Chapter two

Summer

I forced myself to keep moving despite the storm, even though I was scared that I would end up just like the maid. Minutes passed, then lightning suddenly flashed across the sky again.

For a brief second, everything became visible and then I saw Lilo, the small cat was curled under a car, trembling. Relief flooded through me. I rushed forward without thinking, crouching down and pulling him into my arms. He was soaked and shaking violently, so I held him tightly against my chest.

“I have got you…” I whispered, though my own body was trembling just as much.

The storm grew worse, I turned and ran toward the house, my steps unsteady as the wind fought against me. Reaching the door, I knocked hard. “Open the door!” I shouted but there was no answer. I knocked again, louder this time, panic rising in my chest.

“Please! Open the door!” Still nothing.

The rain poured harder, the wind howling like something alive. I clutched Lilo tightly, shielding him as best as I could. My heart pounded as fear crept in, they weren’t opening the door on purpose. There is no way they can’t hear my hard bang on the door.

I pressed my back against it, holding the cat close, shutting my eyes as the storm raged around me and quietly I began to pray.

Suddenly, the wind screamed with violent force. A gust slammed against the palace walls, rattling the enormous glass windows nearby. Before I could react, a large shard of glass, torn loose by the storm, shot through the air.

It hit me squarely on the head. Pain exploded, my knees buckled instantly, and I crashed onto the wet marble floor. Through the haze, I felt Lilo trembling against my chest. I held him tighter, refusing to let go.

“I guess this is the end.” I said as I slipped into darkness.

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. Blinding light filtered through the tall windows of my room, making me wince. A sharp, pounding ache throbbed in my head, and instinctively, my hands shot up. The bandages wrapped tightly around my forehead confirmed what I already feared—I had been seriously hurt.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the door swung open. Grace rushed in, her face a mixture of relief and worry.

“Summer! Thank the heavens, you’re awake!” she exclaimed as she helped me sit up gently on the bed.

I let out a weak rasp. “Lilo…” My throat burned, my voice hoarse from the ordeal outside.

Grace’s eyes softened, but a shadow crossed her face. “He survived,” she said carefully, “but he was in terrible condition, still in a terrible condition. You were lucky, you’ve been unconscious for three days. The palace has been tense ever since, the king hasn’t even left Lilo’s side, and he barely acknowledged the one who risked everything for him.” Her tone carried bitterness I could feel in my chest.

I stared at her, my heart tightening. Grace was the only person here who cared about me. No one else in this palace knew our connection. She was my mother’s elder sister, my aunt, the only family who truly looked out for me in this place of cold walls and colder hearts.

I clenched my fists slightly under the blanket. “Do not let anyone hear you, Aunty,” I whispered. I tried to sound indifferent, but deep inside, I felt the sting of rejection. My body had been through so much for his pet,, and not once did he visit or show concern.

Fighting back tears, I reached for Grace’s hand and held it tightly. “Can you… please… get something for this headache? It feels like my skull is splitting open.”

Her expression softened immediately. “Of course, dear. I’ll prepare a warm soup, it will help ease the pain. I only came to check on you, but I’ll be back in a moment.” With that, she hurried from the room, her footsteps fading down the hall.

Alone again, I sank back against the pillows, staring at the high ceiling. My mind wandered to my life in this palace, a gilded cage that offered no comfort. I longed to run, to escape this endless torment, but I knew the truth too well. If I left, I would die slowly, consumed by the relentless ache that comes from a dormant wolf.

After some time, Grace rushed back into the room carrying a tray. “This will help soothe your headache,” she said softly, about to place it on my lap.

But before she could, the door slammed open. Fiona stepped inside, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, and Tamara followed close behind

“Are you planning to spend the entire week in bed just because you saved a cat?” Fiona snapped. She strode toward me, her eyes burning with anger, and snatched the tray from Grace’s hands. Without a second thought, she flung it across the room toward the door, the contents splattering on the floor.

Then, in one swift motion, she turned on Grace and slapped her hard across the face. “Did you even think to ask for my permission before making her soup?” Fiona shouted. “How dare you act on your own!”

Grace immediately sank to her knees, bowing her head. “I’m sorry, Your Grace,” she pleaded, her voice trembling. “She complained of a terrible headache… I should have asked you first. It won’t happen again.”

“Out!” Fiona barked. Grace bolted from the room without another word, disappearing down the hall.

Fiona’s attention snapped back to me. “And you—if you think staying here in bed will make the king notice or care about you, you are a fool,” she spat. Tamara smirked beside her, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

“Get up immediately,” Fiona continued, her tone cold and commanding. “Go downstairs and join the other maids in the kitchen. I am hosting guests for lunch, and everything must be ready before they arrive.”

Over fifty maids worked in the palace, yet she expected me to join them. I opened my mouth to protest. “I… I—”

Before the words could leave me, Tamara stepped forward, her hand gripping my arm. She yanked me roughly off the bed, forcing me to my feet.

My legs wobbled beneath me, and I clutched the bedpost for support, trying not to fall.

“You heard Mother,” Tamara said sharply, releasing me just enough to balance. “Go downstairs and join the maids. Or you’ll be flogged this afternoon.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move, even though my head throbbed and my legs felt like they might give out at any moment. Step by step, I followed the hallway, Tamara and Fiona trailing behind me like shadows, their presence heavy and suffocating.

“You better walk faster,” Fiona snapped over her shoulder. “If my lunch is delayed by even one minute, you’re dead meat.

Fiona and Tamara didn’t follow me, they turned down the other side of the corridor, their heels clicking sharply as they disappeared from sight. My vision blurred, dizziness threatening to pull me down.

I reached the staircase. My hands gripped the ornate railing tightly, my knuckles white, as I slowly climbed the first step. The cold marble under my feet did nothing to steady me, and the pounding in my head grew worse with every movement.

I tried to descend the second flight cautiously, but then I heard the faint echo of footsteps behind me. I froze for just a moment, and before I could turn, a hard shove sent me stumbling forward.

I tumbled down the stairs. Pain exploded in my body, my neck hit the ground first with a sickening crack, and the rest of me followed, slamming into the marble with merciless force.

Everything went white. Voices, distant and cruel, floated in and out of my consciousness. Fiona’s voice pierced through the haze. “Don’t bother helping her. There’s no way she survives this. Call the servants to carry her body away.”

I tried to fight it, tried to hold on but the darkness pulled me over finally.