redith.
I turned the corner and found Mada Beatrice waiting for .
She didn’t speak, didn’t ask questions, didn’t even look at for longer than a second before turning on her heel and starting down the hall. I followed in silence, my pulse still thrumming from my encounter with Draven and Gary.
The journey back to my room was painfully long—hallway after hallway, staircase after staircase. My feet ached with each step, my body screaming from exhaustion. My throat burned with thirst, my stomach churned in hunger, and yet, Mada Beatrice moved with the sa rigid posture, her steps as sharp and strong as ever.
Even at her age, she showed no signs of fatigue.
I released a slow breath, coming to yet another miserable realization—I wasn’t built for this world. If I had a wolf, climbing staircases for ten minutes straight wouldn’t feel like I was dragging chains behind .
Draven’s words clawed at my mind.
"Get a wolf first before you think about flipping a table."
My hands curled into fists. He had insulted , just like the rest of them. Treated like a weakling. And the worst part? He was right.
I hated that more than anything.
By the ti we reached my room, my breaths were shallow. Mada Beatrice unlocked the door and stepped aside.
I hesitated.
She gestured lightly. "After you."
My brows knitted together.
After ?
I wasn’t used to that. People always walked ahead of —pushing aside, making wait, making last.
But her expression didn’t shift.
I wasn’t sure if this was so kind of subtle test, but I wasn’t about to stand outside my own bedroom all night. I stepped forward and entered.
The mont I crossed the threshold, I noticed movent inside the room.
Four female servants were inside, adjusting things, straightening pillows, folding and unfolding sheets as if the slightest wrinkle would offend soone. But as soon as they heard our footsteps, they froze and turned toward the door, bowing.
To .
For a second, I didn’t move. They weren’t bowing to Mada Beatrice. They were bowing to .
It felt strange, and I wasn’t sure what to think about it.
A sharp clap snapped from my thoughts. Mada Beatrice had brought her hands together, drawing the servants’ full attention. "You don’t have all day," she said. "Undress the Alpha’s wife and take her for a bath."
Alpha’s wife. Not Luna.
I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not.
I didn’t care about titles, but it was strange. They could have simply called Luna like they would with any Alpha’s bride. But I wasn’t any Alpha’s bride, was I? I was Draven’s. And I was cursed.
Shaking the thought away, I obeyed Mada Beatrice without a word, sitting in front of the vanity mirror as the maids removed my cloud veil, jewellery, and makeup.
The heavy fabric slipped from my shoulders, and I exhaled deeply, trying to push away the weight of the night. But it clung to , poisoning my thoughts and making rember everything I wanted to forget.
Draven forcing to beco his bride.
Draven standing up for .
And Draven insulting .
I hated how much space he occupied in my mind.
Two maids guided toward the bathroom. Steam curled through the air, thick with the scent of vanilla and lavender.
Mada Beatrice’s voice cut through the haze. "Use the lavender oil," she instructed. "In case the Alpha changes his mind and decides to visit tonight."
My blood ran cold.
Draven? Coming here?
After everything?
I clenched my jaw. No. He had insulted . Humiliated . Let others disrespect . I had no business with him, and he had no business coming to my room.
And hadn’t he already told that bedding wasn’t in his plans? So why would he—
I quickly caught myself.
It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t co. He shouldn’t.
Before I realized it, I had already been stripped of my gown and subrged in the warm bath as the maids scrubbed my skin. Their hands were firm and thodical, but at least not as harsh as before.
I felt the warm water soothe my aching feet, but the tension in my muscles didn’t ease, though.
I barely noticed when the servants finished. I barely noticed when they dressed in a thin nightgown.
It was only when they draped a robe over my shoulders that I finally exhaled, so tension leaving .
I stepped out of the bathroom just in ti to see Mada Beatrice close the door behind soone.
She turned to , expression unreadable. "The Alpha will not be visiting you tonight."
A rush of relief filled my chest, and I masked it well.
Mada Beatrice wasted no ti leading to a small dining area near my bed. The mont I sat, my eyes landed on the food before .
It was... appetizing.
Freshly cooked at, seasoned vegetables, rich golden bread. The aroma curled into my senses, making my stomach twist painfully.
As if to mock further, my stomach growled. Loudly. I clenched my fingers.
One of the servants quietly poured wine into my goblet.
I ignored the warmth in my cheeks. I was not going to be embarrassed over needing food. I had barely eaten all day. And it was thoughtful of them to do this for .
Just as I was about to reach for my drink, a thought hit .
Azul.
I looked up at Mada Beatrice. "Where is Azul?"
Her expression remained neutral. "She will be with you once she has learned our pack’s rules."
I frowned. "What?"
Mada Beatrice clasped her hands behind her back. "The rules in Mystic Furs are different from Moonstone." Her tone was calm, but there was a subtle edge to it. A subtle insult.
I understood imdiately. She didn’t trust or acknowledge the training from Moonstone. She thought her pack was superior.
And after everything I had seen so far, she wasn’t wrong.
But still. Azul was the only familiar face in this place, the only person who had ever truly cared for . And now she was being trained before she could even be allowed near ?
Mada Beatrice must have noticed my displeasure because her face hardened. She turned to the maidservants and asked them to leave. Imdiately, they walked out and shut the door.
Mada Beatrice lifted her chin slightly. "You made a mistake today."
I blinked. "What?"
"At the wedding," she said, her voice levelled but firm. "You embarrassed our Alpha in front of the entire werewolf hierarchy."
I tensed.
"The servants saw it. And as a result, they don’t respect you."
I could guess that already, but the way she said it made sothing cold settle in my stomach.
"The lowest-ranking wolves," she continued, "are still wolves. And despite our discipline, their loyalty can be easily bought."
A strange chill crept down my spine. I narrowed my eyes, trying to read between her words.
She wasn’t just talking about servants.
She was talking about enemies. Spies. People who wanted gone.
She let the silence stretch before giving one final warning.
"If you want to keep your life for a long ti," she said, "I suggest you respect Alpha Draven. And be loyal to him."
Be loyal to Draven?
’How impossible!’ I wanted to snap back but held my tongue in the end.
"Because he is the only one who can protect you," Mada Beatrice’s gaze darkened as she finished.
And with that, she turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
I sat there, unmoving. For the first ti since arriving at Mystic Furs, I understood sothing clearly.
I wasn’t just an outcast here.
I was a target.
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