Damon didn’t argue. "Fine," he said nonchalantly. "Just one night."
Allison smiled at then. It was soft, polite... and full of poison.
I gave her a lazy smile back. ’Of course. Make yourself at ho.’
But deep inside, every fiber in buzzed with alarm. Her sudden decision to stay—her perfect timing—couldn’t be innocent. I knew trouble when I saw it, and Allison was wearing it like perfu.
As the castle gates creaked open and we began to ride through, I found myself lost in thought again. The air felt heavier here, less forgiving than the open forest. The stone walls lood like judgnt.
I was safe, and fed. And I have not been touched or used as a breeding machine like I had feared when I first arrived. But still, I wasn’t free.
And now, I wasn’t sure if I ever would be.
’Should I stay?’
The question rolled through like a quiet storm.
Staying ant comfort, even if it was wrapped in chains. Leaving ant danger... but maybe a chance to truly live.
I didn’t have long to dwell. The sound of voices drew my attention.
"Ember!" Two figures dashed down the hallway toward us—Lydia and Caroline.
A grin cracked across my face as I jumped off the horse and ran into their arms.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed movent.
Damon stood just a few feet away, speaking with a soldier. Sothing about his posture changed—he grew still, too still.
Then I saw what he was holding.
A silver locket with a shape I couldn’t quite see, as I was far away. But it looked Simple, and delicate.
The soldier handed it over carefully, almost reverently.
Damon’s fingers curled around it tightly. His knuckles went white. His head dipped low, and for a second—just a second—I saw grief in his expression.
I swallowed hard. That locket—who had it belonged to?
As he turned away, I noticed his hand trembled slightly. Then, he tucked his hand behind his cloak.
And I had a terrible feeling that whatever that locket ant to him... it was about to beco a problem.
I turned to Caroline and Lydia. "How have you guys been? I missed you both so much."
They both looked like they missed too. Caroline leaned closer to . "You look so much better now. I bet you ate all their food." She joked.
We busted out in the feat of laughter. "I did."
I turned to Lydia. She had a warm smile on her face, but for so strange reason, she looked reserved. Maybe this is a big sister’s vibe. I an, she basically said I am a sister.
"How have you been, Lydia?" I smiled warmly at her.
"Good."
"I’m so happy you ca back in one piece." She snickered.
"I don’t die easily." This earned a smile from them.
"I guess you must be hungry now. I made sothing for you," she said, patting my head.
At the thought of food, my stomach grumbled. I nodded my head in bliss. When I glanced back at Damon, he looked invested in the conversation with the soldier.
"Let’s go," I urged them.
As we made our way down the hall, I crossed paths with Alpha Allison. The maids were showing the way to her room, when she stopped and turned. My eyes t with hers. She forced a smile on before she muttered so words to the maids. They nodded and dismissed from the hallway.
"Why do I sll trouble?" Lydia whispered.
"Trust , she’s more than trouble."
"Ember, we et again. I must say our fate is intertwined." Allison said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Her words made cringe. ’Intertwined my foot.’
"Alpha Allison, this is just a re coincidence." I plastered a fake smile on my face too.
Lydia and Caroline shifted nervously as they heard she was an Alpha. They bowed their heads in respect.
Allison’s gaze swept lazily over their faces before they fixated on , like I was the most interesting thing in the hallway.
"Can you both excuse us?" Her eyes didn’t leave for a second.
"Why?" Lydia’s voice was stern and protective.
Allison turned to her. Her expression darkened before a suffocating layer of tension filled the hallway. She smiled sweetly at her. "Do you dare disobey ?"
Allison’s tone made shivers rush down my spine. Her hands tightened, as if she was trying to hold herself back.
However, Lydia placed herself in front of . "She is my little sister and the Alpha’s pet. I’m afraid I can’t leave her with you without a tangible reason. Or get Alpha Damon’s permission to speak to her alone," she said with gritted teeth. Her gaze burned, even when her shoulders were trembling like leaves before the storm.
Allison’s brows arched in disbelief. "Is that so?" she drawled. Her eyes flicked back to , mischief dancing in the depth of her hazel eyes.
Caroline stood beside , her body tensed. "Yes, it... it is so."
I was taken aback by their protectiveness. It brought warmth into my heart. However, I didn’t want them to be on Allison’s radar. Who knows, when she becos Luna, she might make life difficult for them... if not end them.
I shuddered at that thought. I reached out to Lydia, my hands clam over her shoulder. "It is fine, Lydia. She is an esteed guest of Alpha Damon. I’ll be fine." I smiled, reassuring her.
But her brows knitted together. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I’m sure. What could go wrong?" I jested.
She swallowed, before glancing at Alpha Allison. She sighed before grabbing Caroline’s arms, pulling her away without uttering another word.
After they had disappeared from my line of sight, I turned to Alpha Allison. Her pretentious smile had disappeared from her face like it was never there.
"So, to what do I owe this pleasant conversation to?" I tilted my head slightly, not too low in submission, and not too high to be seen as a challenge.
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