Chapter 15 – Beneath the Surface

Alaina

"I—I'm sorry," the girl stammered, eyes widening as she clasped her hands nervously. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just… you look like someone who descended from the moon itself. You’re absolutely stunning.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected compliment. For a moment, her sincerity hung between us, dissolving the tension and awkwardness that had clung to my skin like a second layer.

A soft laugh escaped my lips. “You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I admitted, brushing a hand through my hair in an attempt to calm my nerves. “You might’ve gone a little overboard with the compliment, but I’ll take it.”

I extended my hand to her with a warm smile. “I’m Alaina.”

She shook her head with a grin as she took my hand. “Not overboard at all. You really are breathtaking. I’m Grace.”

“Well, Grace, it’s really nice to meet you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. There was something easy about her presence, something genuine.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” she offered, releasing my hand and stepping ahead with quiet confidence.

“Thank you,” I replied, falling into step beside her as we climbed the stairs leading deeper into the Blackwood Pack’s stone-arched castle. As we walked, I decided to test the waters and learn more about the people here. This place was more than brick and tradition, It was layered with stories, with tension, and maybe even fractured loyalties.

“This place should feel more… united,” I murmured, the words casual but deliberately placed.

Grace glanced at me, then nodded. “You’re not wrong. The rumors about the pack losing its strength, It’s unsettling. But I don’t want to believe them.”

Her tone had shifted to gentle, but firm. There was resilience in her words, the kind that only grows from deep roots in a place someone calls home.

“The idea of leaving crosses many minds,” she continued, “but I’ve never truly considered it. I’ve built my entire life inside these walls. Even if I’m just an Omega tasked with scrubbing floors and preparing rooms… I belong here.”

She paused at the top of the staircase, her hand hovering near the rail. “I’m not often noticed, you know. People of power in this pack… they rarely look our way. But today was different. The Alpha asked me to make a good impression on you.”

That made me stop.

Adrian? He’d asked that?

The same man who could barely acknowledge sincerity without twisting it into something cold and calculated had gone out of his way for Grace? I tilted my head, curiosity stirring.

“I have to admit,” I said carefully, “It’s hard to picture Adrian ever overlooking someone. Especially someone as kind as you.”

Grace just chuckled, the sound bittersweet. “Oh, he overlooks me all right. In a pack where beauty seems to be the only language worth speaking, I’ve never had the right voice.”

She looked down at her shoes for a second, then back at me. “I don’t want his attention in a romantic sense. I just want to exist. To be seen, not as someone to ignore, but as someone who matters, even just a little.”

She laughed again, but there was a sadness tucked inside it, something she tried to bury beneath humor. My heart ached for her.

“Grace…”

She pointed toward the last door at the end of the hall. “That one’s yours. Want to take a look?”

“Absolutely,” I said, my voice laced with gratitude.

She opened the door for me and stepped aside. “I’ll let you get settled in. If you need help choosing clothes or want to get the layout of the place, just holler. There’s a lot here.”

“Thank you, really. I mean it,” I replied, feeling warmth bloom in my chest.

“Time to check out your new lair,” she teased.

I laughed, brushing past her into the room. “Let’s do it.”

Later, after we explored the castle’s winding halls and old corridors, Grace led me through a secluded path, and soon we found ourselves standing in the Whispering Grove. The moonlight filtering through the canopy created a silver dance across the earth. For a moment, everything was still. Peaceful.

Yet something gnawed at me. This pack felt like a puzzle with too many missing pieces. People were disconnected, following different leaders, whispering about change. It wasn’t just tension. It was the kind of division that fractures a foundation.

“Would you like me to tell you more about the pack?” Grace asked quietly. Her voice softened the air between us.

I smiled. “I’d love that. But right now, I really need to find Adrian.”

Her brows rose slightly. “Now? Is something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No. I just need to discuss somethings with him."

I’ve just learned some things about the pack that he needs to hear. Trust has to start somewhere, and I need him to know I’m not just here to take up space.

Grace tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ll probably find him in the Lair. That’s where he usually retreats when he wants to think… or be alone.”

She hesitated. “It’s on the ground floor, tucked away behind the west wing, kind of hidden.”

“Thank you, Grace. You’ve been amazing,” I said sincerely, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Of course,” she replied. “Just… maybe check with his Beta first before you go barging in. He guards that space like a hawk. Might not take it well if you interrupt something… private.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, grateful for the heads-up.

As I walked back down the corridor alone, my thoughts raced. This place was unraveling, thread by thread, and somehow, I was part of the tapestry now.

And maybe, just maybe, it was my job to mend it.