Sometimes all you want is to feel normal, even in a world that doesn't want you…
Selene
I found the kitchen by accident
After walking away from Kieran's room with my heart still pounding, I wandered through the house, ignoring the glances of guards and servants, I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to do something, anything that made me feel like I had a purpose beyond being watched and locked up
The smell of baking bread led me to a large double door near the back of the house, when I pushed it open, warmth rushed out, spices, meat, and the sweet scent of something buttery and rich
Inside, the kitchen was alive with movement, pots clanged, fire crackled, and steam filled the air, maids bustled between wooden counters and stone ovens, no one noticed me at first
I stepped in slowly, watching as a young girl peeled potatoes while another stirred a large pot, it felt so normal, so human, I had not been near a kitchen in months, maybe longer
"I can help," I said softly
One of the older maids, a short woman with graying hair tied in a bun, turned with a startled look, her eyes widened when she saw me
"Miss Selene!" she gasped, nearly dropping the ladle in her hand, the other maids froze like statues
I frowned, "It's okay, really, I don't want to just sit in that room, I know how to cook, I can peel or stir or, or do something"
The young potato girl looked at the older maid with panic in her eyes
"What if the Alpha finds out?"
"I'm not doing anything wrong," I said quickly, "I'm just helping"
But they were already shaking their heads
Another maid stepped forward, her hands trembling
"Please, Miss, we appreciate it, truly, but if Alpha Kieran walks in and sees you in here, he will think we made you work, we could get punished, or worse, banished from the house"
My stomach sank
"He would do that?"
They didn't answer, which meant yes
I felt heat rise into my face, not from anger but from shame, I didn't want to be a burden, I didn't want people to fear getting in trouble just because I touched a spoon
"I was just trying to help," I said, voice small
"We know," the older maid said gently, stepping forward, "but please, for our sake… go.
Kieran
I heard the voices before I even reached the kitchen
Raised, frantic, too many people speaking at once
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, uneasy
I pushed open the kitchen doors and stopped in the doorway
Selene stood in the center of the room, surrounded by half a dozen nervous maids, one of them was wringing her apron in her hands, another looked like she might cry, Selene's back was straight, but I saw the hurt in her eyes
"What the hell is going on?" I said, my voice cold and sharp
Every maid in the room froze, they turned to me like children caught stealing sweets, one of them dropped the spoon she was holding, and it clattered to the floor
Selene turned to face me
"I was just trying to help," she said, lifting her chin, "but apparently, I'm not even allowed to chop vegetables in your house"
My jaw clenched, I didn't want them afraid of her, but they were, because they were more afraid of me
"Come with me," I said, grabbing her gently but firmly by the wrist, "now"
She didn't fight me, but she didn't look at me either, not as I led her out of the kitchen and back down the hall
Selene
He didn't say a word as he pulled me through the house, not until we reached the stairs
Then he stopped
"You're not a maid," he said flatly, "you don't need to prove anything to anyone in this house"
I pulled my arm out of his grasp
"I wasn't proving anything, I was living, do you have any idea what it's like to sit in silence for hours, with no one to talk to, nothing to do, not even a book or a window that opens?"
His mouth tightened
"You don't understand," I added, "you think locking me in a nice room makes it better than a cell, but it doesn't, not really"
He stared at me for a long moment, then finally turned to one of the guards near the staircase
"Send word to Elna, tell her to prepare a bath for Selene," he said, then to another maid, "you, go into the village, buy clothes for her, everything, she came with nothing"
The guard bowed
"Yes, Alpha"
I stared at him, unsure what to say, part of me wanted to thank him
Another part wanted to scream
Instead, I said nothing
He turned to me, his voice quieter now
"You're not a prisoner anymore, but you're also not ready to be part of this pack, not yet, so until then, let me take care of what you need"
"I can take care of myself"
His eyes softened just a little
"Maybe, but you don't have to, not alone"
I turned away, exhausted from fighting battles no one could see, as I climbed the stairs toward the room I barely called mine, I heard footsteps behind me, quiet, rushed
I paused and looked back
One of the younger maids, the girl from the kitchen, stood at the bottom of the steps, pale-faced and breathing hard
"Miss Selene," she whispered, "you need to be careful"
I frowned
"Why?"
She glanced over her shoulder, lowering her voice even more
"Because someone in this house doesn't want you to awaken"
My blood ran cold
Before I could ask what she meant, another maid called her name sharply from down the hall
The girl turned and hurried away without another word
And I was left standing alone, heart pounding, wondering who was watching me
And why they were so afraid of what I might become
Sleep didn't come easy that night
Not after what the maid whispered at the bottom of the stairs, her face had been pale, her eyes darting like she was being watched
"Someone in this house doesn't want you to awaken"
The words echoed in my skull, circling over and over, refusing to let me rest
I lay in the soft bed, staring up at the ceiling, my fingers ran over the silver cuffs still locked around my wrists, they were a reminder, a cage, a warning
What was inside me that someone feared so badly?
And why wouldn't Kieran tell me the truth?
I got out of bed
I couldn't keep quiet, not anymore
Kieran
The fire in my study had burned low when the knock came
It wasn't loud, not urgent, just… firm
I already knew it was her
I opened the door to find Selene standing there in a thin robe, eyes shadowed with something deeper than sleeplessness, fear, anger, maybe both
"I need to talk to you," she said, "now"
I stepped aside without a word.
Selene
I walked past him, my heart beating fast, but not because I was nervous, because I was done being silent
He closed the door behind me
I didn't wait for him to speak
"One of your maids warned me tonight," I said, turning to face him, "she said someone doesn't want me to awaken, that I'm not safe, not even here"
Kieran didn't look surprised, not even a flicker of emotion passed over his face
I stared at him, waiting
"Well?" I demanded, "say something"
He walked slowly to the edge of the fireplace, his back to me, jaw tight, the flames lit the side of his face in orange and gold, making his expression hard to read
"I was hoping it wouldn't reach you this soon," he finally said
"What is it?" I asked, "what don't they want me to become?"
He turned to face me, and there was something heavy in his eyes, something old and worn
"You're more than you think, Selene, more than I even fully understand, but not everyone sees that as a good thing"
"Why not?"
"Because they're afraid," he said, "afraid of what your bloodline means, afraid of what you might remember, what you might become"
My breath caught
"I'm not trying to be dangerous," I said softly, "I just want to understand who I am"
"And you will," he said, walking closer, "but you need to trust me"
I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat
"Then tell the others, let them know I'm not the enemy, let me speak"
"No," he said sharply, "don't say a word to anyone else, not yet"
I blinked
"Why not?"
"Because the wrong person is already listening"
His voice dropped to a whisper
"And because if you speak too soon, they won't just try to silence you…"
He reached out, gently brushing a stray curl from my cheek
"…they'll kill you".
The next morning, the house was unusually quiet
Too quiet
I sat on the edge of my bed, dressed in one of the soft new gowns Kieran had sent up, brushing out my damp hair when I heard the footsteps rush past my room
Whispers, shouts, a door slammed
I stood slowly, heart picking up pace
Then a knock, this one sharp and fast
A guard opened the door halfway, eyes filled with something cold and unreadable
"There's been an incident," he said
"What kind of incident?" I asked, dread already curling in my chest
He hesitated
"One of the maids, the girl who worked in the kitchen, we found her body in the lower garden this morning"
I couldn't breathe
"What?" I choked out, "no, she was… she just…
The words didn't come
I remembered her face, her warning
"Someone in this house doesn't want you to awaken"
And now she was gone
Murdered
For telling me the truth