CHAPTER TWO - Under the Orchid Tree

LIORA'S POV

Darren moved before I could blink, stepping over Julian's unconscious form without a second glance. My hands were still shaking as he reached for me.

"Can you stand?" His voice was low, but underneath it I heard the familiar warmth that had been my anchor since childhood.

I nodded, taking his offered hand. His fingers were strong around mine as he pulled me to my feet. I looked down at Julian, sprawled against the stone wall, his head lolled to one side.

"Is he dead?”

"He'll live," Darren said curtly. "Unfortunately. Come on, we need to move."

"But won't he tell someone? Won't you get in trouble?" The words tumbled out in a rush. 

Darren might be the alpha's son, but striking a council member's child would have consequences.

He turned to look at me, and even in the dim torchlight I could see the hard set of his jaw. "Let him try to explain what he was doing down here with you. Now come, before the guards change shifts."

He kept hold of my hand as we slipped out of the dark room and into the corridor. My heart hammered against my ribs as we moved outside, and when voices echoed from around the corner and Darren pulled me against him, tucking us both into a narrow alcove. 

I held my breath, acutely aware of his chest pressed against my back and the way his arm wrapped protectively around my waist. 

The guards passed without noticing us, and still we waited, counting the seconds until their footsteps faded.

"Now," Darren whispered against my ear, and we were moving again, faster this time, through the servants' passages that he knew as well as I did.

We climbed the stairs, turned corners, until finally we slipped through a side door and out into the night.

The cool air hit my face like a blessing. We ran across the manicured lawn, past the gardens, not stopping until we reached the old orchid tree at the edge of the estate. 

This had been our place since we were children, it was far enough from the main house to feel safe.

We collapsed against the trunk, and suddenly we were laughing. It started as a breathless giggle from me, because of relief and the sheer absurdity of having just fled through the house like thieves. 

Darren's low chuckle joined mine, and soon we were both shaking with it, the tension draining away beneath the orchid tree.

"We're too old for this," he said, grinning at me in the moonlight. "Sneaking around like we're ten years old again."

"You started it," I pointed out, which only made us laugh harder.

When the laughter finally subsided, I turned to him, suddenly serious. 

"Thank you, Darren. If you hadn't come when you did…" My voice broke. I didn't want to think about what would have happened.

"I'll always come for you," he said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You know that."

I did know it. Darren had been my protector since the day Lord Cassius brought me to this house. He was the alpha's son and heir, destined to lead the pack, and I was nobody. 

By all rights, he shouldn't have given me a second glance. But he had.

I smiled, turning to face him “Thank you, Darren. For making me feel like I’m not a mistake.”

"Don't mention Liora." His eyes found mine, intense even in the shadows.

But something was different tonight. He stared out at the darkened grounds, and I noticed his hands were clenched into fists.

"What's wrong?" I asked, shifting closer. "And don't say nothing. I know you, Darren."

He was quiet for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was raw. "I'm just... tired of all of it. And now there's this business with Elora."

My chest tightened at the mention of his mate. 

"What about Elora?" I prompted gently.

Darren let out a long breath. "They're running fertility tests." His jaw tightened. "If she can't conceive, tradition dictates that I'll need to take a surrogate. Someone to bear the heir." 

"I'm sorry," I whispered, because what else could I say? I had no solutions or any wisdom to offer. 

I was just a wolfless maid who couldn't even shift to heal her own aches and pains. What comfort could I possibly provide to the future alpha?

"Don't be sorry," he said, turning to look at me. “You're the only person who just... listens. Who lets me be something other than the heir. With you, I can just be Darren. Do you know how rare that is?"

"You don't have to pretend with me," I said softly. "I can see how much this weighs on you. How it scares you…"

"I'm not scared," he said quickly, almost defensively.

I raised an eyebrow. "Liar."

He stared at me for a moment, then huffed out a breath that might have been a laugh. 

“Fine. Maybe I'm overwhelmed by the thought of bringing a child into this world when I'm not even sure I can hold it together myself." His voice dropped. "Sometimes I wake up at night and can't breathe from the weight of it all."

"Darren," I breathed, reaching for his hand.

He caught my fingers, holding them tightly. "You've always been enough, Liora. Just you, exactly as you are. Do you understand? You're my stillness."

The air between us shifted, his thumb traced circles on the back of my hand, and his eyes dropped to my lips. 

He leaned close enough that I could feel his breath against my skin, and my heart stuttered in my chest.

"When will your father return?" I blurted out, the words spilling from my lips in a desperate attempt to break whatever spell was happening between us.

Darren pulled back slightly, blinking as if I'd startled him from a dream. "What?"

"The alpha," I clarified. "Your father… when will he return from his conquest?"

Darren cleared his throat, putting a careful distance between us. "Tomorrow. He's been gone for nearly a year this time."

I nodded slowly, taking in the information. I remembered him vividly, he was tall and commanding, with silver threading through his dark hair and eyes that could cut through stone. 

My thighs pressed together involuntarily at the memory of his deep voice calling my name and warmth pooled low in my belly.

"Will he still be as hot as he was?”

"What?" Darren asked, confused.

Heat flooded my cheeks when I realized that I had blurted it out. 

"Forget I said anything," I said quickly, desperate to move past my mortifying slip.

I focused back on him rather than my own inappropriate thoughts. "Listen, about Eloraa and the fertility tests, maybe you should talk to your father when he returns. There could be another way."

"Maybe," Darren said, though he didn't sound convinced. He stood, brushing grass from his clothes, and offered me his hand again. "Come on. I should get you back inside before anyone notices you're gone."

We made our way back across the grounds, slower this time, and at the servants' entrance, Darren stopped and turned to me.

"Be careful," he said seriously. "Stay away from Julian if you can. And if he tries anything again-"

"I'll find you," I promised.

He pulled me into a hug, and I let myself sink into it, breathing in his familiar scent. When we finally pulled apart, he squeezed my shoulder once before disappearing back into the darkness.

I slipped inside, easing the door closed as quietly as possible. My body ached with exhaustion, and all I wanted was to collapse onto my narrow bed and forget this terrible, strange day.

But as I turned toward the stairs leading down to the lower chambers, I froze.

Anna stood at the end of the corridor, her face half-shadowed in the dim light. My heart plummeted, and a thousand excuses raced through my mind.

But she didn't speak. She was simply looking at me, then she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing against the stone until she disappeared around the corner.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, my pulse thundering in my ears.

What the hell just happened?