When Tables Turn

My eyes fluttered open to the sensation of a cool, damp cloth on my forehead. I found myself in the servants’ quarters, sprawled out on one of the plush beds.

Memories flooded back in a rush—from being snatched in the forest, to being held captive in a lycan king’s castle, to being assigned as a servant, and finally, coming face-to-face with the king himself. I remembered it all, and I wished I didn’t.

“You fainted in the rose garden after meeting the king. That was a surprise,” a voice said from beside me. I recognized the blunt tone.

Turning my head slowly, as it felt stiff, I saw Emma. She was perched on a stool next to me, a small bowl of water in her hands.

“You’re lucky. You won’t be sentenced to death like most humans who end up in the castle dungeons. Being a lycan king’s mate is rare even for our kind, but a human mate to a lycan is unheard of!” she whispered, her voice louder than she intended.

Her face was a mix of shock and confusion. I’m sure my expression mirrored hers, like someone who’d seen something far scarier than a ghost.

“How can this be? Why is this happening to me?” I mumbled, sitting up straight. There was no way I was going to accept this fate! I grabbed Emma’s hands, looking at her with desperation.

“You have to kill me! Please, do it now. I can’t live like this anymore. Every day brings a new disaster, but this…this is beyond terrible!”

Her face registered shock, then pity.

“I can’t kill you, Lucy, even if I wanted to. Killing a king’s mate is worse than treason, but killing a lycan’s mate…that’s asking for a fate worse than death. He wouldn’t just skin me alive, he’d burn down my entire village, including everyone I love, my family. He’d kill everyone I’ve ever known.”

I shook my head. “He won’t, he doesn’t even like me! I’m sure he’d reward you if you killed me…please!” I pleaded.

“No! You don’t understand our kind. Even if he doesn’t like you now, his wolf has already bonded with you the moment he saw you. Maybe his human side is in denial about being mated to a human, but his wolf would surely have my head!” Emma said, pulling her hands from mine.

“He wouldn’t know you killed me. Suffocate me and let the other servants find me. They’ll say I died in my sleep. You have to, please! You can’t let me live the rest of my life with a lycan. Have mercy on me and grant me this, please, I beg of you.”

She looked at me as if considering my request, but then she shook her head, picked up the towel I’d dropped on the bed, and stood up.

“I might despise your kind, but I’m not a murderer. So don’t tempt me, because we also have a goddess who would condemn me to the flames of hell. Rest some more. It’s already past ten. I’ll bring your supper.”

She quickly grabbed her bowl of water and left.

I was left with a whirlwind of questions about my future. The only solution I could see to my problem was death. The anger on the lycan’s face when he realized I was his mate sent shivers down my spine.

How could I be mated to the beast that killed my friends? His kind killed my family. I’d rather be dead than live in this place with these hellish creatures.

Emma returned with a plate of rice and some soup. She handed me the plate and a spoon. “This is all that was left over. Eat up, you’ll need your strength.”

“What does this mean for me, being mated to the king?” I asked, taking the plate from her.

“I don’t know. He just told me to keep this a secret and for you to stay quiet as well. If any of this gets out, he said he’d have my head, but he didn’t say anything about your fate. You’ll resume your job tomorrow as usual,” she said sternly, and I nodded.

***

After the unfortunate event that ended with me fainting, I was allowed to sleep early last night. So, it wasn’t surprising when I woke up very early without being roused by someone else.

I was assigned to the kitchen today, so that’s where I was, helping the other maids prepare breakfast for the royals.

I was getting used to being despised, glared at, and shoved around by these omegas. I guess they took some pride in being superior to me since every other wolf was superior to them.

So, bullying me eased their pain and boosted their self-esteem. But for me, I was miserable. I’d been hurt more than ten times already, and it was still early in the morning.

Someone would either trip me, push me so hard I’d fall flat on my face, or deliberately spill boiling water on my hands.

This time, I was on a chair trying to reach some glass plates for breakfast. They were high up in the kitchen cabinets, and unfortunately, I was short.

Some spiteful omega with an unknown grudge against me kicked the chair I was standing on, and I fell hard.

And to add to my misery, the glass plates I was trying to reach decided to rain down on me. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.

But it never came.

Everything happened so fast—one moment I was on the floor, watching as the pile of plates almost crashed down on me, the next second I was in someone’s strong arms, placed on top of the kitchen counter.

My eyes were wide, and I blinked as I watched the pile of plates crash and shatter into tiny pieces on the floor. I was definitely going to get in trouble for that. I’m sure those glass plates were expensive, like everything else in the castle.

“What the hell were you thinking, climbing on that chair just to get dishes! Don’t you know it’s not safe? Are you stupid?” a deep, angry, harsh voice scolded me, making me jump.

I found myself staring up at the man who had just saved my life. But when I recognized him, I felt like I might faint all over again. It was the lycan king! Why did this have to happen to me?

“I...I...I needed them. It was an accident,” I stammered. I almost rolled my eyes at how ridiculous I sounded. But it wasn’t my fault that someone had decided to nearly end my life by causing that accident.

I wasn’t about to say that to the king, though. If I dared to accuse one of his people, he might just decide to finish the job himself.

He scoffed, standing uncomfortably close to me. We were practically touching.

“You needed them? So you thought you’d risk your life for them...do you realize how foolish you sound? Who put you to work in a kitchen? You’re done here,” he said, lifting me off the counter and setting me on the floor. I stood there, stunned.

I heard gasps and realized there were still servants in the kitchen.

“Follow me,” he ordered.

The servants watched in silence as the King led me out of the room.