𑣲Capital.

Aradia's POV

"Come in."

Xior's voice startled me. I'd been standing outside the tent for what felt like hours, watching the camp come alive around me. Wolves moved between tents, their eyes tracking me with curiosity and suspicion. I kept my head down and tried to be invisible.

I pushed through the tent flap. Xior sat on the edge of his bed, fully dressed now in dark leather and furs. Those black eyes found mine immediately.

"You will be very useful to me," he said.

The words sent ice through my veins. Useful. Of course. I was a slave. A tool he'd bought at market. Whatever strange mercy he'd shown last night, this was the reality. I belonged to him now.

I bowed my head. "Yes, my lord."

"We're leaving for the capital soon. The maids will prepare you." He stood, moving toward the tent entrance. "Dress her in silk," he called to someone outside. "And pack everything. We leave within the hour."

Then he was gone.

Two older women entered moments later. They looked at me with the same curious suspicion as the rest of the pack, but they didn't speak. Just gestured for me to follow.

They led me to a smaller tent where steam rose from a large wooden tub. Hot water. I stared at it in disbelief. I hadn't bathed in hot water since before my parents died. Couldn't afford the fuel to heat it.

The maids stripped my dirty dress away and helped me into the tub. The heat stung at first, then melted into my skin like honey. I could have cried from how good it felt.

They scrubbed me clean with soap that smelled like lavender. Washed my hair until it squeaked. By the time they pulled me out, my skin was pink and my fingers were wrinkled.

They dressed me in clothes I'd never dreamed of wearing. A dress made of deep blue silk that whispered when I moved. Soft leather boots that fit perfectly. A warm cloak lined with fur.

I looked down at myself and didn't recognize the girl staring back.

My stomach chose that moment to growl. Loud enough that both maids heard it. Heat rushed to my face.

One of them smiled, the first kindness I'd seen from anyone in the pack. "Come. The alpha wants you fed before we travel."

They brought me bread still warm from the fire. Cheese. Dried meat. Fruit I couldn't name. I tried to eat slowly, to have some dignity, but I was starving. I hadn't eaten a real meal in days. The journey from my village to the blood moon market had taken two days, and I'd spent what little coin I had on travel, not food.

I ate until my stomach ached, then drank cold water until I thought I might burst.

When Xior saw me again, dressed in silk with clean hair and a full belly, something shifted in his expression. It was gone before I could name it, but I'd seen it. Approval, maybe. Or satisfaction.

"We're going to the capital," he said. "Stay close to Kade. Don't wander."

"Yes, my lord."

The capital. I'd heard stories about it my whole life. The great city where the wolf lords lived in palaces of stone. Where markets sold goods from across the world. Where the Moon Goddess's temple touched the sky.

I never thought I'd see it.

The journey didn't take long at all. We rode hard through the afternoon, the landscape changing from forest to rolling hills to farmland. And then, as the sun began to set, the capital appeared on the horizon.

It was bigger than I'd imagined. Walls of gray stone rose higher than any building in my village. Towers pierced the sky. Even from a distance, I could see people moving through the streets like ants.

Beautiful. It was beautiful like I'd heard.

We rode through the main gates as darkness fell. People stopped to watch us pass. I heard whispers. "The alpha." "Silver Star." "The boy king returns."

The palace sat at the heart of the city, huge and imposing. Made of white stone that seemed to glow in the twilight. Guards stood at attention as we approached. Servants rushed forward to take the horses.

Xior dismounted and helped me down. His hands were gentle but firm. The moment my feet touched the ground, the palace doors burst open.

A woman ran out.

She was beautiful. Long dark hair that caught the light. A dress of deep green that hugged her curves. She moved with grace and confidence as she threw herself at Xior.

"Brother! You're back!"

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Xior returned it, his expression softening in a way I'd never seen.

Brother. Not mate.

Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by confusion. Why did I care if he had a mate? Why did the thought make my chest tight?

I pushed the feeling away and focused on the woman. She was young, maybe nineteen or twenty. Pretty in a way that made me feel plain and dirty despite the silk dress and clean hair.

She pulled back from Xior and her eyes found me. Confusion flickered across her face.

"Who's this?" she asked, looking between us.

"I'll explain later, Lyra," Xior said. "It's complicated."

Lyra studied me for a moment, then smiled. It was warm and genuine, reaching her eyes. "Welcome," she said simply.

I didn't know how to respond. Bowed my head instead.

Xior turned to a servant hovering nearby. "Prepare one of the royal guest rooms. The large one overlooking the gardens. Make sure it has everything she needs."

The servant's eyes widened. "My lord, those rooms are for visiting dignitaries and—"

"Did I stutter?"

"No, my lord. Right away." The servant scurried off.

A royal room. For me. A slave.

Nothing about this made sense.

Lyra linked her arm through Xior's, chattering about something that had happened while he was gone. But her eyes kept drifting back to me, curious and assessing.

Another servant approached and bowed. "If the lady will follow me, I'll show her to her room."

Lady. They'd called me lady.

I followed in a daze, my silk dress whispering around my legs. We climbed marble stairs. Walked down hallways with paintings on the walls and chandeliers overhead. Everything gleamed. Everything spoke of wealth I couldn't comprehend.

The servant stopped at a door carved with intricate designs. Pushed it open.

The room beyond was larger than my entire house had been. A massive bed covered in furs and silks. Windows that overlooked gardens even I could see were magnificent in the moonlight. Furniture that looked too beautiful to touch.

"The alpha requests that you rest," the servant said. "Dinner will be brought to you shortly. If you need anything, pull this cord." She indicated a rope near the bed.

Then she left me alone.

I stood in the center of the room, afraid to move. Afraid to touch anything.

This morning I'd been a slave expecting to be used. Now I wore silk and stood in a palace room fit for royalty.

What was Xior planning? What did he want from me?

And why did part of me not care, as long as I could stay?