HIS TO RUIN: THE FERAL LUNA

CHAPTER 001

NEW GIRL IS ASSIGNED HOUSEKEEPING DUTIES

CHARLOTTE

I stood in front of the gates of Stonemack Pack with two bags in my hands and no plan beyond putting as much distance between Ironveil and me as my legs could carry me.

The gates were huge.

I tilted my head slightly as I looked at them, taking in the tall metal bars and the guards standing on either side of the entrance.

I could see part of the compound beyond the gates, but they were high enough to hide most of what was inside.

I wondered what the pack looked like.

I had heard the name before, but I had never been here. I didn't know what kind of people lived here, how they treated outsiders, or whether they would even allow someone like me through their gates.

I tightened my fingers around the handles of my bags.

I had to get in.

There was no other option.

I took a deep breath and started walking toward the entrance, forcing myself not to look back.

I can do this.

I forced and repeated the words inside my head as I moved closer to the guards.

I will do this. I had already made it this far, and turning around now would only look so stupid to me.

I will get inside this pack.

I didn't care what I had to do.

If they gave me a place to sleep, I would take it. If they asked me to work, I would work. I wasn't looking for comfort. I wasn't looking for anything special.

I just needed a place where no one knew me.

A place where I could stay long enough to figure out my next move.

My heart was beating faster as I got closer, but I kept my face calm.

Don't be afraid.

I reached the entrance, but before I could walk through, one of the guards stepped in front of me.

“Stop!”

I immediately stopped.

The other guard moved closer as well, and I looked between the two men before bowing slightly in greeting.

“Good day.”

Neither of them responded. The first guard narrowed his eyes at me.

“State your identity, pack origin, and purpose for being here.”

The questions landed heavier than I expected. My mouth opened, then closed. I hadn't thought about this.

It hadn't crossed my mind that they would ask me questions before allowing me inside. I had spent so much time thinking about what had happened to me these last few days that I had completely forgotten I would have to explain myself once I reached here.

I had assumed it would be easy.

It had been easy in Ironveil.

But that was because Zade made things easier for me since he's an Ironveil member.

Here, I was just a stranger.

A stranger with two bags standing outside their gates.

If I told them I was from Ironveil, they might refuse to let me in.

I couldn't allow that.

My fingers tightened around the handles of my bags as I tried to think of an answer that wouldn't raise more questions.

“Cat got your tongue?” the guard asked again, glaring hard at me.

I cleared my throat. “I apologize for appearing out of the blue.”

He continued staring at me.

“I'm an orphan,” I explained. “I'm looking for somewhere to stay. The settlement where I was living was destroyed because of the recent weather, so I had nowhere else to go.”

The words came out smoothly, but I could feel the tension in my chest.

I watched their faces carefully. They didn't believe me. I knew it immediately.

The first guard glanced at the second one, and the second guard looked back at him. Neither of them said anything, but there was something in the way they looked at each other that made it obvious they were communicating.

They looked at me again.

I swallowed.

Please don't send me away. I have nowhere else to go.

I was already preparing myself to hear them tell me to leave when the first guard stepped closer.

“Bring your hands forward.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Your hands. Bring them forward.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing?”

“Just cooperate.” he shot me a pointed look.

I stared at him.

He didn't look amused.

“Am I under arrest?”

He didn't answer my question. “Don't argue with us if you love your life,” he spat out. “Don't struggle either. Just cooperate.”

My heart began beating harder.

Arrest?

That wasn't what I had expected.

I looked at the gates behind me, then back at the two guards.

For one brief moment, I considered running.

I could turn around and disappear before they managed to catch me. Maybe I could find somewhere else to stay. Maybe I could go to my mother and forget about the whole revenge mission.

Why had I even decided to come here?

I could have gone to my mother.

I could have stayed with her and forgotten everything I wanted to do.

Maybe that would have been easier.

But I knew I wouldn't be able to forget.

The things I had gone through would still be there, waiting for me every time I closed my eyes.

I looked at the guards again. Maybe they were only trying to scare me. They wouldn't hurt me. They hadn't even told me what I had done wrong. Running now would only make me look more suspicious.

I took a slow breath.

Fine. I would cooperate. Whatever this was, I would handle it.

I stretched my hands forward.

A cold metal cuff was placed around my wrist, followed by the other one.

Before I could say anything, the second guard grabbed my bags and started dragging them toward the entrance.

“Hey!” I protested, stumbling after him. “Take it easy on my bags.”

He ignored me and continued walking.

I frowned. “I'm talking to you.”

He finally looked back at me and scoffed. “Fine, tigress.”

I rolled my eyes but said nothing.

As soon as I passed through the gates, I forgot about my bags for a moment.

The compound was huge.

It was even bigger than I had imagined from outside. There were several buildings spread across the area, and bikes were scattered around the compound as far as my eyes could see.

I looked around slowly.

Men moved around everywhere, most of them wearing leather jackets, shirts, or jeans. Many had tattoos covering their arms, and the bikes were parked in different areas rather than being left randomly around the compound.

Everything looked organized. Militarized, even.

It wasn't anything like Dorian's operation, but the structure was familiar enough for me to recognize what I was looking at.

A biker pack.

I hadn't expected that.

I continued looking around, taking in as much as I could. If I were going to stay here, I needed to know where I was. I needed to learn the place and understand the people. I had to know who held power and who didn't.

“Move.” The guard's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I realized I had stopped walking. I looked at him. “Sorry. I was looking around.”

“Then look while you walk.”

I gave him a small glare before following him. “Lead the way.”

He pointed toward a room beside the gates.

We walked inside.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. Cigarettes and alcohol filled the room, and I wrinkled my nose slightly as I looked around.

A woman sat in a large chair, with several tattooed men standing around her. She looked completely comfortable, as if everyone in the room were hers.

The guard who had been dragging me around immediately straightened when he approached her.

“Taylor.”

The woman looked at him.

“This girl was found at the gate,” he explained. “She says she's an orphan looking for somewhere to stay.”

Taylor's eyes moved toward me. She reviewed me slowly from head to toe. I stood quietly and watched her.

From the way the guard spoke to her and the way the surrounding men seemed to wait for her reaction, I immediately understood that she wasn't an ordinary member.

She was important. Second in command, perhaps. Taylor's gaze finally reached my face.

Then she smiled. “Welcome to Stonemack, new girl.”

I didn't respond.

“You're lucky,” she continued. “We can always use another pair of hands around here.”

I waited for her to continue.

“You'll be staying in the maid quarters.”

I said nothing. Honestly, I didn't care. A place to sleep was all I needed.

Taylor looked at the guard. Pollo.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“She's assigned to housekeeping. Take her to Sky. She'll show the new girl what she needs to do.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Pollo reached for my arm and started leading me toward the door.

I followed without complaining. I wasn't going to refuse.

Why would I?

I came here looking for shelter, and they gave me one.

It didn't matter if I had to clean rooms or wash clothes. I could do whatever they wanted for now.

Once I was settled, I would figure everything else out. We had barely reached the door when Taylor called out.

“New girl.”

I stopped and turned around.

Taylor was still looking at me. “Don't you talk?”

I almost chuckled.

What exactly did she expect me to say?

Did she expect me to complain about housekeeping?

To refuse the work?

I was the one who had shown up at their gates asking for a place to stay. I wasn't in a position to start making demands. Besides, this was only the beginning.

Let them think I was harmless.

Let them think I was just another orphan who needed somewhere to sleep.

Once I settled in, I would learn the pack's layout. I would learn from the people. I would learn the rules. And when the time came, I would know exactly what I needed to do.

I turned back to Taylor and gave her a polite smile. I'm fine with the assignment.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow.

“I'll start learning the layout of the place,” I continued. “And I promise I'll be of good behavior.”

I lowered my head slightly. “Thank you for accepting me into the pack.”

Taylor stared at me for a moment. I kept my expression calm. She didn't need to know anything else about me.

Not yet.

For now, I was just the new girl.

And that was undoubtedly how I wanted it.