The door slamd behind her so hard that the entire hallway seed to rattle.
Erald didn’t stop walking. She strode through the stone corridors like a storm, boots echoing off the marble floors, her fists clenched so tight her nails bit into her palms.
By the ti she reached her room, her breath was ragged.
She shut the door behind her with more force than she ant to. Then just stood there, breathing, seething.
Her clothes were still soaked in market chaos: blood, dirt, tomato pulp and her scalp ached from where the rock had split skin. Luckily, it’s healed already.
She peeled the ruined coat from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Then sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the dying embers in the hearth.
Her mind wouldn’t slow down.
She replayed every word in her mind, every look, every silence, every flinch. Lucian hadn’t denied anything, not really. He hadn’t even tried to justify it. He just replied with silence and a vague promise that he’d "handle it."
She had thought him to be this calm, quiet and thoughtful leader.
But what kind of leader sets guards on children?
What kind of Alpha ruled with silence and secrets?
Her hands trembled as she pressed her palms into her thighs. She sat there for a long ti, letting the quiet tick by.
Her mind spun through the pieces of what she’d gathered: Kieran’s warning, the little boy’s accusation, the guards’ brutality, and the growing sense that Lucien’s kindness was only skin-deep.
Would he co clean?
She doubted it.
She’d given him every chance. And still, he said nothing.
Erald exhaled, stood, and headed into the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the bath, letting the hot water scald the day from her skin.
And yet... even when she scrubbed her hands raw, the tension stayed.
Once she was out, Erald changed into sothing clean and comfortable: soft black leggings and a charcoal tunic.
She started pacing again, moving back and forth across the rug like a trapped animal. Ti seed to stretch on forever; she lost track of how long she had been pacing until she heard a soft knock at the door.
Erald blinked out of her thoughts and turned. "Co in."
The door creaked open, and the sa young maid from before stepped inside. She carried a tray of food, her gaze flickering quickly toward Erald before darting back to the floor.
"I brought your dinner, Alpha," she said softly.
"Thank you," Erald replied, watching her carefully as she set the tray down on the small table near the balcony. The girl moved quickly, with the nervousness of soone who had spent years going unnoticed.
Erald hesitated.
"You’re always the one bringing my als."
The maid glanced up, startled. "Yes, ma’am."
Erald gave her a small, tired smile. "That’s not a complaint. It’s just... nice. Having soone consistent."
The girl didn’t reply. She started to back away.
"Wait," Erald said, rising. "Would you mind staying a bit?"
The maid froze.
Erald gestured to her chair. "It’s been a long day. I could really use a bit of care. Think you could help with my hair?"
The girl hesitated again, her fingers tightening around the empty tray. "I... I can fetch soone..."
"No," Erald shook her head. "I’d just rather not see anyone else right now. And I think you’d be better at it anyway."
The maid hesitated, but after a mont, she gave a quick nod. "Of course."
Erald sat in the armchair beside the window while the girl retrieved a small bowl of oil from a nearby drawer. The silence between them was heavy at first, broken only by the gentle touch of fingers running through her tangled strands.
"What’s your na?" Erald asked after a mont.
"Talia."
"Talia," Erald repeated softly. "Pretty na. How long have you worked here?"
"Four years, ma’am."
"You don’t have to call ma’am. Erald is fine."
Talia said nothing; just kept working through her hair.
Erald tried again. "Do you live in the estate?"
"My family has a house near the stables."
"Oh? Big family?"
"No. Just my mum and ."
Erald nodded. "I see." She shifted slightly in the chair. "She must be proud of you, helping out like this."
Talia’s hands slowed for a mont before resuming. "She’s sick. I’m... doing what I can."
Erald turned to look at her gently. "That’s a lot of responsibility for soone your age."
Soraya gave a weak smile. "We all do what we must."
"You’re doing more than enough."
A few more minutes passed before Erald asked, with forced lightness, "Do all the staff act so stiff, or is it just when I’m around?"
That made Talia pause completely.
Her fingers pulled away from Erald’s scalp, and she stepped back slightly. "I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I should go..."
"Talia." Erald turned around. "Do you know sothing?"
Talia’s eyes widened. "No, I... I don’t. I shouldn’t talk. I’m sorry, Alpha, I really have to go."
"Are you scared?" Erald asked gently.
Talia’s lip trembled slightly.
"You don’t have to be. I’ll protect you, I swear it."
But the girl only shook her head. "It’s not that simple. We don’t talk about it. If anyone finds out I even spoke to an outsider about anything... they’ll punish . I have no one else. My mum can’t even walk without help."
Erald stood slowly and stepped forward. "Talia," she said quietly, "I saw what happened today, how the guards treated people. I saw children thrown to the ground like animals. And I want to help. But I can’t do that if no one tells the truth."
Talia stood there trembling for a mont, then slowly sat back down, eyes darting toward the door.
"You can’t tell anyone I told you," she said. "Swear it."
"I swear," Erald said.
Then, finally, she whispered, "He wasn’t born here."
Erald’s breath caught.
"Lucien... he wasn’t born here."
Erald’s brow furrowed. "What?"
"He didn’t grow up in the Midnight Fang," Talia whispered. "He ca from sowhere else. A different pack."
Erald’s heart thudded.
Talia continued. "His father was a tyrant... corrupt. He sold his own people to the Midnight Fang as part of so political deal. He gave them to us... like property."
Erald’s jaw clenched.
"Lucien led a rebellion and killed his father. But he didn’t stop there. H-He ca to our territory... killed our Alpha, our elders... anyone who opposed him."
Erald’s stomach turned.
"He rged the two packs and shut the borders. No one in. No one out. The ones who resisted were never seen again."
"My gods," Erald whispered.
Talia went on. "They called him a liberator at first. A saviour. But after that... after the way he took over..."
"He beca what he fought against."
Talia’s eyes filled with tears. "Please... don’t let them know I told you. Please. I could be punished... or worse."
Erald stepped forward and took her hands. "No one will know. I promise."
Talia nodded shakily and turned to leave, but paused at the door.
She glanced back, her voice trembling. "If you’re smart... you’ll leave too. There are powerful people here who want him gone, and they’ll do anything to make it happen. If they think you’re helping him, you might get swept up in it too."
Erald didn’t speak.
She couldn’t.
She could only watch as Talia slipped out the door and vanished into the night, her mind flashing back to the smoke... the fire... the shadow in the hall.
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