Under the Alpha’s Protection

Winnie’s POV

​The air in the room didn’t just turn cold, it turned lethal.

​The silence was a physical weight, pressing down on my shoulders until I felt like I might actually buckle. I couldn't look at Jason. I couldn't. If I looked at him, I’d see the man who had promised me a lifetime in a treehouse, only to trade me in for a palace balcony and a crown. But I could feel his gaze. It was a searing heat on the side of my face, confused and sharp, cutting through the heavy scent of cinnamon that still clung to the room.

​“Winnie?” Jason’s voice was a ragged whisper, a ghost of the boy I used to know.

​“It’s Winifred,” Cassian corrected him, his voice like the grinding of tectonic plates.

​He didn't look at Jason. He was still looking at me, his dark eyes hooded, watching the way my breath hitched. He reached for his silk shirt, draped over the back of the chair, and slid it on. He didn't button it immediately, leaving the glowing, herb covered expanse of his chest partially visible. It was a deliberate display of intimacy that made Lila’s face turn a sickly shade of purple.

​“I asked you a question, Cassian,” Lila snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. She stepped further into the room, her heels clicking like gunshots on the marble. “What is this... this omega doing in your private quarters? And why is she touching you?”

​I flinched at the word omega. In this pack, I was lower than an omega. I was a defect. A glitch in the system.

​“She is not an omega, Lila,” Cassian said, his voice dropping into that dangerous, low register that made the hair on my arms stand up. He began to button his shirt, his movements slow and methodical. “She is a specialist. She was hired by the Head Housekeeper and approved by the Royal Healers to manage my recovery. Her status in the pack is irrelevant. Her skill is not.”

​Lila let out a harsh, jagged laugh. “Skill? She’s a servant, Cassian. She was a waitress at a two bit diner until last week. Jason, tell him! Tell him she’s a nobody!”

​She turned to Jason, grabbing his arm, her manicured nails digging into his sleeve. Jason looked like he’d been struck by lightning. His eyes were wide, darting between me and the Alpha.

​“I… I didn’t know she was here,” Jason stammered. He looked at me, and for a second, I saw it, that old spark of concern. “Winnie, what are you doing? This is dangerous. The Alpha’s condition… You aren’t trained for this. You shouldn't be in the middle of this.”

​My heart, which had been frantic, suddenly went cold. The hurt I’d been carrying for weeks hardened into something sharp and jagged. He thought I was incapable. Even now, after everything, he saw me as the weak little girl he had to protect.

​“I am exactly where I need to be, Jason,” I said, my voice surprisingly firm. I stood up, smoothing down my clothes, refusing to look like the mess I felt like. “I’m here to do a job. A job you clearly don’t think I’m capable of. But then again, you’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately.”

​“Is that so?” Lila stepped closer, her eyes flashing. “And what makes you think you can talk back to your superiors, you little freak?”

​“She isn't talking back, Lila,” Cassian interrupted, his voice calm but terrifying. “She is answering a question. And she is doing so under my protection.”

​The jab landed. Jason flinched, his grip on Lila’s arm loosening. He looked at Cassian, then back at me, his eyes searching for something. “Winnie, please. Just come outside. Let's talk about this.”

​“There is nothing to talk about, Jason,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the tray of medicine. “You made your choice at the altar. Now let me make mine.”

​“How dare you!” Lila hissed, stepping toward me. I could smell her scent, cloying, artificial jasmine that tried too hard to hide the predatory wolf beneath. “You don't get to speak to my fiancé like that. You don't get to speak at all. Cassian, I want her out. Now. I’ll find you a real healer, someone who isn’t... broken.”

​The Alpha’s aura flared. It was like a physical shockwave, a burst of pure, dominant power that rattled the glass in the windows. Even Lila stopped mid stride, her eyes widening in fear.

​“You forget yourself, little sister,” Cassian growled. He stood up, towering over all of us. The power radiating off him was suffocating, the true weight of a True Blood Alpha. “This is my wing. This is my recovery. And this is my decision. Winifred stays. If you or your... consort have an issue with that, you are welcome to take it up with the Council. But I suspect they’ll be more interested in why you’re interrupting a medical treatment for a personal vendetta.”

​Lila’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She looked at Jason, expecting him to defend her, but Jason was too busy staring at the hand Cassian had placed, almost possessively, on the back of my stool.

​“Jason, are you going to let him talk to me like this?” Lila demanded, shaking his arm.

​Jason didn't look at her. He looked at me. “Winnie, are you sure about this? Being here... It’s not safe for someone like you.”

​“Someone like me?” I challenged him. “You mean someone without a wolf? I’m safer here than I ever was with you, apparently.”

​“Fine,” Lila spat, her eyes burning with a promise of future pain. “Have your little pet, Cassian. But don't expect me to keep quiet when the Council hears about the Alpha being treated by a wolf less freak. You’re making the Royal line look weak.”

​She turned on her heel and stormed out. Jason lingered for a heartbeat, his eyes searching mine, full of a thousand questions I no longer cared to answer.

​“Winnie, I never wanted it to be like this,” he whispered.

​“Go, Jason,” I said, not looking at him. “Your future is waiting for you. Don't keep the Princess waiting.”

​He let out a shaky breath and followed her, the heavy doors slamming shut behind them.

​The silence that followed was different. It wasn't cold anymore, it was humming with a strange, electric tension. I felt like I was vibrating. My legs finally gave out, and I sank back onto the stool, my head in my hands.

​“That was... unpleasant,” Cassian said quietly.

​“I’m sorry,” I whispered into my palms. “I’m so sorry, Alpha. I didn't mean to cause a scene. I should go. I’ll find Mrs. Halden and tell her I can't do this. I'm just a distraction to your family.”

​“You aren't going anywhere.”

​I looked up. He was standing right in front of me, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. But his eyes... they weren't dark anymore. They were gold.

​“He doesn't deserve your tears, Winnie,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

​“It’s not just him,” I choked out, a stray tear finally escaping. “It’s everything. My mom, the debt, being a freak. She’s right. Everyone thinks I shouldn’t be here. I'm just a girl from the diner who got lucky, right?”

​Cassian leaned down, his face inches from mine. I could feel the heat of him, the cinnamon scent wrapping around me like a shield.

​“Let them think what they want,” he whispered. “The most dangerous wolf in the forest isn't the one who howls the loudest. It’s the one who knows how to stay silent until it’s time to strike.”

​He reached out, his thumb catching the tear on my cheek. His touch was electric, sending a jolt through my system that made my heart do a triple backflip.

​“You aren't a freak, Winnie. You’re a mystery. And I’ve always been very good at solving mysteries.”

​“Is that what I am to you? A puzzle?” I asked, my voice trembling.

​“Maybe,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips. “But you are the only thing in this palace that doesn't feel like a lie.”

​He pulled away, his expression hardening back into the mask of the Alpha. “Go rest. Tomorrow, we begin the second phase of the treatment. And Winnie?”

​“Yes, Alpha?”

​“Lock your door. Lila doesn't like losing. And Jason... Jason doesn't know what he’s lost yet. But he will.”

​I walked back to my small room in the servants’ quarters, my mind a whirlwind. I felt empowered and terrified all at once. I kept thinking about the way Jason looked at me, and the way Cassian looked at him.

​But as I reached my door, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

​A small, dead bird was pinned to my door with a silver dagger. And tied to its leg was a note in elegant, looping script.

​Enjoy your stay, freak. It won’t be long.

​I stood there for a long time, staring at the blood dripping onto the floor. I didn't scream. I didn't cry.

​Instead, I took the silver dagger and pulled it from the wood.

​“You have no idea who you're playing with, Lila,” I whispered to the empty hallway.