Chapter 7

The main entrance to Alpha's residence wasn't properly closed. In the corridor, the house helpers merely looked at me in disdain when they saw that I had survived and barged in in such a sorry state. I dashed all the way to the bedroom on the second floor. Leaning on a couch, Elena held the bone whistle in her hand, and her hunting dog was laying next to her feet. When she saw me walking in, she didn't look surprised. Instead, she waved to the two female house helpers in the room. "Go out." The house helpers lowered their heads and retreated from the room, closing the door behind themselves and leaving only us in the room. "Give it back to me," I demanded hoarsely, staring at the bone whistle in her hand. Elena rose from the couch. Holding the bone whistle at the edge with two of her fingers, she swayed it in front of her face in disgust. "It stinks," she said. "It smells like the rotting and sour smell of that old woman. Only a junk collector like you will regard it as som