Shadows in the Hall

Elsa’s POV

The dining hall still buzzed in my ears long after I had left it. The stares, the whispers, the weight of every gaze pressed on me as though I had swallowed fire. Dylan’s words replayed in my mind again and again: “She sits beside me because she belongs here.”

He had spoken with such certainty, his tone brooking no argument, but the memory brought me no comfort. If anything, it made my pulse race faster. His declaration had silenced the murmurs in the hall, yet silence did not mean acceptance. It only meant the pack would whisper later, out of his hearing. And their whispers were always sharper than open insults.

When we rose from the table, Dylan’s hand had brushed mine briefly as he leaned close and ordered, “Go and change. You will meet my mother and my sisters. They should see you as you are not in a servant’s plain clothes.”

The words were simple, but the weight behind them left my chest tight. His mother. His sisters. The Luna’s family. People whose opinions could shape my future in this pack or destroy it.

Two guards escorted me through the corridor, their steps heavy behind mine. The chill of the stone floors seeped through my slippers, and the air felt colder than usual. Perhaps it was nerves, or perhaps the walls themselves carried the judgment of those who had dined there before me.

We turned into the east wing, the corridor long and lined with portraits of Alphas past. Their painted eyes seemed to follow me as though weighing my worth. I kept my chin high, refusing to let them see how my hands trembled at my sides.

I was almost at the door to my new chamber when the sound of footsteps echoed from the opposite hallway. Sharp, steady, commanding.

The guards slowed. I lifted my eyes and froze.

She appeared like a shadow breaking into flame: tall, elegant, her gown dark as midnight yet shimmering as though woven from threads of starlight. Her hair was glossy black, pinned back to reveal a face too beautiful to be kind. She carried herself with the confidence of someone who believed the world should kneel at her feet.

The mistress.

Her eyes locked on me instantly, and in that single glance I knew she despised me. There was no curiosity, no doubt, no question of who I was. Only pure loathing, as if my presence itself offended her.

The guards bowed their heads in respect. “Mistress Veronica,” one muttered.

So this was the woman I had only heard of in whispers the Alpha’s former favorite, who had lingered in power even without his claim.

She stopped before me, her gaze sweeping me from head to toe. The silence stretched, heavy and sharp, until I thought I might suffocate under it. Then her lips curved into a smile a smile too sweet to be anything but poison.

“So,” she said softly, her voice smooth as silk and just as deadly. “You are the little stray who has been making such noise.”

I swallowed, fighting to keep my voice steady. “My name is Elsa.”

Her smile widened, but her eyes glittered with disdain. “Elsa. Such a fragile name. Fitting, I suppose.” She tilted her head, studying me like a predator examining prey. “Do you know what happens to strays in this pack?”

The guards shifted uncomfortably, but neither spoke. I held my ground, though my heart thundered in my chest. “I am not a stray.”

Her laugh was low and cruel. “No? Then what are you? A servant pretending to sit at the Alpha’s side? A girl playing Luna in a gown she doesn’t deserve?”

Her words sliced deep, each one designed to strip me bare. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms, but I refused to look away.

“You may think his attention makes you special,” she continued, circling me like a viper, “but I know Dylan. He tires of new toys quickly. When he does, what will you be then? Nothing. Less than nothing. And when he casts you aside, I will be here still.”

The guards exchanged glances, clearly uneasy, but Veronica’s confidence was unshaken. She leaned closer, her perfume cloying, her whisper hot against my ear.

“Do you know why the pack obeys me, even now? Because I understand what it means to hold power. You… you are just a girl pretending not to tremble.”

I stiffened, refusing to let her see the truth in her words. Yes, I was trembling. Yes, fear gnawed at my insides. But I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

“Step aside, Mistress,” one of the guards said, his tone hesitant but firm. “The Alpha has ordered that she prepare to meet the family.”

Her eyes flicked to him, and the guard instantly dropped his gaze, as though scorched by her stare. Then Veronica returned her attention to me, her smile gone now, replaced by something darker.

“Meet the family?” she said, her tone mocking. “Oh, how amusing. Do you really think they will accept you? His mother will tear you apart with a single glance. His sisters will laugh behind their hands. You will be nothing but a stain on their name. And when you falter, I will be waiting to see you fall.”

Her words coiled around me like smoke, suffocating, burning. For a moment, doubt pierced through my resolve, sharp and cruel. What if she was right? What if Dylan’s family saw me as nothing but a blemish on their pride?

But then Rema stirred within me, her voice fierce. We survived worse than her. Do not bow.

I straightened my spine. “We will see,” I whispered.

Her eyes narrowed, and for the first time, her mask cracked. “Careful, little stray,” she hissed. “Pride is a dangerous thing. It can get you killed.”

With a final glare sharp enough to cut glass, she swept past me, her gown trailing like smoke. The scent of her lingered in the air long after she was gone, cloying and bitter.

The corridor felt colder in her absence, as though she had stolen the warmth with her. I let out a slow breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, my hands shaking despite my best efforts.

One of the guards cleared his throat softly. “Don’t take her words to heart. Mistress Veronica… she doesn’t like anyone near the Alpha.”

I nodded faintly, though his attempt at comfort did little to ease the knot in my stomach.

As we reached my chamber, I paused at the door, looking back down the hall where she had vanished. My cheek still burned where she had leaned close, her venom still in my ears.

She hated me. Truly hated me. And hatred from someone like her was no small thing.

I stepped into the chamber, closing the door behind me. The silence was a fragile shield, but it was mine. I pressed a hand to my chest, steadying my breath.

Amy’s voice echoed softly inside me. She cannot destroy us unless we let her.

I nodded to myself, even as unease gnawed at me. Mistress Veronica was not Crystal, with her petty cruelty and childish games. She was something else entirely something dangerous.

And I had just made my first enemy in Dylan’s world.