Chapter 03: The King's Summons

~Fiona~

Work at the royal palace was always a hell of a lot of fun when there was gossip flying around. Except, of course, when the gossip was about you.

“Fi, I’m not even kidding. You should have heard those girls," Stella said, her eyes wide as we prepped lunch for the young masters.

"They were calling you a shameless slut, saying you were practically throwing yourself at him last night.” she added.

Stella, my only real friend in this massive, cold palace, spoke with her eyes wide as saucers.

We were standing in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables and prepping lunch for the young masters.

"Ella," I warned, dropping my knife. "You better not have been the one feeding the rumors."

"I swear to God, Fi, my lips were locked about the breakup! It was those bitches from the Blue Villa spreading it around. That’s all anyone’s been talking about since morning."

I let out a heavy sigh, folding my arms. "And what did you do to defend me, since you're my best friend?"

"Don't you trust me?" Ella asked, offended. "You know I have the biggest mouth in the pack. I completely shut them down. They literally walked away crying."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Sure, sure. Miss Drama Queen. Knowing you, you probably made it ten times worse."

"Hey, at least you know me," she smirked, nudging my shoulder.

"Ahem. Mmmh... mhmm." A sharp, nasty throat-clearing sound cut through the air right behind us.

"I seriously do not know why the head butler paired you two together. All you ever do is slack around and waste the young master's time."

It was the old hag, Housemistress Valerey. She stood there with her arms crossed, spitting her words.

Stella and I quickly grabbed our knives, pretending to be incredibly busy with the food, just waiting for her to shoo away with her usual scornful face.

But she didn't move an inch, her heavy black stiletto heels stayed planted on the stone floor.

"Fiona. Your presence is needed at the grand palace. Immediately," she said, her voice dropping into something cold.

"Me?" I froze, turning my head slowly to look at her, then back to Stella.

"What the hell did you do?" Stella whispered, her voice tight with sudden fear. "That entire section is completely off-limits to low-rank wolves like us."

"Ye... yes, ma'am. What did I do, Housemistress Valerey?" I asked, my palms instantly growing sweaty.

"How on earth would I know?" the old woman sneered, turning on her heel.

"Goodness, every single time you always find a way to involve yourself with the high-ranking royals in that palace." She muttered curses under her breath as she walked away down the hall.

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat feeling like broken glass.

"Fi?" Stella grabbed my arms tightly, her eyes filled with panic. "Is there something I should know right now? Tell me so we can start plotting your escape plan."

I shook my head, my brain scrambling for answers. "I haven't caused any trouble recently... I mean, except for yesterday when I almost smashed a crystal ornament over Natasha's head. But that was it.." I stumbled over my own thoughts, the puzzle pieces refusing to fit.

"Is that really enough reason to be summoned directly to the Alpha King's mansion?" I asked, looking at her for some kind of hope.

"I don't know," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me in a tight, protective hug. "But please, just scream or raise an alarm so I know when to come running for you."

She let go, and I started walking.

Every single step I took toward the grand palace felt ten times heavier than the last, my heart racing faster than normal.

The Grand Palace… or as the rest of the pack called it, the Alpha King’s Mansion was a place where low-ranks like me barely even got the chance to smell the entrance.

It was the heart of the pack, the fortress where all major pack business was handled, and completely off-limits to ordinary wolves.

The only reason I ever set foot near it was because of Rico.

In fact, his entire cheating drama had gone down right there yesterday, which was the absolute last time I had stepped foot on the territory.

So why the hell was I being called back?

What did I do?

It took me ten minutes of agonizing walking all over the large estate to arrive at the massive silver doors. They were towering, intricate, and carried the ancient wolf carving.

The guards stationed at the entrance didn't even try to block me. They just glanced at me and let me pass, our usual unspoken routine.

They probably assumed I was just sneaking back in to meet Rico for another chance.

The moment I stepped inside the grand foyer, I was met with a glare from an old woman. She looked and carried herself exactly like Housemistress Valerey, just with a different face.

"Fiona Brook?" she asked, her voice sharp and stern.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

God, she knew my full name.

Why wouldn't she?

I was so dead.

"Come with me," she commanded, turning on her heel.

We walked deeper into the estate, moving through massive, winding halls that looked like they belonged in a museum.

I've never been to this side.. it looked more enchanting than Rico's side. It made his wing look like a guest house.

We took a private elevator up several floors, and then walked up another grand flight of stairs.

With every single step we took, a cold, intoxicating scent began to grow stronger and stronger.

My body went completely rigid.

A sudden, tight tingling sensation rippled straight down my spine.

The scent was somewhat familiar, but my panicked brain couldn't process why.

I was itching to ask the woman what my actual offense was, but she hadn't given me anything other than heavy sighs and dramatic eye rolls every time I opened my mouth.

Finally, she stopped at the end of a long, secluded hallway.

I squinted, my eyes landing on a massive, heavy oak door at the very end of the corridor.

"The Alpha King is waiting for you," she whispered, turning right back toward the stairs.

The Alpha King?

My heart dropped into the absolute pit of my stomach.