The morning came too quickly and Willow had barely slept after her encounters with both Carina and Magnus the night before.
Her mind kept replaying everything that had happened and she couldn't stop thinking about Carina's threat or Magnus's unexpected kindness.
When Martha came to wake all the slaves for their morning duties, she felt like she had only just closed her eyes.
"Special dinner tonight in the grand hall," Martha announced as she walked through the servants' quarters banging on doors. "The Alpha King, Beta, Gamma, elder council and important pack members will all be dining together and I need volunteers to serve them."
Willow's stomach dropped at the mention of serving Dorian and she tried to make herself invisible in the back of the group of gathered slaves, but Martha's sharp eyes found her anyway and she pointed directly at her.
"You'll be serving tonight," Martha said and then her finger moved to point at Lyra who was standing beside Willow. "And you as well. The rest of you will help with food preparation and cleaning duties."
Willow wanted to protest or find some excuse to get out of it, but she knew that would only make things worse.
Martha didn't tolerate disobedience and refusing a direct order would result in punishment that she couldn't afford to receive in her current state.
She just nodded and tried to ignore the way her hands were already starting to shake at the thought of being in the same room as Dorian for an extended period.
The day passed in a blur of preparation as the kitchen staff worked frantically to prepare the elaborate meal that would be served to the pack's most important members.
Willow helped where she could, but her mind wasn't really focused on the tasks at hand.
She kept thinking about what would happen tonight and how she would have to serve Dorian while pretending that there was nothing between them except the standard master and slave dynamic.
"You're going to burn those potatoes if you keep stirring them like that," Lyra said as she appeared beside Willow at the stove.
Willow looked down and realized she had been stirring the same pot for several minutes without really seeing what she was doing.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous about tonight." She admitted as she adjusted the heat and tried to salvage the potatoes.
"I know, but you need to calm down or you're going to make mistakes," Lyra said, placing a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder.
"Just keep your head down, pour the wine and serve the food without making eye contact with anyone and you'll be fine."
"Easy for you to say when you don't have to serve your mate who hates you," Willow muttered under her breath but Lyra heard her anyway.
"I know it's hard, but you're stronger than you think," Lyra said and squeezed her shoulder gently. "You've survived everything else they've thrown at you and you'll survive this too."
Willow wanted to believe her friend, but the anxiety continued to build in her chest as the day went on.
By the time evening arrived and they were getting ready to serve, her hands were visibly shaking and she had to take several deep breaths just to keep herself from having a panic attack.
The serving slaves were given clean uniforms which were still plain and simple, but at least didn't have any visible stains or tears.
Willow pulled her hair back into a tight bun and tried to make herself as presentable as possible even though she knew it wouldn't matter.
She was still just a slave in their eyes and nothing she did would change that.
"Remember to walk slowly and carefully," Martha instructed as she lined up all the serving slaves outside the grand hall.
"Do not speak unless spoken to directly and even then keep your responses short and respectful. Do not make eye contact with any of the guests and absolutely do not spill anything or there will be severe consequences."
Willow's stomach churned at the warning about spilling as she gripped the wine jug she had been assigned so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She could hear voices and laughter coming from inside the hall and recognized Dorian's deep voice among them which made her wolf whimper inside her.
"Go." Martha commanded, pushing open the large double doors.
The grand hall was magnificent with high ceilings and elaborate tapestries hanging on the walls.
Long tables had been set up in a U-shape with the Alpha King's table at the head where he could see everyone and everyone could see him.
The room was filled with important pack members all dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry that sparkled in the candlelight.
Willow kept her eyes down as she followed the other slaves into the room and tried not to think about all the powerful wolves who were watching them.
She could feel their gazes like a physical weight on her shoulders and it took all her concentration to walk steadily without stumbling.
The head table where Dorian sat was elevated slightly above the others and Willow's heart sank when she realized that was where she had been assigned to serve.
She could see him from the corner of her eye, sitting in the ornate chair that looked more like a throne with Magnus on his right side and Carina on his left.
The elder council members filled out the rest of the table and they were all engaged in animated conversation.
Willow approached the table slowly with the wine jug held carefully in both hands. She started at the far end with the elders and poured wine into their goblets without incident even though her hands trembled slightly.
Each successful pour gave her a tiny bit more confidence and she started to think that maybe she could get through this without embarrassing herself.
She moved down the table and came to Magnus who gave her the slightest nod of acknowledgment when she poured his wine.
It was such a small gesture that no one else would have noticed, but it somehow made her feel a little bit less alone in this room full of people who saw her as nothing.
Next came Dorian and she had to force herself to breathe normally as she approached him.
He didn't even look at her as she carefully poured wine into his goblet and she was grateful for his indifference because she didn't think she could handle seeing disgust or hatred in his eyes right now.
The mate bond pulled at her to get closer to him, but she fought against it and stepped back as soon as his goblet was full.
Then she came to Carina who was wearing a stunning red dress that made her look like a goddess compared to all the other women in the room.
Carina was engaged in conversation with Dorian and laughing at something he had said with her hand resting possessively on his arm. The sight made Willow's chest ache but she pushed the feeling down and focused on her task.
She moved to pour wine into Carina's goblet and tried to be extra careful because she could feel the woman's hostility even without looking at her.
She was almost done pouring when she felt something hit her foot and suddenly she was falling forward.
The wine jug flew from her hands as she tried to catch herself and watched in horror as red wine arced through the air and splashed directly onto Dorian's white shirt and black jacket.
The entire hall went silent as everyone turned to stare at what had just happened.
Willow's eyes grew wide with shock as she looked at the wine spreading across Dorian's chest and dripping onto his lap while the empty jug rolled across the floor with a hollow sound that seemed to echo around the hall.