Chapter 3

Lily’s POV

My fingers rubbed on my lips, as I kept on rolling in bed, finding it hard to sleep. I kept on thinking about the kiss. Why did Darius kiss me? Was he remembering?

The way his wolf reacted to me, the way his fingers brushed my skin like he knew me, the way he kissed me. 

I was glad and sad about it at the same time. What if he happened to reject me again?

No, maybe I just had to avoid him, instead of getting myself hurt a second time.

I wouldn’t be able to survive it.

The morning came too soon, and I forced myself to act like nothing happened.

The halls were silent as I made my way toward the kitchen. The sun had barely risen, and most of the palace was still asleep.

I exhaled in relief. This was the only time I felt at peace before the chaos of the day began, but my relief didn't last long because the moment I turned back, I collided with someone.

Hard. I stumbled back, the basket slipping from my grasp as the contents inside it fell out.

"Not again! Watch where you're going, you clumsy rat!"

Selene’s sharp, high-pitched voice rang in my ears.

I looked up and nodded my head.

She crossed her arms, her lips curling in disgust. "Are you deaf too? I said "watch where you're going!"

"I’m sorry," I stammered, quickly bending down to gather the herbs. "I wasn’t looking but I will be very careful next time."

"Tch," she scoffed. "Of course, you should m. Filthy servants and never doing anything right."

I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to stay silent.

It wasn’t worth it but as I tried to walk past her, my body brushed hers and a low growl slipped from her lips, making me freeze. She hated body contacts or maybe it was only when I was involved.

Panic coiled in my stomach.

I needed to leave. Now.

But before I could move, she yanked her hand away as if I had burned her and glared down at me with seething rage.

"You dirty swine…"

I rose to my feet quickly, clutching the basket to my chest. "I’m sorry," I said again, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Sorry?" She scoffed. "You still do not know your place here! I might have to teach you a bigger lesson."

I swallowed. "No, my lady."

She tilted her head, studying me with narrowed eyes. "Hmph. Get lost. I doubt lowly things like you would understand status even if it slapped you across the face."

I felt the heat of humiliation creep up my neck.

I had spent years being spoken to like this. Beaten, ignored, looked down upon. I was used to it.

I muttered under my breath, "how unlucky can the day be for me?"

It was soft. Barely audible but she heard it.

Her sharp blue eyes flashed dangerously, and before I could react, she lunged at me, her hand raised.

"You insolent—!"

I braced for impact but the slap never came.

A powerful force came into the room, filling the space with a suffocating dominance.

"Don’t you dare!"

Tension filled the air.

I opened my eyes just in time to see a large, strong hand wrapped tightly around Selene's wrist, halting her mid-swing. It was Alpha Darius.

His grip was strong, his silver-gray eyes filled with unspoken fury.

The woman gasped. "D-Darius—!"

His gaze turned toward me, then back to her.

"Explain," he commanded coldly. “Why did you want to hit her?”

She hesitated, obviously thinking of a lie to tell. "She insulted me first, baby! She was rude to me, so I was only putting her in her place!"

Darius’s jaw ticked. His fingers tightened around her wrist, making her whimper.

"She’s a servant," he said, his voice eerily calm. "And you are my Luna. In this pack, servants are not treated like animals. You were supposed to come to me and make a report."

Selene frowned, eyeing me. "Why? You know who I am, Darius. I am your Luna and that gives me the right to put any servant in their place."

Darius’s face remained unreadable. "Don't forget that you have not been crowned yet. Anything can happen.”

She blinked. "W-What?"

"You heard me," he said, releasing her wrist. "This should never repeat itself again, have I made myself clear?”

Selene’s expression didn’t change. She was ready to challenge him. “And what if I refuse?”

"Do not start a war with me," he cut her off.

Her face twisted with shock. "Darius, you are being unfair, picking a maid’s side over your woman—"

"I am an Alpha of this Pack too,” he reminded her flatly. "Or have you conveniently forgotten?"

Selene opened her mouth, then closed it again, her face turning pale.

"B-But…"

"Have I made myself clear, Selene?" Darius said darkly, his aura pressing down on her like a crushing weight.

Tears welled in her eyes. 

She turned to me, her eyes blazing with fury, as if I was the one to blame but before she could say another word, Darius stepped between us, blocking her view of me completely.

Selene angrily turned on her heels and stormed out of the hallway.

Silence followed and I barely breathed.

Then Darius turned to me, his piercing silver eyes locking onto mine. For a long moment, he just stared, making my heart pound.

I opened my mouth to say something, to thank him, maybe, but before I could, he spoke first.

"You," he said.

I stiffened. "Y-Yes, Alpha?"

"Come to my chambers tonight."

My breath hitched.

His chambers?

I stared at him, stunned. "I—I don’t—"

"That wasn’t a request," he said smoothly. "It was an order."

Then he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart racing and my mind spinning.

My thoughts spun in circles. What did he want from me? Was it about the kiss? Was he going to question me? Punish me? 

I clutched the basket tighter to my chest, as if it could steady my racing heart. 

I made my way to the kitchen like a ghost, and sank into my usual corner, behind the shelves of herbs and spices, silently sorting the ones I had collected earlier. My fingers trembled as I worked, but I didn’t stop. Work distracted me but no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to Darius.

What if he remembered everything?

That night that tore everything apart. That night when everything had gone horribly wrong. Or maybe it wasn’t about the past at all. Maybe it was about Selene. 

"Lily," a soft voice called, pulling me from my thoughts.

I looked up to see Mira, who was smiling at me. "Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. What could I even say?

"I’m fine," I lied.

She raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "I heard there was a commotion in the hallway. Something about Selene trying to hit someone?"

I hesitated before nodding. "It was me."

Mira’s eyes widened. "Goodness, are you alright? Did she hit you?"

"No." My voice dropped. "Darius stopped her."

"Darius?" Mira repeated, looking stunned. "As in… Alpha Darius?"

I nodded again.

There was a long pause, then Mira leaned in closer, whispering, "And what did he say?"

"He told me to come to his chambers tonight."

Her jaw dropped, and she quickly glanced around to make sure no one else had heard. "Lily, are you serious?"

I nodded slowly.

Her brows furrowed. "That’s unexpected. Do you think he suspects anything? About who you really are?"

My heart skipped a beat. "I don’t know."

Mira reached out and touched my hand. "Whatever happens, be careful, especially with Selene who seems like she is watching your every move."

I knew she was right. Selene had already been seething after what happened. She wouldn’t forget this. And if she ever found out anout the kiss with Alpha Darius, she’d destroy me.

She finally left and after a lot of thoughts on whether to go or not, I decided to just work.

Evening came and I was still yet to make a decision but my legs already made their decision. 

I was now standing in front of his chambers, and my heart suddenly thudded so loud, then with a deep breath, I raised my hand and knocked.

The door creaked open from the inside and there he stood.

Darius.

“You came late,” he said quietly.

I swallowed. “Sorry Alpha, I had a lot of work to get done today.”

He looked

at me for a while and stepped aside. “Come in.”

And just like that, I stepped into the lion’s den.