Lorelei POV

My head snapped up toward the voice and found three maids standing there.

The girl holding Skye’s plate had a weird smirk on her face, one I recognized all too well from Callista, and that alone told me everything I needed to know about her. She was trouble. The two girls standing beside her were clearly her followers.

"I haven’t forgotten," Skye whispered, lowering her head.

The three of them chuckled loudly.

My chest tightened.

I couldn’t believe this.

Skye was actually being bullied, and it reminded me so much of how my own family and pack used to treat me back home. What made it even worse was the way everyone else in the room acted like nothing was happening. Nobody looked over. Nobody spoke up. Everyone simply minded their own business.

I mean, I could do the same.

It would definitely be safer.

But how much longer was I supposed to keep standing by while people walked all over me and everyone around me?

"You should really be grateful we let you have the scraps we don’t want," the girl continued with a nasty grin.

My fists clenched tightly beneath the table as I stared at her.

As if sensing it, her gaze flickered toward me, and the smirk on her face immediately twisted into disgust.

"And what are you looking at, stray?" she hissed, leaning closer to our table.

Ah.

So I already had a nickname.

"You must be the new garbage he dumped here."

"Leave her alone, Chelsea," Skye pleaded immediately, her voice trembling so badly that I could hear the fear in it. "She just got here. She doesn’t know anything yet."

She barely got the words out before Chelsea swung her hand. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The slap echoed through the dining hall.

Skye’s head snapped to the side, and her claws left several thin scratches across her cheek.

Still, nobody reacted.

Nobody said a word.

"Shut up," Chelsea sneered. "What are you? Her owner? Nobody asked for your—"

She never got to finish.

The second I saw Skye get hit, something inside me snapped.

Maybe it was because I was tired of watching people abuse others just because they could. Maybe it was because I was tired of being powerless. Or maybe seeing Skye lower her head and accept it reminded me too much of the person I used to be.

Whatever the reason, I didn’t think.

I was on my feet before I even realized I had moved.

My hand shot out and connected with Chelsea’s cheek so hard that the force sent her stumbling backward.

A loud crack echoed through the dining hall, and the other maids gasped.

Skye’s eyes widened in horror while Chelsea herself looked too stunned to react for a second.

Then silence fell.

Not normal silence either.

The entire dining hall seemed to stop breathing at once. Conversations died in the middle of sentences, spoons froze halfway to mouths, and every single pair of eyes turned toward our table.

Only then did it occur to me that maybe slapping the girl who apparently bullied everyone here hadn’t been the smartest decision.

Chelsea’s hand flew to her left cheek, where a bright red mark was already blooming against her pale skin.

For a second, she just stared at me.

Her eyes were filled with pure disbelief, as if she genuinely couldn’t process what had just happened.

Then the shock quickly melted into rage.

"You..." she choked out. "You pathetic, low-life stray."

Beside me, Skye immediately scrambled out of her seat and pressed a hand against her bleeding cheek. She grabbed the fabric of my uniform and started frantically tugging on it.

"Ella, no! What did you do?" Skye hissed. "Get down! Apologize to her! Please!"

"Why should I?" I asked, refusing to back down. "Aren’t we all maids here? She’s dressed exactly like the rest of us, so what gives her the right to bully everyone?"

"You bitch!" one of her minions snarled as she stepped toward me.

But Chelsea lifted a hand, stopping her before she could get any closer.

"No," Chelsea said, her voice eerily calm now. "No, I want to handle this one myself."

She took a step closer until she was standing directly in front of me, close enough that I could smell the cheap perfume clinging to her skin.

Her eyes slowly swept over me from head to toe like I was something disgusting she had found stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"You’re new," she said slowly, "so I’ll explain this once. I don’t care if we’re wearing the same uniform."

She tilted her head slightly.

"I’ve been here for five years. I know the guards. I know Mrs. Vex, Mr. Hawke, and plenty of other people who matter."

A smug smile tugged at her lips.

"So yes, I am above you. Above all of you."

She gestured around the dining hall toward the other maids, all of whom suddenly seemed fascinated by their food.

Nobody looked up.

Nobody said a word.

"I can make your life a living hell if I want to."

Her voice dropped into a whisper as her brown eyes locked onto mine.

Then, without warning, she swung her arm.

Her hand slammed into my tray, sending my breakfast flying.

The bowl crashed onto the concrete floor, watery oatmeal splattering across the gray tiles while the stale piece of bread skidded several feet away.

A sickening smile spread across her face.

"Watch your back from now on."

I remained frozen where I stood, staring at the mess scattered across the floor.

Then Chelsea turned and walked away toward the far end of the dining hall.

Her two minions followed immediately behind her, sticking so close to her sides they looked less like friends and more like a pair of well-trained vultures.

Even though Chelsea had walked away, the other maids still refused to look in our direction. They quickly buried their faces back in their bowls as if even glancing at our table might somehow contaminate them.

The silence around me lingered for another moment before the room slowly came back to life, conversations cautiously resuming as if everyone was pretending none of it had happened.

"Oh, Moon... Ella, you shouldn’t have done that," Skye whimpered beside me.

I turned to look at her.

Her hand was still pressed tightly against her cheek, but fresh blood continued to seep through her fingers.

The anger that had completely blinded me moments ago began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of guilt.

I had only wanted to protect her.

But looking at the fear on her face now, I realized I might have just made things a hundred times worse for both of us.

"Let me see your face," I murmured, gently reaching for her wrist and pulling her hand away.

The second I saw the scratches, my stomach sank.

The three claw marks were deeper than I had thought.

"We need to get you to the infirmary, or at least find some clean water to wash this," I said, my voice tightening as my gaze dropped to my own breakfast splattered across the floor.

I hadn’t even managed a single bite.

"There is no infirmary for us," Skye whispered as she used the corner of her apron to carefully dab at the blood. "And we can’t leave the hall yet. If we aren’t standing in our designated lines when the shift bell rings in five minutes, Mrs. Vex will have the guards throw us into the isolation cells."

I frowned.

I still had no idea who Mrs. Vex or Mr. Hawke were, and I was about to ask when a loud electronic chime suddenly echoed through the hall.

The sound vibrated through the walls, signaling the official end of breakfast.

The reaction was immediate.

Every maid in the room stood at the exact same time.

Chairs slid back and were pushed neatly beneath the tables with almost eerie precision. Nobody spoke. Nobody lingered. It was as if they had rehearsed this routine a thousand times before.

I stared for a second, caught off guard by how synchronized it all was.

Then Skye grabbed my wrist.

"Come on," she whispered urgently.

Before I could ask another question, she was already pulling me along with the others as we hurried out of the dining hall.