CHAPTER 9

The guard sneered and hung back in the hall as I strolled cluelessly around. The Blackwolf territory is extremely cold compared to the Whitewolf territory; it was known for its cold climate and plethora of evergreen forests. Although everyone was banned from speaking of the Blackwolf packs, most of the elders of my pack often joked about sending extremely stubborn children to the Blackwolf territory and telling them they were going to freeze to death and the ghosts of the Blackwolf pack were going to haunt them. It worked because most of them changed for the better.

Now that I am in Blackwolf territory, I can confirm it’s a really cold place to be, therefore all of its buildings were built solely from intricately carved wood and fur. Swirling beams crisscrossed the steepled ceiling, enormous stained glass windows filtered through speckled orange sunlight, towering fires raged in grated hearths along the walls, and at the far end of the hall there was a painting of a man and a woman. I walked closer to observe the picture.

The eyes of the woman caught my attention first; they bore into mine, and it felt strange and wrong. She looked just like Derek. My eyes started to water, and I walked away quickly. One day I will sincerely apologize to them on behalf of my father.

DEREK’S POV

The bath Athena drew for me did nothing to relax me. There was always an air of unease that surrounded me, a restlessness that refused to leave my side. Of course, I still felt guilty over how I treated Lydia, but the anxiety that stalked my every move was controlled and empowered by something more than just guilt. I walked out of the bathroom and back into my room, and that restlessness took immediate hold when his eyes landed on the figure in his room.

It steered me in the direction of the figure, forcing my feet to make the twenty-foot trek towards it. Once I reached it, that restlessness ordered me to reach out and touch it. To feel the soft, long hair that drops behind her back.

Slowly, I lifted my hands. My intention was to gently caress the hair. But before I made contact with the figure, it turned, and then a distant whirl of wind wrapped me in an icy cold embrace before releasing me to instead twirl around the darkened room. In front of me was Lydia, her soft doe eye piercing into mine.

"How did you get in here?" I growled.

"Erm.. Lady Marithyda, you asked me to clean this room." She stammered as her voice trembled. I looked down at her hand, and she was holding a rag. Sweat rolled down her face, and she raised her hand to wipe it.

The last place she should be cleaning is my room; if Athena finds her in here, she will have to say goodbye to her pretty face.

"Leave immediately and don’t step your foot into this room again." Do you understand me?

"Yes sir?"  She quaked, sniffing back tears. Was I too harsh on her? I turned my back as she hurriedly carried the bowl, pushing her hand back from dropping into the bowl. She then rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Now, did you have to be so harsh to that poor girl?" Scott said as he opened the door to my room, walking in.

"What, were you listening outside the entire time?" I walked over to my bed to retrieve the trousers I had carelessly tossed there hours prior. I typically preferred to stay almost undressed—especially inside my own room—but to remain half-naked when I didn’t know the next female that could be barging right into my room was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

"If that accusation was meant to purge a confession that I was snooping out of me, then I am going to have to keep my mouth shut." Scott raised his finger to his lips and acted like he was actually zipping his lips shut, his eyes dancing around as he joked around. I rolled my eyes at his silly play.

I am not accusing you of snooping around; just say what you want to say.

Well, I did tell Lady Marithyda to let her clean your room, and I watched her come into your room with her bowl and rag. But I thought you would like the idea. He blushed.

Why would I want her cleaning my room? No one cleans my room but Athena, and you should know how dangerous Athena can get.

How dangerous can Athena get? Scott asked, seeing the smile leave his face. His youthful face shifted into a tightly sealed line.

It’s nothing; forget it. He is probably one of those who didn’t know Athena burned her maid's face because of me, and I wasn’t ready to tell him. That would make me come face-to-face with her reality.

"Where is Athena?" he asked.

"She left very early for the woods with her maids to pick up some herbs.

So that’s good; she won’t find out.

You should know by now that the wind carries everything—secrets, truths, lies, and tricks. "And I must say, that was a very cruel trick, Scott."

"Don’t speak to me about cruelty, Derek." Scott said as he brushed past me and made his way to the window, drawing the curtains to the side and giving way to the light as it shone on everything in my room. I raised my hands to my eyes to stop the light from blinding me as it adjusted to the new changes. The floors caught my attention; they were sparkly a little too much.

"Well, look around; can you see the way Lydia wiped everywhere clean?" This is the first time your room is this sparkling clean; you should see the hallway too. She did all this in the dark, but instead, what did she get from you? Scott quizzed.

Was I supposed to thank her for doing her job? And how was I supposed to know she was the one in the room? I knew I was harsh to her, but I wasn’t going to admit it. My statement had angered Scott; it was obvious I was taking my frustrations out on him and he had done nothing to warrant it. The only thing he was guilty of was trying to make her come into my room and stir something inside me.

"I apologize," I finally let out. Scott's only reaction to my apology was the crossing of his arms and a determined look on his face that suggested he wasn’t pleased.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"She left your room crying; I am thinking of apologizing to her." I wouldn’t have sent her here if I had known you would react that way.

"Okay, do what you want." I said.  He folded his arms again and frowned.

"What?" I asked again.

"Are you not going to apologize to her too?" "I mean, you were really harsh on her." Has he forgotten that she is our enemy?

"I will later." I lied.  A smile finally crept onto his face again.

What is she doing to Scott too?