7

LYRA.

He had saved me a second time. He roared out the word, 'MINE!!', then proceeded to whisk me into his arms and ensured I was safe for the rest of the night.

When he told me that he had come with the intention of taking me back with him, I had felt so hopeful.

He didn't reject me, and that only meant he was willing to give us a chance.

Then we arrived at the White Citadel, only to have my hopes crushed. He had not brought me here to develop a relationship or get to know me better. He brought me to continue suffering from where I left off at Lord Bailey's.

To be a servant, struggling to survive each day as it came.

When he introduced me as an omega, my chest physically ached. I looked into his eyes, silently begging. But he tore his gaze away and looked at madame Katya.

"I trust she's going to be just fine in your care."

"Definitely, my king. I will ensure she settles in well."

"Good." He gave a curt nod, before turning and walking off.

I did everything possible to keep my tears at bay, because what explanation would I give my new mistress as the reason for my tears?She clearly had no idea the king was my mate.

"Are you okay, my dear?" she asked warmly, and I nodded slowly, unable to say a word.

"Good." She patted my cheek and took my hand in hers.

I hadn't expected that level of tenderness especially seeing as the king was gone.

"Come with me, let me show you to the servant's quarters where you'd be staying."

We walked down the long hallway, then took a couple turns, until we arrived at a large courtyard, followed by a building with long rows of rooms stretching out on both sides.

The servants’ quarters were far bigger than I expected.

She led me inside and stopped in front of the fourth room on the right row. Then she knocked on the door and seconds later, a beautiful brunette held it open.

"Katya!" She grinned.

"Enjoying your day off?" madame Katya asked her.

"Yeeess! I'm well rested." The brunette stretched. I was shocked to hear anything like a day off.

"Go in," madame Katya urged, and I stepped inside, my eyes widening slightly. The room was spacious, far bigger than anything I was used to.

Two beds were placed neatly on opposite sides, with enough space between them to walk comfortably.

At Lord Bailey's, there were bunk beds and each person had theirs. But the mattresses were so thin, one could feel the bunk rods against their body.

"This is your room, and you'll be sharing it with Dalia here," madame Katya said, gesturing to Dalia.

"Hi!" Dalia waved, and I awkwardly returned the gesture.

"I would send the dressmaker to take your measurements within the next hour, and your uniforms should be ready by evening."

"Thank you, madame Katya." I gave a bow.

She frowned a little, then shook her head.

"Darling, I don't know how things are done at your previous place of work, but here in the White Citadel, everyone calls me Katya."

Oh...

"I apologize," I whispered.

"There's no need for that." She waved it off with a small smile. "So you are to resume your duties tomorrow. For now, you'll be on a two-week probation during which you'll be assigned different duties."

"At the end of the two weeks, we would evaluate your performances to know where your strength lies. Whichever task you handle best, is what you'll be permanently assigned to do."

Wow. That sounded really considerate and organized.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"That's fine." She gave a nod. "Dalia would help you settle in. See you tomorrow."

Once she was gone, I turned to my new roommate.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm... I'm Lyra."

"You have a beautiful name, Lyra."

She sounded really honest, and I had no reason to doubt her. I had never really thought anything about me was beautiful.

An awkward silence passed between us, before she spoke again.

"I hope I'm not being too direct, but that must have hurt," she said, pointing at my scar. "It looks recent," she added.

"It is," I muttered quietly. "A week ago."

Just then, it occured to me...

What if Alpha Ronan had really come for me, but changed his mind when he saw my scar?

"Goddess, are you alright?" Dalia rushed out, sounding so worried. "You are... you're tearing up."

I was?

"I'm sorry," I apologized, quickly cleaning the tears with the back of my palm.

"It's just fine," she whispered, her voice so soothing. "It's totally okay," she assured.

Another moment of silence ensued, and I looked around awkwardly.

"Arrgghhh!!!" A splitting scream suddenly tore through the quarters, making my heart jump in fear. I looked at Dalia who had a small frown on her face.

"Excuse me," she muttered, before walking to the door and opening it.

"Hey," she called the attention of another maid who was walking past our room. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry yourself, it's just Luna."

"What happened this time?" Dalia asked.

"Princess Nuria is visiting tomorrow," the other maid answered.

Princess Nuria, the famous hybrid princess of the human kingdom. Her mother was a noble-blooded she-wolf who was mated to the human king.

Dalia shook her head as she closed the door and turned to me.

"Nothing to worry yourself about. It's just Luna and her usual tantrums."

"Who is Luna?" I asked.

"She's Alpha Ronan's personal maid," Dalia answered, rolling her eyes. "But for some reason, she thinks she can go from being his maid to being his Luna."

The moment she mentioned Alpha Ronan, my curiosity had spiked.

"So... she... The king..?" I licked my lips. "He fancies her?" I asked, trying not to appear bothered.

"No!" Dalia laughed now. "Alpha Ronan never has any sort of 'affiliations' with maids or omegas. Everyone knows that."

That clarity made me feel both relieved and unworthy, because I was an omega as well.

Could that also be why he didn't want me?

"Luna is just mad Princess Nuria is visiting tomorrow. She acts as if she'd stand a chance if the princess wasn't in the picture. Very delusional." Dalia chuckled, going to sit on her bed.

About half a minute passed, before I gathered the courage to ask again.

"What do you mean by princess Nuria being in the picture?"

"Well..." Dalia started, a naughty grin on her face. "Everybody knows that the king and princess Nuria are very fond of each other, especially in bedroom activities."

I swallowed hard at that revelation, my heart sinking.

"Oh..." I whispered weakly.

"Yes!" Dalia chimed. "A lot of us actually believe the king may end up putting aside the Luna selection process, and choose her as his mate instead."

I wondered how much more unfortunate I could be, but little did I know this was just the beginning.