My heart kept pounding fiercely even long minutes after Alpha Rune and Tariq had left the room. My mind kept processing what had happened just now. Had I just become a member of the Dark Fire Pack? And what was with all those kisses in front of Tariq? Had Alpha Rune put on a show just to piss off his squad leader? That must have been it, right?
Exhaling slowly, I pressed my hands to my cheeks. They were still burning. The sheets were a mix of my and his smell–the scent of arousal. Gods… this was bad. I shouldn’t have wanted him. I should have stayed away from him. I could hardly comprehend this man’s reasoning. Today, I could feel safe, but what if I failed to help him in a few weeks, days, or even tomorrow? What if he changed his mind and snapped my neck like a twig, or worse, ripped my heart out?
Still, my wolf seemed to ignore the danger we were in. She was all for claiming him as ours, as if forgetting that he had nearly killed us just hours ago…
A knock on the door sounded, and my heart leaped to my throat. “My lady, we brought you breakfast,” a female voice sounded. “May we come in?”
A wry smile formed. A moment ago, everyone had treated me like a worthless slave, and now, I was a “lady.” Drawing a deep breath, I rose from the bed, hurriedly combing my tangled hair with my fingers. “Come in, please,” I said.
The door opened, and two women in their forties entered the room. One of them carried a tray with food and a jar of water, while the other one had a pile of clothes with a pair of shoes on top. The maids looked nearly identical, as if they were twins. They both had gray and white uniforms, and their brown hair was tied in similar buns on top of their heads. The one carrying a tray placed it on the table and invitingly pulled out a chair for me to sit. “You should eat, my lady.” She smiled, her gray eyes gleaming with kindness.
“It’s Orelia,” I muttered, smiling back. “Please, call me by my name.” I walked over to the table as the other maid placed the pile of clothes on the bed.
“These are for you. Alpha said you should get something comfortable to work with our healer.”
I nodded, surveying the pile. I saw a long gray tunic and a pair of leggings, and a wide grin stretched across my face. “Thank you,” I said, glancing at both of them.
They bowed, then one of them added, “Alpha told us to inform you that you’re welcome to use his bath chamber. A guard will come for you in a while. He will take you to our healer.” They bowed again and quickly left the room.
I wasted no time, eating the breakfast as fast as I could and storming to the adjoining bath chamber to wash myself and comb my hair. I merely finished putting on my clothes and shoes when the guard knocked on the door.
“My lady, I’m here to escort you to Silas” A sentinel with curly blond hair nodded, gesturing for me to follow him. He must have been in his mid–twenties, but the cold glint in his eyes betrayed years of hardship.
I was slowly getting annoyed with all the royal treatment. “It’s Orelia,” I said, lining up with him as he started
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Chapter 21
down the hallway. “And how do I call you?”
“I’m Marcus,” he tossed, refusing to even look at me.
:
My eyes narrowed. “You don’t seem to like me, Marcus, do you?”
A cold smirk tugged at his lips. “You’re right… Orelia. I don’t like you,” he said dryly.
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I should probably end our not–conversation on that, but his tone triggered a wave of irritation I could not ignore. “May I ask why?”
Marcus halted and slowly turned to me. “You’re one of them,” he strained through his teeth. “We’re trained to kill wolves like you, not SERVE them.”
Again, I should have probably shut my mouth already, and yet, more words flew out before I could stop them. “You said I’m one of them… Who do you mean exactly?” I locked my eyes on his blue ones.
He inched closer. “Nobles serving King Zyran, fucking loyalists.”
My anger rose. “You don’t even know me, and yet you assume-”
“I don’t need to know you. You’re all the same.” He resumed his steps, turning his gaze away from me. Well, too bad. My determination to continue only grew stronger.
“Where do you come from, Marcus?”
He sighed through his clenched teeth, but then answered. “Mirrovale, a small village near Ferenmoor.”
“Really?” A smug smirk formed. “That’s in Golden Hills Pack territory, right?”
I finally got his attention. He turned to me as if surprised I knew that much.
“Thiana, my roommate, also comes from a village near Ferenmoor,” I explained and quickly added, “She mentioned you used to have a good and caring Alpha… but then he was killed.” I studied his reaction.
Marcus worked his jaw, then nodded. “Alpha Esmer was a decent man,” he admitted.
“Doesn’t it prove there are royals that aren’t necessarily bad?” I challenged.
“He was a rare exception,” he grunted as he started descending the stairs.
“But it proves my point,” I stated. “You don’t know me. You shouldn’t judge me.”
He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. I expected him to throw some kind of remark or find a new insult, but that didn’t happen. Instead, his lips curved into a faint smile. We exited the main building, and Marcus pointed at the cottage on the other side of the courtyard. “Silas’s clinic is over there. Have you ever worked with healing potions?”
My brows rose. Did he just ask me a question? Well, that was progress, right? “I have. I even fueled a few with my magic,” I said.
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Chapter 21
“Really?” A genuine surprise sounded in his tone.
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I nodded. “Yep. However, my father didn’t approve of it. He wanted me to keep my abilities secret, especially in front of the King’s men.”
A smirk tugged at Marcus’s lips. “Then your father is a smart man.”
“Was,” I muttered, a knot forming in my throat in an instant. “He was murdered… along with his Beta, Gamma, and their mates.”
His brows knitted. “Murdered by whom?”
I drew a ragged breath. “His brother, my uncle.” My hands fisted. “He told me it was King Zyran who wanted my father’s death.”
Marcus gave me a grim nod as if acknowledging my words but said nothing. A moment later, he stopped in front of the cottage and pointed at the door. “I’ll leave you here… Orelia. Have a pleasant time working with the old man.” A smug smile curled up his lips.
“Thank you, Marcus.” I bowed and smiled back at him.
He turned around and rushed to the main building while I knocked on Silas’s door. “Come in,” a groan sounded.
Frowning, I opened the door and saw Silas sitting in an armchair, pressing an herbal compress to his forehead. “What happened to you?” I rushed toward him, scanning him from head to toe.
He smiled wryly, pulling away the compress and revealing a decent bruise. “Tariq happened.”
My eyes widened. “He hit you?”
“Knocked me down so I wouldn’t interfere,” he muttered, rising to his feet. “I’m so sorry, Orelia.” He looked me up and down, relief painted all over his face. “Thank the gods you’re all right.”
“But you’re not.” I stepped closer, extending my hand toward him. He watched me warily as I cautiously placed my hand on his forehead. “I can fix that,” I told him before closing my eyes and summoning my
power.
I heard him gasp, and I knew that was when my light sank into the bruise. I waited a few heartbeats, then my eyes opened. Silas stared at me, his eyes wide. “It’s gone, isn’t it?” he mumbled as I looked at his forehead. “You healed me, didn’t you?”
A smug smirk tugged at my lips. “I did.”
A nervous laugh escaped him. “I suspected your power might be extraordinary, but I never thought it would be this… magnificent.” He gestured for me to sit on one of the armchairs.
Sighing, I took a seat just as he returned to his. “I used to be proud of my gift. I heard that wolves like me were always welcomed at the King’s court. I dreamed that one day I would come to Lasairis and use my abilities to heal people…”
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Chapter 21
…
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Silas gave me a thin–lipped smile. “It might sound cruel, but I’m glad your plans didn’t work out.”
I leaned forward, fixing my eyes on him. “You told me before I should stay away from the King because of my gift. Why did you mean?”
His expression turned grim. “I said it because he uses gifted wolves. He sacrifices their powerful spirits. He sucks them dry and kills them to gain strength and longevity.”
A shudder rushed through me. “What…what are you trying to say?”
Silas’s eyes fixed on me. “King Zyran wasn’t blessed by the gods. His so–called holy power comes from the wolves he killed.”
