19

SIENNA

The walls of Rhys’s chambers were too quiet. That was the first thing I noticed when I woke up. No whispering rogues outside, no laughter, no sound of clashing steel. Just silence and the steady beat of my heart reminding me that I was still alive.

The healer had come earlier that morning, checked the bruises on my arm, muttered something about rest, and left in a hurry like the walls might be watching. Since then, it had just been me and the echo of everything that had happened.

“That… bitch!”

Elira’s face. The slick floor. The pain and then Rhys.

He’d carried me out of that hallway himself, his jaw tight, his voice cold but trembling with something I couldn’t name. Now I was here, in his room of all places, recovering under his watch.

I didn’t know if that made me safer or if it made things worse.

The door opened. I looked up, expecting one of the guards, but it was him. Rhys stepped inside, his black shirt half open, the sleeves rolled, eyes sharp but tired.

“You’re awake Goldie,” he said simply.

“Clearly,” I muttered. “I’m not dead yet.”

He shot me a look that was somewhere between annoyance and amusement. “That’s a miracle, considering you walk like you’ve got a death wish.”

I scoffed. “Oh, right. Because I intentionally decided to fall face-first into a puddle in a rogue pack.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re saying it wasn’t an accident?”

I met his gaze evenly. “You already know it wasn’t. You just don’t want to admit it.”

Rhys walked closer, his boots barely making a sound on the stone floor. He stopped at the side of the bed. “You think Elira did it?”

“I don’t think,” I said quietly. “I know.”

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Do you have proof?”

“I have eyes,” I shot back. “She was there, Rhys. Maybe not holding the bucket, but she was watching. She wanted me to fall.”

His jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek ticking. For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then he turned away and poured a glass of water from the jug on the table, setting it down beside me.

“Drink. You need to regain your strength.”

I stared at the cup, then at him. “You’re ordering me around now?”

“I’m trying to keep you alive Goldie,” he said, voice low, almost too calm. “Don’t make it harder than it already is.”

“I didn’t ask for your protection.”

He leaned closer, his voice a sharp whisper. “Maybe not but you’ve got it anyway.”

For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at him. The room felt smaller, tighter. I could hear the faint scrape of his breath.

“Why?” I asked finally. “Why do you care if I live or die? I’m your prisoner, remember?”

Rhys’s eyes flickered, like he wasn’t expecting the question. “You’re under my roof,” he said after a pause.

“That makes you my responsibility.”

“Right. The noble Alpha act.” I laughed softly. “What happens when Elira decides your ‘responsibility’ isn’t worth the trouble?”

He straightened, crossing his arms. “Elira knows her place.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that? Because from what I saw, she walks around here like the Moon Goddess herself. And she hates me enough to make sure I don’t walk again.”

He looked at me then, and for the first time since I met him, I saw something break in his expression, something human. “She won’t touch you again Goldie,” he said quietly.

“Big words for a man who can’t control his own Luna,” I muttered.

Before he could respond, there was a knock on the door. Rhys turned sharply. “Come in.”

A guard stepped inside, bowing his head slightly. “Alpha, it's Luna Elira, she wants to see you.”

Rhys exhaled, slow and measured. “Tell her I’ll come when I’m ready.”

The guard hesitated. “She said it was urgent.”

“I said I’ll come when I’m ready.”

The guard left quickly, the door closing behind him. Rhys stood there for a while, staring at the wooden frame like he could see right through it.

“She won’t stop, you know,” I said after a moment. “Women like her don’t lose quietly.”

He looked over his shoulder at me. “And what do you know about women like her?”

“Enough to know they don’t take rejection well.”

“Rejection?” His tone hardened. “You think this is about me rejecting her?”

I tilted my head, meeting his stare. “Isn’t it?”

His silence was answer enough.

I sat back against the pillows. “You should go before she comes in here and burns your chamber down.”

He took a step toward the door, then paused. “If anyone comes in here while I’m gone,” he said, “you scream. Don’t try to fight, don’t try to run, just scream. I’ll hear you Goldie.”

I gave a faint smile. “That’s oddly comforting.”

He ignored the sarcasm and left, the sound of his boots fading down the hall.

The moment he was gone, the air shifted. The silence crept back in. I hated it. It made me think too much.

I stood carefully, my legs still sore but steady enough. The room was bigger than I remembered, dark stone walls, a wooden table, a fur blanket draped over a chair. Everything screamed power and control, just like him.

I wandered toward the shelves near the window. There were books there...old, worn, some missing covers. I pulled one out at random, brushing off the dust. The title faded, but the scent of the ink and the feel of the book in my hands felt grounding.

I had just turned a page when the door opened again.

“Looking comfortable,” a voice drawled.

I froze. Elira stood at the door, her smile sharp as a blade.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, setting the book down.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “Check on you, of course. After all, we wouldn’t want the Alpha’s precious prisoner getting lonely, would we?”

I swallowed hard. “Rhys told you not to come here.”

Her smile didn’t falter. “Rhys tells me many things. I listen to the ones I like.”

My fingers curled against my side. “You could have killed me.”

“But I didn’t,” she said, her tone sweet but dripping with venom. “You should thank me.”

“For what? Failing?”

Her eyes flashed. “Careful, Silverfang. You’re still breathing because he’s watching. The moment he looks away…” She made a slicing motion across her throat.

I forced myself not to flinch. “Then I guess I should hope he keeps looking.”

For a heartbeat, the room went dead silent. Then her smile returned, brittle and dangerous. “You won’t last here. Rhys may pity you now, but pity fades and when it does, I’ll be waiting.”

She turned on her heel and left, the scent of her perfume lingering long after the door shut.

My hands were shaking. I sat down slowly, trying to steady my breathing. She wanted me to be terrified and truth be told, she was close to succeeding but not quite.

When Rhys returned later, I didn’t mention her visit. He already had enough enemies to deal with and I wasn’t going to give Elira the satisfaction of knowing she’d gotten under my skin.

He looked at me, his eyes scanning my face. “You look pale Goldie,” he said.

“Must be the décor,” I muttered.

He frowned but didn’t press. Instead, he sat at the edge of the table and said quietly, “You don’t belong here, Sienna.”

I met his gaze. “I know.”

“But you’re not leaving until I say so.”

“Then I guess I’m your problem now.”

He gave a humorless smile. “You’ve been that since the moment I found you.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The tension between us was thick, unspoken. Finally, I said, “Then what happens next?”

Rhys stood, his voice quiet but firm. “Next, you survive.”

For the first time since arriving in this cursed place, I wasn’t sure if he meant that as a promise or a warning.