CHAPTER 03 Work

　　Desiree

　　I tried not to stare at him for too long. I didn't know who he was, and I did not want to violate their rules. I looked at the meals, and they looked delicious. My stomach growled, and I remembered that I hadn't eaten yet.

　　"Is there anywhere to buy food?" I asked the freckled-faced guy that was standing next to me.

　　"Yes," he said, and I relaxed, " You can have the same meal they are having for ten Blood dinas," he said, and I was in shock because that was quite expensive.

　　"Do you have an idea how much my wages are?" I asked the guy, and he nodded.

　　"Pretty standard. You are new, so they must be starting you off on the basic, which is three hundred blood dinas. By the time you are promoted, you could earn as much as a thousand dinas per month," he explained with so much pride, and I realised this must be the best job in town for a Moon. No wonder Rob wanted me here badly. I was going to surprise him.

　　"How do I use my wages to pay for the meals?" I asked,

　　"You can go to the security post to get meal tickets. They will deduct it from your wages. I know you are hungry so I will give you one of my tickets. You can always pay me back in future. I am Tim, by the way," He said with a smile, and my heart warmed.

　　"I am Desiree," I said, and he smiled.

　　"Nice to meet you, Desiree,"

　　The Bloods lined up with their trays, and we had to listen to what they wanted and serve it on their tray. I waited for the guy in the blue hoody to come by, but he never did. He sat at his table with his friends.

　　"Don't they eat?" I asked Tim, pointing in his direction.

　　"Don't point at him, Desiree. That's Prince Adam Kingston," He said, and I was in complete shock.

　　"He is the next Alpha and King," Tim said, and I promised myself never to look in his direction again.

　　"I did not know, honestly. I am sorry, Tim. I just wanted to thank him for saving my life last night when Nickson attacked me," I explained to him.

　　"That is quite odd," Tim said, "Prince Adam rarely leaves this environment. You must be lucky, and I think he is staring at you Desiree, Pray no one saw you point in his direction," Tim said to me, and I became scared and worried. I kept my face down. So I do not see the prince.

　　"Oh goddess," Tim said, and I became sacred.

　　"What is it?" I asked him with my eyes trained on the ground.

　　"He is coming here, Desiree, and he doesn't do that," Tim, said worried and scared, and I became frightened too.

　　I wanted to look up, but it felt like the bones on my neck were rusty. Fear kept my head down. This was my first day.

　　"Moon," I heard the deep voice from last night, and I did not know what to do.

　　"Good morning, your highness," I heard Tim say, sounding very afraid, and I felt bad.

　　"Good morning, your highness," I quickly said with my head trained to the ground.

　　"What is your name, Moon?" he asked, and I looked at Tim to be sure who the question was directed to. Realising it was me, I quickly replied.

　　"Desiree, your highness," I said quickly, and he paused.

　　"Your full name?" he asked.

　　"Desiree Dawson," I replied, head down.

　　"Henceforth, you serve my meals. Tim will let you know what it entails," he said, and I became sacred.

　　"Your highness, she works breakfasts and toilets only," Tim said.

　　"Not anymore," I heard Adam say. "She serves my meals only. Have them change her job description at the post and raise her pay grade. She's educated." he said and walked away.

　　All the while my breath was caught in my mouth.

　　"What just happened?" I asked Tim feeling afraid.

　　"I think you just got promoted," he said, sounding a bit baffled.

　　"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked him.

　　"It depends, Desiree. If you have experience being around Bloods, then it means you can cope, which means it is a good thing. If you don't, it means you will easily get into trouble," he said, sounding worried because the latter was most likely my case.

　　Prince Adam stared in our direction for the better part of the late breakfast, and I just wanted to disappear. I just hoped they weren't on to me. My mother's letter was still on me, and the things she had said spooked me. Now, this. I hoped for my sake the guy was just trying to be nice.

　　Tim and I cleared the breakfast, I packaged all I could eat with the ticket that Tim gave me and relaxed to eat my meal in the Kitchen. It was divine. Haven't had that kind of food for years. Tasting the quality of the food made me realise the Moons were truly suffering. After stuffing my face with the delicious meal, I began to feel bad for my people. My mother might have been able to beat the ash cancer if she had good food to eat and a loving mate to care for her. Tears began to stream down my face realising I was better off.

　　"How come they have this quality of food, Tim? I thought we were in famine." I asked Tim, and he sighed.

　　"They took over our farmlands and forced the Moon farmers to farm close to the border. The witch wars have prevented our farms from thriving. Most people farm in the gardens of their homes and sell whatever they produce. The moons can only eat what is available." he explained, and my heart broke.

　　"You should thank your stars, Desiree. You have the best job a Moon could ever dream of. And you seem to have moved up the ranks on your first day. The moon goddess must favour you," Tim said, almost sounding jealous but in a friendly way.

　　"I doubt that, Tim. My life has been shitty for seven years since my mother got involved with a new mate.  I was planning on running away, but I guess I can't anymore." I confessed, and he felt sorry for me.

　　"Well, look at the bright side. Prince Adam is interested in you, which means you are likely to get preferential treatment but with a lot of enemies. Both Moons and Bloods would hate you for this. You need to be careful and do not trust anyone, Desiree. The prince's meals are important, you have to make sure you are part of the preparation process and always taste his meal in his presence and wait for thirty minutes before he eats it." he said, and I was worried because I knew why all that was necessary. The job seemed luxurious, but it was dangerous too.

　　"Bloods prepare his meal and serve him. You will be the first moon to serve the king's heir. You need to be careful, Desiree. If you need help or pointers don't hesitate to ask for me, and if ever he gets friendly with you, please recommend me to work with you. I could use the raise." he begged, and I smiled at him.

　　I returned to my room after the heartfelt meal and saw that some Moon Omegas were packing my stuff.

　　"What is going on here?" I asked.

　　"We have been ordered to move you to the Blood service quarters,' they said looking, sad. There was no way this was a good thing. I could not be surrounded by Bloods. I was a Moon. They were my betters.

　　"On whose orders?" I asked.

　　"Mine," A harsh female voice said, coming from behind me. I turned around to see a middle-aged woman with blond hair. She used to be the wife of our packs Delta until they killed him along with my father. She had a harsh voice, but she was a loving woman.

　　"Aunt Margret!' I exclaimed and went to hug her. She held me tightly.

　　"Desiree, why did they send you here?" she asked me, looking worried.

　　"Rob," was all I could manage between sobs.

　　"You need to be careful. I do not know why they are moving you up. But do not trust any of them. Someone powerful is behind you here, which means you will have a lot of Blood enemies. Keep your head down at all times. I have arranged a private room that has its toilet and bath for you. All you should do there is sleep and bathe. Make sure you are down here with your kind before they wake, and make sure you retire early before they retire. That is the only way to avoid them. You must live there as if you do not exist. Come to me if you need anything. Your mother has explained everything to me?" she said and winked at me. I hugged her tightly. I was glad that she was there with me. I suddenly did not feel alone anymore.