002| The Fall

MELODY~

As though sensing my pain, rain began to fall as I stepped out of the pack.

Yet, the coldness of it all didn’t make the ache in my chest hurt any less.

I walked aimlessly through the empty street, my hair and dress soaked against my skin.

I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I knew I couldn’t return there.

At least not tonight.

A broken laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it, startling me.

The sound didn’t even sound like me anymore.

I was always told that I was patient.

Understanding.

Too forgiving.

Maybe they were right after all.

Yet all for what.

I had tried for years to get accepted, tried to belong in the pack like a real daughter.

Tried to earn love from people who decided I was not worthy even before I was born.

“Don’t ever fight them, Melody.”

The sound of my mother’s weak voice came painfully in my head.

“You must endure it… that’s the only way.”

I stopped walking.

Rain kept sliding down my face like tears.

Maybe that was why she endured years of suffering and ridicule too.

Maybe she was hoping things would get better.

But they never did.

Mom still died hated.

Yet… I was slowly becoming like her.

My chest tightened painfully.

All those years of humiliation, punishments and hunger.

All for what?

Lowering my head, a bitter realization settled deep inside me.

No matter what I do, I would never matter to them.

Not even if I destroyed myself in an attempt to please them.

Because people like my father and family always needed someone beneath them, someone they can easily trample on and control.

And unfortunately, that person was me.

A sudden cold wind blew violently across the street, enough to draw my attention to where my feet had brought me.

I froze.

The shadow district.

Even the pack guards avoided this place at night.

Illegal gambling.

Underground fights.

Rogue wolves.

Humans.

Everything the pack considered filthy gathered here.

My father detests this more than anything else.

A slow pulse beat against my temple.

For the first time, I wanted to do something he hated.

Music blasted from nearby buildings, followed by bone-chilling laughter.

A strong smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air.

I stood there, staring at the largest building at the end of the street.

Crimson Veil.

The most forbidden bar in this district.

I often heard the maids whisper about it before.

There were stories of how wolves disappeared there sometimes.

Pack daughters were forbidden from going near it.

Especially not the daughters of Alpha families.

My fingers curled slowly.

Before I could rethink it, I walked inside.

The heat hit me instantly, removing all traces of coldness.

The place smelled like liquor, sweat, smoke and sin.

Music thundered loudly through the crowded bar while people laughed recklessly around poker tables and dancers.

There was no way to tell wolves from ordinary humans.

Nobody looked at me twice, and that felt strangely freeing.

I walked straight to the counter.

The bartender raised a brow at me.

“Are you okay?”

“I need something strong.”

He nodded with a knowing smile.

“That bad?”

I looked at him directly.

“My boyfriend just got engaged to my sister.”

His expression changed immediately.

“…Oh.”

A second later, he slid a glass toward me.

More glasses followed after that.

Soon after, everything around me became a blurred mess.

I wasn’t sure if I had been there for hours or just minutes.

My head felt heavy, yet warm and numb.

Numb was better, a lot better.

At some point, I found myself laughing.

Nothing was funny, yet everything in my life suddenly felt ridiculous.

“I can’t believe I actually believed him,” I muttered to myself weakly.

The bartender acted like he wasn’t listening.

“He said I was the best thing that has ever happened to him,” I laughed again, shaking my head. “So embarrassing.”

My vision blurred slightly.

I wiped at my face in anger.

I wasn’t sure if the wetness there was rain or my tears.

“Men are just trash,” a woman beside me suddenly announced.

I stared at her in shock.

She had been listening.

Then I burst into a more real laughter.

Yet it sounded painful and broken.

Maybe Aurora was right.

Girls like me really didn’t get chosen.

Maybe no matter what happened, I would always remain the maid’s daughter.

The unwanted mistake.

The secret everyone wished never existed.

I pushed myself off the stool clumsily.

The room tilted dangerously.

“Easy there,” the bartender warned.

I waved him off. “I’m fine.”

But I was anything but fine.

I stumbled out of the bar, the cold night air slamming into me immediately.

Rain was still pouring.

The streetlights blurred, and everything spun slightly.

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

How stupid.

I had never drunk before tonight.

A black luxury vehicle sat parked not far away.

I didn’t notice it at first, and didn’t even care enough to look.

I just focused on walking unsteadily through the rain.

But then, my heels slipped.

A gasp escaped me as my body fell forward.

And I fell straight into someone’s chest.

Strong arms caught me instantly.

They were warm, steady and felt insanely safe.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

My face was still pressed against the stranger’s chest, while rain poured around us, but not on us, as something above shielded us.

Then slowly, I inhaled.

But froze.

The scent of dark cedar and rain filled my nostrils.

A feeling of terrifying raw power, wrapping me up.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me.

It wasn’t from desire, but a dangerous recognition.

The man suddenly stiffened.

His grip on me tightened unconsciously.

Almost like he was shocked.

I blinked slowly and lifted my head.

But then, I wished I hadn’t.

Because the man staring down at me was devastatingly tall, cold and yet terrifyingly beautiful.

He looked like the kind of danger people prayed never noticed them.

His silver eyes locked onto mine with open disbelief.

But there was no disgust in his eyes.

Only pure shock.

Behind him, several armed men looked equally horrified.

One of them immediately stepped forward.

“Your Majesty—”

But the stranger lifted a hand slightly, stopping him.

His silver eyes never left mine.

Then finally, his voiced came out low, rough and disbelieving.

“Why… why can I touch her?”