2. Inner Chambers

ZOE ELISE

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Thirty minutes was more than enough time to pack up my twenty-one years of life into two duffel bags. 

I stood at the foot of a bed that would no longer be mine, telling myself I was only checking to see if I'd forgotten anything.

But there wasn’t much to take. Aside from the memories that I would rather forget.

I shook my head, refusing to dwell on it any longer. There was no reason to make leaving harder than staying had been. I took one last look around the room before grabbing my bags.

“There was nothing else to take.”

Or so I told myself until I reached the door, and Peach gasped through our bond, “You forgot the case!” 

My hand froze on the doorknob, my face wrinkling as I blurted, “What case?”

“The bracelet case under—" Peach didn’t have to finish that statement before my fingers uncurled around the bags. 

I spun around and hurried back to the bed. My eyes immediately found the small, faded-blue case tucked beneath my pillow.

I grabbed it, but it wasn’t until I opened it and confirmed the tiny bracelet that had been around my wrist twenty-one years ago was safely inside that I let out the breath I'd been holding.

My thumb brushed over the engraving on the delicate gold where my name was imprinted. Or perhaps my entire identity. 

I shut the case before I could get lost in my thoughts again, shoving it into the side pocket of one of my bags.

I zipped it shut and carried both bags. With that, I turned the doorknob and stepped out of the room for the last time.

I made my way down the flight of stairs, keeping my eyes lowered as I passed the familiar faces in the hallway.

A few caregivers called my name, but I ignored them.

One of the older ones, who must have cleaned me up when I was younger, wished me luck, but I didn’t stop walking until I reached the parking lot. When I raised my head, I saw Flora already waiting by her car. 

“I thought you would find a reason to be late.” She said as soon as she saw me. 

I simply smiled while she opened the trunk and took one of the bags from me. She placed it beside the other bag and shut the trunk.

A moment later, we were both inside the car. I fastened my seatbelt and glanced at her. “So, are you finally going to tell me where we're going?”

"No," she answered, settling her hands on the steering wheel.

“C’mon, Flora," I leaned toward her and nudged her arm.

She swatted my hand away without looking at me. “You'll find out when we get there.”

I groaned as she turned the ignition key, bringing the old engine to life. “Seriously, Flora? Why can't you tell me?” 

Rather than respond, she kept driving, leaving me in the dark. The further we drove, the more my curiosity grew. However, I stopped pestering her, sinking into the seat. 

We left the outskirts of the district I had grown up in but never truly explored, passing streets and buildings I had never seen before. 

But none seemed interesting enough to keep me from dozing off as the cold wind hit my face. I don't know how long I slept.

The next thing I knew, I felt a gentle tap against my shoulder.

“Zoe.”

I groaned and turned my face away. “Five more minutes.”

“No, we’re here.” 

Flora’s announcement cut through my drowsiness.

My eyes flew open, and I pushed myself upright, blinking away the sleep as I craned my neck toward the window for a better view.

Then the entire world as I knew it shattered. 

Gone were the old, small family houses. Gone was the damn sky, in fact, because all I saw was a building that sat directly in front of us, so large that my jaw dropped. 

I slowly tilted my head towards the windscreen, following the towering walls and rows of windows, but I still couldn't see the top from where I sat.

My mouth fell open. “W-what the hell?”

I expected Flora to find my fascination funny. Instead, her smile disappeared as she gently turned my face toward hers.

“Zoe, I need to warn you before we step into the mansion.”

“Warn me?” I repeated, but my attention was divided. “About what?”

“You have always had a mind of your own… going through life recklessly,” Flora muttered, her eyes burning into mine. “But you can’t do that here. You have to be very careful and—" 

Before she could finish her statement, a man knocked on her window, saving me from her lecture. 

“Good to see you again, Flora.” The stranger beamed. 

Flora smiled, but the corners of her lips trembled slightly before she turned her attention to the stranger. “Likewise, Theo.” 

“Allow me to lead you inside, ladies," Theo stated, waving at me.

I didn’t hesitate to step out of the car, staring up at the mansion again. Peach peeped through my eyes, her surprise mixing perfectly with mine. For a moment, I just stood beside the car, drooling. 

“This way, Zoe.” Flora’s voice snapped me out of my daze. 

I blinked and followed them towards the mansion. I was itching to ask questions. To know what the fuck my employer does to own such property. 

But even then, I couldn't stop staring at every tiny detail around the entrance, all of them leading to one massive door.

Theo pushed it open, and Flora and I stepped inside.

My jaw dropped all over again.

The foyer alone was bigger than the common room back at the orphanage.

Marble stretched beneath my feet, polished so perfectly that I could see my reflection in it. A massive chandelier hung overhead, its crystal pieces scattering light across the walls. 

I slowly turned my head, trying to take everything in at once.

“Holy shit.”

“Keep it down.” Flora hushed me like I had committed an unforgivable offense. 

Before I could ask why she was acting so strangely since she woke me up, Theo stopped, turned around, and whispered.

“Please wait right here. I'll inform the Alpha King of your presence.”

“Why the fuck are they speaking in hushed tones?” I shared that thought with Peach, my eyes darting between Flora and Theo’s retreating back. 

I felt Peach’s breath hitch within me.

Her usually confident voice came out as a tiny whimper.

“T-the... H-he... Al-Alpha King.”

My eyes widened as realization slammed into me. I didn’t know when I gasped, “The Alpha King?”

Flora gave me a look that instantly confirmed I had heard right. 

I stared in the direction Theo had disappeared, trying to process the fact that the man I had only ever heard about was somewhere inside this mansion.

There were only a few things I knew about him. He was the ruler of the Crescent Moon Realm.

The most powerful werewolf in the realm. He was incredibly wealthy.

And, according to the stories I'd heard, he became a beast two years ago when—

“I asked not to be disturbed, Theo.”

I froze at the booming sound of a voice that seemed to shake the air.

The hairs on my arms rose. My heart gave a nervous thud, raw fear gripping it for the first time in forever. 

I couldn’t see him from where I stood, yet I could feel his authority in my bones even when Theo stuttered, “Apologies, My King, but you have guests.”

“I do not want to see anyone today.”

Those words echoed like the snarl of a wounded beast. 

The tension in the foyer intensified so quickly that I could almost feel it pressing against my skin.

Flora went rigid beside me. I swallowed, more than ready to turn the doorknob and leave. 

But Theo’s shaky voice came again, “It’s Flora, my king. She brought the new nanny.”

Then silence. Complete and utter silence.

I found myself holding my breath as though even my breathing might draw his attention. I didn’t understand how someone could have such power over me, but I stayed rooted like a pillar, waiting to shatter on command. 

“Fine.” Just one word. But somehow, it sounded more like a blow to my gut. “Let them in.”

Within a second, Theo was back to usher us to him. Flora had to yank me before I could lift my heavy feet. 

“Is he truly a beast?” Peach whimpered again. 

“After hearing his voice, I wouldn’t be surprised.” I swallowed. 

But when we finally stepped into the living room, my breath caught. Because the man sitting in the shadows wasn’t what I had expected at all. 

His dark brown hair was slightly damp, his broad shoulders filling the back of a black wheelchair. Hell, all of him filled the wheelchair. 

And then his eyes lifted. Gray.

Cold. So furious.

They locked onto mine for one terrifying second. Then his gaze dropped slowly to my body.

And something in his expression changed.

I couldn't tell what it was. But I knew one thing from the flame in his eyes—he wanted nothing more than to drag me straight into the inner chambers of hell.