2/2
When Alaric finally left, taking Ophelia with him, I realized I needed to escape. The grand hall, with its sparkling chandeliers and watchful eyes, seemed to be closing in on me.
I felt suffocated after watching that awful confrontation. My stomach turned at how cruelly Alaric had ripped away Ophelia’s veil, exposing her scars to everyone.
“I need to go to the restroom,” I murmured to Kaius, who sat beside me looking perfectly at ease while I felt like I was drowning.
He frowned slightly. “Frost can go with you.”
“I can go on my own,” I insisted, trying not to sound as desperate as felt.
Kaius studied me for a moment, his amber eyes unreadable. I could see the debate in his eyes. His instinct to control fought against some other consideration I couldn’t quite identify.
“Don’t take too long,” he finally said, his tone making it clear this was a concession rather than permission.
I nodded and rose from the table, feeling dozens of eyes tracking my movement as I made my way across the grand hall. Only once I was in the corridor did I finally exhale, my shoulders sagging as the weight of constant.observation temporarily lifted.
I had no real destination in mind–just away. Away from the scrutiny away from the need to perform, away from the suffocating reality of my position. The quiet of the hallway was a balm after the boisterous feast.
“Luna.”
I stiffened at the familiar voice. So much for my moment of peace.
Lysandra stood in the middle of the corridor, her electric blue hair vibrant even in the dim lighting. Her posture was casual, almost friendly, but her eyes watched with tactical assessment.
“We meet again,” I replied, keeping my voice neutral despite the alarm bells ringing in my head.
“Yes, Luna, and it is of course a pleasure to meet you again.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
I glanced back toward the feast hall. “I hadn’t realized you left the feast.”
“Well, I’m glad I did; with all the tension building up there, it could get very uncomfortable.” She moved closer, her moyéments fluid and steady.
“Lysandra,” I said, my smile genuine, “I truly owe you a debt of thanks. Kaius and Frost wouldn’t have known about the attack if not for you. What you did… it saved my life.”
“That’s alright; I would protect the Alpha’s property at all costs.”
The words were chosen to wound, and despite myself, they found their mark. “Excuse me?”
“That’s what you are to him; no offense, but you aren’t his true mate” she said, her voice dropping lower.
I kept my expression neutral, though my heart raced.
“Oh, don’t worry, no one heard us; this little secret is between me and you,” she continued, misinterpreting my silence. “But I’ll only keep it under one condition.”
1/3
“I do not care what you think, Lysandra,” I said, injecting as much confidence into my voice as I could muster. “I’m kind of in a haste as always, so as much as I appreciate this chat, I am less than willing to continue,”
I moved to step around her, but she shifted, blocking my path.
“If I were you, I’d walk out of my way; otherwise…” I let the threat ang in the air, empty as it was. We both knew who held the real power here.
“No offense…” she began.
“I know you mean to offend me, so please stop using the
word when we
know you don’t
mean it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Okay then. I don’t mean to threaten you; I know what hold against him? What could make him so madly indebted to you?”
Kaius
Can do. But I want to know, what exactly do you
This was dangerous territory. She was fishing, but she clearly suspected something about our arrangement wasn’t genuine. I couldn’t let her see me falter. Something inside me refused to back down – I needed to stand my ground.
“Guess?” I asked. She looked puzzled. “Come closer,” I said to her, and she did draw closer. “You want to know what I hold against him?” I asked, and she nodded. “I have this thing called the mate bond.”
She pulled away a snarl on her lips.
“TIИeave now. But know one thing: I will find out what this thing is and when I do…” She paused before walking away, never completing her sentence.
I let out a shaky breath once she was gone. The encounter had left me rattled, my brief escape from the feast ruined. I should return to Kaius–he’d be wondering where I was, possibly already sending someone to look for me.
But I couldn’t face the feast hall again, not yet. Not with Lysandra’s accusations still ringing in my ears. I needed a few more
minutes alone.
I wandered deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the pack house, keeping track of my turns so I could find my way back. The further I went from the main hall, the quieter it became, until the only sound was my own breathing and the occasional distant
voice.
he
was
again-
a
sound of pain, quickly stifled.
A muffled cry broke the silence, so faint I almost missed it. I paused, listening. There it
Before I could think better of it, I followed the sound to a heavy wooden door, left slightly ajar. Another cry came from within, this one unmistakable–someone was being hurt.
The memory of my time at Mistwood flashed through my mind–the times I’d cried out in pain from Dorian’s cruelty, hoping someone would hear, would help. No one ever did.
I pushed the door open without knocking.
The scene before me froze my blood. Ophelia–Queen, Luna, Kaius’s mother–hung suspended from chains in the center of the room, her naked back a tapestry of fresh welts and old scars. Blood trickled from several wounds, staining the floor beneath her feet.
Alaric stood behind her, a leather whip in his hand, his face flushed with what looked disturbingly like pleasure. He hadn’t noticed me yet, too focused on his wife’s suffering.
I stood paralyzed in the doorway, unable to process what I was seeing. This wasn’t ordinary domestic violence–this was torture, systematic and practiced. The room was clearly designed for this purpose, with restraints and implements of pain displayed on the walls like trophies.
2/3
Ophelia’s head lifted slightly, her eyes meeting mine through a curtain of tangled hair. Recognition dawned in those pain–dulled eyes, followed by something that might have been shame.
I should leave. I should pretend I never saw this, never stumbled in this private hell. But my feet refused to move, rooted to the spot as Alaric raised the whip again.
This was the man Kaius had been raised by. The man who’d shaped m, taught him what it meant to be an Alpha, a mate, a man.
The whip whistled through the air, landing with a sickening crack across Ophelia’s shoulder blades. Her body jerked, but she made. no sound this time.
My stomach roiled. I couldn’t watch this, couldn’t allow it to continu
“Stop!”
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