Chapter 2

Astrid’s Pov

With trembling lashes, I slowly cracked my eyes open, unsure and terrified. And there he was.

He stood tall at the top of the stairs, his presence commanding absolute silence. Power rolled off him in waves, heavy and suffocating, like heat rising from a wildfire. His dark eyes met mine across the chaos, and for a moment my heart simply stopped. Time itself seemed to pause.

The elegant woman beside him leaned in close and whispered something into his ear. She watched me with open disgust, as if I were something filthy staining her perfect floor. But the Alpha King didn’t react. Not a twitch, not a flicker. Nothing.

“Let her go,” he said, calm yet completely unyielding.

The warriors hesitated, confusion flashing across their bloodstained faces. They didn’t understand. I didn’t understand.

“Let her go, Finish the rest.” he repeated, this time with steel threaded through every word.

Chaos exploded again. Screams tore through the air. Steel met flesh. Blood painted the stone floors as death claimed more lives around me.

A rough hand yanked my wrist. One of the warriors dragged me away while the carnage continued behind us. I stumbled forward, but my eyes stayed locked on the Alpha King. He was still watching me, his gaze intense and unreadable.

Why me? Why spare me when everyone else was dying?

“Watch where you’re going, woman,” the warrior growled, jerking me harder.

The castle was enormous, all cold stone and deep shadows that echoed with distant cries. My torn clothes clung to my skin, barely covering me, soaked in blood, sweat, and fear. My legs felt like they belonged to someone else.

We finally reached a heavy wooden door. He shoved it open and pushed me inside without warning.

“Change your clothes. I’ll be back,” he barked, then slammed the door shut behind him.

Darkness swallowed me again, broken only by a small cracked window that let in pale sunlight. It must have been late afternoon, but time had lost all meaning. I stood there breathing hard, trying to steady myself.

Why had he spared me?

Did he know something? Had he seen through me somehow?

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I noticed the pile of clean clothes folded on a wooden stool. I didn’t bother checking the size. I simply peeled off my ruined rags and pulled on the new garments in silence.

A sharp knock sounded at the door.

He was already back.

I rushed to open it, heart hammering. But it wasn’t just the warrior. An older woman stood beside him. She had sharp eyes and a calm, steady presence that felt different from everyone else here.

The warrior scowled. “What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He didn’t wait for more. He turned and stormed off, leaving me alone with her.

She studied me for a quiet moment, then said simply, “Come with me.”

I followed, my thoughts still spinning. My feet moved, but my mind stayed trapped with my mother, her blood-soaked face, and her final desperate scream. Everything felt wrong. I wanted to cry, to scream, to disappear completely. But I could barely even breathe properly.

“I’m Lorraine,” the woman said after a while. “I’ll show you around the castle. You’ll be working here from now on.”

I nodded numbly.

“What’s your name?”

“Astrid,” I murmured.

The castle was a confusing maze of stone corridors and heavy steel. Every hallway seemed to hold secrets. I tried to listen to Lorraine’s instructions, but my mind kept drifting back to the dead.

“Astrid.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry.”

She stopped walking and turned to face me, her gaze sharp. “You’d better pay attention if you want to survive here, girl.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again.

She sighed softly. “Your first task is to clean Luna Aliyah’s chambers. The supplies will be waiting outside the door.”

I nodded, trying to remember the directions she had given earlier.

As I turned to go, her voice stopped me once more.

“Astrid.”

I looked back.

Lorraine’s expression was dead serious. “Mind your tongue. Be careful with everything you say and do. This is not the human world anymore. This place… it’s torture wrapped in silk and stone.”

I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

I found Luna Aliyah’s chambers without too much trouble. As promised, a bucket, mop, and rag waited outside. I gripped the bucket handle tightly and pushed the heavy door open.

I hadn’t expected her to be inside.

Luna Aliyah.

I froze the second my eyes landed on her. She sat silently on a velvet-cushioned bed like a predator waiting in the shadows.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted out, quickly lowering my gaze. “I didn’t know you were here. I swear.”

Aliyah rose gracefully, her silk dress whispering against the floor. Her cold blue eyes pinned me in place.

“You didn’t know I was here?” she repeated, her voice calm but dripping with venom.

“I swear to the gods, I didn’t,” I stammered, taking a shaky step back.

“You stink.”

The words hit harder than I expected. Her disgust felt like it was crawling across my skin.

“Get on your knees,” she said coolly, “and apologize.”

“What?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.

The slap came fast and sharp. A loud crack echoed through the room as her hand struck my cheek. My head snapped to the side, fire blooming across my face.

“You dare question me?” she hissed, her voice dropping lower. “Do you want to be killed?”

Trembling, I dropped to my knees instantly. Shame burned in my throat.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, eyes fixed on the floor. “I didn’t know you were here.”

Aliyah crouched beside me, leaning in so close that her breath brushed my skin.

“What made my Alpha spare you?” she whispered. “Why are you still breathing while the others rot?”

I blinked back tears, unable to meet her eyes.

“Well?” she snapped. “Answer me!”

“I don’t know,” I croaked. “I swear, I don’t know why…”

She clicked her tongue and stood up straight. “I’ll be watching you,” she said, her voice sliding down my spine like ice. “I’ll find out what he sees in you… and why he kept you alive.”

With that, she turned and walked out, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

I stayed on my knees for a long time, too shaken to move. My cheek throbbed where she had hit me. When I finally managed to stand, tears were streaming down my face.

I caught my reflection in a large mirror as I passed. My cheek was bright red and swollen, the clear imprint of her hand burned into my skin.

Is this what my life has become?

Just yesterday I had been with my mother, laughing, painting, breathing freely.

Now I was trapped here in this godforsaken kingdom, ruled by a monster of a king, surrounded by enemies, and humiliated by his Luna.

What went wrong?

Why me?