Young Man's Taboo Partner

"Is anyone home?"  

I couldn't stop myself from saying those words. Soft. Not much real sound. The dark room didn't say anything. It didn't happen.  

I got out of bed on the narrow one. The cold air hurt my arms. A small cloud of my breath could be seen in front of me. The little window still had a black outside. Not any birds. There are no steps. The thick silence that always came before dawn.  

I put my legs over the edge of the bed. I could feel ice under my bare feet on the wooden floor. Not even a twitch. It's been years since I flinched.  

I put my hands on the old dress that was stretched out on the stool. The same grey stuff. The arm has the same patch. It was cold, so my fingers were shaky as I put it on. It hurt my skin to touch the fabric. The belt wasn't going to slip while I worked, so I made it tighter. Then I used both hands to pull my hair back and pinned it up. It's not reflective glass. I didn't need it. I already knew how I looked. Not fat. Weary. It's easy to miss.  

When I opened the door, it made a noise. I quietly shut the door behind me as I walked out into the hall. It's what they do. Noise caught my attention. After getting attention, there was trouble.  

The main hall was ready. Long and dark. I went outside and put the bucket made of wood in the well. The water sloshed over the edge and got my sleeves wet. When I brought it back inside, the weight of it made my arms shake a little. After that, I got down on my knees and scrubbed.  

Back and forth. Going back and forth. The stone was scratched by the brush. The soap suds turned grey from dirt. It hurt to move my shoulders. The hard floor hurt my knees. I kept going. One board. Then the next one. Next.  

Along the hall, a door opened somewhere. Sound of soft steps. "I didn't look up.""You're early," a soft voice said. Look at this. A girl in the kitchen. Her voice sounded half-awake.  

I just nodded and scrubbed away.  

She stopped for a short time. "Ronan wants the big table to be clean before the sun comes up." Today we have guests.  

It took me a half-breath to move my hand. It moved again after that. Tourists. People were always there. Alphas who want land, fighters, or to make quiet deals. They didn't look at the girl on the ground.I said, "I'll do it." I couldn't speak.  

Mira stayed as if she had something else to say. She let out a sigh and ran into the kitchen. She lost her steps.  

The floor in the hall is done. Even though my arms hurt, I got up and poured out the dirty water. It was already dark and muddy where I dumped it, behind the kitchens. After putting more water in the bucket, I went to the meeting room's long table.  

After years of use, the wood was dark and smooth. I scrubbed everything. Every little corner. Each chair's leg. From the wet surface, I could see my own face. It was pale, with shadows under my eyes and a straight line down my mouth. I turned my eyes away.  

Heavy boots walked across the floor above somewhere. Shoes are Ronan's. That sound was familiar to me. My back got stiff. As if the table could hide me if I worked fast enough, I scrubbed with more force.  

At the top of the stairs, the boots stopped. There was a long period of silence. After that, they turned around and went the other way. A little bit of my shoulders fell down.  

There was some light coming in through the tall windows. At first, grey Then a thin edge of gold. After that, I rubbed the window glass so hard that my fingers hurt. Outside the pack, the ground moved slowly. A group of soldiers walked through the yard. The kitchen chimney was giving off smoke. Same old morning It was just like any other morning.  

There was a loud bang, and I turned around to see the front doors open.  

Two scouts walked in, early morning mist on their cloaks. Their faces looked tense. One of them looked at me straight on and then right past me, like I were furniture.  

"Where is Alpha Ronan?" the bigger one asked.  

My finger went straight up the stairs.  

He gave one nod and then took two steps at a time. His partner went after him. Even after they were gone, their voices could be heard.He'll need to hear this right away—"  

"Work on the Blackridge Alpha has already begun—"  

"No one but Kael Draven himself." I'm not a courier. "Him." "Would you like to?"  

The name was like a stone dropped into water—it flew through the air.  

Kael Draven. -  

It was something I had heard before. It was something everyone did. The leader who never lost a battle. They looked down at the other Alpha and bowed their heads. People said it was mean. Cold. Not touchable.  

I kept wringing the cloth out with my hands, but something in my chest felt oddly pulled. Not much. Sharp, like when you pull a string tight and then let go.  

I stopped moving.  

Once more, the pull came. This time it's deeper.  

My wolf had been quiet for years in that spot.  

It was easy for me to lose the cloth, and it fell into the bucket. The front of my dress was wet. I didn't move.  

The doors to the upstairs opened. Ronan gave orders in a loud voice. Steps were heard. People in the house were tense.  

And something inside me that had been locked up for a long time was pressed against the bars once.  

Just once.  

After that, everything was quiet again.  

But I stayed on my knees on the wet floor, staring at nothing because the silence inside me had spoken back for the first time in years.