Chapter 38 Dead Memories
Zoe's POV
The dinner was over.
I walked back to my room at the inn. Slow. Thoughtful.
It had gone well. Better than I expected.
Mia was completely hooked. Greedy for more gifts. More attention.
Jeremy was confused. Torn. Fighting the mate bond.
Perfect.
But as I closed my door and sat on the bed...
Something broke inside me.
Tears came. Hot. Fast. Unexpected.
I covered my mouth. Tried to stop them.
But they kept coming.
Because that dinner... that VIP guest dining room... Reminded me of my past in Lakewood.
The last time I was here, I wasn't a guest.
I was a slave.
No one cared whether I lived or died.
No one looked at me with respect. With kindness.
I was nothing. No one.
And now... I sat at that table. As an honored guest.
Wearing fine clothes. Eating fine food.
Being treated like I mattered.
The irony was almost too much.
I cried for a while. Let it all out.
For the girl I used to be. For everything I lost. For everything that was taken from me.
Then I wiped my face. Straightened my shoulders.
"No more tears," I told myself. "Only revenge."
I lay down. Closed my eyes. Eventually fell asleep.
...
The next morning, Mia came to the inn.
Bright. Early. Excited.
"Margaret! Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"The tour! I'm taking you around Lakewood properly today." She grabbed my arm enthusiastically. "There's so much to see!"
Right. I'd asked her to show me around.
"Of course. Let me just grab my cloak."
We walked through Lakewood together.
Mia showed me everything. Talking non-stop.
The market. The training grounds. The pack school.
The gardens. The monuments. The important buildings.
She pointed out landmarks with pride, her voice animated.
"And this is the pack hospital." She pointed to a large stone building. "We have the best healers in the eastern territories."
"Impressive."
"And over here is the council hall. Where all major decisions are made."
I nodded. Smiled. Pretended to be fascinated by every detail.
But inside... memories flooded back.
These streets. These buildings. These places.
I knew them all. Had walked them before.
As Zoe. As myself.
When I was nobody. When I was hated.
"Oh! And you have to see this." Mia pulled me down another path, her excitement building.
We walked past more buildings. More landmarks.
Each one triggering memories I'd tried to bury.
Then... she stopped.
"This is the execution stand."
My blood went cold.
There it was.
The wooden platform. The posts. The chains.
The place where they tied me up. Where they tried to burn me alive.
I could still feel it. The heat burning my skin. The smoke choking my lungs. The terror consuming every thought.
The crowd screaming. Cheering for my death.
Jeremy watching from the distance. Cold. Unmoved.
Until Marcus saved me. Until everything changed.
But the fear... the pain... it was still here.
Buried in this place. Waiting.
"It's a reminder," Mia said, her voice matter-of-fact. "Of justice. Of what happens to those who betray the pack."
I stood there. Staring. Frozen.
Unable to move. Unable to breathe.
The memories were too strong. Too real. Too vivid.
My hands started trembling. My chest tightened.
"Margaret?" Mia touched my arm, concern creeping into her voice. "Are you okay? You look pale."
I blinked. Forced myself back to the present.
Forced air into my lungs. Forced my hands to stop shaking.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You've been standing here for a while."
"I just..." I looked at her, choosing my words carefully. "I remembered something."
"Something bad?"
"Something painful." I turned away from the stand, unable to look at it any longer. "Let's keep walking."
"Of course." Mia linked her arm through mine again. "Come. There's more to see."
We continued the tour. But I barely heard what she said.
My mind was stuck. Back at that execution stand.
Back at the moment I almost died.
Back at the girl I used to be. The girl they tried to erase.
By the time Mia dropped me back at the inn, the sun was setting.
Orange and pink streaked across the sky.
"Thank you for today," I told her. "It was... enlightening."
"We should do it again! Maybe tomorrow we could go shopping?"
"Maybe." I smiled, keeping my voice light. "I'll let you know."
"Perfect! Goodnight, Margaret."
"Goodnight, Mia."
She left. Happy. Oblivious to the turmoil inside me.
I went inside. Up the stairs to my room. Closed the door.
Locked it.
Sat on the bed. Took a deep breath.
Seeing that execution stand... it changed something.
Made everything more real. More urgent. More necessary.
I wasn't just playing games anymore.
This was serious. This was justice.
For what they did to me. For what they took from me.
For the girl who almost burned alive on that stand.
I stood up. Walked to the mirror on the wall.
Looked at my reflection. At Lady Margaret staring back at me.
At the disguise. The mask. The carefully constructed lie.
"The real game begins tomorrow," I said to my reflection.
Tomorrow, I would stop playing nice.
Tomorrow, I would stop being the sweet, generous Southern princess.
Tomorrow, I would start making moves.
Real moves. Dangerous moves. Calculated moves.
Moves that would bring Jeremy and Mia to their knees.
They thought they knew Lady Margaret.
Thought she was just a rich, friendly Southern princess with gifts to give.
But they had no idea.
No idea who I really was.
No idea what I was planning.
No idea that their destruction was coming.
And it would be beautiful.
I smiled at my reflection. Cold. Determined. Ready.
The girl who almost died on that execution stand was gone.
In her place stood someone stronger. Someone harder. Someone who wouldn't stop until justice was served.
"The real game begins tomorrow," I repeated.
And this time, I would win.