Chapter 9 For Tomorrow - Amelia’s POV
The door swung open to reveal a suite that made me freeze in disbelief. The living area alone was larger than the entire servants' quarters at the Frozen Mountain pack house. Plush furniture in deep burgundy and navy surrounded a marble fireplace where flames already danced. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over polished wooden tables and bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes. Through an archway, I glimpsed a dining table set for two, laden with covered silver dishes.
'Holy shit,' Kaela whispered, momentarily forgetting her fear. 'Are we supposed to clean all this? Because that would take days.'
The absurdity of her comment nearly made me smile despite everything.
"Dinner has been arranged," Blackthorn said, gesturing to the table. "His Highness thought you might appreciate a meal after your journey."
"Very considerate," Marcus replied with a respectful nod.
"The bedroom through there is for you, Alpha Blackwater," Kane said, pointing to a door on the left. "And the one on the right is for Miss Lovelace."
"For me?" I couldn't help but blurt out, immediately regretting it when four pairs of eyes turned to me.
Kane's expression remained unchanged. "Yes. His Highness's orders."
He moved to the door he'd indicated and opened it, revealing a bedroom that would have housed five servants comfortably at the pack house. A massive four-poster bed dominated the space, draped with what looked like actual silk. A vanity table with an ornate mirror stood against one wall, and a door beside it presumably led to a private bathroom.
But what caught my eye was the dress laid out on the bed—black with silver embroidery, the fabric catching the light in a way that made it seem alive. It was beautiful in a way that made my throat tighten, the kind of garment I'd never dared dream of wearing.
"For tomorrow," Blackthorn explained, watching my reaction. "When you meet His Highness."
I nodded mutely, afraid to speak again.
"If there's anything you need, pull this cord," Kane said, indicating a braided rope near the door. "A servant will attend you. His Highness will send for you at ten tomorrow morning. I suggest you both rest well."
With that, they bowed slightly to Marcus and withdrew, the door closing behind them with a soft but final-sounding click.
Marcus immediately moved to the dining table and uncovered one of the dishes, releasing the rich aroma of roasted meat into the air. My stomach clenched painfully in response—I couldn't remember the last time I'd had real food, not the scraps and stale bread that had been my diet for years.
"Sit down," he ordered, taking a seat himself.
I approached the table hesitantly. The place settings were elaborate—multiple forks and spoons arranged beside fine china plates, crystal glasses that caught the light. I'd cleaned enough fancy dinnerware to know what everything was, but I'd never actually used such things myself.
Marcus was already serving himself generous portions from each dish—roast beef with herbs, potatoes glistening with butter, vegetables in some kind of cream sauce. He didn't look at me, didn't offer to serve me first as pack custom dictated for female wolves. But then, I wasn't really a wolf in his eyes.
'Take as much as you can carry,' Kaela urged. 'And get the hell away from him.'
I grabbed an empty plate from the table and began loading it carefully—not too much, nothing that would spill, but more food than I'd seen in months. Marcus looked up when I started to back away from the table.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his tone suggesting mild annoyance rather than real concern.
"To my room," I answered softly. "If that's permitted."
He shrugged, returning his attention to his meal. "Do what you want. Just be ready when they come for you tomorrow."
I retreated to the bedroom, balancing the plate carefully, and shut the door behind me with my foot. Only then did I allow myself to breathe, to really look at the space that was mine for the night—possibly the last night of my life if the rumours about the Alpha King were true.
The dress on the bed drew my gaze again. I set my plate down on the vanity table and approached it cautiously, as if it might disappear. The fabric was smooth under my fingertips, cool and slippery. It was cut to flare at the hips and waist, designed for a woman with curves.
'It'll hang on you like a curtain,' Kaela said bluntly. 'They've starved you too long.'
"It doesn't matter," I whispered, turning back to the food. "If the Alpha King's wolf rejects me, what I look like won't matter. And if he doesn't..."
I didn't finish the thought. We both knew what happened to the Alpha King's brides.
I sat at the vanity and began to eat slowly, savouring each bite, careful not to make myself sick after so long on starvation rations. The food was richer than anything I'd tasted in years—flavours I'd forgotten existed exploded on my tongue, making me close my eyes in momentary bliss.
'Eat it all,' Kaela urged. 'We need strength, whatever happens tomorrow.'
"I know," I murmured between bites. "I know."
The window beside the bed looked out over the Royal City, its lights spreading like fallen stars against the darkness. Somewhere in this sprawling castle was the Alpha King, the man—the monster—I would meet tomorrow. The man who had asked for a bride, knowing his history, knowing what had happened to the others.
I pressed a hand against my chest, feeling my heartbeat—too fast, too frightened. What would happen when he saw me? When he realized I was wolfless? Or worse, what would happen if his wolf didn't reject me?
'We'll figure it out,' Kaela said, her mental voice fierce with determination that I couldn't share. 'We always do.'
I nodded, though I didn't believe her. We'd survived the Frozen Mountain Pack because they'd considered me harmless, a convenient target for their cruelty but not worth the effort of actually killing. The Alpha King would be different. He had no use for a wolfless bride except as a momentary distraction.
"At least we'll die in luxury," I whispered, looking around at the beautiful room, so different from my dank basement cell.
'We're not going to die,' Kaela insisted, but her voice lacked conviction.
I finished my meal in silence, too exhausted to argue, too afraid to hope. Tomorrow I would meet the Alpha King. Tomorrow my fate would be decided. For tonight, all I could do was rest, heal as much as possible, and prepare myself for whatever came next.
But as I lay in the too-soft bed, my back still burning from silver cuts, staring at a ceiling painted with stars, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was simply trading one prison for another—possibly my last.