lva was deeply worried when she found out that the kitchen only sent als for the three guards who escorted her lady but nothing for Althea. Her heart ached, so she rushed straight to the kitchen to prepare sothing for her.
“What are you doing here?!” one of the kitchen servants demanded, glaring at her.
Please... let just prepare dinner for my lady. I won’t take long,” lva begged softly.
The woman laughed cruelly. “Do you really think I’ll allow that? Get out! The traitor’s daughter deserves what’s coming to her. Let her starve in the dungeon!”
“Please, just a little food—”
Before lva could finish, the head cook had already called for the guards. They dragged her away as she struggled and sobbed. Desperate, she searched the palace for even a sweet potato or leftover bread, but every servant she approached shoved her aside.
“Seriously...” lva broke down, her knees giving way as she collapsed onto the cold ground. Tears stread down her face as her sobs echoed softly in the empty hall. Her heart ached for Althea, who had done nothing to deserve such cruelty.
“My Lady...” she whispered brokenly, covering her face with trembling hands. Guilt and sorrow twisted in her chest. She hated herself for being so powerless, for not being able to protect the woman who had always shown her kindness.
“I’m so sorry...” she wept, her voice shaking with despair.
“What are you doing here?!”
The sharp voice startled her. She looked up through her tears and saw Simon’s familiar face, his expression grim.
Quickly wiping her eyes, lva asked in a trembling voice, “Is the Alpha King with you? Did he arrive already? They locked My Lady in the dungeon. She’s innocent!”
Simon’s brows furrowed. “Sothing ca up. The Alpha King won’t be back until tomorrow. Now tell —what happened here?!”
lva didn’t waste a second. She poured everything out, not even stopping to catch her breath.
“Please, Gamma, you must help her! They’re accusing my lady of being a witch, but she never used black magic. The Alpha King knows about her abilities. She told him everything! He knows she’s a mage healer. She saved one of your servants from poisoning, yet now they claim she’s the one who poisoned her. Who in their right mind would accuse her of such a thing after she saved that woman’s life?!”
lva gulped before speaking again, her voice trembling. “The head mistress only sent dinner for the three guards the Alpha King assigned to her... but none for Lady Althea. They’re starving her on purpose. She’s already so weak—she’s still human, and she drained her inner energy when she expelled the poison from Elsa. They could at least let cook sothing for her.”
Her hands clenched tightly in frustration, tears gathering in her eyes. “But everyone here is so cruel. They keep shoving away, treating us like we did sothing wrong when we haven’t done anything at all...”
“Calm down,” Simon muttered.
That single remark made lva snap.
“How could I? My Lady is always the victim! Even in our own pack, she was treated this way, and now here, it’s the sa!” Her voice shook, but she refused to back down. “How can all of you be so blind, so close-minded? She’s nothing but a pawn to everyone, yet she’s the one who always suffers!”
“Stop talking and co here,” Simon grunted, grabbing her wrist. Before she could resist, he dragged her straight to the palace kitchen.
“All of you, out. Now!” Simon barked.
The servants froze for a heartbeat, then scrambled away in fear.
“Cook whatever you want,” he hissed, his tone sharp with annoyance.
lva blinked rapidly, lips parting in shock. She hadn’t expected this at all.
“What?” Simon snapped. “If you don’t want to, then stay in your quarters and shut up.”
lva quickly shook her head, then impulsively grabbed his hand. “Thank you... Thank you so much!”
She didn’t wait for his reply. Rushing to the counters, she began preparing sothing simple but warm, her hands moving with trembling urgency.
While lva busied herself with cooking, Simon’s gaze lingered on her without him realizing. His eyes dropped to the hands that had just touched his. The warmth still lingered on his skin, a dangerous reminder of the mate pull he had felt the mont he clutched her wrist. It was raw, magnetic—so strong he had nearly forgotten to breathe. His wolf stirred, restless, refusing to let him turn away.
Simon frowned deeply, scolding himself. He should leave. He had already done more than enough by helping her. Yet his legs stayed rooted to the ground, his chest tight with an unexplainable resistance. His wolf was clawing at him to stay, to watch her, to claim her.
He clenched his fists, forcing his voice to sound detached as he broke the silence. “Why are you so attached to Cain’s daughter?” His tone was low, almost accusing, but the truth was, he wasn’t asking out of suspicion. He wanted to understand.
“I’m alive because of her,” lva whispered, her voice trembling as she stirred the thin soup.
“I was thirteen when I was sold as a slave to Shadowthorn Pack. Back then, I was nothing more than a plaything for the cruel. I was beaten, mocked, and treated worse than an animal. One night... on the birthday celebration of the officer I was serving, I made a mistake. I tripped while carrying wine.”
Her lips quivered, and her hands gripped the ladle tighter. “He laughed and ordered whipped in front of everyone. The crowd jeered, no one lifted a finger. They enjoyed watching bleed. I was just a child. I thought I was going to die there.”
Her voice broke, tears gathering in her eyes. “And then... she ca. Lady Althea. She wasn’t supposed to be there, she was only passing through with her father. But when she saw , she didn’t hesitate. She threw herself over , shielding with her own body. That last lash... the one that would have killed , it landed on her back instead.”
lva’s chest tightened with the mory. “She cried and begged her father to stop. Begged him while holding , sobbing. And she said she would take with her.”
Her eyes softened, her lips trembling into a small, broken smile. “I didn’t even know she was Alpha Cain’s daughter then. All I knew was that soone, for the first ti in my life, thought I was worth saving. I asked her why she did it, why she risked herself for a worthless slave like ...”
lva’s tears fell freely now. “And she just smiled and said—‘If I turn my back when soone is suffering, then I don’t deserve to breathe.’”
She pressed a hand over her chest. “From that day on, I swore my life to her. She is my Lady, not because of her blood, but because she gave back my life when everyone else wanted to take it away.”
Then a proud smile curved on her lips as she lifted her chin. “You saw it yourself... how selfless she was. When danger ca, she didn’t hesitate to offer her own life so the rest of us could be spared, sothing even our Luna ena wasn’t willing to do. That’s who she truly is.”
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