Chapter three

Tyla POV.

The first thing I noticed was the ceiling. White, too bright, too clean. Not the wooden beams of the servants’ quarters or the damp smell of the shed, Loara once locked me in. This place felt… sterile. Safe.

For a second, I thought I was dead.

Then the ache in my body reminded me I wasn’t that lucky. My arms felt heavy, my chest tight, and every breath carried the faint tang of medicine. Slowly, memories rushed back: the rejection, Loara’s furious eyes, the shove, the blood, the cold seeping into my skin when they dragged me out like trash.

Reynold’s voice echoed in my head. “You are just a maid to me.”

Inside me, my wolf whimpered. She was so faint I could barely feel her presence, as if she were curling away from the world in shame.

I clenched the sheets beneath me, forcing back tears. I should have been gone. Why wasn’t I gone?

The door opened, and a man stepped in. Tall, broad-shouldered, his presence filled the entire room before he even spoke. His eyes are gray, piercing, locked on me like I was the only thing in existence.

“Mate.”

The word was soft but firm, and my heart dropped.

Not again. Please, not again.

My lips trembled. “No…” I shook my head weakly, trying to push myself further against the headboard. “Don’t say that. Don’t call me that.”

Before he could respond, another voice broke in. “Arthur, the doctor says…”

I froze. The second man was younger, lighter in energy, his grin casual until his gaze landed on me. He whistled low. “So this is her, huh? The one who’s had you pacing like a caged wolf for days? Damn.” He shot me a playful wink. “You’ve got the Alpha wrapped already.”

Alpha.

My blood turned cold. My wolf whimpered louder, urging me to shrink back.

“I… I don’t deserve an Alpha,” I stammered, voice cracking. “Please, don’t kill me. I’m just a low omega. I don’t even deserve to be here.”

The first man, Arthur, was based on what the other man called him. He took a step closer, his expression hardening, but not with anger. With something else. Determination.

“You’re not going to die,” he said evenly. “And I don’t care if you think you don’t deserve me. You’re mine.”

I flinched. The words felt like knives. Reynold had once looked at me with the same fire before turning it into ice. How could I believe this stranger was any different?

“No,” I croaked, shaking my head again. “You don’t want me. No Alpha would.”

I tried to move. Tried to get out of bed despite my body’s protests. My legs buckled beneath me, but adrenaline pushed me toward the door.

Arthur was faster.

In a blur, he was there, his hand firm around my wrist not hurting, but unyielding. His eyes burned into mine, voice low. “Don’t run from me. Not you.”

I froze, chest heaving. For a moment, I saw no cruelty in him, no mockery. Just… desperation. Something that looked terrifyingly like sincerity.

But sincerity couldn’t erase the scars Reynold left.

I tore my gaze away, too weak to fight more. My body gave up before my heart did. Arthur caught me easily, lifting me as though I weighed nothing, and placed me back on the bed.

“Rest,” he said, almost like a command, but softer at the edges. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Later, the doctor came. He was older, carrying the calm presence of someone who had seen too many wounds. He checked my pulse, examined the bruises along my ribs, then placed his hand briefly on my chest where my wolf stirred faintly.

“She’s fragile,” he said, turning to Arthur. “Her wolf is barely hanging on. She needs rest, I mean a lot of it. If she pushes herself, she could lose her bond with her wolf entirely. Let her heal, Alpha.”

Arthur’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. His eyes flicked to me, unreadable.

Days after, I started getting much better, and Alpha Arthur never left my side. I received adequate treatment, and he made me feel so special. Far better than what Reynold showed me back then. I can’t deny the fact that he is an amazing person, but the thought of the past clung to me.

Eventually, strength returned to my body. The nurses dressed me in soft clothes, clean and warm, nothing like the rags I used to wear. When I saw myself in the mirror, I almost didn’t recognize the reflection staring back.

Beautiful. That’s what the maid who brought the dress had whispered under her breath. I wanted to laugh. If only she knew.

Arthur came in not long after, his gaze sweeping over me. His eyes lingered too long, and I quickly looked away.

“I don’t know who you think I am,” I said carefully, my voice steadier now. “But I don’t… I can’t be what you want me to be.”

He tilted his head, studying me like he could see straight through my skin. “Then tell me who you are.”

Panic fluttered in my chest. My past, the humiliation, the rejection, the betrayal, I couldn’t bear to lay that open. Not when the wounds were still fresh.

So I shook my head. “I’d rather not.”

Something flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t push. Instead, he nodded once. “Then I won’t force you. But know this, I’m not letting you go.”

My stomach twisted. His words should have sounded like chains, but for the first time in my life, they didn’t.

And that terrified me most of all.

What if I ended up dying again?

“Don’t run from me, Tyla,” He told me, voice firm. “You won’t get far. And I won’t let you go.”

Finally, I ask the question going on my mind. My voice was small, almost fragile. “Do you… truly care? Or am I just a weak wolf to you? You’re known as the mateless Alpha of this kingdom. Why would you want me?”

I don't know the kind of response I expected from him but I just want it to be reassuring.

“I was mateless,” he admitted quietly, sinking to one knee beside me. “For years, I carried this pack alone. I was Alpha and Luna: leader and caretaker. I fought battles by day and returned to an empty bed by night. Do you know how many times I wished for someone who could share the weight? Someone the Goddess had chosen for me?”

My lips parted slightly, surprise softening her features.

“And then,” he said, my voice rougher now, “I found you. Weak, bleeding, abandoned… yet you still breathed. My wolf screamed for you and called you MATE. And I knew no matter what you believe about yourself, you are mine. My mate.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us. 

“I used to attend the Alpha Summit alone,” I confessed after a pause. “It’s happening again this year. And for once, I don’t want to go alone.”

I suddenly felt like he is a stray cat that needs to be adopted. 

Tyla tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “What if… I came with you?”

I don't know how it came out of me but I just want to take part of his loneliness and make him feel life.