A STRANGE ROUTINE

LILIAN'S POV

I wanted to throw myself out the closest window in the meantime.

"You're joking," I said softly, holding the railing of the staircase.

Darian straightened his face and looked up from his coffee. "I am not a joke."

"In some way, that's worse."

Suddenly, a maid next to the table appeared to be struggling heavily to contain her laughter.

In an instant, my embarrassment doubled.

Wonderful.

The servants probably thought I was crazy now.

I tried not to limp too much as I made my way slowly toward the dining room. There was already enough food on the big table to feed the whole pack.

eggs.

Toast.

Fruit.

Pancakes.

Bacon, too.

Darian saw the instant rumble in my stomach.

"Sit," he said coolly.

To be honest, I didn't need two reminders.

As the maids moved silently throughout the dining room, I sat carefully across from him.

It was no longer awkward for us to be silent.

Not entirely, anyway.

I looked at the table in shock and said quietly, "You really own too much food."

Darian sipped his coffee once more. "Last night, you complained about being hungry."

"I didn't voice any complaints."

"Bread almost brought you to tears."

"That was hunger on an emotional level."

Before quickly leaving the room, one of the maids choked.

My eyes got bigger.

"Oh my Goddess," I whispered.

Once more, Darian appeared suspiciously surprised

I looked closely at him. "You like this."

"You liven up the mornings."

I looked at him for a moment, not sure how to respond.

I had never been described as interesting by anyone.

Usually, Taryn would call me dramatic.

or soft.

or irritating every time we disagreed.

My mouth immediately tasted bitter after hearing the matching.

Darian must have noticed the shift in my expression because he became less surprised.

"You're thinking too much once more."

I looked down at my plate. "I apologize."

"You're apologizing once more."

Yes.

I let out a small sigh and reached for some fruit. "I'll make an effort to stop."

"Hm."

As I ate slowly, the room fell silent once more. At a time, I noticed a maid looking in my direction with curiosity before quickly looking away.

In wolf packs, news spread very quickly.

I'm sure everyone in the mansion knew who I was by now.

The wife who cheats.

The mate who was rejected.

The pitiful resident of the Alpha's home.

My hunger gradually faded.

"You stopped eating," Darian said softly.

"I'm satisfied."

"You hardly touched anything."

I made myself smile a little. "I'm simply tired."

His gray eyes examined me as if he could see right through the lie.

To be honest, that started to disgust me.

One of the maids Suddenly and nervously approached the table a few seconds later.

"Alpha," she murmured. "Beta Nolan has come to visit you."

Darian's face instantly grew cold.

"Tell him I'll be there soon."

With a brief nod, the maid left once more.

I frowned a little. "Beta Nolan?"

"My beta."

"Oh."

Yes.

Despite being married to his brother for many years, I knew very little about Darian's personal life.

Actually, after giving it some thought...

That was strange.

Unless they were fighting, Taryn hardly mentioned Darian.

"You look confused," Darian suddenly pointed out.

"I just realized how little I know about you."

One eyebrow went up a little. "That seems risky."

"I am aware that black is your favorite color."

That isn't information. Based on the dark condition of this mansion, you guessed.

I looked around the dining area.

To be honest?

You make a valid point.

I whispered, "You should add more color."

Darian had a shocked look. "Definitely not."

I smiled softly and then took another bite of fruit.

Talking to him already felt strangely normal for some reason.

I should have been more worried about that realization than I was.

After some time, Darian pointed out, "You'll probably be bored staying here all day."

"I am able to make myself laugh.”

"With what?"

Excellent question.

To be honest, I didn't know.

For years, Taryn had been the center of my existence. His timetable. His incidents. His requirements.

All of a sudden, I had nothing.

No obligations.

No schedule.

No house.

The idea hit more forcefully than expected.

Darian saw right away.

Once more.

This man really did notice everything.

"Today, you can begin with the flowers," he said quietly.

I gave him a blink. "The fake flowers?"

"They are now real."

"You bought them already?"

"This morning, I had it handled by someone."

My eyes grew a little wider. "You took that seriously?"

"I'm serious. Do you remember?

I looked at him in shock as he calmly continued sipping his coffee as if giving me flowers was nothing out of the ordinary.

"What kind of flowers?"

"You'll see."

"That seems suspicious."

"It it needs to."

He smoothly rose from the table, and I looked at him suspiciously.

The moment he moved, the maids immediately fixed the room.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

He was feared by everyone in this mansion.

However, he behaved in some way around me.

Clear.

My chest felt odd once more at the realization.

Darian adjusted the sleeves of his black shirt and pointed out, "I have work to do." "Target to avoid getting lost once more."

My face instantly became hot.

"Are you not going to let that go?"

"Never."

As he made his way to the door, I gave him a weak angry look.

Then he paused suddenly.

"And Liliana?"

"Hm?"

"Don't open the door if Taryn returns while I'm away."

His voice lost all of its playful tone.

There was only seriousness left.

A tie of anxiety grew in my stomach. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"Yes."

I was immediately worried by his response's confidently.

Darian's expression softened a little, so he must have noticed.

Everywhere you look, there are guards. Here, you're secure.

secure.

It was still a strange word.

When he eventually left the dining room, I slowly nodded.

The atmosphere changed once more as soon as he disappeared.

quieter.

Not as warm.

After that, one of the maids cautiously came over. "Miss Liliana, would you like me to show you the garden?"

A garden?

My eyes grew a little wider.

"Is there a garden at all?"

The maid gave a careful smile. "A huge one."

It's interesting.

Perhaps Darian didn't have a total color it was actually all allergy.

Before we eventually went outside through big glass doors, I followed the maid through a number of hallways.

My breath was immediately taken away by what I saw.

The garden was huge.

Nearly every corner was covered in flowers, and lovely stone walkways were circled by towering hedges. Near the center was a fountain with clean water sparkling in the early morning light.

I said softly, "You're kidding."

The maid gave a gentle smile. "Maintaining it costs a lot of money for the Alpha."

To be honest, that surprised me more than the garden itself.

"How much does he enjoy flowers?" I asked carefully.

Before responding, the maid paused a little. "The former Luna did."

Oh.

That response caused my chest to suddenly tighten for some reason.

Darian's mom.

I remembered learning of her passing during the attack that heartbroken a portion of the pack lands years before.

Taryn didn't talk much about their parents.

In actuality, he completely avoided the topic.

The maid whispered, "The Alpha keeps the garden exactly how she left it."

I looked around the garden again seeing it differently now.

Suddenly it felt less beautiful.

And more dull.

"He handles all of this on his own?"

"Mostly. However, he's been too busy lately.

After that, the maid smiled a little. This shows that you are now in charge of the flowers.

I smiled softly. "To be honest, that sounds scary."

"You would have been liked by her."

I was totally Shocked by the sudden comment.

"What?"

The maid appeared embarrassed in an instant. "I apologize. I simply meant.

She didn't finish, though.

Because all of a sudden, a voice from behind us interrupted.

"So, the rumors are true.”

In an instant, my body tensed up.

A tall, blond woman with dark sunglasses and an expensive cream dress stood close to the garden entrance. She showed confidence even when viewed from a distance.

Actually, the word "confidence" wasn't appropriate.

superiority.

The woman examined me closely and slowly lowered her sunglasses.

And right away.

Her eyes flashed with dislike.

"All right," she said coldly. "This is disappointing."

The maid next to me appeared uneasy, and I Frowned in confusion.

The woman approached me with a graceful step and stopped right in front of me.

"You're Liliana."

It wasn't a question.

I continued to nod slowly. "Yes."

I became very aware of how unattractive I appeared in Darian's baggy sweater as her eyes swept over me once more.

It's interesting.

I alread hated this woman.

At last, she smiled, but it didn't seem friendly.

"My name is Amara."

My mind immediately replayed the name.

Carter, Amara.

I knew who she was, too.

And based on the smiling expression in her eyes.

She was also fully aware of who I was.