Chapter 8 There is a story here
Auren's pov
“You married her?” Cassy’s voice slices through the air, sharp enough to make me flinch.
I look down quickly preparing myself for the insults to come. The lady is beautiful in a way that makes you forget to breathe, black raven hair falling down her back enclosing her perfect model face, pale flawless skin, curves that fit perfectly beneath her silk dress. Even her perfume smells like something expensive. “Not yet, but I’m going to.”Dravik says. “And her name is Auren.”
My breath hitches and my body is still too frozen to move or speak.
Cassy laughs suddenly, a brittle and humorless sound. “You’re joking. You can’t be serious.”
“I don’t joke,” Dravik growls.
She steps closer, her eyes bright with anger and something that looks like hurt. Is she a past lover or something?
“You’re going to marry this… girl?” She looks at me from head to toe, her tone cutting. “She looks dirty, terrified. Is she even of age? What are you thinking, Dravik?”
“I’m thinking about my pack,” he answered evenly. “And what’s owed.”
What’s owed? What does he mean by that? I look up to see the lady’s jaw visibly tighten and she turns away. The man I heard Dravik call Garrick reaches out to her, but she brushes him off and walks to the window. “Unbelievable,” she whispers. “The great Alpha Dravik marrying a maid. Lyra will be turning in her grave right_”
“Enough,” Dravik growls, stepping towards her. His eyes are glowing silver now and he looks like someone about to spill blood.
“Don’t speak to her that way, Dravik,” Garrick says quietly, stepping in front of her. His tone carries warning.
Jace stands from the couch, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s all calm down before someone loses a limb guys. Come on”
The air grows heavy as all stop moving. I stand behind Dravik, half-hidden, wishing I could melt into the floor.
“Cassy,” Dravik’s voice is now soft but edged with warning. “She is the daughter of the dead Alpha Alaric of the Silveil pack and she is to be married to me and be my wife. This is your home, always, but don’t ever talk about her that way again.”
Cassy turns from the window, her sharp eyes moving to mine, dark and cold. I flinch, stepping closer to Dravik’s back.
His wife……The words still echo in my head. I never imagined in my entire life that I’d ever stand beside a powerful Alpha like him, the one they call the Demon King and be introduced as his wife.
Though he isn’t what I thought he’d be, or what the rumor says. So far, he has shown more control than cruelty, more silence than rage.
“As you wish, Alpha,” Cassy says suddenly, her tone turning sweet.
She moves closer and kisses Dravik lightly on the cheek, smiling up at him before glancing at me from behind his shoulder with eyes that promise nothing good.
“I’ll unpack in my room,” she says.
She turns and her maid follows. Her walk is graceful, her hips moving like she owns the very ground beneath her feet. Not only is she beautiful, she also walks like a queen.
“That went better than I thought, right?,” Jace asks, smirking.
“Not now, Jace,” Garrick growls, dropping into a chair.
“Oh come on, man. You can’t still be into her after all—”
“Not…….now,” Garrick cuts him off again, his eyes dark and his jaw clenched.
I look between the three men. There’s something here, a story buried under the tension and words. Is this a love triangle thing? I hope not because I have no strength left in me for any drama, after leaving one behind. I just want peace…..is that so hard to get?
“Come,” Dravik says, already walking toward the far end of the room.
I hurry after him, almost needing to skip to match his long strides. He stops at a heavy door and opens it. Inside is his office, bright and wide, smelling faintly of leather and cedar. Shelves line the walls, filled with books and files. The desk stood in the center, sleek, black and clean. Every corner speaks of power and wealth, just like the rest of the house.
“Show me,” he says, his eyes on me.
I hesitate, my fingers twisting around the fabric of my dress. My cheeks burn as I pull it up but still holding it tightly against my body, trying to stay as decent as possible.
It isn’t as if he hasn’t seen my naked body before, he had. In fact he had looked at me without any reaction or desire in his eyes, so obviously I'm not his type……still, shame curls in my stomach.
He crouches slightly, inspecting the wound.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“It…” I stop when he growls softly, a sound that vibrates through the room. “It always heals anyway.”
“Who did this? Your uncle?”
I lower my eyes, staring at the floor. The questions sting and I wish he would stop asking.
“Seris your cousin? Your uncle’s wife. All three of them?”
I nod slowly.
“Who else?”
“My pack,” I murmur.
“Because of what you allegedly did to your parents?”
I nod again, smaller this time……And because I have no wolf too, I wanted to say. Because they believe I am cursed.
“I don’t believe you were responsible.”
My head jerks up. “What?……Why?”
He meets my eyes. “Just a personal thought.”
He straightens, brushing his hands on his trousers. “Come. I’ll show you our bedroom, so you can clean up before we go to the doctor’s.”
My body stiffens. Our bedroom?
Are we going to be in the same bedroom? As his contract wife, am I supposed to… fulfill all the duties that come with that title? A cold shiver runs through me.
He’s already at the door, holding it open, waiting and I force my feet to move. We walk through the hallway, past the now-silent sitting room, Jace and Garrick are gone.
Dravik doesn’t bother pointing out which room is which as we go upstairs, his focus fixed ahead. When we stop, he opens a wide door and steps aside for me to enter. My breath hitches, the bedroom is enormous.
The walls are dark gray, the bed large enough to swallow four people. Silken curtains hang from tall windows, and a faint scent of pine lingers in the air. Gold lines the frames of paintings I don’t recognize. I’ve never seen such luxury in one room.
From what I have seen so far, the rumors didn’t lie about how rich the man is. He could buy the whole country and it won’t even make a dent. He probably gave my uncle enough money to forget I even existed.
He walks across the room and opens a door to the bathroom. Glass, marble, and silver gleam under soft lights. He turns the bath on, steam rising gently, then faces me with a raised eyebrow. I stand frozen, unsure what to do.
“Shower,” he says simply, moving to the doorway.
He pulls out his phone, scrolling briefly. “You don’t have a phone, do you?”
I shake my head.
He sighs. “I’ll give you a few minutes and bring some clothes.”
Before I can answer, he steps out, closing the door behind him. The sound echoes through the room, and I exhale sharply.
I rush into the bathroom, the scent of lavender filling the air. It looks like a fantasy…..Soap bombs, shampoos of different kinds, perfumes, soft towels. Everything sparkles like something from another world. I touch the edge of the sink gently, afraid it might break from my rough hands.
When I step under the water, it’s like heaven. The warmth slides over me, washing away layers of dirt, fear, and memory. The open wounds on my body stings sharply as the water touches them, but I don’t care. I moan softly, feeling the grime lift off my skin.
When I’m done, I wrap myself in the softest robe I’ve ever felt and wrap my hair in a towel turban-style. I step out into the bedroom, breathing easier for the first time in years and then I freeze.
Cassy sits on the edge of the big bed, her legs crossed. She looks up when I enter and her lips curl into a smile.
“Look at that,” she says, her voice sweet but cruel. “Even hot water couldn’t watch off that dirty stench off you, slut.”
I grip the edge of the robe, my heart hammering, the steam from the bath still clinging to my skin.