Chapter 12

Elvanya's Pov

I walked back down to the servant quarters. I was shaking the whole way and sweating under the rough fabric of my dress. I was alive but not safe at all. I still had the secret of the Moon Mark hidden on my back, and the King knew about it and had told me to hide it. He said I was his secret and a dangerous thing that belonged only to him.

I was late getting back to the sleeping room. Senna and Mira were sitting up on their mattresses waiting for me. They were very quiet and watching the door.

“You are back.” Senna stared at me with wide eyes. “He let you live. You were in there with the Alpha for almost an hour. What happened?”

“Yes. He let me go.” I lied fast and kept my voice steady because I had to protect the King’s secret and my own life which was tied to his command. “He asked me many questions about my family, where I came from, and why I dropped the tray the other day. He was checking my loyalty as a servant and testing my memory.”

“Just questions.” Mira sounded doubtful and sat up straighter on the straw. “He kept you for almost an hour just to ask about your village and a clumsy mistake with wine glasses. The King does not care about mistakes or loyalty from human slaves.”

“He is the King and he can do what he wants. He was testing me and checking my behavior and my history,” I said. “I told him I would be a much better servant and promised him I would be perfectly invisible from now on. He just wanted to scare me into being a good worker.”

Senna stared into my eyes and looked like she knew I was lying but did not ask for more because she did not want to hear a risky truth. “You are very lucky, Elvanya. He doesn’t often let humans walk away from those chambers alive. Many servants go up there and never return. You survived a great danger and now you must be careful and silent.”

I lay down on my straw mattress and pulled the blanket over me to hide my body. I felt the mark burning slightly on my back. It was a faint heat spreading under my skin. I tried to focus on the cold stone floor and make my mind blank and empty. I had to be flawless and silent. I had to hide the truth from everyone, including Senna and Mira, because the King had ordered it.

The next morning when we went to the kitchen, the air was different. Other humans looked at me when I walked in. They whispered behind their hands and stopped talking when I passed their tables. They were curious and scared.

I walked with Senna to get buckets of water from the well outside the kitchen door.

“They are all talking about you,” Senna said in a low voice but with sharp urgency. “The word spread through the palace that the King called a new human servant to his private rooms and she came back alive. This never happens, it makes you stand out now like a bright candle.”

“I am just a servant girl. I am not important. They will forget if I am quiet,” I said.

“You are important now because you are a story. The beasts heard too, the other servants think you are special and favored now. That is bad. It is very risky attention for a human here,” Senna warned me seriously. “You were invisible before. Now you are a giant target for everyone who watches the King and wants his power.”

When we walked past the laundry servants, I heard them clearly as they scrubbed clothes.

“She is the one. The King’s new favorite. They say he keeps her close for special duties and that she smells different.”

“They say she will be his new mistress. He will give her better clothes and food. She will live in the high part of the palace soon.”

“No, they are wrong. He is just playing with her like he does with humans. He will keep her for a short time to amuse himself and then feed her to the hunting beasts for sport. He likes to play long cruel games before the final kill and she is part of the game.”

I kept my face straight and didn’t look at them. I walked fast toward the well. I tried hard to be invisible but now I was the center of all the staring and talking. I felt heat rise on my cheeks but I controlled my face and showed no emotion.

I spent the rest of the day trying to be flawless. I did not spill water or wine. I did not drop rags or food. I walked silent and fast. I kept my head down and tried to make my body forget it had a dangerous glowing mark on its back. I tried to forget the heat of the King’s touch and the scary questions he asked.

During dinner service I carried a tray of small silver bowls full of fruit. I walked from the kitchen to the High Hall. The corridor was mostly empty and quiet. I tried to move fast before the beasts came for dinner. I was rushing to finish my task.

As I turned a corner near the main staircase, I saw a tall figure waiting.

He was very tallbuilt like a heavy stone wall. His black leather armor made him look bigger. He was a beast, i knew right away he was the Beta. His eyes were amber.

He stood right in the middle of the corridor and blocked the way. I could not get past him with the tray without going close. He was clearly waiting for me.

I stopped right away. I put the tray down on a side shelf very quietly. I bowed low and dropped my head to the floor. I did not look at his face, i kept looking at the cold stone floor, my heart pounding hard against my ribs.

“Beta Thorne.” I whispered his name. My voice was small and quiet.

He did not speak right away. I heard his heavy breathing, it sounded like a slow growl. I felt him looking at me and it was like a mountain staring.

“You are Elvanya.” His voice was not like the King’s. It was deeper and rougher like a big stone sliding down a hill. It was full of cold hate and dislike.

“Yes, Your Excellency. Do you need me to do anything for you sir?” I answered quietly and politely.

He took a slow step toward me. He was too close now and too big.

“I know who you are and I know you were in the Alpha’s chambers last night. That is the only reason I am talking to a human servant. If not, why should I be holding a conversation with a mere slave like you.”

“I was summoned, Sir. I was following a direct command from the King and nothing else.”

“Humans should only be summoned to be punished or fed to hunting beasts for training. They should not be summoned for talks and stupid questions about families.” He took another step and stood right in front of me. I could smell the sharp scent of his wolf form. It was risky and metallic. I did not dare to look up at his face.

“I only answered his questions, Sir. I followed my King’s command and was totally obedient.”

“He is my King, not yours. You are just a servant who scrubs floors and carries fruit. The King has been distracted lately and you are the cause of the stupid rumors running through the castle like a plague. We do not need clumsy human maids causing problems and making the Lycans question the Alpha.”

He bent down slightly so his voice was close to my ear. I could feel the heat of his breath and it smelled like old blood and metal.

“I am Thorne and I am the Beta.” He said his name formally but it was a clear and sharp threat. I saw his tall black boots next to my worn shoes. I still did not look up.

“Whatever you think you are doing with the King, it will not work the way you plan in your tiny human mind. The King needs a strong queen or a strong ally to keep his rule, not a weak human girl who is easily crushed. Humans are beneath us and are disposable things to be used for work or fun. Remember that always when you walk these halls.” His voice was cold but he added a small chuckle. It was a bad cold sound and not funny, he made sure I heard the dislike and danger in his voice. I felt cold all over. I knew he was warning me to stop trying to get the King’s attention.