CAPTURED MIND

MAYA

Edward got in to my room and had a hot bath.

The steam rose up in thick, white clouds inside the private washroom, carrying the sharp scent of cedarwood, lavender, and the metallic tang of dried blood from his armor. I filled the copper tub with warm water myself, my mind still swimming in a chaotic whirlpool of confusion and fear.

He sat in the tub with his eyes closed, resting his heavy arms against the porcelain rim. I scrubbed his back, dragging the rough sea sponge across his broad shoulders, wiping away the mud and dried gore from his battle at the eastern ridge. My hands were steady, but inside, my heart was hammering violently against my ribs.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard those voices from last night—Maria's hushed whisper, the high-pitched moans, and the heavy, raspy breathing coming from inside the locked Alpha suite. If Edward was miles away fighting traitors, who had been in that room with Maria and Clara?

Edward suddenly turned his head, his large, warm hand reaching up out of the water to grab my wrist gently. He pulled me down toward him.

And while at it, he kissed me passionately.

His lips pressed against mine with a fierce, hungry heat. He reached up, his wet fingers tangling into my hair, pulling my face closer as if he were trying to drown the memory of war in my touch.

Well, I refused to kiss him back.

I kept my lips sealed tight, my body going completely stiff in his grip. I didn't wrap my arms around his neck, and I didn't melt into his chest like I used to. The image of him kissing Clara on the dance floor, and the terrifying mystery of what happened in his bedroom last night, stood between us like a wall of solid ice.

He noticed and paused in his own kiss.

Edward slowly pulled back, his deep amber eyes searching my face with a mixture of surprise and sudden hurt. Water dripped down his chest as he stared at me, his brow furrowed in confusion.

And then asked why I am not kissing him.

"Maya?" Edward murmured, his voice low and raspy. "What is wrong? Your body is here, but your spirit feels miles away."

I looked into his eyes, letting my hands rest against the edge of the tub, softening my expression as much as I could to hide the dark fire burning in my soul.

"Get Clara out of the house," I pleaded with a baby face.

I let my voice tremble slightly, putting on the look of a hurt, helpless wife who was simply desperate for her husband's undivided love. I needed to know where he stood, and I needed this new snake removed before she laid another trap in my path.

"How many women will you have in this lifetime?" I added, my voice cracking with bitter emotion as I stared right into his eyes. "Philomena, Maria, Maya, and now this?"

Edward was quiet for a while.

The heavy drip of water from the brass faucet was the only sound echoing in the steamy room. He looked down at the dark water, his jaw clenching tightly as if my words had struck a raw, painful nerve deep within his chest.

And then said he cannot do that at the moment.

"I cannot send her away today, Maya," Edward said quietly, looking back up at me with a tired, heavy expression. "It is not that simple."

"Why?!" I choked out, a genuine tear spilling over my cheek. "She is mocking me! She is trying to take my place!"

"Listen to me," Edward whispered, reaching out to cup my jaw, his warm thumb wiping the tear from my skin. "I am  promising not to have any physical contact with her."

"A promise?" I sneered softly, pulling my face back from his hand. "Like the promise you made at the dance floor before you kissed her?"

"I was drugged!" Edward growled, his voice rising with defensive frustration before he quickly softened it again. "Maria spiked my wine, Maya! I didn't even know who I was holding! I swear on my wolf, I will not touch Clara. She stays only because of a situation with the elders that I am trying to resolve."

He took a deep breath, looking around the room as if checking for invisible shadows before leaning closer to my ear.

"My brother's death was a mistake," Edward muttered in a low, dangerous whisper that sent a cold shudder straight down my spine. "But the evil woman is ready to frame me up."

My breath caught violently in my throat. My knees almost gave out right beside the tub.

His brother's death... Lucas.

My mind reeled backward in time. Lucas—Edward's younger brother, the gentle prince who was made to serve as a maid in the palace.

He had died under mysterious circumstances right under my watch. Everyone in the pack believed Lucas had been killed by rogue wolves during an ambush on the border.

 But I had always suspected Maria though or even Edward his brother.

But the way Edward said it just now... the raw, heavy guilt laced in his voice...

I was dressing the Alpha myself.

I helped him out of the bath, wrapping a heavy white towel around his waist as he stepped onto the cold stone floor. I brought out his clean clothes—his linen undergarments, his dark trousers, and his heavy leather tunic.

I already wore his shirt, smoothing the linen fabric over his broad shoulders and buttoning the collar up to his throat. He had dropped the towel to pull on his pants, and his dick was still dangling in front of me as I knelt down to lace his trousers.

But I was not moved to touch it, or even play with it, or even have it inside my pussy.

Usually, the sight of his powerful body and his natural male scent would send an electric heat rushing through my lower stomach, making me crave his touch after thirty-six long days of spiritual separation. But right now, my body was completely numb.

At the moment, I was terrified finding out that probably, he killed Lucas.

My hands trembled violently as I tied the leather laces of his pants. The room seemed to shrink, the steam turning into a suffocating fog. Was my mate a murderer? Had he shed his own brother's blood, just like Maria had shed my blood to take the Luna crown?

 Was I sleeping in the bed of a monster?

I slowly stood up, stepping back until my lower back pressed against the edge of the vanity table. I stared into his face, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs.

"Did you kill Lucas?" I asked.

The words left my mouth before I could stop them, raw, sharp, and terrifyingly clear in the quiet room.

Edward froze. His hands stopped right on his belt buckle. The color drained from his face, leaving his skin pale under the warm sunlight. He looked at me with wide, shocked amber eyes, as if he couldn't believe I had just spoken that cursed name out loud.

"I didn't... but—"

Just then, Maria walked in.

The heavy oak door of the bedchamber swung open without a single knock. Maria stepped into the washroom, wrapped in a long silk robe, her dark hair pinned up, her eyes cold, sharp, and victorious.

Alpha Edward shut his mouth and only stares.

The words died instantly in his throat. His jaw locked tight, his shoulders went rigid, and he completely stopped speaking, swallowing whatever explanation he was about to give me.

I stood there, looking between the two of them, a wave of profound, sickening shock washing over my entire body.

This was the greatest Alpha of his time! This was the man who fights battles alone with no shield and armor, riding into the mouth of enemy fire and coming out untouched! I had seen him rip rogue wolves apart with his bare hands. I had seen him stand before the entire pack council and command absolute obedience with a single roar!

And yet, here he is, scared of Maria, his Luna.

He didn't yell at her for barging into his private washroom without permission. He didn't order her out. He just stood there, completely silent, watching her with a strange, hidden terror lurking behind his amber eyes.

Maria walked slowly toward us, her silk dress rustling against the floor. She looked at Edward, then turned her gaze toward me, her lips curving into a slow, malicious, knowing smile.

"Good morning, my Lord," Maria said softly, her voice dripping with toxic sweetness. "I see Maya is dutifully dressing you after your long night at the border."

Edward didn't answer. He just gave a small, tense nod, his eyes fixed on the floorboards between them.

"I came to inform you that the elders are waiting in the council hall," Maria continued, stepping closer until she was standing right beside him, resting her pale, thin hand on his broad chest—right over his heart. "We have much to discuss regarding Clara's position in this house, and the... old matters we spoke about last night."

My mind exploded with a hundred alarm bells.

Last night! She was talking about last night! The meeting in his room while he was away... the voices... the breathing...

Maria looked over her shoulder at me, her dark eyes flashing with pure evil. "You may leave us now, maid. The Alpha has official business with his true Luna."

I looked at Edward, waiting for him to tell her to back off. I waited for him to hold my hand, to speak up, to show an ounce of the supreme Alpha power he possessed on the battlefield.

He said nothing. He just kept his mouth shut, staring blankly ahead, completely bared and controlled by the woman standing beside him.

Something is definitely wrong somewhere.

A dark, terrifying realization settled into my mind as I slowly bowed my head and stepped back toward the door.

Edward wasn't just being manipulated—he was being blackmailed. Maria held something over his head, a dark secret so destructive that it could strip him of his throne, his honor, and his life. And that secret was tied directly to the blood of his dead brother, Lucas.

I backed out of the room, closing the heavy oak door behind me, leaving the two of them alone in the steam.

I stood in the quiet hallway, resting my back against the stone wall, my hands trembling as I took a deep, shaky breath. The game had changed completely. Maria didn't just hold the palace—she held the Alpha himself in the palm of her hand.

If I was going to break her grip and reclaim my throne, I couldn't just fight Maria anymore. I had to uncover the truth about Lucas's death, break the chains binding my mate, and expose the evil that was rotting this pack from the inside out. My revenge was no longer just about taking back my life—it was about tearing down the black lies holding this entire empire hostage.