The Princess's Revenge Chapter 74

Valencia’s POV

Logan nodded, but instead of turning to walk, he suddenly bent down and scooped me up in his arms. I let out a surprised yelp, my hands automatically grabbing onto his shoulders.

"Logan! What are you doing?"

"Carrying you," he said simply.

"I can walk!"

"I know."

"Then put me down!"

"No."

"This is ridiculous. I'm not injured - "

"Valencia," he interrupted, looking down at me with those gray eyes. "Let me carry you."

Something in his voice made me stop arguing. Maybe he needed this. "Fine," I muttered, relaxing in his arms. "But if anyone sees us..."

"They won't. It's late."

He was right. The path down from the cliff was completely deserted. The only sounds were our breathing and his boots on the rocky ground.

The moon hung full and bright above us, bathing everything in silver light. Stars scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet. I'd never really looked at them before. As a slave, I was usually too tired or too scared to appreciate the night sky.

"It's beautiful," I said softly.

"What is?"

"The stars. The moon. Everything." I tilted my head back to get a better view. "I never noticed how many stars there are."

"You can see more from up here," Logan said. "Away from the torches and fires."

We passed through a grove of pine trees. Their branches created shadows that danced across Logan's face. An owl hooted somewhere in the darkness. Small animals rustled in the undergrowth, probably running from the "predator" carrying me.

"Logan," I said, remembering something. "I didn't see Amara at the funeral."

His jaw tightened. "I noticed."

"Where was she?"

"I don't know."

"That's... concerning." I bit my lip. "What if she's planning something? Betray you like..."

Logan was quiet for a moment, his arms tightening slightly around me. "You think she might turn traitor?"

"I don't know. But she hates me enough to kill me. And she's grieving her brother. Grief makes people do crazy things."

"You're right." He nodded slowly. "I'll have someone watch her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Will you talk to her?"

"Tomorrow. After the ceremony."

We reached the castle walls. The courtyard was empty except for a few servants still cleaning up from the funeral. They kept their heads down, not looking at us. Logan carried me through the main doors.

Empty. Our footsteps echoed in the silence.

"Thank god," I muttered.

"What?"

"Nobody's here. I was worried someone would see you carrying me like this."

"So?"

"So it's embarrassing!"

"Why?" Logan looked genuinely confused. "You're going to be my Luna tomorrow. Why would it be embarrassing?"

"Because right now I'm still wearing a slave collar! People would talk. They'd say you've lost your mind."

"Let them talk." Logan pushed open his door with his foot, still carrying me. Once inside, he kicked it closed and finally set me down. Before I could step away, he pulled me against him and kissed me hard.

His hands went to my chemise, starting to pull it up. I grabbed his wrists.

"Wait."

He pulled back, and I saw a flash of impatience in his eyes before he hid it. "What?"

"I need to wash first. I've been running around all day. I'm sweaty and I smell like smoke."

Logan's jaw clenched slightly, but he nodded. He walked to the door where a rope hung from the ceiling. He pulled it once.

Within moments, there was a timid knock.

"Enter," Logan called.

The door opened and a young girl practically fell into the room. She was trembling, her eyes wide with fear.

I recognized her immediately. Maya. But something was different about her. She looked... worse. Thinner. There were bruises on her arms that hadn't been there before.

"A-Alpha," she stammered, bowing so low she nearly fell over.

"Prepare bath water," Logan ordered. "Now."

"Y-yes, Alpha." Maya turned to flee.

"I'll help," I said, stepping forward.

"No," Logan said firmly.

"Logan, I should help. It's a lot of water to carry and - ""

"You're not doing servant work."

"I am a slave!" I pointed at my collar. "This is literally my job."

"No." Logan's face was unreadable. He stared at me for a long moment, completely silent.

Maya stood frozen in the doorway, looking between us with complete confusion on her face. An Alpha and a slave arguing like equals? It must have seemed insane to her.

I took his silence as agreement. "I'm going to help her."

He didn't respond.

"Wait!" I hurried out the door, catching up to Maya in the hallway. She was practically running, probably terrified of making the Alpha wait.

She spun around, nearly dropping the empty bucket she'd grabbed from an alcove.

"I'll help you carry the water."

Her eyes widened even more. "But... but the Alpha said...""

"The Alpha is being unreasonable. Come on, let's go before he changes his mind."

She stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "You... you argued with him. How are you still alive?"

"It's complicated." I took another bucket from the alcove. "Let's just get the water."

We headed down the stairs toward the kitchen. Maya kept shooting me nervous glances.

"Are you..." she whispered, then stopped. She glanced up at me quickly, then back down. "Are you Valencia?"

I stopped walking, surprised. "Yes. How do you know my name?"

She kept her eyes on the floor. "Everyone in the pack knows you. You're the slave Alpha Logan brought back. The Alpha seems to be very good to you..." Her voice trailed off.

My heart sank. I knew what she wasn't saying. The pack saw me as Logan's toy. His personal pleasure slave. Nothing more. Tomorrow's Luna ceremony was going to be a disaster. How could I face hundreds of pack members who thought I was just warming the Alpha's bed? My stomach churned. I didn't know if I could handle it.

"Let's just get the water," I said quietly.

We continued to the kitchen. It was completely empty. The massive hearth still glowed with dying embers, but all the servants had gone to bed after the funeral.

Maya moved with practiced efficiency. She went straight to the large stone water reservoir and started filling her bucket. Then she carried it to one of the smaller hearths and poured it into a large iron pot.

I copied her movements, filling my own bucket from the reservoir. The water was cold and heavy. I lugged it to another pot and poured it in, then went back for more.

"How have you been lately?" I asked as we worked.

She looked startled. "I'm... I'm okay. Thanks to Gamma Amara arranging for me to be here. I'm very grateful to her."

I nearly dropped my bucket. "Gamma Amara? Why did she arrange for you to be here?"

"Because I'm small. I get bullied a lot." Her voice cracked. "Gamma Amara wanted to protect me, so she put me here. Being the Alpha's personal servant means higher status than regular servants."

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she stirred the heating water. "But my sister is still suffering in the basement. And I can't do anything to help her."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," I said, panicking at her tears. I set down my bucket and moved closer to her. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

"My sister Maya is still suffering in the basement," she sobbed. "And I can't do anything to help her. Not a single thing."

I froze, shocked. "You're not Maya? Wait, were you the one who brought me food before?"

She looked up at me, tears streaming. "Yes, I brought you food. I'm Echo. I'm Maya's twin sister. We look very similar." She touched her hair. "I have short hair. Maya has long hair."

"What happened to Maya?" I was surprised, setting down my bucket.

Echo sobbed harder, wiping her face with her sleeve while checking the water temperature. "She's in the basement making soap and candles. The lye is destroying her hands and hair. Her body is getting weaker every day."

"Why would she do that? Who was doing that work before?" I asked, horrified.

"Rowan." Echo's voice turned hard. She grabbed another bucket to fill while talking. "He always bullied Maya. He died in the rogue attack." She whispered, "Thank the Moon Goddess."

I remembered him. The strong man in the kitchen who'd ordered Maya to clean blood. He deserved what he got.

"Echo," I said gently. "I'm going to help Maya. I promise."

She looked up at me with desperate hope in her eyes. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Yes. I'll figure something out." I wasn't sure how yet, but I couldn't let Maya suffer in that horrible basement. I thougt that was my responsibility.

We worked together, using long-handled ladles to scoop the hot water into wooden buckets. Echo struggled to lift hers, her thin arms shaking with the effort.

"Are you okay?" I asked, watching her grip the handle with both hands.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, but I could see the strain on her face. We had to climb two flights of stairs, and we'd need to make at least two trips to fill the bathing tub. I wasn't sure she could manage it.

"Maybe we should—"

I stopped mid-sentence. Logan stood in the kitchen doorway, his tall frame blocking most of the light from the corridor.

"I'll carry the rest," he said simply.

My mouth fell open. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting the water." He walked toward us, his boots echoing on the stone floor.

I stared at him in complete shock. I'd thought his silence earlier meant he was angry with me for arguing. But here he was, the Alpha of Cliffwatch Pack, coming to carry his own bath water.

Beside me, Echo's jaw had dropped completely. She looked absolutely terrified, her whole body trembling.

Logan reached for my bucket. "Give it to me."

"No," I whispered, tightening my grip on the handle. "I can do this. Please let me finish."

"Valencia—"

"Please." I looked up at him, aware of Echo's stunned expression. An Alpha carrying his own bath water while his slave did nothing? It was unthinkable. Completely humiliating. "Just... please."