REBECCA’S POV
Ever since Alpha Kaden spoke those cold words to this morning, I hadn’t seen him. True to his brutal promise, no doctor ca to check on my broken shoulder, and not a single plate of food was brought to my room. By the ti late afternoon arrived, I was practically dying of pain and hunger. My stomach twisted in sharp, empty knots, and every small breath I took sent a wave of agony through my left side. I felt completely abandoned, left to rot in the dark room.
Suddenly, the bedroom door pushed open.
I jerked in fear, my heart leaping into my throat as I braced myself for Kaden to walk in and deliver more punishnt. But it wasn’t him. Stephanie, the young kitchen maid, stepped inside holding a tray of food, and quickly shut the door behind her.
Groaning in pain, I forced myself to sit completely upright on the bed. Stephanie walked over quietly and set the heavy tray down in front of .
"Thank you, Stephanie," I whispered, my voice cracking from thirst and exhaustion.
She didn’t run away like the other servants usually did. Instead, she stood by the edge of the bed and stared at my swollen, broken shoulder with deep worry.
Reaching into the deep pocket of her apron, she pulled out two small, white tablets and handed them to along with a glass of water from the tray.
"Take these," Stephanie murmured softly. "They are strong painkillers. I sneaked them from the storage room. They will help with your shoulder."
Tears welled in my eyes as I took the pills from her hand and swallowed them quickly, gulping down the water. The sheer relief of having soone show an ounce of rcy made my chest tight.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes searching my face.
I looked down at my lap, a bitter, hollow feeling washing over . "I want to die," I muttered, and I ant every single word. Death was so much better than this life I had chosen. Right now, I was deeply regretting my choices. Why hadn’t I just allowed the pack to kill with stones or arrows days ago? If I had let them execute then, I would have been resting in peace by now, free from this endless torture.
Stephanie stared at , her eyes filled with imnse pity. She stepped closer to the bed, lowering her voice. "I can help you die."
I furrowed my brows, looking up at her in total confusion.
"Listen to ," Stephanie continued quickly, glancing at the closed door to make sure no one was listening. "My mother used to work in a dicine room, mixing herbs and chemicals. Before she passed away, she created a special pill. It is called the sleeping pill."
She leaned in closer, her eyes intense. "This pill will temporarily stop your heart from beating and shut down your organs. To the outside world, you will appear completely dead. But in reality, you will just be in a very deep sleep. After three days, the drug wears off, and you will wake up."
My eyes widened in shock. I had never heard of such a drug in my life.
As I sat there stunned, Stephanie talked, trying to convince . "Do you want it? I can help you, Rebecca. Think about it. If you take it and pretend to be dead, the Alpha King will think his punishnt finally killed you. He won’t keep a dead slave in his house. He will order the guards to throw your body out into the deep woods. I have a trusted friend who lives near the border. He will monitor the woods, and once the guards leave your body behind, he will carry you to his place. Once you wake up on the third day, he can help you escape this country forever."
My mind was spinning. I was so confused, my chest tight with doubt. "What if Kaden finds out?" I whispered in a panicked tone. "What if he checks for a pulse?"
"He won’t know," Stephanie whispered back fiercely. "The pill completely hides your life force. Actually, my mother experinted with that drug on a year ago to test it. It works perfectly. My mother is dead now... it is a long story... but I still have the pills hidden away."
I stared at the tray of food, my mind racing as I weighed my options. Slowly, I nodded. What did I really have to lose at this point? If the pill actually worked and her plan succeeded, I would finally be free from Kaden’s cruelty. And if the pill turned out to be dangerous and ended up actually killing ... I would still be free from this living hell. Either way, the suffering would stop.
But a dark cloud of suspicion crossed my mind. I looked up at the maid, narrowing my eyes. "Why are you helping , Stephanie? You barely know ."
A sad look crossed her face. "Because I know you are innocent. I was once falsely accused of sothing I never did, too. That is why I am working here, hiding as a low-level maid under a fake identity."
I wanted to ask her what had happened to her, but she shook her head, cutting off my thoughts. "I will tell you my story another ti," she said quickly. "Right now, we don’t have much ti. Do you want the pill or not?"
I looked at my broken shoulder, feeling the painkillers slowly start to dull the sharpest edges of the ache, then looked back at her. The fear inside completely vanished, replaced by a desperate urge to survive.
"Yes," I told her, my voice turning firm and determined. "I want it. Bring the pills."
"I will try to sneak it to you either tonight or tomorrow morning," Stephanie said, her voice dropping to a tiny, hurried whisper. She leaned in even closer, her eyes locked onto mine with total seriousness. "But until then, you have to do sothing for . You need to start acting really sick. Cry, groan, refuse to get out of bed—do whatever it takes so that when the ti cos, no one will suspect a thing. They will just think your body finally gave up."
I nodded quickly, understanding exactly what I had to do. "I understand. I will fake it."
"Good. Stay strong, Rebecca," she murmured.
Without wasting another second, Stephanie straightened up, picked up the empty glass, and turned toward the door. She checked the small glass window on the wood before opening it slowly, slipping out into the quiet hallway and shutting the door behind her.
Once I was left alone in the silent room, a strange mix of fear and hope rushed through my chest. The painkillers she gave were already working, making the throbbing in my shoulder dull and manageable, but I knew I couldn’t look comfortable. If any of the guards or Martha walked in, I had to look like I was on the verge of death.
I pulled the heavy blanket up to my chin, turning my body to face the wall. I let my shoulders sink, breathing heavily and forcing my face into a painful frown, practicing for the act.
Everything depended on tomorrow. If I played my part right, this horrible room would be the last thing I ever saw of Alpha Kaden’s kingdom.
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