I stayed quiet. I didn’t want this fight. I didn’t want any part of their twisted games.

Meriya stepped closer, her eyes scanning me from head to toe with thinly hidden disgust. "Working in the Alpha Wing?" Her smile was tight. Cold. "How strange."

I could feel their jealousy—burning hotter than the sun outside. Even as I kneeled on the cold hallway floor, dressed in a filthy servant’s gown, with my hands red from scrubbing tile after tile... they looked at me like I was still a threat.

Like my existence bothered them.

Then, without warning, Arlena kicked over my bucket.

Dirty water splashed over my legs and chest, soaking the last clean part of my gown. It stuck to my skin.

"Oh no!" she giggled, feigning innocence. "I didn’t see you were working here. Silly me."

I clenched my jaw, still refusing to answer. Maybe if I stayed quiet, they would get bored and leave. That was the only thing I could hope for.

But silence only made them angrier.

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through my chest.

Arlena had kicked me—hard—right in the ribs. Right where it would hurt the most. I gasped and stumbled backward, curling in on myself. My entire side throbbed, and I knew from the pain that she had hit deep. There would be a bruise... maybe worse.

"Oh, sorry again," she said sweetly. "My foot slipped. You really shouldn’t stand in my way like that."

My hands trembled, but I forced myself to stand.

I couldn’t cry. Not in front of them.

"I should take my leave now," I said slowly, each word holding back my rage and pain. "Lady Meriya. Lady Arlena. My work is finished."

But Meriya stepped forward and tilted her head. "Finished?" she echoed. "I don’t think so. You made a mess."

She pointed at the spilled water.

"Clean it up."

I looked at the puddle, then at her, and sighed. There was no use arguing. Not here. Not when I was outnumbered, outmatched, and already in trouble for even being near this wing.

So I knelt back down.

But just as I lowered myself to wipe the tiles, Meriya crouched beside me and leaned close. Her breath tickled my ear as she whispered something that made my blood freeze.

Meriya leaned in, her breath brushing against my ear like something rotten. Her voice dropped, soft and venom-laced.

"How was last night?" she whispered. "Did you moan for them, Selene? One after another? I heard the warriors didn’t even have to force you... you begged for it. Like the desperate bitch."

My hands froze against the floor. Her words felt like knives, slicing into the wounds I hadn’t even let myself heal yet.

Arlena gasped behind her, playing the part of someone shocked by scandal. "What? Really? You mean she was... with all of them? Oh, how disgusting."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to disappear.

But Meriya wasn’t done.

"Was it fun, being everyone’s entertainment? Did you cry for them while they used you, or did you take them all in once like a slut?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath trembling. My jaw clenched so hard I thought it might snap.

Meriya hissed, her tone turning sharper. "Perfect little Selene. Untouchable. A future Luna, they said. And now look at you... scrubbing floors with filthy hands and spreading your legs for any man who wants a turn."

"I heard your mother brought shame in the past," Meriya said with a low, mocking laugh, her voice dripping with poison. "And now look at you—following in her footsteps like a good little daughter."

She leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.

"Truly like mother, like daughter..." she whispered. "Careful, Selene. What if there’s already a bastard pup growing inside you?" Her gaze dropped deliberately to my stomach. "It’s possible, isn’t it? After all, you didn’t seem all that concerned with protecting what’s left of your dignity."

She tilted her head, smiling like it was all a joke.

"You wouldn’t want to give birth to a bastard, would you?"

"Stop it," I whispered, my voice low, shaking.

But she only smiled wider, feeding off my silence.

"Do they line up, Selene? Do they take numbers? I bet they don’t even pay. Why would they? You’re just a free-use slave now. Good for nothing but lifting your skirts and moaning like the bitch you really are."

Something in me broke. I felt heat rush to my face, my chest, my hands. My heart pounded with fury. I didn’t even think. My hand lifted on its own—and before I could stop myself, the sharp sound of a slap echoed through the hallway.

Meriya stumbled back, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide with stunned disbelief. Her perfect little smile cracked.

Arlena screamed like she’d just watched a murder.

I stood there breathing hard, my hand still tingling from the impact, and for once—I didn’t feel weak but I really want to tear apart her mouth.

But that feeling didn’t last.

Because a second later, another hand struck me across the face—harder than I’d ever been hit in my life.

Pain exploded across my cheek as I fell to the ground. My vision blurred. Blood filled my mouth.

When I looked up through the tears, I saw him.

Kael.