Chapter 11 10
Soraya's POV.
I let out a long sigh as I dragged the comb through my hair, staring at my reflection in the mirror. No matter how many times I pulled the strands straight, they still seemed to fall stubbornly out of place.
My thoughts, however, weren’t on my hair at all. They were on him.
Yesterday, when Darius suddenly pushed me down to the bed. My heart couldn't stop racing in my chest. He didn’t tear at my clothes.
He didn’t touch me like the others would have. He just stayed there with his eyes locked on me.
Now, the memory of that moment sat in my mind. I hated how my chest tightened whenever I thought of him. It had only been a little over a week since I ended up here, and already I was feeling strange things I couldn’t explain.
But why? Why hadn’t he done what men usually came to the brothel for? Why hadn’t he forced me like he so easily could have?
Was it because I was his mate?
The word slipped into my mind again, sending a shiver down my spine. I didn’t know much about werewolves.
My whole life had been locked behind the orphanage walls. All I knew were the stories. But a mate, from what I’d overheard, it was something sacred to them. Like a soulmate or partner.
So... technically, we were boyfriend and girlfriend?
Darius hadn’t once tried to force himself on me. He hadn’t hurt me, nor treated me the way men would in the brothel. And that made me wonder, what stopped him? That first day, when his eyes fell on me, I thought I knew exactly what he wanted. But instead of claiming me, all he had said was one word.
Mate.
Just then, a knock came at the door. It had to be Irene and Chanterelle. I smiled faintly as I rose, and when I opened the door, I was only half-right. It was Irene.
“Miss, good morning,” she greeted softly.
“Good morning, Irene,” I returned her smile, closing the door behind her.
She carried a small tray. “I brought breakfast for you.”
I took the tray from her hands and set it down on the table. “Thank you so much, truly. You’re always bringing food for me.”
She shook her head with a gentle smile. “It’s nothing, Miss. It’s my duty.”
“Call me Soraya,” I said. “I’ve told you that like a hundred times now.”
Irene chuckled under her breath. “I can’t, Miss. You’re like my master as well.”
I raised my brows at her. “I’m anything but your master. I don’t feel like I’m above you in any way. Come on.”
She shook her head with a firmer smile. “No. Alpha Darius is my master, officially. He’s the one who hired me. And since you’re his mate, you’re also my master, whether you want to be or not.”
I shook my head slowly, letting out a sigh. “Well, I don’t feel like it.”
Irene studied me for a moment, then said gently, “You should try stepping out, you know. It’s been eight days already. You should go out, explore the house… the gardens. You can’t keep yourself cooped up here forever.”
I hugged my arms around myself and shrugged. “I don’t have a place here. Did you see the way that Emily girl made trash out of me? I never want to step out again.”
Irene sighed, moving to sit slowly on the edge of the bed. “I know… but not everyone here is like her. Mrs. Opaline—Darius’ mom, she’s really nice.”
“And Kimberly is nice too.” Irene added.
“Kimberly?” I frowned in confusion. “Who's Kimberly?”
“Well, it's Kimberly, but everyone calls her Kim. She was the one who sat next to Emily at the dining table that evening” she said with a casual shrug. “She’s Emily’s sister. Older by a year. They lost their parents, so they’re orphans.”
I remember there were two girls. One was Emily and the other was the quiet one—Kimberly.
I blinked at her, trying to piece it together.
“Emily grew up with her father’s sister,” Iren continued, lowering his voice a little. “But Kimberly… Kimberly grew up here. With us. With Darius, basically.”
I tilted my head, my fork pausing halfway to my lips. “The person Emily grew up with did a terrible job with her manners.”
Iren chuckled softly. “She can be better at times. Trust me.”
I exhaled through my nose, unconvinced, and finally took a bite of my food. It was still warm and tasty as always.
After I finished my breakfast, Chanterelle came in.
“Miss Soraya,” she said gently, “Mrs. Opaline has asked to see you.”
I blinked at her. “Me? Why would Darius’s mom want to see me?”
Chanterelle only smiled. “She just asked to see you. Maybe to see how you're doing.”
I hesitated before rising from the bed. My legs felt strangely heavy as I followed her out of the room, down the hall, and then down the long stairs. My fingers toyed with the edge of my sleeve as I descended.
The moment I reached the bottom, I noticed Darius wasn’t there. Instead, Mrs. Opaline sat gracefully in the living room. The instant her warm brown eyes caught me, her lips curved into a smile.
“Oh, Soraya dear,” she called softly, patting the couch beside her. “Please, come have a seat.”
I managed a small smile, then quietly made my way across the room before lowering myself onto the same couch beside her.
Mrs. Opaline turned toward me. “Dear,” she began in that soft voice of hers, “I know you haven’t wanted to leave your room since dinner the other night. Emily… she was a bit rude to you. And for that, I’m truly sorry.”
I just sat there speechless, unsure of what to say or do.
“I thought to let you have your space, which is why I didn’t bother you. But it’s been over a week now, and I think it’s time you get out and breathe.”
Her voice was like a gentle lullaby. She seemed genuinely kind. From the little I had observed, there wasn’t much difference between wolves and humans.
They laughed, they worried, they carried themselves in the same ways. The only difference was that they could shift. Other than that, they seemed normal.
And this woman was so soft spoken, unlike Darius.
I found my voice at last. “Thank you, ma’am,” I said quietly. “I just wanted to be alone for a while.”
She nodded with an understanding smile. “I understand, dear.”
Before I could say anything else, the television caught both our attention. The news anchor’s voice filled through the room.
“The Patriarch strikes again.”
The headline glared across the screen.