Chapter 7

OCTAVIA

Vanessa squealed and bounced in, her curls swaying as she looked around. “Hmm... This room is a bit small, but at least it’s clean,” she said, her voice still light. Then she turned to me, her eyes shining. “Alright! Go shower and change, Octavia. After that, I’m taking you on a tour of the pack lands. You need to see the place if you’re going to stay for a while.”

I hesitated, studying her face. Was this real? Or was it another test? Another part of the puzzle I hadn’t seen yet? Did Alpha Dorian send her to spy on me?

Vanessa must have seen the hesitation in my eyes and mistaken it for something else, because she waved a hand. “Go on! I promise it will be worth it. You'll thank me for this, Octavia, you’ll see. You can't just stay cooped up in here all day, you’re going to die of boredom!”

Finally, I nodded. “Okay.”

I set the bag on the bed, my fingers brushing over the soft fabric. Then I turned and headed toward the bathroom. As I closed the door behind me, my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

Was Vanessa really just being kind? Or was she part of Alpha Dorian's plan to investigate me and find out what I was really hiding?

Either way, I reminded myself, I couldn’t afford to drop my guard. Trust, in this place, was a dangerous thing. I wasn't a guest here, I was a spy. And I couldn't afford to get found out.

The shower was quick. I felt the warm water rushing over my skin, washing away the remnants of yesterday, but not the tension coiling inside me. Zara was restless too.

“I don’t know about her,” Zara murmured at the back of my mind.

“I know,” I whispered silently. “But we can’t just push her away. It will make us seem more suspicious, Zara. We may not trust her, but we still have to play along, even if just for a little while.”

“She smells too happy,” Zara complained. “Too much sunshine.”

I almost laughed at that. “Not everyone is hiding knives behind their smiles,” I thought back.

Zara didn’t answer, but her presence stayed alert and watchful.

When I stepped out, dressed in a short pale-blue dress from Vanessa’s bag, she gasped. “Oh! It fits perfectly! You look so pretty, Octavia!”

“Thank you,” I said again, the words feeling strange on my tongue. I hated being in a dress; it made me feel vulnerable in a way. I only wore dresses when I found it absolutely necessary. Like when it was a part of my mission.

Vanessa smiled wider. “Okay, ready? Let’s go!”

I followed her out of the room, and for a moment, it felt like I was just a normal girl being shown around by a friend. But I never let myself forget why I was here.

As we walked through the halls, I kept track of everything. The number of guards. Which windows faced the woods. How many steps it took to reach the east wing from the stairs. Every detail could matter later.

Vanessa chatted the whole time, but most of her words faded into the background. We stepped out of the pack house building and she led me around for what felt like forever, showing me things and places that I didn't really have any use for right now.

“So, over there is the training ground,” she pointed out, waving. “The warriors train every morning, and sometimes the Alpha trains with them too, or just watches. And let me tell you, he's quite intimidating.”

I nodded, pretending to listen, but my mind kept wandering back to Dorian. The way his gaze had pinned me. The danger in his eyes even without him having to voice it out.

“And that building,” Vanessa continued, “is the infirmary. Elara works there sometimes, you've met her, haven't you? She’s nice. And over there is the pack orphanage…” Her voice faltered for just a second, and I caught it.

“What is it?” I asked gently.

She hesitated, biting her lip. “Some kids have gone missing,” she admitted quietly. “It’s been hard. The Alpha’s trying to find them. No one knows who—or what—is taking them.”

“I’m sorry,” I said simply, remembering how many times I'd already heard that story since I arrived here yesterday.

“Thanks,” Vanessa said softly. Then her voice brightened again. “But you don’t need to worry! You’re safe here.”

When we went around back to the training ground, I noticed something immediately. A tall female with dark, sharp eyes that narrowed when they landed on me.

At first, I tried to ignore the look and continued to walk beside Vanessa as she pointed people out to me, telling me about each person like I actually needed to know. But then, no matter how much time passed, the female wouldn’t take her eyes off me, and her glares were getting sharper. Finally, I decided to ask. “Who’s she?” I asked, turning to Vanessa as I gestured with my head towards the female.

“That’s Selina,” Vanessa whispered. “She’s one of our best warriors. Don’t let her scare you too much, she can be quite… intense.”

Selina’s gaze swept over me coldly for a moment. Then she turned back to her sparring partner, striking with ease.

“She doesn’t like me,” I said simply.

Vanessa giggled. “She doesn’t like anyone new. Don’t take it personally, Octavia.”

We kept walking until we reached a quiet part of the grounds. The breeze smelled of pine and distant rain. For a moment, Vanessa fell silent.

“I’m really glad you’re here, you know,” she said softly.

I blinked. “Why? What do you mean?”

She shrugged, her smile a little smaller this time. “It just feels like… maybe you need a friend, you know. Everyone needs that sometime.”

Something twisted in my chest at her words, and my guard immediately went up.

“I don’t know if I can be anyone’s friend,” I admitted, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

“That’s okay,” Vanessa said, surprising me even more. “I still want to be your friend.”

I blinked. "Well, that's.... that's great, I guess...." I replied awkwardly.

By the time we started to walk back to the pack house, my mind was crowded with new details. Guard patterns, building layouts, names, and faces… That was good. But now it was time for me to get started on the actual mission: gaining Alpha Dorian's attention. Time wasn't on my side.