Iris’s POV
"Good morning, my Luna." A sudden soft voice pulled gently from the haze of sleep, as if it were part of a dream. My eyes fluttered open, the morning light streaming through the window forcing to blink rapidly. My vision was blurry at first, shapes and colors swimming together in my view, but as I squinted, seeing an image standing before . She stood beside my bed. "Good morning, my Luna," she repeated.
It was Lila, my personal maid. I recognized her now, though my mind was still sluggish, filled with the remnants of last night. I pushed myself up, my ssy hair cascading around my shoulders, sticking to my neck from the heat of the night. My head throbbed faintly, and as I rubbed my temples, mories of the previous evening ca rushing back with the triplets as their argunt escalated. The triplets had stord out of my room, leaving alone, I rember now. The ache in my head pulsed harder at the thought.
Lila stepped closer. "I’m here to help you prepare for the day, my Luna," she said, her smile welcoming. "You’ll need to be ready soon. The pack is expecting you."
I shook my head, the movent, making my headache flare. "I can handle it myself," I said. I didn’t want anyone fussing over today, not when my thoughts were already so tangled. I prefer doing things myself.
Her smile disappeared in a second, just for a mont, and she tilted her head, her brows knitting together. "My Luna, it’s my duty to assist you. You don’t have to do everything alone."
"I said no," I snapped, my frustration spilling over before I could stop it. Lila’s eyes glared at , and for a mont, her lips parted as if to respond. But then her expression hardened, as she snapped back at .
"Don’t you dare yell at , Iris!" she shot back, her voice rising to match mine. Her hands dropped to her sides, fists clenched. "I’m trying to be a good maid to you, to serve you as I’m supposed to, and you treat like this? You think you’re entitled just because you have the triplets fawning over you? You’re not the only one with feelings here!"
What? I hadn’t said any rude words to her, did I?
Her words hit like a slap, and I froze, my mouth open but no words coming out as I am stunned at her sudden courage to speak to with disrespect. Cold dread crept down my spine, chilling despite the warmth of the room. Lila, the sa Lila who had always been kind and patient with was glaring at now, her eyes blazing with sothing I couldn’t quite na. Anger, yes, but also sothing deeper and personal as if we’ve had a banter in the past and she’s having that grudge against . Before I could find words to respond, she turned on her heel and stord out, slamming the door behind her, leaving staring at the closed door, my heart pounding.
The scene replaying in my head. What had just happened? Lila had never spoken to like that before. She’d always been so gentle, so eager to please. Had I pushed her too far? Or was there sothing else going on, sothing I was missing? The thought sent a shiver through but I tried to shake off the unease.
I forced myself to move, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and standing on my feet. My eyes caught on a long, flowing purple gown draped across the chair near my bed, Lila must have left it there before our argunt. There was jewellery too, and matching fancy sandals. I reached out, running my fingers over the smooth material, and decided to wear it.
After freshening up, I dressed quickly, slipping into the gown and letting it settle over my curves. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I brushed out my tangled hair, letting it fall in loose waves down my back. I applied a touch of red lipstick as my eyes landed on the clock on the wall that read 12:00, PM. Noon already? The triplets hadn’t co to see . Not that I cared, I told myself, but the absence gnawed at , worried that I’d been the reason for their misunderstanding last night.
Once prepared, I stepped out of my room, the cool air of the packhouse corridor brushing against my skin. It felt welcoming. The hallways were quiet, save for the soft murmur of voices from distant rooms by the nearby pack mbers. Servants I passed bowed their heads in greetings, their eyes respectful, and I nodded back, forcing a small smile. The way they adored made feel really uncomfortable as if I wasn’t used to this lifestyle. I kept walking until I reached a quieter part of the corridor, where the walls were lined up with the pack Carved images. It looked like the images of the past alphas and Lunas that ruled this pack. The sight looked beautiful as I stood and admired each one.
Just as I turned a corner, my eyes caught on sothing out of place, it was a pile of what looked like a female nightwear dress on the floor. As if soone had dropped them in a hurry. Staring at it in curiosity, I hesitated, then stepped over them, deciding it wasn’t my business. But as I took another step, my body collided with sothing hard, a chest of soone.
I looked up, my face inches from a broad chest in a dark shirt. My gaze traveled upward, eting a pair of stormy gray cold eyes that seed to pierce right through . It was the eyes of the sa dude who had followed to the restroom yesterday as he’d introduced himself as Lucas.
Before I could study the contours of his face, his voice broke the monts of my thoughts.
"Sorry, my Luna," he muttered. He stepped to the side, brushing past with just enough force to nudge out of his way. He didn’t look back, didn’t spare a glance, just kept walking, his long strides carrying him down the corridor and out of my sight.
I stood there, rooted to the spot, my heart thudding in my chest. The coldness in his deanor, the way he’d barely acknowledged , left a strange ache in my chest for no reason.
I thought he made feel comfortable and safe around him? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was just like every other person in this pack. Yes, he is. Because his cold act was like he was shutting out.
Trying to push the thought away, I left. Why did it bother ? I barely knew him. He was just another pack mber, soone who’d crossed my path by chance. Still, the image of his cold act towards made feel sad.
I turned toward the garden, needing the open air to clear my head. The corridor led to a set of doors that opened onto the packhouse’s sprawling garden, where roses and wildflowers blood in vibrant bursts of color. But before I could reach the doors, muffled voices caught my attention, coming from a small alcove just off the main path. The words were low and intimate, my curiosity getting the better of .
"How long are we going to keep doing this?" a female voice asked, her tinged with frustration. "Hiding like this, stealing monts when no one’s watching?"
I edged closer, careful to stay out of sight. The man’s voice responded but with an edge of tension. "Give ti, Lila. It’s not easy. You know my father won’t take kindly to this. He’s still the alpha and it’s my duty to obey him."
Lila? My breath caught, and I pressed myself against the wall, peering around the corner. There, in the shadowed alcove, stood Kael, leaning toward Lila with her dark hair pinned neatly back on the wall while she faced him. Her hands were on his chest, her face tilted up to et his gaze, her expression filled with worry and longing.
"I know," she said. "But I’m only here because of you, Kael. I accepted this role to be close to you. Don’t you understand that?"
Kael’s hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing gently against her skin. "I do," he said softly, his voice carrying a care I hadn’t heard from him before. "I do, Lila. Just... be patient with ."
My heart stuttered, and I pulled back, my mind reeling. Kael and Lila? The quiet, intense triplet who had been part of last night’s argunt, who had looked at with those steady eyes and I thought he was better off than Zane, was here, in a secret mont with my supposed maid? The sa maid who had just snapped at , who had accused of acting entitled?
Just as Kael’s head almost turned towards my direction, I hid. They did not see . But then, I didn’t know why I wasn’t pained at what I saw.
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