Chapter 2

Liora’s P.O.V.

Don’t make a sound. Don’t make a sound.

I knew that man was studying me, and when I faced him, the frown on his cold face didn’t look right.

He suddenly got up, and I threw myself back against the door, my heart pounding.

“Who are you?”

His deep voice rumbled through the room as he rose from his chair with the grace only predators carried. I swallowed hard, my hands tightening in the folds of my apron.

My throat ached with the words I couldn’t speak as I lifted my hand slowly and signed.

“I am a pack’s maid, just serving the wine.”

Pointing at my maid’s uniform and wine, I tried to explain in case he didn’t know sign language. His sharp gaze followed my every movement.

His aura radiated power unlike any Alpha, and I could feel it even without my wolf. That Alpha didn’t introduce himself either, questioning further.

“Why can’t you speak?”

Though his query was simple, the weight of it pressed on me like a stone. My fingers twitched by my sides, aching to explain. But I didn’t have any idea how to tell a stranger about my silence that had caged me for so long.

As a last resort, I lowered my head, my heart thudding too fast. He moved, each stride carrying the force of a storm, his sheer presence bearing down on me like a shadow I couldn’t escape.

He was taller than any other Alpha I had ever seen, his frame broad and burly. His dark suit fit across the chest so solid that it looked sculpted from stone, barely containing the strength beneath.

And yet, he was handsome in a striking way, like the phrase ‘s*x on a stick’ was made for him. Mr. Studmuffin, sorry, hot Alpha was terrifying, but his hypnotic ocean-blue eyes drew me without mercy, pulling me into their orbit until I felt safe under his looming presence.

For some maddening, unexplainable reason, the danger clung to him tugged a pull deep inside me, making me believe he would shield me from the world.

He bent his head, asking again.

“Why is this silence?”

His voice snapped me out of the daze, breaking the spell, he had cast over me.

I turned around, desperate to leave, but his hand moved faster.

His strong fingers circled my wrists, the searing heat of his touch startling me. And when he turned my hand upwards, my soul almost left my body.

Mr. Studmuffin’s gaze darkened as he noticed bruises, dozens of tiny needle punctures that told the truths I never dared to admit. Panic rose sharply in my throat as it seemed that he still had questions.

But I couldn’t tell him about these bruises. My dad would beat the hell out of me if I spilled the secret of blood transfusions.

So, I jerked back his hand quickly.

My wrist slipped free from his hand, and in my rush to retreat, my hip bumped the edge of the table. The tray rattled violently as the sharp crack of glass striking wood rang in my ears like thunder.

I watched in horror as the wine bottle tipped, rolled, and shattered against the edge of the table. Red liquid burst across the polished surface, spilling over papers, dripping down in crimson streams to dye the rug.

A shiver ran down my spine, and before I could gather myself to flee, the office’s door swung open. My dad strode inside. “Greetings, Alpha.”

His voice boomed with an eagerness that made my stomach twist. He crossed the room quickly, bowing low before that towering stranger.

“Please forgive me for the delay. I had some urgent matters to attend to.”

I shrank back, wishing I could vanish into the walls. But Dad’s eyes found me in a heartbeat. Firstly, they widened at the sight of me still standing there and then narrowed sharply when he saw the mess.

“You, fool! What the heck are you doing in my office?”

His growl was loud enough to rattle my bones.

“Can’t you even manage a simple task? See, what have you done?”

The air grew heavier, charged with tension as he punished me at once.

“There will be no meals for you. You don’t deserve food!”

The thought of gnawing hunger, the weakness, and the hollow pain twisted my guts, but they weren’t new to me. It wasn’t the first time that I was punished like this.

Mr. Studmuffin’s commanding voice cut through the room all of a sudden, stumbling my heart over its rhythm. He said icily.

“It was only wine! Why are you crushing her over something so trivial, Alpha Magnus?”

The room stilled as if even the walls didn’t dare to breathe. As no one has ever spoken in my favor, Alpha’s words stung my eyes with tears.

Dad let out a strained laugh, bowing his head slightly towards that stranger.

“You are truly noble, Alpha. But there isn’t any need to make an excuse for a useless servant who has made a mistake.”

Then his eyes snapped back to me, hard and merciless.

“You’re still standing here? Get out!”

…

All day, I couldn’t chase the image of Mr. Studmuffin from my mind. His strangely protective aura didn’t make any sense.

Why did he speak up for me?

This memory kept tugging at me even though hunger hollowed my belly. But when I returned to my dorm in the evening, another problem was waiting for me. Nora was already waiting for me there.

“Liora,” she spoke firmly. “Alpha Magnus has called you to his office immediately.”

My stomach twisted. So, the former punishment wasn’t enough that he had decided to beat me now.

Bracing myself for the lash of his anger, I reached my dad’s office. He was sitting behind the broad desk; his face carved into the lines of weariness I had rarely seen.

Besides him, Thalia, my stepmother, lounged like a queen, her lips already curving into a cruel smirk the moment she saw me.

I bowed my head, waiting for the punishment to be announced. My pulse was drumming in my ears as my dad spoke.

“Our pack is suffering because of the continued rogues’ attacks. We have lost many warriors.”

His gaze flicked to me briefly before sliding away.

“So, in current circumstances, we need an alliance to survive. I am considering seeking the Lycan King’s aid…”

His statement made me glance up, confusion threading through my fear.

Why was he telling me this?

Wasn’t I a mute maid, always living in the shadows in this house? What did the rogues’ attack and alliance have to do with me?

My confusion ebbed for only a heartbeat as my dad’s next words dropped like an axe.

“But help from King Cassian will not come for free. It requires a price!”

His gaze was fixed on me, sharp and merciless. The shock froze me in place as he continued.

“So, I will offer him my daughter to show my sincerity.”

Offer?

Like a lamb to the slaughter?

My mind found it hard to process this stunner, but my dad wasn’t done yet. The world seemed to tilt beneath me as he commanded authoritatively.

“I have decided to offer you, Liora. Prepare yourself.”