Chapter 1 The First Encounter

• Eloisa’s POV
• “Rule number 1: Do not disobey your master.”
• Mama’s voice echoed through the concrete walls of the underground prison where the slaves were locked. Whipping my cellmate, Layla, Mama repeated the rules we were forced to follow.
• Layla was recently bought as some alpha’s slave but was returned the next day wounded and with a negative review of Mama’s shop.
• “You should have listened to your master no matter what! Just look at how terrified the others are because of you! The bad review given by your buyer to the shop will lessen the value of your friends!” Mama continued whipping Layla at her back. She had been repeating the same thing for an hour, expressing frustration to my poor cellmate.
• I covered my ears and shut my eyes tightly when Layla’s scream got louder as blood started dripping off her skin. The blood’s metallic scent pervaded my nostrils, and the horrible event from the past began replaying in my head.
• As an orphan, I grew up with barely any shelter or food, surviving on moldy bread and rancid milk. Even the orphanage director shared our hardships, living in the same rundown building. Despite all of that, we had dreams, inspired by fairy tales and the director’s encouragement.
• At eighteen, I found a job at a nearby restaurant, ready to help the younger kids. But then, werewolves attacked, won the war, and humans became their slaves… Changing my life on a whole different level in an instant.
• The orphanage I called home was burned down, leaving only ashes and memories. I didn’t know if the director and the children survived, and I dreaded thinking about their fate.
• Caught by rogues in the chaotic streets, I was told to Mama, owner of the so-called ‘Candy Shop’. There was no candy—Mama used the term to make her ‘goods’ of young and innocent girls sound sweet, selling them as slaves.
• In the ‘candy shop’, we were given minimal food and clean water just twice a day, barely enough to sustain us. Mama insisted we should stay thin, saying that gaining weight would disgust the future masters we were meant to serve.
• “Candy number 72!” Mama’s voice roared in my ear, interrupting my train of thought. She shot daggers while awaiting my response.
• “Sweetie, can you hear me?” Mama raised her eyebrow, her glower sending a chill through my nerves.
• Nodding, I opened my mouth and replied. “Yes, Mama,” my voice barely above a whisper.
• “Follow me for your physical exam. You’ll be included in the next sale if things go well with your result. Hurry!” Mama led the way outside the underground prison.
• I followed behind Mama, minding my steps. It was only my third time out of the cell in two years. My heart pounded as I saw the light I had never seen in ages.
• The room above the prison was the dressing room—average-sized with a clean floor and flashy curtains. Some girls were tasked with keeping it spotless, maintaining both this place and the shop next door.
• “Take off your clothes,” Mama ordered as she stood on the side, holding a measuring tape.
• I obeyed, stepping out of the white dress I was wearing. Mama gestured for me to come close, so I did. Her hands rummaged through every curve of my body. She pressed, pinched, and slapped my rear and bosom. A satisfied smile crept on her face when she saw them jiggle.
• “You’d be a perfect beauty if not for your height. You’re too short to stand next to the high-rankers so I assume you’d only end up as their maidservant or bed warmer. What a shame,” Mama muttered, shaking her head in dismay.
• “Just need at least two baths a day and we’ll get rid of that awful smell of yours. Come on, open your mouth. Let me see what’s in there,” Mama instructed, her fingers holding my chin up.
• She raised the flashlight to check what’s inside my mouth. Her expression turned sour for a moment and said, “Brush your teeth five times a day and you’ll be good. Be lucky you don’t have any rotting teeth or I’ll be using my pliers right away to get rid of them.”
• I let out a sigh of relief hearing what Mama said. She wasn’t joking about the pliers. I saw her do it with another girl before. I never saw that girl again after Mama took almost all of her teeth that were rotting.
• Mama checked the time on her watch before dragging me to the examination bed. “Lie down and spread your legs. I need to make sure I’m selling clean and healthy goods,” she said, wearing her gloves. “Pull up your knees. I needed a better look.”
• I’d never been examined like this. The other girls said that this only happened when Mama made up her mind to sell us. Checking our bodies thoroughly helped her decide about our price.
• “Oh! You’re a virgin. I must be lucky to get my hands on you before those rogues messed you up. If only you’re a little taller,” Mama sighed but smiled the next second. “You’ll be available for display in three days. Let’s proceed to the dorm and find you a vacant bed. You’re not going back to the cell tonight.”
• My body shivered when Mama led me to the dorm, showing me the available rooms. In the end, she chose where I would stay.
• “Take care of yourself and remember the rules. I don’t want to waste my energy whipping you like I did with your cellmate once you misbehave. Do you understand?” Mama asked, lifting my chin with her long fingernails.
• Nodding, I answered, “Understood, Mama.”
• “Good. Wash yourself before you sleep, sweetie.” Mama caressed my cheek before exiting the room.
• After cleaning up, I realized I would rather stay in the cell than live in the dorm. The other girls thought living above was a privilege, but I couldn’t agree.
• A long and deep sigh escaped my lips. In the next three days, I might be sold. Even though the bed was comfortable, I couldn’t fall asleep.
• “This isn’t good. Mama will kill me if she finds out I stayed up late,” I whispered, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts kept me awake, and the strange noise from the outside made it harder for me to sleep a wink.
• As the noise outside continued, it piqued my curiosity, wondering what could have made such a sound. I crept out of the bed and tried the door—it was locked. The window too, was locked, showing only the dim, empty street outside. I sighed, feeling dejected.
• Mama ensured there was no escape.
• Just when I was about to give up, a long mournful cry echoed. The hairs all over my body stood up as I tried to comprehend the eerie sound.
• “Creepy,” I hugged myself, tiptoeing back to my bed when the howling suddenly stopped.
• A sigh of relief escaped my mouth—until a shadow blocked the faint moonlight cast through the window. I turned around and there it was—a pair of golden eyes glaring at me. My heart skipped a beat.
• “A-Ah!” I screamed, staring right into its glowing eyes. In the next second, the window shattered.
• A 6-foot-tall creature hunched through the broken window, its body covered in black coarse fur. Its wolf-like face made me realize what it was… “A werewolf.”
• The beast halted, his eyes narrowed as he approached. “Who are you?” His deep and melancholic voice filled my ears.