Emily's POV
I glanced around, trying to find anything that looked remotely familiar — but nothing did. That's when I noticed men loading sacks into a wooden carriage.
'Where the hell are we?' Mia asked, her voice sharp in my head.
I looked closer at the men — the way they were dressed practically screamed, this is definitely not the twenty-first century.
"Actually, Mia," I murmured, "I think the real question is when are we?"
But how the hell did we even get here?
It made zero sense. Last night, I fell asleep in my room. Today, I wake up in... well, a damn history book. And I don't even know which chapter this is.
'The elders!' Mia gasped.
Realization slammed into both of us. The elders never wanted me as alpha. When Dad made it official, they got rid of me. That means one of them must have access to a witch.
A traitor.
But who?
Before I could spiral any further, a scream pierced the air.
"Please! No! Leave me alone! Somebody help me!"
I turned toward the sound — a girl's voice, desperate and terrified. Three large men surrounded her, their intentions clear.
She couldn't be more than a year or two younger than me, dressed in a simple, worn dress — like something out of a peasant drama.
"No one's coming for you, peasant," one of the men growled. "Your life is worthless. You were born to serve us. So be a good girl... and do what's right."
The biggest of them began unbuckling his pants.
Disgusting.
The girl's eyes were wide with fear. Her body had already given up.
Before I could think, my feet were already moving.
"Now that's not how you treat a lady," I said coldly.
The men froze and turned to face me. The girl subtly shook her head, mouthing, Run. She didn't want me getting caught in their mess.
'Aww, such a kind soul,' Mia cooed. 'She doesn't want anyone else to suffer.'
'Shut up, Mia,' I muttered.
The biggest guy laughed. "She is no lady," he sneered, then let his eyes drag down my body, filled with sick hunger. Gross.
'Let me rip his eyes out,' Mia growled.
'Calm down. He's just being a dog. And you can't blame a dog for barking.'
"Boss," the smallest of the three said, licking his lips, "today must be our lucky day. Two girls in one shot."
Ew.
"Okay, I don't have time for this," I snapped. "Let the girl go — and no one gets hurt."
They all laughed like I'd just told the world's funniest joke. I forgot — I'm not in my world anymore.
"Don't worry," one of them said. "We won't hurt you."
The "boss" reached out to grab me — and I broke his wrist.
He screamed. "What the—?! Bitch! You'll pay for that! Get her!"
'This is going to be fun,' Mia said gleefully.
And it was.
By the time I was done, all three of them were knocked out cold. Thankfully, I managed not to kill anyone.
I turned to the girl and helped her up. "We girls have to look out for each other," I said with a warm smile.
She was still trembling but managed a breathy, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," I said. "I'm Emily."
She finally smiled. "Josette."
Then her eyes flicked to my clothes — still the same tank top and shorts I slept in.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Crap. Right. I forgot I looked like a lost college girl on laundry day.
"Actually, I don't even know where I'm from," I said, lying smoothly. "It's like... selective amnesia. I remember me, but not my people. Or my home."
She looked thoughtful. "Could be a witch's doing. My mom used to tell me stories. Maybe you offended one?"
'Or maybe we offended an elder with a witch,' Mia muttered.
Josette tilted her head. "So... if you don't remember where you're from, I guess you don't know where you are either?"
"Nope."
She grinned. "You can stay with me! I have a room in the servants' cabin. I'm alone there."
'We could use a place to stay,' Mia offered.
'Can we trust her though?' I asked.
'Oh, come on, Emily. She's the one taking the risk. Who invites a total stranger into their home? If anything, she's the brave one.'
"Thank you, Josette. You're really kind."
"You're the one who said girls should stick together. Besides…" she added with a cheeky smile, "I'm doing this for me."
On the way to her room, I learned Josette's actually super chatty once the fear melts away. Turns out, I've been transported five hundred freakin' years back — and this is the Blood Moon Pack.
And yep. Dad wasn't exaggerating. The way women were treated back then? Worse than he described.
When we reached the servants' cabin, I blinked. This place was huge. A massive kitchen, a long dining hall, a cozy-looking lounge area, and upstairs, what I assumed were bedrooms. Ancient instruments sat in a corner gathering dust, but everything was clean and well-kept.
"An old alpha had it built for the servants," Josette explained as we climbed the stairs.
Her room was small but cozy — one bed, a tiny wardrobe, a mirror, four candle stands, and a bathroom with what looked like a mini indoor pool. Fancy.
She rummaged through her things and came back with a soft blue dress. "We're about the same size. Try this."
"Thank you," I said sincerely.
"Oh! Wait!" She dashed back to the wardrobe and returned with undergarments. "These are new. They didn't fit me right — but I figured with your, uh… assets…" she grinned.
I chuckled. "You're a lifesaver."
"All the bath stuff's in the wall drawer," she added, already halfway to the door. "Yell if you need anything — I'm grabbing food!"
And she was gone.
'She's a sweet girl,' Mia said.
Getting dressed was a nightmare. The dress had more layers than a damn wedding cake.
When I finally emerged, Josette was back with a tray of food. "I didn't know what you liked, so I brought everything."
We ate together — and the sponge cake? Easily my new obsession.
But just as we finished, a loud, aggressive knock pounded on the door.
"All maidens in this building — outside this instant!" barked a man's voice.
Josette and I exchanged glances. No clue what was going on.
We stepped out to see all the female servants lined up outside their rooms. A tall, stern man walked the row, inspecting each one like we were livestock.
"Who's that?" I whispered.
"Sir Alfred. He recruits servants for the alpha family."
"Alpha family?" I raised a brow. "How many?"
"Three," she said. "The alpha, his younger sister, and younger brother."
I wanted to ask more, but Alfred reached us. We lowered our eyes — which made Mia growl in my head. She hated submission, but she liked Josette enough not to risk her.
He studied us for what felt like forever.
"Names," he ordered.
"Josette."
"And you?" he turned to me.
"Emily," I said, eyes still down.
He straightened, adjusted his coat, and declared, "Very well. Josette and Emily, you are to come with me. From today onward, you will serve as personal attendants to the princess."
Wait... what?