7

The morning sunlight streamed through the thin curtains in Aurora’s room. For a few moments, she simply lay there, staring at the high ceiling. The room felt so quiet. There were no voices of warriors shouting for breakfast. There was no clanging of pots and pans.

No other cook was shouting her name. Aurora blinked, and then it all came back to her. She was no longer part of the Silver Pine Pack. And now, she was in the Moonveil Dominion, the kingdom of the Lycans.

Aurora let out a long sigh. “It feels so strange.”

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. “Lady Aurora?”

Nanny Miriam’s soft voice came from outside. “Are you awake yet, dear?”

Aurora quickly opened the door. “Good morning.”

The elderly woman smiled warmly. “Good morning.”

Nanny Miriam’s gaze fell on Aurora’s face. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Aurora nodded. “I slept very soundly.”

Perhaps even too soundly. It had been so long since she’d slept without nightmares.

“That’s wonderful news.” Nanny Miriam handed her a simple light blue dress.

“His Majesty thought you’d feel more comforable in something simple for your first morning here, Lady Aurora.”

Aurora accepted the dress. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Nanny Miriam smiled. “His Majesty is waiting for you to have breakfast with him.”

Aurora froze. “Breakfast together?”

“Yes.”

“With the Lycan King?”

“That’s right.”

Aurora immediately felt nervous. “Do I have to eat with him?”

Nanny Miriam looked puzzled. “Of course.”

“But...” Aurora swallowed hard. “He’s the King here, after all.”

Nanny Miriam chuckled. “That won’t stop him from wanting to.”

Aurora sighed softly, then nodded. Fifteen minutes later, Aurora walked into the royal dining hall. Her steps slowed automatically. The dining table was very long, almost as long as the hall itself. Aurora saw Cassian already seated at one end of the table.

Cassian was wearing a simple white shirt with a black vest. He wasn’t wearing a crown or the regal robes typical of a king. His appearance was much more casual, making him look younger. Cassian stood up immediately upon seeing Aurora.

“Good morning.”

Aurora was a little surprised. A king, standing to greet his guest?

“G-good morning, Your Majesty.”

Cassian pulled out the chair next to him. “Sit next to me.”

“What?”

Cassian noticed her hesitation. “Is something wrong?”

Aurora shook her head quickly. “No, I just didn’t expect a king to do that.”

Cassian looked genuinely puzzled. “Do what?”

“Pull out a chair for his guest.”

He glanced at the chair as though it wasn’t a remarkable thing at all. “It seemed polite.”

Aurora looked down the length of the table. “Are you sure?”

Cassian nodded. “If you sit over there,” he pointed to a chair very far away, “I’ll have to speak louder to you.”

Aurora couldn’t help but smile slightly, and decided to sit down right away in the chair next to Cassian. Soon after, the omegas began serving breakfast. Aurora stared at the table with wide eyes. There was warm bread, cream soup, fruit, cheese, roasted meat, eggs, small pastries, herbal tea, fruit juice, and much more.

“This is way too much.”

Cassian calmly cut his bread. “No. There are only about twenty items.”

Aurora’s eyes widened. “That’s actually too much.”

Cassian shrugged. “It’s usually more than this.”

Aurora nearly choked. “Way more than all of this?!”

Cassian nodded casually. “That’s usually only when there’s a royal meeting.”

Aurora immediately imagined how much food was being wasted.

“What a shame...” Aurora muttered without realizing it.

“Why’s that?” Cassian heard her.

Aurora smiled awkwardly. “I was just thinking, if all this food isn’t eaten later, it’ll definitely go to waste. Just thrown away like that.”

Cassian stopped cutting his food. “So, what do you think we should do?”

“I...” Aurora bit her lip. “I’m used to counting every ingredient. Usually, in the kitchen back at the pack, no food is ever allowed to go to waste.”

Cassian looked at Aurora for quite a while before finally asking, “If you were in charge of this kitchen, what would you do?”

“I’ll definitely make a meal plan,” Aurora replied spontaneously. “Leftovers can be turned into this dish. Vegetables should be sorted by shelf life. The same goes for meat...”

Aurora suddenly stopped talking, realizing she’d been talking too much in front of Cassian. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to meddle...”

Cassian gave a faint smile. “That’s a very good idea.”

Aurora blinked. “Really?”

Cassian nodded. “I’ve never thought about things like that before.”

Cassian sighed softly. “I’ve just been making sure my people never go hungry.”

Aurora looked at the man. It turned out Cassian wasn’t indifferent,  he simply didn’t understand how a kitchen should operate properly and in a way that benefits everyone in a pack or in the kingdom. After eating for a few minutes, Aurora finally noticed something. Cassian had barely touched his food.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Cassian shook his head. “I’ve already eaten a little.”

Aurora looked at his plate. “That’s not a little. That’s only about two bites.”

Cassian gave a faint smile. “That’s more than enough for me.”

Aurora shook her head slowly. “But that’s not healthy.”

Now it was Cassian’s turn to blink. “What?”

“If you keep eating like that, you’ll get a stomachache.” Aurora reflexively spoke as she usually did when scolding a warrior who skipped a meal.

Cassian stared at Aurora for a long time. Aurora immediately covered her mouth with both hands. “Oh Moon Goddess, what have I just done? Did I just scold a king?” she thought to herself in a panic.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Cassian let out a soft sigh. “There it is again.”

Aurora immediately remembered. Every time she apologized, she had to say one good thing about herself. Aurora thought very hard.

“I...” A moment of silence. “I...” Aurora fell silent again for a moment.

Cassian began to wait patiently. Aurora finally gave in. “I can make a delicious apple pie.”

Cassian smiled. “That sounds better.”

Aurora let out a soft sigh. “I’m still not used to it.”

“It’s okay, we can learn slowly.”

We. Not you. One simple word that made Aurora’s heart feel warm. Suddenly, the dining room door swung open, and an elderly man entered with hurried steps.

“Your Majesty!” He bowed respectfully. “There’s news from the Silver Pine Pack.”

Aurora tensed reflexively. Cassian noticed it quietly. “What’s going on?”

“One of the royal chefs, who used to be from the Silver Pine Pack, sent a letter.”

The old man unrolled the scroll. “Ever since Lady Aurora left, their main kitchen has been in disarray.”

Aurora lowered her head, trying not to listen. Yet every word the old man spoke still rang clear to her.

“Many warriors are complaining. The healing potions aren’t working as well as they used to. Some of the pack’s young ones are also refusing to eat.”

Cassian said nothing, and the old man continued. “Alpha Ryder has ordered a search for a new cook.”

Aurora clenched her fingers under the table. So quickly, her position in the pack had been replaced. And for some reason, her chest felt tight again. Cassian noticed the change in Aurora’s expression.

“Hm, all right. You go ahead.” Cassian said to the old man.

Without waiting any longer, the old man obediently turned and walked away. As soon as the servant was out of the room, Cassian looked at Aurora and spoke softly.

“Aurora.”

“Hm?”

“Do you miss them all?”

Aurora fell silent. Cassian’s question was far harder to answer than she had expected. A few moments later, Aurora gave a faint smile.

“I miss the people I once considered my own family. But,” Tears began to well up in her eyes. “I don’t miss the way they treated me while I was living there.”

Cassian didn’t answer right away. Slowly, he simply slid a plate of fruit pie toward Aurora.

“I have a favor to ask.”

Aurora wiped the corner of her eye. “What?” Aurora tilted her head.

Cassian looked at Aurora with a gentle gaze. “When you’ve settled in, would you cook one of your favorite dishes?”

Aurora blinked. “You really want to try my cooking?”

“I do.”

“But, why?”

Cassian considered the question. “You speak about cooking differently. As though it matters. And I’d like to understand why.”

Aurora stared at him for a moment. Then she smiled slowly. “A meal can’t tell you everything.”

Cassian’s lips curved slightly. “It’s a good place to start.”

“Then I’ll cook for you someday.”

Cassian inclined his head. “I’ll look forward to it.”

For a brief moment, silence settled comfortably between them. Neither of them noticed it. But breakfast had lasted far longer than either of them intended. Not because they had nothing to do, but because, without realizing it, talking to each other had become unexpectedly easy.