Chapter 4

But at least it wasn’t ruined.

The photograph inside had survived.

I brushed my thumb over the split wooden edge before settling onto the side of the bed.

Three smiling faces looked back at me.

A little girl stood in the middle with messy hair dancing in the snow, smiling so hard her cheeks became round. Beside her stood an older boy with one arm slung around her shoulders, wearing the confident grin of someone convinced nothing bad could ever happen. Behind them, a man wrapped both children in his arms, laughing at something beyond the camera.

The happiest day of my life frozen forever.

My chest tightened at the thought until breathing became work.

“Lucas…” I whispered, tracing my brother’s face with the tip of my finger.

His smile hadn’t changed.

It never would.

Then my hand drifted upward.

“Dad.”

His face wrinkled with laughter, his smile warm enough to make anyone feel safe. I couldn’t remember what he’d been laughing about that afternoon. I couldn’t even remember who had taken the picture.

But I remembered exactly how I felt protected and wanted.

And all that disappeared in a single night.

I hugged the frame against my chest and stretched out across the bed.

The mattress swallowed me whole. The pillows were soft enough to belong in a five-star hotel.

Everything in this room was spotless, expensive and carefully arranged but none of it felt like mine.

“I wish you were both here,” I murmured toward the ceiling. To the ghosts that haunt this room.

All of a sudden my eyelids slowly became heavier. Between the flight, the pills working through my body, and the emotional exhaustion of walking back into a life I’d never wanted to return to, sleep crept over me before I could fight it.

Just five minutes, I promised myself.

I only need five minutes.

…

A firm knock on the bedroom door pulled me back to reality.

I blinked several times, trying to figure out where I was.

The bright afternoon sunlight had faded into a warm orange glow spilling across the room.

I must have slept longer than I thought.

Another knock sounded.“Miss Sylvia?”

Edmund.

I sat upright too quickly.

The photograph slipped from my chest, and I caught it just before it struck the floor.

“Yes?” My voice came out hoarse.

“Dinner will be served in thirty minutes,” Edmund called through the door. “I thought you’d appreciate the reminder.”

Relief settled over me.

Thirty minutes.Enough time to collect myself

“Thank you, Edmund,” I call out

“My pleasure, Miss.”

After his footsteps fade down the corridor. I carefully placed the photograph on the bedside table, running my thumb over the cracked corner one last time before standing.

Thirty minutes…Thirty minutes until Alpha Marcus revealed whatever important announcement had dragged me back here.

One hour until I saw Elias again.

A strange flutter stirred low in my chest at the thought of him which didn’t make much sense.

Because when we were younger, Elias had never gone out of his way to befriend me. We weren’t close. We barely spoke.

But unlike everyone else in this house…

…he had never made me feel like I disgusted him.

A memory surfaced before I could stop it.

I was thirteen, navigating a packed dining hall, when a single careless step ruined everything. The serving tray slipped from my grip, shattering against the floor as plates exploded into dozens of pieces, splattering food across the expensive rug.

And at that moment every conversation stopped. Every pair of eyes turned toward me and I remember standing there completely frozen while my mother’s face twisted with barely restrained fury.

But Nobody moved.

Nobody…

Except Elias and without saying a single word, he pushed back his chair, crouched beside me, and quietly began gathering the broken pieces before they could cut me. He didn’t look embarrassed for me. Didn’t sigh and never complained.

While His father simply continued speaking to the guests as though nothing had happened, giving me a chance to disappear from everyone’s attention.

It lasted less than a minute. But somehow…

I’d etched it in my memory so I would never forget no matter how many years passed.

I forced the memory aside and walked back to my suitcase.

After digging through my clothes, I pulled out a crab colored dress that looked similar to what I saw Mom wear earlier, which was simple enough to avoid criticism. Nothing flashy. Nothing that invited attention.

Exactly what my mother preferred.

After putting on the dress, I gathered my damp hair and put it through a scrunchie I brought with me into a neat low bun. If nothing else…

At least I looked respectable.

I slipped into a pair of red flats and checked the time. Five minutes left.

Drifting back toward the window, I looked down across the estate's landscape.

Pack members crossed the grounds after finishing work. Children chased each other through the gardens while men in training made jokes as they trained. The scent of dinner drifted faintly through the open window.

From up here…Everything looked peacefully ordinary and for a moment, I almost convinced myself I belonged here.

Almost.

When the noise from downstairs finally echoed through the walls, I drew in one final breath and left my room.

On my way back the corridors felt longer. Every step echoed beneath the high ceilings until I reached the dining room.

As I was about to open the door I started hearing voices filtering through the closed doors.

At first I recognised my mother’s calm, polished voice.

Then another that sounded Older. Deeper and I realised it could only be Alpha Marcus.

I stopped outside the entrance long enough to smooth invisible wrinkles from my dress.

You can do this.

Smile. Stay quiet. Get through dinner. Then survive tomorrow.

After stretching my shoulders and taking in a deep breath, I wrapped my hand around the handle…

…and pushed the door open.