Chapter 5

Rashi’s POV

Light assaulted my eyelids, forcing them open. I blinked, disoriented, as I shot up from the cold tile floor of the bathroom. I couldn’t believe I had slept locked in there, and no one had cared to check in on me.

"Oh no," I gasped. I had cried myself to sleep, curled up against the wall, as the memories of the previous night crashed into me, Luna Saira’s touch, her twisted commands, my own body’s betrayal. A wave of nausea washed over me. I scrubbed my skin violently with my palms, as if I could peel off the invisible layer of filth she had left on me. I hated my skin; I hated my weakness.

“Get up!” The voice didn’t come from my head. It rumbled deep in my chest, primal and demanding. It was the wolf. For the first time since the shift, I felt her clearly. She wasn’t cowering; she was angry. “Forge on,” she urged.

"Forge on to what?" I whispered to the empty room, my hands trembling as I gripped the sink. It dragged me to my feet. I didn’t have a plan, but I couldn’t stay in this bathroom forever. If I didn’t work, I would be noticed. If I was noticed, I might be killed.

I unlocked the door and rushed out into the corridor.

The castle had transformed overnight. The usual cold, echoing stone hallways were alive with sound. I heard the frantic melody of string instruments drifting from the lower levels. Garlands of fresh flowers, white lilies and blood-red roses, hung from the sconces, their scent overwhelming the usual damp smell of the stone.

"What is happening?" I muttered.

A servant girl in a crisp uniform scurried past, her arms full of folded linens. I reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hey, wait. What’s going on? Why the decorations?"

She looked at me with wide eyes, breathless. "Are you mad? It’s the arrival! The Alpha Heir is here. The ceremony is starting in the Great Hall!"

“The Prince?”

The memory of the girls gossiping in the quarters flashed back to me.

I let go of her arm, and she bolted away. I stood there, frozen. This was my chance to see him, to find a weakness, to... do something. But I was paralyzed by the memory of Luna's eyes.

"You!"

A sharp screech made me jump.

I spun around to see Luna Saira storming down the hall. She looked impeccable in a gown of deep emerald silk, but her face was twisted in a snarl.

"L-Luna," I stammered, bowing my head instinctively.

She closed the distance in a second, and her hand lashed out to shove my shoulder hard. I stumbled back, hitting the stone wall.

"How dare you, filth!" she hissed, wiping her hand on her dress as if I were a disease. "How dare you stand here idling while the castle is in preparation? How dare you breathe my air?"

I looked up, confused. Yesterday she had... wanted me. Now she looked at me with pure revulsion.

"I... I was just..."

"Silence!" she screamed. "Stop staring and get to the Great Hall! If I see you slacking off, I will have you flayed before the sun sets. Move!"

I didn’t wait to be told twice. I turned and ran. The Great Hall was a sea of movement. Tables were laden with food, roast meats, towers of fruit, and silver goblets. The noise was deafening. Wolves in their human forms, dressed in finery, laughed and shouted.

I was shoved into the line of servers by a harried-looking steward. "Take this," he barked, shoving a heavy tray of wine pitchers into my hands. "Section four, don’t drop it."

I moved through the crowd, keeping my head down. Everything was happening too fast, faster than the human world. My body ached, and I felt sticky and gross. I hadn't showered since... since I woke up.

I reached a table occupied by three large men in velvet coats. As I leaned in to refill a goblet, one of them wrinkled his nose. He leaned back, sniffing the air loudly.

"Ugh," he grunted, looking me up and down with disdain. "You reek, girl. Do they not let the servants bathe in this castle?"

My face burned. "I... I apologize, my lord," I murmured, clutching the tray tighter.

"Go away," he waved a hand dismissively. "You’ll spoil the wine."

I turned to leave. If only they knew I was the daughter of the Alpha. I was supposed to be a princess of this pack. And here I was, dirty, abused, and dismissed like garbage.

As I walked away, the massive double doors at the end of the hall swung open. The room went silent instantly.

"Presenting," the herald’s voice boomed, "His Royal Highness, Prince Brail!"

A man walked in. I stood frozen near a pillar, hugging the tray to my chest. He wasn’t what I expected. He didn’t look like the monster my father was. He was tall with broad shoulders, but his face held a warmth that seemed out of place in this cold castle. He had messy dark hair and a smile that reached his eyes as he waved to the crowd.

"Greetings, everyone!" he called. His voice was rich and smooth. "Please, no bowing! Let us drink and be brothers tonight!"

Around me, the other maids were practically swooning.

"Look at that smile," one whispered, clutching her apron.

"He’s so cute," another giggled. "Did you see him wink?"

I felt nothing. I stared at him, feeling a hollow pit in my stomach. “He is the enemy,” I told myself. “He is the one stealing my birthright.” But as I looked at him, I didn't see a villain. I saw a man who had everything I didn't: love, respect, power.

"You! Rashi!"

Madam Lysca’s sharp whisper snapped me out of my trance. She appeared at my elbow, looking stressed.

"Stop daydreaming," she ordered. "See that group standing near the Prince? The Alpha’s advisors. They need drinks. Go, serve them now."

She pointed toward the head of the room, toward him.

"But..."

"Go!" she pushed me.

I stumbled forward, balancing the heavy tray as my legs felt like lead. The closer I got to the royal dais, the harder my heart pounded. The scent of the Alpha, my father, was overwhelming here, mixed with the fresh pine-forest scent of the Heir.

I approached the group of men standing next to the Prince. My hands were shaking. “Just pour the wine,” I told myself. “Pour the wine and leave.” But my foot caught on the hem of the long tablecloth.

Time seemed to slow down as I felt the tray tip. I saw the pitchers slide. I tried to correct it, but my exhausted body was too slow.

"No!" I gasped.

The tray flipped. Three pitchers of dark red wine launched into the air. They didn’t hit the advisors; they arched perfectly, splashing heavily all over the white and gold tunic of the Alpha Heir.

The crash of metal hitting the stone floor echoed like a gunshot. The music stopped, laughter died, and the entire Great Hall went deadly silent.

The Prince stood there as the red wine dripped from his hair, soaking his chest, staining his royal clothes like blood. He looked shocked, blinking the liquid out of his eyes.

I stood paralyzed, my hands hovering in the air, my breath caught in a scream I couldn’t release.

"You clumsy bitch!"

The shriek tore through the silence. Before I could turn, a hand struck my face with the force of a hammer. The impact threw me to the floor. My head slammed against the stone, and the taste of blood filled my mouth as my vision swam.

I looked up through the hair covering my face. Luna Saira stood over me, her eyes burning with murderous rage.

"How dare you?" she screamed. "How dare you do this?"