Shackles In Disguise

I left the dining hall as soon as I could, gripping the tray tightly as I stepped back into the bustling kitchen. The air was thick with the scent of freshly baked bread and sizzling meat, a stark contrast to the icy presence I'd just escaped from.

The moment I placed the tray down, one of the older women, a broad-shouldered wolf with graying hair, waved a hand at me dismissively.

"Done with the Alpha's meal? Good. Now take those scraps outside."

I blinked. "Outside?"

She jerked her chin toward a smaller doorway at the far end of the kitchen. "To the pens. The wolves get the leftovers. You'll be doing that from now on."

The wolves.

I wasn't sure if she meant actual animals or if I'd be throwing food to the shifters who lived on the outskirts of this damned castle. Either way, it didn't matter. Work was work. And I needed to learn this place inside and out if I ever hoped to escape.