WHISPERS OF FATE

I woke to a heartbeat that was not my  own. I kept getting flashbacks of the events from the night before, perhaps, that could be the reason why sleep had abandoned me. The room was quiet, filled only with the soft breathing of the other girls. The words of the traveller from the night before continued to ring in my head, and somewhere inside the territory, Alpha Xander was awake, I could still feel him, so much, I didn’t notice someone had walked in.

“Water for the Lady’s bath,” the head servant said, bringing me back to reality, placing an empty pail into my hands. “The inner wells are reserved. Use the courtyard well.” My fingers tightened around the handle. “Yes.”

The courtyard roared with activity; sparring wolves, shouting commands, metal striking metal. I kept close to the wall as I walked, eyes lowered, wishing I could disappear into the stone. No one spoke to me, but I felt it. The looks, the quiet hostility. 

A rejected mate was a bad omen. I reached the well and wrapped the rope around my palms, the fibres bit into my skin as I began to pull, the  bucket rose slowly, heavy with water. 

Halfway up, my arms trembled, my strength failed, dark spots crept into my vision, my  foot slipped against the wet stone, the bucket lurched and I pitched forward, as if on cue, a hand caught my arm.“Careful,” a warrior said, steadying me. “You’re barely standing.” “I’m fine,” I answered quickly, trying to pull away.

He didn’t release me immediately, making sure I could balance; just then the entire courtyard fell silent. The air thickened, heavy enough to press against my lungs, every  instinct in my body froze. Around me, warriors lowered their heads without being told, the warrior’s hand left my arm instantly, I  didn’t have to turn. I already knew. Alpha Xander stood at the courtyard entrance.

My pulse hit my throat. His golden eyes locked onto my wrist, then to the warrior who had touched me; gold flared, hot and alive. He moved faster than my mind could follow. Stone cracked where the warrior collided with the wall, dust swirled in the sunlight, no one stepped forward.

“Do not touch,” his voice rumbled, low and feral. “What is mine!” The words rolled across the courtyard. Shock rippled through everyone. The warrior fell to his knees. The King’s composure returned,like  a mask snapping into place.

“She is a servant,” he said sharply. “Remember your station.”

He stood still almost as if regretting his actions, I  was no longer his mate, he had no reason to react the way he just did, then he stumbled out.

My hands shook around the rope. My chest throbbed. Humiliation clung to me like a second skin, and yet… beneath the ache, a strange warmth lingered where his gaze had landed. I left the courtyard as quickly as I dared, carrying the bucket, my arms trembling. I didn’t understand it; the burn in my wrist, the tight pull in my chest. My wolf stirred, faint and persistent, as if remembering something it shouldn’t have forgotten.

When I reached the edge of the palace gardens, I paused. The breeze brushed my skin, carrying the scent of the lake. I froze, hair lifting at the edges of my senses. A shadow detached itself from the trees, he was there again.

The traveller from last night.

Tall, silent, eyes sharp and controlled, he was neither a guard, nor  a servant, I was sure, he was something else entirely. My chest tightened, a strange ache easing at the same time.

“What did you mean by what you said last night?” I dared to ask

He didn’t respond.

He was watching me, curiously, like he was contemplating between options. The silence stretched.

“You said I didn’t belong here,” I pressed again, my voice quieter now. “What did you mean by that?”

A faint smile touched his mouth, but never reached his eyes

“You’ll find out soon enough”

A chill slid down my spine 

“When?”

Instead of answering, his gaze drifted towards the palace walls and for the first time, something like tension flickered across his face.

My wolf stirred suddenly, sharp and uneasy.

A rough hand clamped over my mouth, the bucket crashed to the ground, water exploded across the stone.

I thrashed instinctively, but another arm locked between my waist, dragging me backward into the shadows between trees, my scream died against the palm covering my lips.

“Quiet.” A harsh voice growled in my ear.

Panic surged through me. There were at least three of them, I could hear their footsteps, smell the unfamiliar scent of wolves that did not belong to this territory.

My eyes moved to the traveller, he hadn’t moved, he stood there watching, not in surprise or alarm, just…watching.

My stomach tightened, “you…” the word barely left my throat beneath the hand over my mouth, his gaze met mine, “Be careful with her,” he said, "she's far more important than you realize.”

The cloth pressed over my nose smelled sharp and bitter, my vision blurred, the last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was the traveller’s steady gaze, and the faint almost regretful whisper that followed me into unconsciousness.

“Forgive me.”