The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Silence After the Storm

Selene’s Pov

The stone beneath me was cold. Hard. But I didn’t move.

Tears had dried on my cheeks hours ago, leaving nothing but the tight sting around my eyes. My fingers still trembled from the confrontation. My muscles ached, but it wasn’t the bruises that made them sore. It was everything else...the weight of being hated, the humiliation, the mark burned into my flesh, the helplessness that clung to my skin like rot.

No one came for me.

That was the only mercy the night offered.

I kept waiting. I thought someone would barge in through the door any moment and drag me away—maybe to the dungeons, maybe to be whipped in front of the entire pack. After all, I’d struck back. I had thrown punches and that too as a slave.

But nothing happened.

The silence stretched. My heart beat fast for a long time, but eventually, even fear grew tired. My body, pushed past its limits, gave up. I curled up on the floor of my tiny, suffocating quarters still filthy from the scuffle and fell asleep.

When I woke, it was to the sound of a single, firm knock. Not shouting or any threats.

I blinked, my head pounding. My back was stiff from sleeping on the hard surface, but the knock pulled me into full awareness. I sat up slowly, arms tightening around myself.

The door opened on its own.

an authority that made me instinctively straighten. Her hair was tied in a strict bun, black strands neatly

said curtly. "Assigned directly by Alpha Luca. My name is Mariam. From today, you take orders from

maid had gone. Nor did I question this sudden

They are your uniform and your undergarments. Keep them clean. You will not get another if they got ruined. They’re new. And that’s a

The underwear looked plain, but not torn or used. I blinked rapidly, surprised by the wave of emotion that came with that

the servant’s hall. Then

I nodded again, quietly.

leaving, Mariam added one last thing, her voice firm. "If someone tries to bully you again—tell me. I’m not here to protect you. But I also don’t tolerate lies and sabotage in the

Then she left.

The silence returned.

words settle. There was no kindness in them. But there was also no cruelty. I could live with that. I didn’t need protection. I didn’t want comfort. I just didn’t want to

they don’t corner me, I won’t

But if they do...

sure I bite harder than

already been branded, stripped and humiliated. What could be

at this hour, no one was there. The building was quiet. Everyone had already finished washing, and has gone to wither eat or to work. That was fine by me. I didn’t want their stares. I didn’t

let it wash down my back in silence, scrubbing myself until my skin stung. I didn’t care. I needed the

wasn’t pretty—but it fit well. The sleeves weren’t torn, the hem was neat, and for the first time since being dragged here,

Every pair of eyes followed me as I walked past