The Maid's Bargain

Valeria’s POV

I stared blankly down at the bland, tasteless hospital food resting on the plastic tray across my lap. The grey, unappetizing mush seemed to mock my current existence—lifeless, cold, and utterly trapped. I nudged it around with a cheap plastic spoon, my appetite entirely nonexistent.

A few feet away, standing uncomfortably near the sterile white door, was Alpha Gideon. My unrecogn