Kiandria
I waited, but he just knelt in front of me, his eyes raised toward mine.
"Are you crazy? Haven't you heard what they say about your alphas? You're not supposed to cross into their property for any reason, or they'll rip you apart."
"You and your brothers were really nice to me, so I'm going to stick out my neck and save your life this one time."
"My lords, I have her waiting in the garden like you asked." Out of nowhere, the wind carried Anoi's voice to my ears.
It wasn't the cold, stoic tone from the auction. It trembled slightly, polite and restrained.
But as I stepped forward to shield Alton with the wrapper, three familiar faces suddenly appeared in front of me.
Anoi's face, stretched into a wide, flattering smile, froze rigidly.
But not as rigid as mine when I saw the identical faces beside her.
The triplets?
The noble triplets were here?
Were they friends of the demon alpha triplets?
I mean… that would make sense, considering they were identical triplets too.
Did that mean they were guests? That there was absolutely no need to hide Alton?
"Why is the… what do you think you're doing standing over the… Lord?" Anoi paused, confusion flickering through her eyes before she said Lord.
I was rendered speechless by the look in her eyes and hurriedly lowered my face to the floor.
"I-I apologize, Lady Anoi. I didn't realize they were guests."
"Lincoln, huh? I thought Jane was your one." One of the triplets with Lady Anoi suddenly chuckled.
His voice was dark and brooding despite the humor, and it didn't mask the one I had heard at the illegal auction yesterday.
This was the one who bought me.
But Lincoln?
I lower my eyes to the man still on the ground.
This wasn't… Alton?
He stared up at me with easy, unreadable eyes before suddenly falling flat onto the ground.
"I like the new flowers."
Then he placed a hand over his eyes and said nothing else.
"My lords, the other packs sent dozens of girls to choose from. I personally handpicked the most good-looking ones—physically fit and mentally healthy. Just say the word if you want to see them." Anoi began talking again and I couldn't help narrowing my eyes.
The next second, mt knees buckled before I could stop myself, and before I knew it, I had dropped to the floor, kneeling beside Lincoln.
These were the demon alpha triplets.
I had been with them all this time and didn't realize it.
I even told one of them to scoot into the wrapper.
Something like that would have gotten me decapitated in my pack.
"My lords, it was insolent of me. I've been insolent. I beg that you spare me, in the gods' name. I will be the most hardworking servant you've ever owned."
I watched from the corner of my eye as Malcolm turned to Anoi, shrugging.
"You heard the woman. Does that sound like we need more girls up here?"
Anoi lowered her head respectfully with a nod. "Yes, my lord. I will find something else for the other girls to do until a need arises."
"In that case, it'll only take a few days to properly prepare the new slave to serve you."
The men said nothing, and she turned to me.
As she grabbed me by the wrist, Lincoln's hand shot out, gripping me just as tightly, issuing a command to Anoi without prying his eyes open.
"Do it here. In the compound."
…
Anoi nodded obediently and led me away.
The walk was silent, and as we crossed the compound, I suddenly realized why I didn't recognize it earlier.
The part of the compound I had stayed in with the twins was in an entirely different wing. Each wing was as wide as the three largest streets in my pack.
It took several minutes of walking before I realized we hadn't left the compound at all.
"The alphas have given me a few days to get you ready, so we will start with the basics."
Anoi suddenly spoke up. stopping under a shaded area and turning to me.
I sucked in a breath, squinting up at her since I was still standing in the sun.
"Yes, my lady."
"You came to Deuce Pack worthless, but as of now, you are worth ten thousand gold coins. Do you know how much warriors guarding our borders earn in a year?"
I shook my head.
She stepped closer, tilting her head. "Three thousand gold coins."
I swallowed.
"Starting today, you will taste every meal the alphas eat. You will act as a personal assistant to all three of them."
After letting the weight of her words settle, she stepped back, and the smile from the auction returned.
"Our lords are extremely identical, so no one knows how to tell them apart. But you should know their names—Lincoln, Malcolm, and Alton. They were born in that order."
"Lord Lincoln sleeps most of the time and hardly does anything. Lord Malcolm enjoys recreation, while Lord Alton…"
She stopped and sucked in her teeth.
"You are bound to them starting today. Your chance of leaving this place is zero. Even in death, there's a good chance you'll be buried here."
"Whatever you're doing, as long as you're not under the service of any of our lords, you should be in you quarters by nine. Now get to work."
I paused. "That's it?"
"What?"
"There's nothing about each alpha's preferences?"
"If I know all that, then what use are you?"
I nodded immediately. Right. That was true.
When I noticed her eyes still on me, I started walking, but confused, I paused before picking up my pace back in the direction we came from.
The castle was massive. I walked for several minutes, losing my way more than once, before a figure suddenly stepped in front of me.
I nearly jumped out of my skin before looking up to see it was one of the triplets.
His eyes weren't a bottomless pit like the one earlier, and they lacked that playful glint, so this had to be…
"Lord Alton?"
He sized me up, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I don't know what spell you've put on me, but if I find out you've done it to my brothers too, I will rip your lungs from your chest."
He then sauntered off, loathing clear in his eyes.
That night, I waited for one of the triplets to call for me.
Since Anoi told me it was mandatory to be in bed by nine, I hurried to the room assigned to me once it struck.
I had been placed in another wing, so I was no longer sharing a room with the twins.
I didn't realize when I dozed off from exhaustion, but I forced myself to sit up hearing a persistent sound of violent groaning.
Soon, the groaning stopped, replaced by the sound of a whip.
I frowned and got out of bed.
Anoi's warning rang in my head, but so did my duty to the alphas.
She had promised to take my life if anything happened to them. If they were being ambushed and I did nothing…
I pushed the thought away and stepped outside.
I followed the sound of the whipping quietly until I reached a large black door. Its frame was unusually massive.
The whipping grew faster, urging me to push the door open.
Inside, a figure knelt close to a wall, his back bare as he whipped himself with a bloodied lash.
Each strike tore his skin open—only for it to heal immediately. Despite this, his back was still covered in old, gnarly scars.
The door was barely open, so I stood by the door contemplating what to do when all of a sudden…
"I know you're there."
He turned his head slightly, and I jerked fearfully, slamming into the wall at the sight of the three swirling colors in his eyes.