ANMELDENROSENTINEThe sound of my heart was pounding in my ears, drowning out every other sound as I watched Alpha Bastian look around my room. I stood awkwardly by the door, fingers curled against the handle, praying he wouldn’t ask about the paper bag sitting so conspicuously on the floor.“I’m really fine, I was just startled,” I said, clutching my robe tighter around me, hoping I didn’t look as frazzled as I felt. When he finally turned to face me, I almost flinched under the weight of his stare, but I forced myself to stay still.If he saw how nervous I was, he’d know something was up.“Startled by what?” he pressed, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.“The bat—I mean, there was a bat that hit my window all of a sudden. It freaked me out.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it was hard to stay calm when sweat was prickling under my collar, and my hands wouldn’t stop twitching.Why today, of all days, did he have to show up? He wasn’t even supposed to visit.Before I could brace myself,
ROSENTINEI blinked, caught off guard by how friendly he was, especially for someone in his position. Just then, I remembered where I had seen him before; he was the guy who defeated Ezekiel in the jousting tournament in the capital two years ago.I remembered how Ezekiel threw a tantrum after that, all because he couldn’t accept that a warrior had beaten him. The memory of his face twisted up in that ridiculous pout made me laugh, which totally startled Joseph, who was still standing there, hand outstretched toward me.“Hi, Sir Joseph. I’m Rosentine,” I said, finally reaching for his hand and shaking it, “Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not laughing at you, I just remembered something funny.”He blinked at me, like he was trying to piece it all together, and then, “What is it? Share it with me.”For a moment, we were just… standing there, facing each other, our hands falling back to our sides, and it felt weirdly natural, like we’d done this a hundred times.I didn’t know why it felt
ROSENTINEI let out a quiet sigh, the kind that slipped out before I could even catch it, right after finishing my prenatal check-up with Mrs. Jane.The past two days had been a whirlwind, honestly; so much had happened in what felt like a blink, everything falling into chaos, one event after another.When Melissa confessed, Owen hadn’t hesitated with his punishment. He said she was no longer fit to serve the pack and that she’d be kicked out. Simple as that.But then, out of nowhere, Rosalia got wind of the whole investigation. Of course she did. And just as naturally, she stepped in to defend her maids, insisting that since Melissa worked directly under her, she’d handle the punishment herself.I wasn’t actually present for any of that since I’d already retreated to my room, but Owen made sure to tell me everything. After all, I got dizzy from everything that had happened since the night before, all the emotions I felt were swirling so hard I could barely keep my feet under me.It w
ROSENTINEI waited, hoping Owen would say something, anything, to tell me what I was supposed to do next. But even he seemed lost, his brows furrowed like the weight of the problem was pressing on him, too.And honestly, how could I blame him? The situation was messy and complicated in a way that left my thoughts twisted and unclear.It felt like a struggle between my heart and my brain.“I need to talk to him. First, I need to know what exactly is happening between your sister and him, because I feel like there’s something really odd happening,” Owen said at last. He glanced at me, then leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.For a while, he said nothing after that. However, it almost felt like he wanted to speak but was still rolling the words around in his head, deciding if he should let them out.The silence stretched, heavy, until I couldn’t take it anymore.“What is it?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I couldn’t help it;
ROSENTINEMy legs suddenly turned to jelly, so weak I could barely stand, and I found myself slowly sinking down, clutching at my chest as if that would steady my heart. It thudded wildly, loud and desperate, while Alpha Bastian’s words kept echoing in my mind, again and again, like a song stuck on repeat.“What I feel for you isn’t lust—it’s love.”“There’s no way,” I muttered, my voice shaking, the words barely making it past my lips.I just couldn’t believe it.Suddenly, memories flashed in my mind: last night, the moment I hugged Rosalia, the way Alpha Bastian’s expression had tightened when I congratulated them, the way he kept looking at me as if he was holding back a thousand words, the way his gaze lingered, intense and searching.All those moments rushed back, piling up, practically screaming at me to notice, to take a fucking hint.And then, just earlier, the pain in his eyes when I put words into his mouth, the way he looked genuinely wounded by my rejection when he tried t
ROSENTINEThe sun was shining brightly when I woke up, but instead of waking in a good mood, I felt completely drained. Last night felt like a nightmare, and I didn’t want to remember a single part of it.For a while, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the bright morning settle on my skin until I finally sighed and pushed myself upright. My body felt sluggish, every movement slow, but I knew I couldn’t just wallow in bed.Not today.I still needed to check on Hana. She’d gotten hurt last night because of Melissa, and even though the physician said it was only a sprain, omegas like Hana didn’t heal as quickly as Alphas did. It would take time, and I at least wanted to be there for her because I felt like it was my fault that she was hurt.After Hana was treated, Owen had helped her back to her quarters, and we’d agreed to meet for breakfast today. I wanted to talk to him about what happened, about what he intended to do with Melissa and the other maid for hurting Hana in







