(Third Person POV).
Jeffery walked into Draven’s office, a form neatly tucked under his arm.
Draven sat behind his heavy oak desk, scribbling a few notes, but he looked up as Jeffery approached.
"Alpha," Jeffery handed the form over.
Draven leaned back, accepting it. He flipped through the information quickly, noticing redith’s neat, deliberate handwriting.
His sharp gaze imdiately caught the blank spaces. She had filled everything except the ’Spouse’s Na’ and ’Ho Address’ sections.
He understood skipping the address—she wouldn’t know it yet since she had just arrived at Duskmoor.
But leaving out the na?
He tapped the corner of the page against his desk once, thoughtful.
Did she not know his full na? Or did she know it perfectly well—and simply chose to leave it blank just to pass a ssage to him?
A slow exhale escaped Draven. He would never know redith’s true intentions on this matter.
Without hesitation, Draven plucked a black-ink pen from the tray beside him and filled in the missing details himself.
In the ’Spouse Na’ box, he wrote in careful block letters:
Alpha Draven Oatrun.
When he finished, he turned the page and signed twice at the designated places before handing the form back to Jeffery.
"Take care of it," Draven said simply.
Jeffery bowed his head. "As you command, Alpha."
---
anwhile, upstairs, Wanda entered Xamira’s sunny room and found the little girl sitting cross-legged on the pastel play mat, surrounded by toys.
Wanda’s smile stretched wide. "Good morning, my darling. How are you feeling?"
Xamira bead up at her, warmth filling her small face. "Good!" she chirped. "But..." Her hands lifted to touch her cheeks gently. "I don’t like how red my face still is."
Wanda’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
She crouched down beside Xamira, her hand half-extended as if to touch the girl’s face, then hesitated, withdrawing her fingers at the last mont. She felt a bit irritated.
But she masked the motion quickly, plastering a sympathetic expression over her features as soon as she realized how obvious her action was.
"That woman almost ruined your beautiful face," Wanda said, voice heavy with fake sorrow. "It breaks my heart to see you like this."
Xamira’s small fingers brushed her cheek again, her expression turning uncertain.
Across the room, Dorothy, the nanny, was busy folding clothes, perhaps far enough away to miss the poisonous whispers.
Wanda leaned closer, her voice lowering sneakily.
"She almost cost you your life, Xamira. And you know what? She hasn’t even co to check on you. Not once. She didn’t even say a word to you during breakfast."
Xamira’s hand fell to her lap. Her gaze dropped to the colourful mat, the happiness draining from her little body.
"Does she... hate that much?" Xamira asked, her voice tiny.
Wanda hesitated just enough to let the impression sink deep. Then, she carefully changed the subject, smiling brightly.
"Your father and Uncle Dennis are going to ride the horses today! You should co watch them!"
Xamira’s head popped up imdiately. "Really?"
"Yes," Wanda said, chuckling softly. "And you must cheer for your father. Otherwise, that woman might beat you to it."
Xamira’s brows furrowed fiercely. She shot to her feet. "I will cheer Daddy! I will be louder than her!"
Wanda laughed lightly and lifted her palm for a high-five.
The little girl smacked it enthusiastically.
"Good girl," Wanda said smoothly.
---
anwhile, Deidra burst into redith’s room without knocking, excitent radiating from her.
"My lady! The Alpha and his brother are racing horses today! In half an hour!"
redith, sitting on the couch, flipping through a fashion magazine, displaying Duskmoor’s models, a thing she had just learnt from Kira. She barely lifted her gaze.
"I see," she said flatly.
Of course, Deidra wasn’t alone trying to convince her for long.
Azul chid in, practically bouncing with energy. "You should co, my lady. It’s not good to stay indoors all day."
Kira nodded firmly. "It will be fun. You will enjoy it, my lady. I promise."
redith pressed her lips together, pretending to mull it over even though she was very interested since the ti she learnt from Dennis about Draven being able to ta and ride horses.
Then she sighed dramatically. "Fine. I will co."
Her maidservants bead in triumph.
---
Thirty minutes later, redith walked outside, escorted by Azul, Kira, and Deidra.
The back lawn of the estate stretched out before them—an endless sea of erald green.
The grass was cut neatly, velvet soft and glistening under the warm morning sun. The edges blurred into a distant horizon; no walls, no fences, just open freedom.
The occasional white flag on slim poles fluttered gently in the breeze, marking the periters for the horses, but otherwise, it was an expanse of unbroken beauty.
Three large cream-colored umbrellas—elegant yet simple — were set up at the sides for the spectators, with plush outdoor couches beneath them.
redith’s group led her to the first umbrella.
She settled onto the cushioned seat, the gentle breeze tugging at the hem of her light dress.
Across to her left, under the second umbrella, sat Wanda and Xamira.
redith noticed imdiately how Wanda narrowed her eyes the second she saw her.
Wanda leaned down and whispered into Xamira’s ear, a vicious gleam hidden behind her perfect smile.
"It’s good you ca, sweetheart. Otherwise, that woman would have cheered louder for your Daddy."
Xamira’s small face darkened, her eyes fixed on redith with uncertainty.
redith, feeling the child’s stare, turned and t her gaze. She softened instantly.
Xamira’s little cheeks were still faintly red, but she looked better. Stronger than in the morning.
redith opened her mouth, about to tell Azul that she wanted to check on the child, when a shadow fell across her. She glanced up.
Dennis stood there, grinning broadly. He was dressed for riding, his white shirt open at the collar, and his polished boots were ready.
"It’s good to see you again so soon, redith," he said smoothly.
Instantly, her frown deepened. She recognized the playful smirk at the corner of his lips.
It was mockery. Pure mockery.
"I assure you," redith said coldly, "there’s nothing good about it."
Dennis chuckled, unbothered.
From a distance, Draven approached, his sharp gaze narrowing slightly as he caught sight of the scene—his brother, all smiles and teasing, and redith looking suprely unimpressed.
Without a word, he adjusted his pace and started toward them.
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