Chapter 11 Chapter 11
The days blurred together in a haze of soap, sweat, and silence. I had a routine. For weeks, I scrubbed floors, scoured walls, hauled buckets, and wiped dust from every crevice of the pack house. At first, I'd expected it to be temporary punishment some show of dominance to remind the rogue of her place. But the days turned into weeks, and the weight of the labor became my armor.
No one asked much of a maid. No one questioned where I was or what I thought. They just handed me a broom or a rag and looked past me, as if I were part of the furniture. And I liked it that way.
The work was mindless and physical. It dulled the sharp edges of the bond that still coiled like fire under my skin whenever Lucian was near. I hadn't seen him since the spar, the one where he'd drawn blood, and he'd looked at me like I was more than I should be—more than a threat.
Avoiding him was survival. The pack gave me space—some out of distrust, some out of disdain. Lina kept me company when she could, offering hushed gossip and stolen bread. But otherwise, I worked. I endured. I breathed. Until the morning I was told to clean the Alpha's wing.
My stomach turned at the order.
"That area's off-limits," I said, clutching the mop like a shield. Lina had told me the alpha didn't like just anyone cleaning his wing and since I knew he didn't like me. I knew it was a bad idea to be the one cleaning his wing.
"Not anymore" the housekeeper muttered, shoving a bundle of cloth into my arms.
"He cleared it," she said in anger. I doubted that. But I wasn't in a position to argue. So I went.
The Alpha's wing was quiet. Too quiet. Polished stone floors gleamed under shafts of sunlight. The halls were wide and still, lined with portraits of Alphas past. The air smelled like pine and leather, his scent embedded in the walls, curling in my lungs like smoke.
I moved carefully, touching as little as possible, forcing myself to just do the work. I opened a door and it didn't look like a man's room. It had a feminine touch to it.
His mother's room? Or not...I couldn't tell. I felt a pang of jealousy but I pushed it away and went ahead to do my duty. I was halfway through wiping down a glass display case when I heard the footsteps.
Too heavy for a servant. Too deliberate. I turned slowly, heart thudding, and there he was.
Lucian... sorry the Alpha.
He stopped in the archway, his eyes locking on mine like a weapon being drawn. His black shirt clung to his frame, sleeves rolled to the elbows, and the power in his stance hit me like a wave. My breath caught.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was low. Sharp. I could hear another emotion.....anger.
I straightened, clutching the rag in my hand. "Cleaning."
"You're not allowed to be in this wing" he growled and it made me take a step back.
"I was today," I said slowly.
"Who told you that?"
"The housekeeper. Ask her?"
He stepped forward, his presence filling the space. His wolf prowled beneath his skin. I could feel it in the air, pressing against mine.
"You expect me to believe you were asked to come here to wipe windows? When all my servants know this room is forbidden?" My heart beat faster and I knew I had fallen into a trap but anger rose in my throat.
"What exactly are you accusing me of?"
He didn't answer. Just studied me, like he was peeling back layers I didn't want to be touched.
"You've been avoiding me?"
'Yes. I don't know what to feel when I'm in your presence but I didn't say it out loud
"I thought you wanted me to stay out of your way"
"I didn't mean hiding behind a mop." His tone made something in me snap.
"What else was I supposed to do?" I hissed. "You want me gone. The pack wants me gone. So I worked. I kept my head down. And now you're standing here like I've broken some sacred law for doing what I was told!"
"Because this room is forbidden to everyone" he growled.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries. I was just doing what was asked of me" I said with my head bowed.
He stepped forward and then, suddenly, two guards flanked the hall behind him. My heart sank.
"Take her to the cells," Lucian said.
"What?" I stared at him, stunned. "You can't be serious"
"Now" he commanded
The guards didn't hesitate. Rough hands grabbed my arms, and I thrashed, not enough to hurt them just enough to protest the humiliation.
"You bastard," I spat at him as they dragged me away. I was going to regret my words later but I didn't care now
"You don't trust anyone, do you? Not even your instincts!" He didn't answer. He didn't even flinch.
The cell was cold and smelled of damp stone and old blood. It wasn't the first time I'd been locked away. But this time, the betrayal cut deeper than the confinement. I'd done nothing wrong, nothing, and still, here I was, treated like a criminal again.
Because Lucian didn't know what to do with me. Because I made him uncomfortable. Because the bond between us scared him.
Good. Let him be scared. As long as I was not the only one that it scared or does he think I'm having it easy? I don't know how to feel because of the fucking bond. I want to hate him but I can't help but be drawn to him.
I curled on the cold floor, arms wrapped around my knees, and stared at the wall for what felt like hours. I should have not listened to the housekeeper. She deliberately wanted me to get in trouble with the alpha and I stupidly fell for it. I'm sure someone put her up to it.
When the door finally creaked open, I didn't look up.
"I should've let you rot" his voice echoed in the cell. His voice filled the room like thunder. I looked up slowly.
Lucian stood there, arms folded, eyes shadowed. But there was something else beneath the anger. Something that looked suspiciously like guilt.
"Then why didn't you?" I asked bitterly. He didn't answer right away.
"I thought you were looking for something," he said, stepping inside. "Something you weren't supposed to find. I questioned the housekeeper and she said she didn't instruct you to clean there so you went there on your own free accord"
I knew that she wanted to set me up.
"What if she is lying and what would I even be looking for in that room?"
"I don't know. That's the point" I shook my head.
"You don't trust me"
"I don't trust anyone easily and why should I trust the words of a mere rogue over someone who has worked for me for many years"
"Well, neither do I trust easily and I haven't tried to kill you yet, have I? We've already established the fact that I'm not here to hurt you and you know that's the truth but you don't want to see me as anything else but a threat"
A flicker of something passed over his face. Humor? Regret? It vanished too fast to tell. He walked closer. I didn't move.
"I had you brought here to decide what to do with you," he said. "To figure out if you were a threat"
"And?" He studied me.
"You're angry. But not dishonest" I blinked. That almost sounded like... praise. Did he believe me now?
"I'm removing you from maid duty," he said next. Hope bloomed in my chest until his next words.
"You'll be training with the female warriors" I stared.
"What?" I wasn't expecting that from him.
"You said you're not here to spy. Prove it. Fight for this pack"
"I'm not one of them. You said so yourself"
"No. But you're not nothing, either" My breath caught. I'd never heard anyone say it like that before. Like I was something. Not a rogue. Not a problem. Not a whore or a stray. Just... something. Still, my instincts screamed at me. This was another test. Another trap.
"You want to control me," I whispered.
"No," he said softly. "I want to see who you are when you're not running" Silence stretched between us.
His scent reached me, faint, but strong enough to make my wolf stir. Dangerous, beautiful, and Forbidden.
"I don't owe you anything," I said.
"No, of course" he agreed. "But maybe you owe it to yourself and you are in my pack so I call the shots not you" And with that, he turned and walked out.
“Jerk” I muttered to myself.
Lucian made me feel things Lorcan didn’t and I didn’t like it. Not one bit.