Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Sierra pov.

For days, I haven't seen Henry, and the fear of what he might be going through grips me. My life has become a never-ending nightmare. Each passing day, I close my eyes and wish the earth could swallow me whole. I feel lost, completely unaware of my surroundings.

Like a puppet, I am in the hands of someone I once called a friend. William no longer looks at me, and it's as if my existence doesn't matter to him.

I was once the girl who saved a beast and became a luna, but now my story has taken a different turn. I am a slave in the hands of the people I trusted.

I yearn to go home, to be in the comforting arms of my mother and cry my eyes out, but I'm forbidden from leaving.

My mother can't visit me in the castle anymore, and Nora, my fellow luna, is not allowed to make any decisions as she's not part of the lycan community.

Every night, I wander out into the garden, searching for any sign of Henry. My heart aches with sadness as I look around, knowing he's not there.

I gaze up at the moon, tears streaming down my face, and it feels as though this is not my story anymore. This isn't the way I envisioned it ending. I thought I was the Princess who saved the beast and saved the day, but it turns out my story has been stolen and written in a different way.

As I walked towards the living room, my heart was pounding in my chest. Most of the maids had tried to help me, but Alex always found a way to make my life a living hell. I began to avoid everyone in the castle, not wanting to get anyone in trouble. I knew that everything happened for a reason, but I had no idea how my own story would end.

I entered the room, dressed in a maid's uniform that looked more like rags, worn all day long. My face was smudged with dirt and my hair was a tangled mess, no longer recognizable in its original color. Alex was sitting on the couch, fixated on the TV, as if her life depended on it.

In the corner of my eye, I saw William sitting at the other end of the couch, completely indifferent to my presence. I approached Alex with food in my hands and placed it on the table in front of her. But just as I stood up to leave, her voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Why do you have to look so dirty while bringing this to me?" She stood up abruptly, turning to face me, and then delivered a stinging slap across my cheek. "I asked for food, not garbage. Don't forget that you are my slave now and you will have to do whatever I ask of you."

I didn't say a word, just hung my head low. My dirty hair covered my face, concealing the tears that streamed down my cheeks. I couldn't bear to look up at her because my heart felt as though it would burst out of my chest.

I noticed William sitting there, still not caring to look at what was happening. Slowly, I made my way over to where I had placed the food, intending to pick it up, but just as I was about to do so, Alex snatched it away and poured it over my head, covering my face in a mess of food. The pungent aroma of the food filled my nostrils, making me want to gag. The wet and sticky sensation of the food dripping down my face was nauseating, and I felt violated and humiliated.

In that moment, I realized that I was nothing more than a pawn in Alex's game, her own personal punching bag.

I stood there, my body motionless, my heart boiling with emotion that threatened to spill out of me. I longed to tell someone, anyone, but the memory of my enslavement held me back.

"You want to eat, right? Then eat," she said, walking back to the couch, her eyes fixed on the television screen. I stood there, feeling like an eternity had passed, unsure of what to do.

Slowly, I sank to my knees and began to gather the food that had spilled onto the floor, placing it back onto the plate. As I worked, I felt a sense of dignity, of being more than just a slave. But I couldn't help wondering how my mother was feeling at that moment.

I walked back to the kitchen and when I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I walked back to my room. It was no longer the same room - I had been relegated to a basement, with no bed and a chill that seemed to seep into my bones.

After bathing, I donned my second set of clothes, still raging with anger. I decided to wash the first set, which had become like a disease, begging to be thrown away.

As I held the clothes in my hands, searching for a hidden spot to dry them, a hand reached out and pulled me back. I was about to scream, but then I looked up and felt a surge of happiness.

"Henry?"

As my emotions overflowed, tears streamed down my cheeks, and I found myself gazing into his eyes, longing for this moment for so long. His presence was a balm to my soul, and the scent of his cologne wafted to my nose, making my heart flutter with excitement.

"You came," I sobbed, burying my face in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me, his fingers lacing through my hair.

Looking up at him, my eyes widened in disbelief. This was really Henry, standing right in front of me. My mind raced with questions, and I couldn't help but ask, "How?"

With a soft smile, he simply shrugged and met my gaze, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"They let me go, but I had to come see you. What happened?" he inquired, his voice as smooth as silk.

Feeling ashamed, I looked away from him, unsure of how to answer. But before I could gather my thoughts, a loud yell shattered the peaceful moment.

"Sierra!"

I jerked away from Henry, startled, and saw William's angry face. It was the first time he had called me by my full name, and I knew that trouble was brewing.