CHAPTER 3 — THE DAY MY TROUBLES BEGAN

NEIRA

Three years earlier.

I had still been living behind the walls of my father's palace. I remembered that morning, my sister, Elen had been arguing with me over a hair ribbon.

“You took mine.”

She stood in front of my mirror, holding the blue ribbon against her hair.

I looked at her through the reflection. “It was on my table.”

“You left it there.”

“So?”

She smiled. “It became mine.”

I laughed despite myself.

“You are impossible.”

She stuck out her tongue at me, and for a few minutes, everything felt normal.

That was what hurt the most when I remembered it. We had been laughing and arguing over something so small when the first horn sounded.

Elen's smile disappeared, we both turned toward the window, then the second horn followed, then another.

My stomach dropped. “Neira,” Elen whispered.

I was already moving, I pushed the curtains aside and looked down into the courtyard.

People were running, Guards were shouting. Horses were being brought forward, their hooves striking hard against the stone.

Then I saw the smoke, there was so much of it that it filled the air around the palace.

“Stay here,” I told Elen.

I moved toward the door, but she grabbed my arm.

“What is happening? Where are you going?”

“I don't know.”

I looked toward the window again.

“But I think the war has reached us.”

My father had been fighting for weeks to keep the enemy away from the capital.

That morning, the palace gates shook under the force of the attack.

Elen's fingers tightened around mine.

“Are they inside?”

I didn't have time to answer, I was already moving towards the backyard when the doors to our chamber burst open.

One of our guards stumbled inside, blood ran down the side of his face.

“Princesses, you need to leave. Now.”

“Where is my father?” I asked.

The guard looked away, his hands fell at his sides, he didn't answer. I knew then, my father had been killed.

Something inside me broke. I immediately pulled Elen behind me. “We need to move. Now.”

We ran, I could still remember the screams, the smoke, the smell of fire filling the air, the sound of steel crashing against steel.

Everything I had known seemed to disappear within a few hours, by sunset, our kingdom had fallen. My father's crown was gone.

Our flag had been pulled down and I was dragged away from Elen, out of my home with my wrists tied.

I didn't know where they were taking me, I only knew that every road took me farther away from everything I knew.

I was brought into Keiran's palace, like a trophy he had won. He had specifically asked that I be brought to his palace away from other captured slaves.

The doors opened, I was pushed forward and nearly fell. A guard caught my arm and forced me upright.

Then I looked up, Keiran stood at the end of the hall, his eyes landed on me. I waited for the order.

Take her away, lock her up, finish her. Anything.

Instead, he looked at the guard holding me.

“Let her go.”

The guard hesitated.

“Your Highness—”

“Are you deaf? Don't make me repeat myself. I said let her go.”

The hand around my arm disappeared, I stepped back immediately.

Keiran looked at me again.

“You are Princess Neira Maldow?”

I lowered my gaze, I was shaking too badly to speak. One of the guards answered for me.

“Yes, Crown Alpha.”

Keiran's jaw tightened.

“Then you would speak to her like a princess.”

I almost laughed. Princess? That word meant nothing anymore, not after my kingdom had been taken.

Keiran noticed my silence.

“You're not going to be harmed tonight. I know you don't believe me. I can tell from the way you're trembling.”

His voice was calmer than expected.

“You don't have to believe me yet.”

He turned to one of the servants.

“Take her to the east wing. Give her clean clothes and food.”

Then he looked back at me.

“No one touches her without my permission.”

I should have been relieved, Instead, I was confused. Kindness from someone who had power over me frightened me almost as much as being cruel.

The next day, I was standing in front of the Queen who delivered the order for me to be taken away, my hands shaking at my sides.

“Why is the captured princess staying inside the palace?”

Her eyes hardened.

“It is the Crown Alpha's decision, Your majesty” the servant assigned to my room answered quietly.

“What for? All the other captives have been taken to serve in other packs.”

She lowered her eyes.

“Your Majesty, I am only carrying out Prince Keiran's message. He wants this captured princess to remain in the palace. He specifically asked that she be given the room closest to his study and be kept as his concubine”

The Queen stepped closer to me, my heart sank. I lowered my eyes to the floor.

“Listen carefully.” She grabbed my face, her nails pressing into my skin.

“Don't get any crazy ideas. The prince loves women. He probably sees you as a toy for relief, and that is fine. But if I catch you trying to manipulate your way into a higher position or thinking too highly of yourself, I will burn you alive just like your father and your entire kingdom were burned today.”

I nodded quickly and pressed myself against the wall as if it could make me disappear.

••••°°°°••••

The footsteps outside the door brought me back to the present. I pulled the duvet around myself and stared at the door Keiran had walked through.

For three years, I had chosen to believe Keiran loved me, but loving me in secret was different from choosing me in front of everyone.

His mother's voice had made one thing painfully clear, when he came back, she would expect him to choose a woman who could stand beside him.

A woman fit to be his Luna, I lowered my eyes. Where did that leave me? A concubine could be desired, but could a woman like me ever be chosen?

A soft knock came at the door, I quickly wiped my face. “Come in.”

A maid stepped inside. “Neira, Crown Alpha has requested that you come to the courtyard to bid him goodbye before he leaves.”

My pulse jumped and my grin widened before I could stop myself, I stood immediately, even after hearing Queen Elyra's words, a small part of me still hoped.

Maybe the man I loved would come back to me, just maybe he would return and everything would finally be different.