Chapter 5

Chapter five

Elena POV 

 A servant entered with a tray of food, fresh bread, roasted meat, vegetables, fruit, wine. More food than I would eat in a week at home.

"The Lycan King has ordered a bath drawn for you as well, my lady," the servant says. "Shall I prepare it?"

"Yes, please," I say, suddenly desperate to wash away the dust of travel and the touch of those silver chains.

The servant disappeared into the bathing room, and I heard water running. I took the opportunity to study the expensive room, The luxury feels wrong, like I am playing dress-up in someone else's life. But I am supposed to be Elise, and Elise would accept these things as her due.

When the bath is ready, I sink into the hot water and close my eyes. For a few moments, I let myself forget everything. I am not Elena. I am not an omega pretending to be an alpha. I am not a liar wrapped in chains.

I am just a girl in a bath, warm and clean and safe.

But safety is an illusion. I know it cannot last.

Tomorrow, Kieran said, we will discuss the terms of my stay. What does that mean? What does he want from me? The marriage was supposed to be political, a union to create powerful heirs. But the way he looked at me was not political. It was... something else.

I sank deeper into the water, letting it cover my face for a moment, blocking out sound and light. When I came up, I was gasping for air, water streaming down my face.

I survived the first encounter. I maintained the lie. But every moment I spend in this fortress, the risk of discovery grows. Every time Kieran looks at me with those hard eyes, I feel the truth trying to escape.

How long can I keep this up?

My hands moved to my hair, I washed it with the expensive soaps the maids provided, applying the alpha perfume again to make sure my scent remains masked. I dressed in a nightgown laid out on the bed, soft silk that clings to my body in ways that make me feel exposed.

I tried to eat the food on the table, but I ended up eating only a quarter of the portion.my stomach was too knotted with anxiety to appreciate the quality. I climbed into the enormous bed and pulled the covers up to my chin.

The bed is soft. The room is warm. I should be comfortable.

But no matter how hard I try, I couldn't sleep for hours. I lay awake staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the fortress at night. Footsteps in corridors. Distant shouts from the training yards. The howl of wolves somewhere in the mountains.

Sleep, when it finally comes, was filled with golden eyes and silver chains, with lies that taste like poison and truths I am too afraid to speak.

***************

When I woke up, sunlight was streaming through the window. A new day has begun.

And with it, new dangers I cannot predict.

I rose from the bed and begin the ritual of transformation. The perfume. The blue eye drops. The careful styling of my hair. Layer by layer, I buried Elena and became Elise.

The lie is becoming easier to wear. That should comfort me.

But instead, it terrified me.

The knock I was dreading cames in the early afternoon. I have been sitting by the window for hours, watching the fortress below, trying to calm my racing thoughts. When I opened the door, I found Marcus standing there with a kind smile.

"The Lycan King requests your presence at dinner tonight," he says. "It will be a formal gathering. He wishes to present you to his commanders and allies."

My stomach drops. "A gathering? How many people?"

"Perhaps fifty of our most important warriors and leaders," Marcus said gently. "Do not worry. You will be seated at the king's right hand. You are his honored guest."

Honored guest? That is a kind way of saying prized possession.

"When?" I ask, trying hard to get my emotions.

"Three hours from now. A servant will come to help you prepare."

After Marcus left, I pace the room like a caged animal. Fifty people, all of them would be watching me. All of them looking for any sign of weakness or deception. How could I possibly fool so many sharp eyes?

The servant arrived exactly when Marcus says he would, a young woman named Anna with a gentle manner. She helps me dress in a gown that was left in the wardrobe, a deep emerald green that clings to my curves and flows to the floor. She styled my hair elaborately, pinning it up to expose my neck. She applies makeup with a skilled hand, making me look older, more sophisticated.

When she finished, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. I look like royalty. Like someone important. Like someone worth a Lycan King's attention.

"You are beautiful, my lady," Anna says softly.

"Thank you," I murmur, but the compliment feels like it belongs to Elise, not me.

Anna applies the alpha perfume for me, her hands quick and efficient. She does not comment on it, but I wonder if she knows what it is, what it is hiding.

Shortly afterwards, Marcus returned to escort me to the dining hall. We walked through the corridors I was beginning to recognize, down grand staircases, past guards who bowed as we passed.

The dining hall was massive, and already flowing with the guests. They were all dressed in their finest clothes, and like a bee attracted to honey, they all turned to watch as I entered.

Fifty pairs of eyes followed my every step. But that was the least of my worries. 

Our eyes met across the room, and immediately, I wished I hadn't stared at him. 

Kieran sat at the head of the table, dressed in black as always, but tonight his clothing was more refined, a fitted jacket that emphasizes his broad shoulders, dark fabric that catches the candlelight. His golden eyes find mine immediately across the room.

Marcus escorts me to the empty chair at Kieran's right hand. I sit carefully, arranging my dress, trying to look graceful and confident. A woman sits across from me beautiful, with long auburn hair and sharp green eyes. She watches me with obvious curiosity and something that might be hostility.

"Elise," Kieran says, and I force myself to respond to the name that is not mine. "Allow me to introduce Victoria Kane, daughter of Commander Kane, one of my most trusted advisors."

Victoria smiles, but it didn't reach her eyes. "How lovely to finally meet you, Lady Ashford. We have heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," I say, managing a small smile.

"Of course," Victoria purrs. "The famous warrior princess. We are all so eager to see you demonstrate your skills."

The way she says it feels like a challenge. I glance at Kieran, but his expression is unreadable.

The dinner began with servants bringing course after course of elaborate food. I eat small portions, my stomach too knotted to appreciate any of it. Around the table, conversations flow, talk of recent battles, of pack politics, of training techniques.

I stay mostly silent, listening, trying to learn. Several people ask me questions, about my journey, about the Crescent Moon Pack, about my training. I answer carefully, mixing truth with lies, walking the razor's edge between maintaining my disguise and avoiding outright fabrications that could trip me up later.

Kieran watches me throughout the meal. Not obviously, but I can feel his attention like a physical weight. Every time I glance his way, those golden eyes are on me, studying, analyzing.

Victoria, I realised quickly, was trying to unsettle me. She asks pointed questions about battles I supposedly fought in, about warriors I should know, about combat techniques Elise would have mastered. I stumbled over some answers, gritting my teeths, when i saw the satisfaction flash in Victoria's eyes.

"Tell me, Lady Ashford," Victoria says during a lull in conversation, her voice carrying across the table, "what is your preferred weapon? Sword or spear?"

I freeze. I have never held a real weapon in my life. Omegas are not trained in combat.

"I am proficient with both," I say carefully, "but I prefer"

"To fight with claws, surely," Kieran interrupts smoothly. "The Ashford family is known for their shifted combat abilities."

I glanced at him, surprised by the rescue. He is looking at Victoria now, his expression cool. "Perhaps you should focus on your own meal, Victoria, rather than interrogating our guest."

Victoria's smile tightens, but she inclines her head. "Of course, Your Majesty. Forgive my curiosity."

The tension eases a little. but I continued to feel Victoria's eyes on me for the rest of the meal. She is suspicious. She is testing me. And I am terrified of what will happen when she finds proof of what she clearly already suspected. 

After dessert is served, Kieran stands, and the room falls silent. "I have gathered you here tonight to introduce Lady Elise Ashford, who has come to settle her father's debt to the crown. She will be residing at Bloodstone Fortress for the foreseeable future. I expect you all to treat her with the respect she deserves."

There are murmurs of acknowledgement around the table. Some faces look welcoming. Others look skeptical. Victoria looks calculating.

"Tomorrow," Kieran continues, "we will host a demonstration in the training yard. Lady Ashford will have the opportunity to show her skills."

My blood runs cold. A demonstration. Combat training. Something I have absolutely no ability to perform.

Kieran looks at me, and there is something in his eyes, a question, maybe a test. "Unless you would prefer to rest after your journey?"

It is an escape route he is offering me. But taking it would make me look weak in front of all these warriors. An alpha princess would never back down from such a challenge.

"I would be honored," I heard myself say, my voice steady despite my terror.