Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Working in a kitchen full of werewolves was no walk in the park. In fact, I was beginning to think being locked inside that dungeon had been easier. At least there, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally offending someone who could probably tear me apart with one hand.

Nobody talked to me unless they needed something. I quietly did my job, keeping my head down while Cassy and Mary, two of the cooks, watched me from across the kitchen. I had quickly learned that the best way to survive in this place was to stay invisible.

I was slicing onions that Mary had handed me when one of the she-wolves deliberately bumped into me.

The movement was quick enough to make the knife slip.

“Ah!”

The blade cut deeply into my right hand.

I immediately dropped the knife and grabbed my wrist as blood began flowing from the wound. The pain was sharp enough to make my eyes water.

The she-wolf turned toward me with a smirk.

“You should be more careful,” she said, her voice dripping with obvious menace.

I stared at her.

She hadn’t accidentally bumped into me.

She had done it on purpose.

I wanted to say something, but one look at the way she was staring at me made me swallow my anger. I was still new here, and I had no idea who she was or what kind of trouble she could cause me.

“You should get a Band-Aid on that before it gets infected,” Cassy said, stepping toward me and handing me a clean cloth. “The first aid kit is in the servants’ bedroom.”

I quickly pressed the cloth against my hand.

“Thank you.”

“Go clean it before you get blood all over the food.”

I nodded and hurried out of the kitchen.

The servants’ quarters were located down a long hallway. I remembered the way back from earlier and quickly found the bedroom. I rummaged through the wardrobes until I found the first aid kit tucked away on one of the shelves.

I cleaned the wound with antiseptic, biting down on my lip when it stung. The cut was deeper than I had initially thought, but thankfully, it wasn’t bad enough to require stitches.

I wrapped a bandage around my hand and headed back toward the kitchen.

I had barely made it halfway down the hallway when I saw a young woman walking toward me.

I slowed down.

She was heavily pregnant, but she looked like she was barely eighteen. Her long hair fell around her shoulders, and one hand rested protectively over her stomach as she walked.

Something about her behavior caught my attention.

She kept looking over her shoulder as if she were worried someone was following her.

She seemed to be sneaking around.

Our eyes met as we passed each other.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

But I knew instantly.

She was human.

I had spent ten years surrounded by werewolves, and there was something about humans that I recognized immediately. Maybe it was the uncertainty in her eyes. Maybe it was the way she looked at me, like she had found someone who might actually understand her.

I turned my head to watch her disappear around the corner.

How many more of us were there in this castle?

The thought followed me all the way back to the kitchen.

When I returned, Cassy and another woman were finishing up with the onions. The smell made my stomach growl, and I quickly looked away, hoping nobody had heard it.

Cassy glanced at me.

“You’re back.”

I nodded.

She gestured toward the woman beside her.

“Lucy, this is Emma.”

“Hi, Lucy.” Emma greeted me with a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hi.”

I hesitated before lowering my voice.

“I just saw a woman in the hallway. She’s pregnant, and I’m pretty sure she’s human.”

Emma’s eyes widened slightly before she smiled.

“Her name is Lily.”

“She’s human?”

“Half human,” Emma explained. “She’s the king’s stepsister. Good catch.”

I frowned.

“The king’s stepsister?”

Cassy nodded as she continued chopping vegetables.

“Lily has the senses and half the strength of a wolf, but she can’t transform because her mother was human.”

That explained why she looked different.

“She sounds important,” I said.

“She is,” Cassy replied. “And she knows it.”

Emma giggled.

Cassy rolled her eyes.

“She defies everyone. Her stepmother, the Queen, arranged her marriage to the royal advisor, Jason, hoping to tame the young, notorious princess. Unfortunately for the Queen, that didn’t work.”

“What happened?”

Cassy lowered her voice.

“Lily continued causing trouble and sneaking around with the royal guards. Eventually, her husband got fed up with her.”

I frowned at the way she said it.

“What did he do?”

“She ended up pregnant.”

My eyes widened.

“She’s pregnant with her husband’s child?”

“That’s what everyone says,” Emma whispered.

Cassy glanced around the kitchen before continuing.

“She’s been locked inside their room as punishment, but I’m sure she found a way to escape again. Lily has never been very good at following orders.”

I didn’t know what to say.

The idea of someone being locked away simply because they disobeyed their family made my stomach turn. I had spent years believing werewolves were monsters, and every time I entered this castle, I found another reason to believe I was right.

Still, knowing there were other humans around was strangely comforting.

At least I wasn’t completely alone.

“How old is she?” I asked. “She doesn’t look older than fifteen.”

Emma burst out laughing.

“Oh, Lucy! Don’t you know werewolves hardly age?”

I stared at her.

“Hardly age?”

“I’m sure you’ve noticed most werewolves here look so young and pretty.”

She laughed again.

“Lily is young, but not that young. She’s twenty-one.”

I blinked.

“Twenty-one?”

“Yes.”

I stared at the doorway Lily had disappeared through earlier.

I was about to turn twenty-one myself, yet I had assumed she was barely a teenager.

“Her husband is the older one, though,” Emma added. “He’s in his thirties, or so I’ve heard from rumors.”

I was stunned.

That girl couldn’t possibly be twenty-one.

I was about to turn twenty-one, and I couldn’t help thinking that I wished I looked that young and cute. After ten years of surviving in forests, sleeping on cold ground, and constantly running for my life, I probably looked fifty compared to everyone in this castle.

Emma must have noticed the shock on my face because she giggled.

I couldn’t help smiling slightly.

There was something comforting about her.

She laughed easily. She didn’t look at me like I was some strange creature. She talked to me normally, almost as if we were just two ordinary girls having a conversation.

I was starting to like this side of her.

It was so human.

“Oh, just wait until you see the king,” Emma said suddenly.

My smile disappeared.

“What?”

“You’ll probably faint if Lily’s age shocked you.”

She grinned.

I rolled my eyes.

“Why would I faint?”

Emma’s grin widened.

“Because he’s ridiculously handsome.”

I nearly laughed.

I couldn’t imagine caring about a man’s appearance when I was trapped inside a castle full of werewolves.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing a basket. “We need to get some roses for the table decorations from the gardens.”

She opened a door near the kitchen, and sunlight immediately spilled into the room.

I followed her outside.

The rose garden was close by, and the sight of it almost took my breath away.

Rows of roses stretched across the garden in every direction. Red, white, pink, and deep purple flowers bloomed beneath the warm sunlight. Their sweet fragrance filled the air, and for a moment, I forgot where I was.

It was beautiful.

Too beautiful.

I walked beside Emma, picking roses for the table decorations while trying not to prick my fingers on the thorns.

I felt a little embarrassed by how shocked I’d been earlier. I mean, it was expected that supernatural beings would be extremely beautiful and almost angelic. Still, knowing that these people didn’t age like humans was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to.

I glanced at Emma.

“Is the king also… you know, old but young, ma’am?”

Emma looked at me strangely.

I quickly continued, “I heard he’s really evil.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Why had I said that out loud?

Emma’s eyes widened.

Before she could answer, a deep voice spoke from directly behind us.

“I wouldn’t say I am evil.”

Emma and I both froze.

“There is a difference between being evil and providing justice.”

My entire body went cold.

Slowly, Emma turned around.

I followed her.

And there he was.

The King.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and intimidating in a way that made the air around him feel heavier. His dark hair was neatly styled, and his eyes were an intense shade that seemed almost impossible to look away from.

This was the man O’zaak had warned me about.

The original full-breed lycan.

The Alpha.

The King.

The last thing I remembered was the King’s eyes meeting mine.

Then everything went black.

ALPHA ALEXANDER POV

The moment I saw her, something inside me changed.

A strange rush surged through my entire body, so powerful that I almost took a step backward.

My wolf reacted before I could.

My muscles tensed, and every instinct inside me screamed to move toward her.

Claim her.

My wolf’s voice echoed inside my head.

She’s the one.

I stared at the human standing in front of me.

It couldn’t be.

I was the King.

I was the Alpha of this kingdom, and she was human.

There had to be some mistake.

My wolf growled impatiently.

She’s the one.

I couldn’t understand it.

The moment our eyes met, something inside me recognized her.

The realization was almost impossible to accept.

I looked at her again, noticing the dirt on her clothes, the bandage wrapped around her hand, and the small cut near her eye. She looked exhausted and terrified, yet there was something stubborn in her expression that caught my attention.

She wasn’t like the other humans.

She had looked me directly in the eyes.

Even after insulting me.

A strange sense of protectiveness rose inside me, and I didn’t like it.

My wolf was practically clawing at my mind.

Mate.

Mate.

Mate.

I tried to push the feeling away, but it only became stronger.

Then the human swayed.

Her eyes rolled backward, and before anyone could react, she collapsed.

I moved forward instinctively and caught her before she hit the ground.

The moment my arms wrapped around her, my wolf went completely still.

Her scent filled my senses.

Sweet.

Warm.

Familiar.

My entire body reacted.

"MATE" my wolf growled