6. Leftovers

Eira’s POV

Pacing back and forth in the room, I tried to think of an escape plan. Even if I attempted to flee, I knew I couldn’t escape Kieran. He would catch up to me if he decided to chase after me.

He wasn’t willing to let me go, even though I had rejected him. I still couldn’t understand him.

How could he claim to love me after everything he had done? It was disgusting. Hating someone like him wasn’t hard. Yet, deep down, I feared I might give in to his words if I stayed here too long.

I might not have felt the bond because my wolf was absent and I had rejected him. Knowing that I had no idea when my wolf would return, I needed to leave before that happened.

After thinking for hours, I still couldn’t come up with any viable escape plans. Just as I was about to give up, vivid blue eyes flashed in my mind—his dark, silver-streaked hair falling over his temple as he peered up at me.

My eyes widened. I still had one option. ‘Magnus.’

*****

I spent the next three hours devising a plan to escape the pack with Magnus’s help. I had no idea how long he would be staying or how I was going to meet him, but I knew one thing for certain—his car was still outside. He hadn’t left yet.

There had to be a way to get out of this attic.

Moving to the door, I pressed my ear against it. Silence. But I was sure the guards were still there.

Since I didn’t know them personally, there was no way I could convince them to let me out. They only listened to Kieran, and they wouldn’t dare disobey his orders.

My only hope was my maid.

*****

Another week passed, and I was still trapped in the room.

Sitting on the bed, I glanced at the plate of food sitting on the dusty table. They hadn’t bothered to clean the room, and now they had placed my food on such a filthy surface.

My stomach grumbled in protest. I was starving.

I hadn’t eaten in a week. The only thing keeping me alive was the bottle of water I drank daily. From the look of the food, it was clear they were leftovers.

Leftovers. Vanessa must have had a hand in this. I was sure she wanted to assert some control in the household. But even that wasn’t the worst of it.

Kieran hadn’t visited in a week. He didn’t care. If he did, he would’ve checked the food himself.

“That son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath.

My gaze shifted to the food, and for a moment, I was tempted to eat it. But just as I reached for it, the lock on the door clicked, and the door swung open.

My heart raced as I whipped my head toward the door, trying to guess who it could be.

Vanessa? Had she come to taunt me? Or was it Kieran?

Before I could figure it out, the person stepped inside.

Kieran.

What was he doing here? Was he here to taunt me?

“You’re awake?” he asked, his eyes scanning the room before landing on the untouched plate of food. “You didn’t eat anything?”

Disgust churned in my stomach. Not only did he ignore the state of the room, but now he was pretending to care that I hadn’t eaten. That kind of trickery wouldn’t work on me anymore.

“What does it matter to you if I eat or not?” I snapped, glaring at him. “If you cared so much, you would’ve made sure I wasn’t served leftovers.”

His eyes narrowed, and in a blink, he was in front of me. Squatting, he grabbed a handful of my hair, his sly smile returning.

“Vanessa asked to be the one to handle your meals,” he said, his voice soft, almost affectionate.

His words made me glare at him even harder. I had been right—Vanessa was responsible for my meals, and she was intentionally giving me scraps.

“You knew she was giving me leftovers?” I demanded, even though I already knew the answer.

He raised my hair to his lips and kissed it, his piercing gaze locked on mine.

“Don’t be mad at her,” he murmured. “She hates seeing food go to waste. It must’ve been a mistake. Vanessa has never taken care of a Luna before, so she’s clueless in these matters.”

My teeth clenched as anger boiled inside me. I slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me! You’re just as disgusting as I thought,” I hissed.

His eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t look away.

“How can she be so clueless about what should or shouldn’t be served?” I demanded. “You’re so determined to defend her that you’re willing to make up excuses.”

His warm expression vanished, replaced by a cold, hard stare.

“Staying locked in here for a week doesn’t seem to have been enough,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I thought it would make you come to your senses, but clearly, it hasn’t.”

Grabbing me by the shoulders, he stood, leaning down until our faces were inches apart. The icy look in his eyes made my skin crawl, but I refused to let him see any fear.

“If you accept Vanessa as part of this household and stop asking for a divorce, I’ll give you full control over her,” he offered, his tone deceptively calm.

My eyes widened in disgust. Shoving him away, I stood.

“I’ll never accept her!” I shouted.

What did he take me for? A fool?

His expression darkened. “How dare you…”

He raised his hand, and I braced myself, expecting the blow. He was going to hit me again.

There was no one to witness it this time, and it would likely be worse. I couldn’t overpower him, so all I could do was endure.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the strike. But nothing came.

“Damn it!” I heard him curse.

Opening my eyes, I cautiously looked up at him.

He had withdrawn his hand, but there was a guilty look on his face. What was that? My body recoiled in disgust at the expression he wore.

Why did he stop?

“You will be leaving this room tomorrow,” Kieran began. “Magnus Ironfang is here, and he's been demanding to meet you since he saw you at the wedding.”

At the mention of Magnus, the realization hit me. He had stopped himself from hitting me because he didn’t want anyone to see the bruise.

“You would have been let out sooner if it wasn’t for the injury on your head,” he added. “It was also your fault for shoving Vanessa.”

Hearing him blame me for shoving Vanessa didn’t faze me. I didn’t care to defend myself; all I wanted was to hear more about Magnus.

“I thought Magnus was an enemy of this place?” I asked.

His brows rose slightly, as though surprised by the question. “The business idea you came up with will be sold to him,” he replied. “He didn’t want me to sell it unless you were involved since you’re the original creator. He insisted on meeting you. I told him you traveled, but he said I should call you back.”

Kieran ran his hand through his hair, the way he always did when he was frustrated. “I’ll explain the details tomorrow,” he said, his gaze shifting to the untouched food on the table. “I’ll send a maid to bring you something to eat.”

With that, he turned and headed for the door. Just before stepping out, he paused and glanced back at me. “Don’t think of leaving this room before then.” Raising his hand, he revealed a pair of keys. “I have them with me.”

He walked out, slamming the door shut behind him. Exhausted from standing, I slumped onto the bed. I had to sneak out of the room tonight, no matter what.