Why?

“Get out!” I heard him shout, but he still wasn’t looking at me.

“Leave!” he yelled again, louder this time, his voice echoing off the walls. I didn’t wait for a third warning. Despite the way my legs trembled beneath me, I turned and ran.

Camellia and the other maid were waiting outside the chamber doors. The moment they saw me, shock flashed across their faces — and then, strangely, they smiled.

Why were they smiling? I had almost died in there. The thought made my stomach twist. Was it relief? Or had they somehow expected this?

Camellia hurried toward me at once. “Are you okay, my lady? Did he touch you? Are you hurt? Where does it pain?” The questions poured out so quickly that I barely had a chance to breathe, let alone answer.

“I am fine,” I cut in sharply. My voice sounded harsher than I intended, even to me.

She flushed and stepped back, nodding.

“Is my lord okay?” she asked cautiously, lowering her eyes as though afraid I might snap at her.

I couldn’t have cared less if he wasn’t. But I didn’t say that. Instead, I simply stared at her, watching her fidget nervously.

“You have nothing to worry about, my lady. He will be fine in a couple of hours, provided no one goes in there.”

Though I didn’t care about the reassurance, I still found myself asking, almost involuntarily, “Since when has he been like this?”

She sighed, glanced around nervously, and then moved closer. “I am not allowed to speak about Alpha Alexander’s condition. No one is. Not even the elders.”

“I won’t report you,” I said quietly. “You can tell me anything.”

She shook her head. “You don’t need to report me before he finds out. I must advise you, my lady… stay away from him.”

“What do we do now?” I asked, my voice quieter than I expected.

“We wait for him to come out.”

And that was exactly what we did — for hours.

The minutes stretched like days. I tried to sit still, tried to keep my hands from shaking, but it was impossible. Every creak of the floor, every distant step in the corridor, made my pulse quicken.

When he finally appeared, he looked exhausted, like a warrior who had barely survived a battlefield. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He didn’t spare us a single glance and started to storm away.

But his steps weren’t steady. For a second, I thought he might fall.

I took one last look at him and finally noticed the deep cut on his shoulder. Blood dripped from it, trailing down his arm to his fingers. My stomach clenched.

Camellia and the other maid quickly looked away, perhaps pretending they hadn’t noticed. I wanted to do the same, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“Alpha Alexander,” I called, surprised at my own boldness.

He stopped in his tracks, and I felt Camellia grip my hand tightly. I pulled my hand free and slowly walked toward him, not stopping until I stood directly in front of him.

“You are bleeding,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He glanced briefly at his shoulder. “It’s nothing,” he replied dismissively and moved to walk past me.

“It looks serious,” I insisted, stepping closer, unable to hide the fear in my voice.

“Allow me to clean it for you,” I heard myself say, my words surprising even me.

Dear Moon Goddess, where did this confidence come from?

To my surprise, he stopped this time and turned to face me. I took the opportunity to look into his eyes. Both were blue again — piercing and unnerving.

For the first time since Calista escaped, his eyes looked... almost human. Almost.

Without saying a word, he walked back toward my room.

“Get the medicine chest,” I said as I passed Camellia.

“My lady…” she began, but I cut her off with a sharp glance.

“Now.”

Alpha Alexander sat on the edge of the bed, looking almost harmless — except I knew he wasn’t. The blood staining his arms made my heart clench, a tightness I couldn’t explain.

Camellia returned shortly with the chest, and I carefully began cleaning his wound. The cut was deep but not fatal, the edges ragged. I worked methodically, though my hands shook slightly.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” he asked suddenly.

I couldn’t even deny it. My heart felt like it might burst.

“Why did you help her?” he asked again.

I knew he meant Calista, so I kept silent.

He studied me for a long moment, his piercing gaze unnerving me, but he didn’t press further. When I finished cleaning and wrapping the wound, he stood and left without another word.

“My lady, I already warned you to stay away from him,” Camellia said immediately, her voice anxious.

“You didn’t tell me why,” I replied.

“You don’t need to know all of that, my lady. All you need to know is that your life is at stake any time he is around you.”

I knew she was right. But I couldn’t bear the thought of watching him suffer, bleeding, and pretending it didn’t matter.

“He used to be very different,” she continued, drawing me back to the present. I turned my full attention to her.

She sat beside me on the bed. “He would scold the head maid for overworking us. He even ate dinner at the same table with us... until...”

“Until?” I urged, leaning forward.

She glanced across the room, noticing the other maid watching us, and suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“What is your name?” I asked the maid.

“Violet, my lady.”

I nodded. “I no longer need your help, Violet. I am certain Camellia can take care of me.”

She looked uneasy but bowed and left the room.

Camellia stood to make sure the door was locked, then returned to sit beside me.

“My lady, you must promise to keep this a secret.”

“Of course,” I said firmly.

“Have you ever heard of the Shadowfang Pack, my lady?”

I nodded slowly. Shadowfang. I remembered them well. For years, they had wreaked havoc across our land. Then, suddenly... they vanished. No one knew why.

“I overheard the elders speaking about it,” Camellia whispered. “Umbryth — the dark magic inside Alpha Alexander — once belonged to the Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack. When Alpha Alexander killed him... the magic did not die.”

My breath stilled.

“It jumped into him.”