Lorelei POV

Skye brought me meals three times a day. I ate. I slept. I stared at the ceiling for hours. I read the books Skye borrowed from the estate’s small library. I even started doing light stretches every morning to rebuild some of the strength I had lost.

But the silence was killing me.

No Kaelen. No Darius. No guards showing up with terrifying messages. No unexpected summons.

Just me and the same four walls every single day.

Skye was genuinely trying her absolute best to keep me entertained, but by the tenth day, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Finally, I snapped.

"Where is everyone?"

Skye, who had been dusting the small wooden vanity in the corner, paused mid-wipe and turned toward me with a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

I let out a heavy sigh and forced myself to say their names out loud.

"The Alpha. Beta Darius. I haven’t seen either of them since I woke up."

"Oh."

Skye’s expression softened immediately as she set the dusting cloth aside.

"Maybe they’re just busy."

That could be true. After all, they were responsible for running an entire empire.

But still...

"With what?"

That made Skye sigh, her shoulders drooping slightly.

"I really don’t know," she admitted softly as she walked closer to the bed. "You know I’m just a maid. They don’t tell me anything about pack business."

That was true too.

Even so, my expression fell, and a heavy weight settled in my chest.

Why the sudden, complete isolation?

Skye immediately noticed the shift in my mood. Clearly trying to cheer me up, her face brightened as an idea suddenly came to her.

"Didn’t the healer say you’re recovering really fast?" she asked. "You’ve been stuck in this room for so long. How about a stroll in the courtyard?"

My face lit up instantly.

The thought of fresh air and sunlight made something inside me lift for the first time in days.

"Yes. Yes, please," I said, nodding frantically. "I need to get out of this room."

Without hesitation, Skye helped me get ready. She fixed my hair and picked out a light floral sundress that was comfortable enough for a walk in the warm weather. The fabric felt soft and airy against my skin, and although my complexion was still sickly pale from everything that had happened, for the first time in days, I almost felt human again.

But the second we stepped out of my room, a guard appeared right in front of us, stopping so suddenly it felt like he had been waiting there the entire time. It was Paul.

"Where are you going, Miss Ella?" he asked.

Again with the "Miss."

"What’s your business?" Skye cut in immediately, stepping in front of me like a shield. Her voice was sharp, protective in a way that felt almost new on her.

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Ever since both the Beta and the Alpha had seemingly taken my side, Skye had become a lot more confident than before.

But Paul didn’t even flinch at her attitude. He simply lifted a hand in calm dismissal, like she was the one being dramatic. "I was instructed by the Alpha to ensure Miss Ella does not leave her room without a proper escort."

That alone was enough to drain the fire from Skye’s posture. Her shoulders dipped slightly, and she pressed her lips together, the boldness fading as quickly as it came. "Oh," she muttered awkwardly, suddenly smaller. "Sorry about that."

I frowned at Paul as a familiar knot of anxiety tightened in my chest. "Proper escort?" I repeated.

"Yes, Miss," he replied firmly. "Alpha’s orders. I am to accompany you wherever you go."

I exchanged a quick, uncertain glance with Skye, who simply shrugged as if to say we don’t have a choice.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax even though they didn’t want to. "Okay," I said at last, looking back at Paul. "We are just taking a stroll."

"Very well then," Paul replied without hesitation. "I will be taking a stroll too."

Skye’s face immediately twisted in annoyance, but she said nothing, and as much as I hated to admit it, I almost laughed.

****

"You don’t like him very much, do you?" I whispered to Skye as we walked side by side out in the open.

The courtyard was beautiful, but the atmosphere still felt strangely heavy.

The other maids stole hurried glances at us as we passed, their eyes lingering just long enough to make me notice, though none of them dared to whisper a word this time.

Skye, meanwhile, had not stopped shooting venomous glares at the man walking several steps behind us.

"He’s a man," she whispered back.

I blinked.

"That’s all?"

"Men are trouble. Especially the ones who follow orders without question." She glanced back at Paul before turning to me again. "He’s the type who would smile at you while stabbing you in the back."

I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder at him. He was walking a few paces behind us, keeping a respectful but unyielding distance. His expression was entirely neutral, and his hands were clasped loosely behind his back, but the second he caught me staring, he offered a polite smile.

"He doesn’t seem that bad," I said, trying to find a silver lining.

"He seems exactly that bad," she replied firmly.

I couldn’t help letting out a small, breathless laugh at her intensity.

"You shouldn’t find it funny," Skye scolded gently, nudging my arm. "Remember how cold he used to be when you were still a maid? He’s only being submissive and polite now because you have the Alpha behind you."

That made me sigh heavily as I recalled the day he and a few other guards had dragged me straight to the cell with the beast.

Skye was right. These people were only acting in the best interest of their Alpha. That meant they could switch at any moment and throw me right back into a cage the second his favor wavered.

"Let me through!"

A sharp, frantic voice suddenly cut through the distance, snapping me out of my thoughts. My steps faltered, and my gaze shifted toward the iron gates of the main courtyard. A woman was screaming at a pair of guards who seemed determined to stop her from entering the building.

"Who is she?" I asked Skye, my brows knitting together.

From her delicate features and flawless complexion alone, combined with the expensive outfit she wore, it was obvious she belonged to a much higher social class than most people here.

"That is Miss Beatrice, one of the council’s daughters," Skye said, lowering her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "She’s the one who ordered the maid to drug the Alpha so she could get into bed with him."

Immediately, my eyes widened, and a soft gasp slipped from my lips.

So this was her.

This was the woman who had tried and failed to seduce Kaelen.

The woman who had orchestrated the entire twisted scheme that had accidentally landed me in his bed in the first place.

I found myself staring at her elegant silhouette as she continued arguing with the guards, her voice carrying across the courtyard.

It really was a crazy world.