"Lady Hilda really this to you?" Eliza exclaimed, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
Earlier, her lady had walked in with an anguished look on her face. She immediately noticed the bruise on her lady's fair skin.
In a hurry, she left in search of a medicine kit and now, she was applying ointment to the bruise.
Althea nodded. "I'm just as shocked as you are," she still wasn't over it.
"Such a sweet-looking woman, I can't believe she can be this vile." Eliza spaced out and shook her head in a shiver.
She put away the ointment and drew closer to Althea. "What are we going to do now my lady?"
"I don't know, Eliza. What I do know is that this place is not safe."
Eliza's eyes wavered as her mind racked up different solutions. She then lit up, "let's tell the Alpha, he'll surely do som—"
"No!" Althea quickly refuted. "They're married, and from the look of things, they both love and adore each other. They're mates. Do you think he'll choose me over his first mate?"
Eliza looked deflated and her shoulders slumped.
Althea continued, "Our only hope is that the Alpha lets us go back to our kingdom."
"I don't think he would," Eliza mumbled. "He's hell bent on keeping you here."
While they were thinking, a knock came.
Eliza and Althea looked at themselves and then back at the door.
"Who could it be?" Eliza asked in a hushed voice.
Althea shook her head and placed a hand on Eliza's mouth to keep her from speaking further.
They held their breaths, waiting to see if the knock would come again and it sure did.
Eliza jerked and yelped into Althea's hand over her mouth.
Althea closed her eyes hoping the person would just leave them alone and leave once they got no reply.
"Lady Althea," Althea heard a male voice call her name. It was familiar yet she didn't know who had it. It didn't sound like Alpha Nathaniel.
"It's me, Gideon. Beta Gideon."
Althea and Eliza exhaled at the same time. Althea dropped her hand from Eliza's mouth and went to the door. She slowly opened it and saw Gideon standing there with his hands folded behind his back.
"I didn't know it was you," Althea smiled softly. Gideon seemed nicer than every other person here. He had always treated her with reverence and she somehow felt safe around him.
"It's understandable," he gave a small smile. "I was informed you came down but didn't eat. I'm about to have breakfast, come join me."
"It's fine, I'm not hungry either way," Althea said despite the rumble her stomach gave in protest.
"I insist," Gideon conveyed smoothly, "I'm only trying to avoid what happened the last time."
Althea felt embarrassed remembering how she had starved herself. It must've troubled him greatly for him to personally come to get her. She turned to look at Eliza inside who in turn gave her a nod.
Althea turned to face Gideon. "Alright, but—" Gideon's brows lifted.
"No raw meat, please."
Gideon chuckled softly. "No raw meat."
He gestured with his hand and they began walking side by side.
Althea wondered why Nathaniel wasn't as gentlemanly as Gideon.
Instead, he was crude and forceful.
Althea couldn't help but think that if she were not in love with Prince Sebastian, Gideon would be her next choice. He was tall, good-looking, kind…
"I heard you went on a little sightseeing the other day," Gideon's voice broke her train of thought. "…even though I think you tried to escape."
Althea's breath caught in her throat but she forced her voice to remain calm. "I didn't try to escape."
"Let's go with that," Gideon glanced at her, "don't do it again." He said seriously. "Werewolves are not the best of people, especially when they chance upon the weak. Humans."
Althea scoffed. "You don't need to tell me twice."
They got to the dining hall and Althea saw a spread of toast, mashed potatoes, gravy, and well-done steak. Some fruit had been cut up as well.
Althea closed her eyes and breathed in the delightful scent wafting in the air.
Gideon drew a seat for Althea.
"Thank you," Althea smiled warmly before she dived into the delicacies before her.
For her sake, Gideon ate what she ate not to make her uncomfortable.
They engaged in small talk as they ate. The atmosphere was light in the dining hall, but just outside the hall, dark clouds loomed over someone nearby.
'She has never smiled at us like that.' Zae, Nathaniel's wolf growled.
Nathaniel himself was not pleased at the sight. His lips twitched at how close they seemed together and he forced himself not to barge into that hall and tear Gideon away from his mate.
After all, he had asked Gideon to ensure that she ate.
His conversation with Althea had left a bitter taste in his mouth. She had posed him a question he had no answer to.
He swore he would never take more than one wife. Not after what his mother had gone through.
Hilda was his wife, his mate. But Althea…
Nathaniel turned and walked away from the hall.
Just as he was about to take the stairs to his study, he heard a loud voice singing.
"If it's not Nathaniel my beloved half brother!"
Nathaniel turned slowly, a crooked smile on his lips. "Oh, the rat's finally out of his cage," Nathaniel remarked, nodding as he stepped closer to the source of the voice.
The source of the voice was Dimitri, Nathaniel's second and half-brother.
Dimitri's eyes darkened but once he remembered the reason he had left his quarters, his wide smile reappeared.
"I heard the pack house had a new addition." He stifled a chuckle. "Rumours have it that you want to take a human bride." Unable to hold it anymore, he threw his head back in a fit of laughter.
Nathaniel's jaw ticked but he kept his composure, his face as calm as ever. "Is that the reason you crawled out of quarters?"
Dimitri nodded still recovering from his laughter. "I came to personally congratulate you on your 'second mate'" he burst out laughing again.
"Is that all?" Nathaniel asked dryly.
"What? You're not denying it?" Dimitri looked ecstatic. He has been waiting for this day all his life.
"The moon goddess must be playing a sick game on you. Two mates? A human at that?"
Nathaniel shook his head and turned to leave.
"Your mother must be rolling in her grave," Dimitri smirked. "This is just the moon goddess' way of saying—you're no different from our father."
Nathaniel halted his steps, glanced over his shoulders, his cold gaze fixed on Dimitri.
Dimitri shrank under Nathaniel's aura, but he tipped his chin higher waiting for what Nathaniel had to say.
Nathaniel only grinned sinisterly, before he turned his head and left.