18

SIENNA

I should have known something was coming. The air in the rogue pack had been too quiet lately, too civil for people who once looked at me like I was poison. Elira had been pretending to be nice…offering smiles that never reached her eyes, giving commands through honeyed tones that dripped with venom underneath. I wasn’t fooled, but I played along. You had to, to survive in a place like this.

“Now what is this bitch driving at?”

That morning, Rhys had sent me to take some supplies from the storage hall to the kitchens. I didn’t question it. It was one of the few times I could move freely without anyone breathing down my neck. The rogues barely looked at me anymore, though I could still feel their hatred in every sideways glance. I learned to keep my head down, to stay quiet, to survive.

I was halfway through the hallway when I noticed the floor shimmer faintly under the weak light filtering from the torches. My first thought was that someone must’ve spilled water but the smell…metallic, sour made me pause.

“Strange,” I muttered, crouching a bit, balancing the wooden crate in my hands.

“Need some help?” a voice called from behind me.

I turned quickly, heart skipping. It was Elira. Her tone was light, too light, like she was pretending to care.

“No, Luna,” I said carefully. “I’ve got it.”

She smiled, that perfect, dangerous smile that could fool anyone who didn’t know better. “You should be careful walking around alone. Accidents happen in this place.”

Something in her voice made me uneasy, but before I could think, my boot hit the slick floor. The world spun. The crate flew from my hands, crashing against the wall. My knees hit first, pain shot up my leg, and then, then came the sharper pain that made my breath catch.

My abdomen burned.

“Elira…” I gasped, clutching my stomach. A sharp wave of agony shot through me, and for a terrifying second, I thought I might black out.

“Oh goddess, are you…” She started forward but stopped midway. Her expression changed, something between shock and real fear flickered across her face.

I looked down and saw the thin stream of fluid running down my legs. My heart dropped. No. Not now. Please, not now.

“Elira, get Rhys,” I whispered, voice trembling. “Something’s wrong. Please.”

She hesitated, frozen, staring at the spreading puddle beneath me.

“Elira!” I shouted this time, the pain searing through my stomach. “Please…he’ll kill you if you don’t!”

That snapped her out of it. Without another word, she turned and ran. I barely noticed when she was gone. The pain grew stronger, sharper. I curled on the cold floor, clutching my belly, praying to the Moon Goddess to save the lives growing inside me.

I didn’t even hear Rhys coming until his voice echoed down the corridor.

“What happened here?!”

He was beside me in seconds. I felt his strong hands lift me from the floor as he muttered curses under his breath.

“Who did this?” he demanded, but I couldn’t answer. The pain was all I could focus on.

He carried me to his chambers…his, not the infirmary, not any healer’s room. His scent filled the air, wild pine and smoke, grounding me even as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

“Stay awake, Goldie,” he said, voice tight with anger and something else I couldn’t name. “Don’t you dare pass out on me.”

“I…I slipped,” I managed, gripping his wrist. “The floor, there was water…”

His jaw tightened. “Who poured it?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered, though deep down, I had my suspicions.

He laid me on his bed, pulling the blankets up to my waist before shouting for a healer. Within moments, an older woman rushed in, her silver hair tied in a braid, her hands steady even as Rhys paced like a storm.

“She’s losing a lot of fluid,” the healer said after a quick check. “But it seems she’ll be fine.”

Finally, Rhys spoke, his voice rough. “You’re staying here.”

“What?”

“Until you’re healed,” he said firmly. “No one touches you, no one comes near you. Not even Elira.”

The mention of her name made my stomach twist again, not from pain, but from realization. He suspected. He might not have proof, but he knew.

“I don’t need your pity,” I whispered.

“It’s not a pity, Goldie,” he snapped. “It's my responsibility. You’re my prisoner, and if you die, it’ll be on me. So you’ll stay here. End of discussion.”

I stared at him for a long moment, searching for a hint of sincerity behind his words. There was something else there, something he was fighting to hide but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Fine,” I said quietly. “But I don’t want Elira anywhere near me.”

He looked at me then, really looked, and for the first time, I saw something close to guilt flash in his eyes. “You have my word.”

He turned to leave, but I stopped him. “Rhys.”

He froze by the doorway, not looking back.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked softly. “You don’t care about me, and you made it clear I’m nothing to you. So why save me?”

He hesitated. For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then he said, still facing the door, “Because… I don’t like owing debts. And you saved my pack from Damon’s ambush and put me in yours.”

My lips parted, stunned. He knew.

Before I could respond, he left, slamming the door shut behind him.

The room suddenly felt too quiet. I lay there, hand over my stomach, feeling the faintest flutter beneath my palm. My heart ached with both relief and dread. They were alive, but for how long?

The next few days passed in a strange blur. Rhys didn’t speak to me much, though I often caught him watching me from across the room, his expression unreadable. He brought food himself, much to the confusion of his guards. He even barked at Elira when she tried to enter his chambers one night, his voice cold enough to freeze blood.

I didn’t know what game he was playing, but one thing was clear, Elira hated me more than ever now.

“Enjoying your little stay in the Alpha’s chambers?” She sneered the next morning when she saw me walking slowly around the courtyard, supported by one of the healer’s apprentices.

“I didn’t exactly choose it,” I replied quietly.

“Sure you didn’t,” she said, her lips curling. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing. You think you can win him over with those innocent eyes?”

“Elira, I’m not trying to win anyone,” I said, my patience thinning. “I just want to live.”

“Then stay away from Rhys,” she hissed, stepping closer. “Because next time, you won’t get lucky.”

Before I could respond, Rhys appeared at the top of the stairs. His eyes swept the courtyard, landing on Elira first, then me.

“Elira,” he said sharply. “A word. Now.”

Her face paled slightly, but she followed him inside.

I stood there, gripping my stomach. A quiet smile tugged at my lips despite everything. I didn’t know what Rhys had said to her, but for the first time, I didn’t feel completely powerless because whether she liked it or not, I was still here which is all that mattered.