Chapter 0004

“Spare me, Luna. I will tell the truth!”

Everything in the room felt suffocatingly heavy. I clutched the side of my head, the room spinning so violently I felt like I was going to faint.

“It wasn’t my intention to incite that rumor," Betty sobbed from the floor. "I only told Rue what I thought I smelled. I didn't know she would—”

A fleeting wave of relief spread through my chest, though it was instantly replaced by a crushing weight of guilt.

Without warning, Zirrelle abruptly yanked Betty up by her hair. “Your useless thoughts will cost you your life,” Zirrelle gritted out, her sharp, manicured nails digging mercilessly into Betty's neck.

“You will serve as a lesson to anyone who dares to speak my mate’s name in a lie.”

The sight of blood made my skin crawl. My desperate night of freedom was about to cost an innocent girl her life.

Betty thrashed wildly, but she was no match for Zirrelle’s trained warrior strength. I watched, completely paralyzed, as life began to drain from Betty’s face.

I scanned the room, desperate for someone to intervene, but Zirrelle’s friends looked thoroughly entertained, and the guards stood like statues.

Then, I felt his powerful presence before I even heard his voice. “What is going on here?”

Zirrelle dropped Betty instantly. The girl's ragged, struggling breaths were the only indication she was still alive.

“She was spreading disgusting, vile rumors about you…” Zirrelle rambled, her voice instantly shifting to a sweet whine.

But I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering to his body. His tight training shirt clung to his muscular frame, the exact same frame I had traced my hands over only hours ago.

“All this drama over a jacket?” Valen muttered, a look of profound irritation crossing his face. His dark eyes slid briefly over to me before returning to Zirrelle. “If the jacket causes this much trouble, burn it. Problem solved.”

“But this girl—” Zirrelle started to object, but Valen stepped closer, gently cupping her face. It was the exact same way he had held me in that room last night.

“Is this how you spend your days? Preoccupying yourself with petty gossip and soiling your pretty hands with blood? There are far better ways to spend your energy than this.” His voice dropped to a soft, seductive murmur that made Zirrelle melt instantly.

A small, tight smile crossed his lips before he turned to leave.

“You're right. I lost my cool over nothing,” Zirrelle muttered, casually wiping Betty’s blood off her hands. Her eyes suddenly snapped to me, flashing with venom. “Clean up this mess, you fool!” she barked.

I knelt among the sharp glass shards, hating how much his open affection for Zirrelle stung. It was a one-night stand that carried absolutely no promises, but seeing his tenderness directed at her cut deep nonetheless.

“See?” Alice said smugly, breaking the silence. “Even Alpha Valen thinks the rumor is ridiculous. Everyone knows Zirrelle is the ultimate prize of the Icefalls pack.”

As I cleared the shattered porcelain from the table, Nelly turned to Zirrelle, her tone cautious. "I know it isn’t my place, but you should still watch that bitch.”

Zirrelle chuckled loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls. “You worry too much, Nelly. Valen didn’t even look at her. She means absolutely nothing to him.”

I kept my face completely blank, though a sudden spark of dark pride welled within my chest. If only she knew her perfect mate was the exact man who had given me the freedom she tried so hard to strip away.

***

Once my grueling duties were finished for the night, I slipped away to the maids' quarters to check on Betty.

Several girls were crowded around her cot while she rested against the pillows. Her face was deathly pale, but she was already beginning to heal.

Her eyes crossed with mine briefly, and she offered me a tight, knowing smile.

“How could the future Luna react like that over a simple scent?” one kitchen maid whispered.

“Watch what you say. These walls hear everything,” an older maid hushed her immediately.

“It’s all my fault for being a blabbermouth,” Rue muttered, looking down. But her tone shifted swiftly to pure admiration as she smiled.

“But Alpha Valen is a handsome man. He has the right to be with any woman he wants. It isn't his fault Zirrelle expects a loyalty he never promised. There’s no rule against a Supreme Alpha having a mistress, after all his own father had one”

Rue held her chin high. Though she was just a maid, she was undeniably beautiful and unmated, she clearly harbored fantasies of becoming a powerful man's secret indulgence.

“And you’re forgetting that same mistress isn’t worth anything today,” The older maid said, her voice low, as her eyes flashed to my direction. It was obvious she was talking about Ryden’s mother, and it made me curious to know what had happened.

“Your dreams might lead to your doom, Rue,”. She warned, but Rue only clicked her tongue.

“I bet even Calithea would want him if she had the chance,” Rue countered, her eyes scrutinizing me. Heat rushed straight to my face. “You’re the lucky one, Calithea. You get to work for him personally, while I'm stuck scrubbing pots all day.”

“I… I work for Zirrelle, too,” I stammered quickly, desperate to deflect the curious glares of the room.

“A win is still a win,” Rue sighed wishfully, standing up to stretch. “I'm going to bed. I need to maintain my beauty sleep.”

After a while, the other girls drifted off to their room, leaving me alone with Betty.

“I just came to check on you,” I muttered gently, turning to leave. "I'm glad she spared your life."

“You smelled it too, didn’t you?”

Her voice halted me in my tracks. I turned around, forcing an expression of confusion onto my face.

“You know exactly what I mean,” Betty said, her steady gaze locking onto mine. “I didn’t want to drag you into the mess I created. It would have invited a special kind of hell for you, knowing how Zirrelle feels about you.”

“You shouldn’t be thinking about that right now,” I muttered carefully, my heart racing. “You almost died today. Just forget about everything.”

Betty leaned back against her pillow, a weak, cynical laugh escaping her lips. “I don’t know about you, but I'm glad another woman had the nerve to be with the Alpha. It proves Zirrelle isn’t half the goddess she thinks she is.”

A look of deep satisfaction settled over her pale features. “I wish I could thank whoever she is for shaking Zirrelle up like that. Did you see her face? She was absolutely terrified.”

“Goodnight, Betty,” I whispered hurriedly, fleeing the room before she could say another word that could land us in trouble.

Walking down the pitch-black corridors alone, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. What would Betty do if she ever discovered the truth?

Betty might hate Zirrelle’s guts, but no one in the pack house could be trusted.

Lost in my own racing thoughts, I barely noticed the large shadow shifting along the stone wall beside me.

Suddenly, a massive, calloused hand clamped brutally over my mouth.

I was yanked swiftly behind a huge pillar, my back colliding hard against it. Before my eyes could even adjust to the darkness to identify my attacker, the familiar, intoxicating heat of a body pressed completely against mine.

“Do not make a single sound,” he whispered against my skin.

The rough, baritone made my insides curl helplessly, completely shattering my defenses.

Despite the icy indifference and cruel words he had thrown at me during the day, my body instantly recognized him.

Oh, Goddess! I’m completely done for.