Nyssa pov
“And then I made my father, the esteemed Alpha of the Moonfang pack, along with his beta and gamma, sit down while I started applying makeup on each of them. It’s been so many years, I must have been about seven at the time but I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. It was hilarious. You were there too, Serena, though I doubt you remember anything,” I said with a chuckle, stabbing my fork into a piece of bacon as I glanced at Serena, who sat beside me with an awkward expression, her face flushed pink, her head slightly lowered as though she wanted to hide behind her hair.
I could feel the maids‘ eyes fixed on me as I brought the bacon to my mouth and took a bite, speaking mid chew.
“I also remember when i asked you to put makeup on Father, you practically fainted on the spot from fear and didn’t wake up for an hour. Haha, I can still see Father, Benjamin, and Calen’s shocked expressions as they watched you faint. And with all that makeup on their faces, they looked absolutely adorable,” I said with a grin.
Almost immediately, Serena’s face and everyone else shifted into disbelief, and I knew why. Serena understood just how terrifying my father, Benjamin, and Calen could be when they wanted to. And the maids, who had only met my father for the first time yesterday, seemed even more shaken.
Before that, they had probably assumed outsiders were weak, even Alphas, since no one was ever allowed inside the pack, not even other Alphas. Yesterday had been their first time encountering one. Though my father could never rival Darius, the Lycan King, he was still likely the strongest man they had ever seen apart from him, and his aura alone made that impossible to ignore.
Maybe that explained why, when I came out of my room to eat lunch, their usual disdain for me as an outsider had vanished.
“Miss…” Serena called out, her tone edged with frustration as she shook her head, silently pleading with me to stop speaking about Father that way. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her.
So, after we–well, after Serena cried her eyes out, I took a bath, and Isabella styled my hair. Since I had missed breakfast, I was now having lunch with Serena seated beside me, eating as well. I was fairly certain she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.
Three maids stood behind me, silently waiting and serving food: Isabella and two others I didn’t recognize. Darius, Cassian, and Drake weren’t here, and when I asked Isabella, she said they were busy. She wasn’t sure if they would even come for lunch since they had skipped breakfast as well.
And when I asked about Zayn, she said she didn’t know, he hadn’t left his room since morning. Which meant, in the end, I was practically eating alone.
My gaze shifted to Serena, who was staring at me, her face flushed pink.
Well, not entirely alone. I had forced Serena to eat with me.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop talking,” I said with a small scoff, and just as I was about to continue eating, the sound of footsteps and voices made me pause mid- bite. When I turned to see who it was, my earlier good mood vanished instantly, my smile dropping the moment my eyes landed on her.
Walking toward the dining table were Zayn and Ella, Cassian’s mate, the same girl who reminded me so much of Aria.
She walked beside Zayn with a bright smile, dressed in a short pink dress and heels that clicked loudly with every step. Her laughter rang out across the hall, echoing through the entire packhouse.
“Oh my, that’s hilarious, Zayn. I can’t believe people from outside behave like that. I suppose we’re far more cultured here. But then again, what do you expect from outsiders?” she said in a mocking tone.
Zayn, on the other hand… looked uncomfortable Almost like he’d rather do anything else than keep up a conversation with Ella.
“Hm… the world outside this pack is actually broader and far richer than you think, Miss Ella. Because the Lunaris Dominion has been in isolation for so many years, it doesn’t have many of the things the outside world does. And don’t forget” he pointed at himself with a faint smile, “I’m an outsider.”
The moment he said that, I could feel the awkwardness settle between them. Ella’s smile twitched at his words, while Zayn’s only widened, his eyes curving with amusement.
A second later, Ella let out an awkward laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Haha, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You’re so talented, Zayn, that I sometimes forget you’re not from this pack,” she said quickly.
As they finally drew closer to us, her gaze shifted to me and her smile widened.
“Ah, look who it is… the king’s mate. Hi, Nyssa, how are you doing?” she greeted cheerfully, her hand lifted in the air with that bright smile plastered across her face.
I could feel every pair of eyes turn to me, watching closely to see what I would do. Even Zayn’s gaze shifted my way, and though I didn’t look directly at him, I could practically sense the slight curve of his lips, amusement flickering across his face as he watched me.
And I understood why.
The last time Ella was here, we’d had a slight altercation, and Darius had banned her from stepping foot in the packhouse again. So yes, seeing her back now was a surprise.
But as I stared at her, it was all the same as before-
That fake smile.
That hidden disdain behind her eyes.
That subtle agenda behind every single word and gesture.
She reminded me too much of Aria, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted nothing to do with her. I wasn’t even going to pretend. My time was far too valuable to waste on someone like her.
“You don’t want to answer me, Nyssa? Are you still upset with me? This is the second time we’re meeting, and the first might not have been-”
My expression stayed blank. Before she could finish her sentence, I shifted my gaze away from her and turned to Zayn instead.
“Good morning, Zayn. How was your night? I wanted to thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it,” I said with the brightest smile I could muster, ignoring Ella completely.
I could feel the shock ripple through the room, every pair of eyes widening at how blatantly I had dismissed her.
Zayn arched a brow, clearly amused, but his lips curved into a smile as he let out a low chuckle.
“Oh, about that? You’re welcome. You don’t need to thank me,” he replied, and for the briefest moment, his gaze flicked toward Ella.
She stared at me in surprise, but that shock quickly sharpened into anger as her lips parted to speak.
Once again, I cut her off. Setting my fork down on the plate, I calmly picked up a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of my mouth before rising to my feet. Turning to Serena, who looked at me in confusion, I spoke evenly.
“Let’s go back to my room. I’m done eating.”
She blinked, then hurriedly nodded and stood up as well. As I walked away, she followed close behind and, to my surprise, Isabella chose to trail after me
too.
Behi
