Chapter 10
Ella's POV
After I recovered from my injuries, I wasn't assigned to manual labor like the other Omegas. Instead, head housekeeper Clarissa personally escorted me to the washroom, carefully wiping the scars on my body with warm water and soft towels before dressing me in a silk gown with fabric that felt like liquid against my skin.
"You clean up beautifully," Clarissa said while combing my hair, studying me in the mirror. "You look like... like a Luna."
I whipped around in alarm. "Please don't say that. If anyone else heard you—"
"What's there to be afraid of?" The old housekeeper patted my shoulder with a smile. "I've served His Highness for years. What haven't I seen? You're a good-hearted girl with some courage. It's your good fortune that His Highness has taken notice of you."
I lowered my head, unsure how to respond, feeling like I'd clawed my way out of one muddy pit only to tumble into another bottomless pool.
Servants occasionally passed us in the corridors, their gazes filled with appraisal, curiosity, and a hint of barely concealed contempt. I heard someone whisper behind my back, "That's the Omega who took an arrow for His Highness? Tch, pretty enough I suppose, but at the end of the day she still needs to serve her master well to keep her place here..."
"Don't listen to idle gossip," Clarissa said, noticing my unease and squeezing my hand. "The East Hall isn't like the West Wing. His Highness is kind-hearted. He won't mistreat you."
I forced a smile, though inwardly I laughed bitterly. In this hierarchical world of wolf packs, no one showed kindness to a lowly Omega without reason. I was just a chess piece that could be used to control Kane, nothing more.
When Clarissa led me through the door of Julian's bedchamber, I froze completely. The room was lit with warm yellow candlelight, and the enormous four-poster bed was draped with deep blue velvet sheets. And there I was, in this magnificent dress, gently pushed to sit on the edge of the bed like a carefully wrapped gift waiting for its owner to unwrap it.
"His Highness will come tonight," Clarissa whispered in my ear as she leaned down. "Just do well. Don't be nervous."
The door closed softly, leaving me alone in the room. I sat on the edge of the bed, hands gripping my skirt so tightly my knuckles turned white.
I don't know how long I sat there waiting. The night grew deeper, and I began to feel cold, hugging my arms as I waited for Julian, but he never appeared. Time crawled by, and my nervousness transformed into confusion, which then shifted into an inexplicable sense of disappointment. I stood to pour myself some water when I felt a chill seeping in from the window.
I looked out toward the courtyard. In the moonlight, Julian stood alone in the center of the yard wearing only a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He raised his right hand, and a wave of cold energy surged from his fingertips toward the oak tree before him. Ice-blue light coiled around the trunk as frost rapidly spread with a soft crackling sound. But just as it was about to encase the entire tree, the power collapsed, the ice shattering into countless crystals that glittered in the moonlight before vanishing.
Julian cursed under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried again, the cold energy surging out more fiercely, but the result was the same—the frost disintegrated just before covering the entire tree, transforming into a flurry of ice shards dancing through the air.
He dropped his hand in defeat, shoulders rising and falling slightly.
I don't know where I found the courage, but I pushed open the window and tiptoed down the stairs to the courtyard entrance. Just then, an ice-blue beam of light suddenly shot toward me. I cried out and squeezed my eyes shut, but the expected pain never came. The ice spear stopped less than half a meter from me before shattering into a pile of ice fragments on the ground.
I opened my eyes to see Julian standing not far away, his face written with shock and embarrassment. Moonlight bathed him as his golden hair drifted slightly in the night breeze.
"You look like that..." He paused, his gaze lingering on me for a moment. "You really do have something of a Luna about you."
I stood frozen, then lowered my head and said softly, "Your Highness, I waited in the room for a long time and when you didn't come, I came looking for you. What are you doing?"
Julian fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at the oak tree, defeat evident in his voice. "I'm trying to freeze this tree completely, but no matter how hard I try, I can't do it."
I lifted my head to study his profile, the moonlight carving sharp lines along his features.
I hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Your Highness, perhaps you could try not forcing it so much. Elemental power is like water—if you try to trap it in your palm, it will only slip through your fingers. You might try guiding it instead..."
Julian turned his head, surprise flashing in his eyes. "How do you know these things?"
I bit my lip. These were things I'd learned as a child, in those memories that had grown blurry and indistinct, when someone had taught me.
"I'm just guessing," I said quietly. "Maybe I'm wrong..."
"No, maybe you're right." Julian cut me off, his gaze growing focused.
He raised his hand again, this time staring at the tree as he took a deep breath. The cold energy flowed from his palm, much more gently than before, like a tender stream trickling slowly toward the trunk. Frost began to spread, gradually enveloping the entire tree bit by bit.
But just as success seemed within reach, the power began to destabilize again. Julian gritted his teeth, trying to maintain control. I don't know where I found the courage, but I stepped forward and gently placed my hand on the back of his.
Instantly, a strange sensation flowed from my fingertips. I could feel the violent ice elemental power within him, like a trapped beast frantically ramming against its cage. My touch seemed to calm that beast—it stopped struggling and obediently followed Julian's guidance toward the tree.
The frost spread rapidly, encasing the entire oak tree in ice within moments. Leaves, branches, trunk—all were wrapped in thick layers of crystal that glittered translucently in the moonlight.
But before I could marvel at it, I felt Julian's body suddenly stiffen. He whipped around and shoved me to the ground, his entire body pinning me down.
I stared up at his face in terror—that face that had been as gentle as jade now twisted and contorted, his eyes glowing with an unnatural blue light, canines extending past his lips.
"Your Highness..." I began trembling, but his guttural growl cut off my words.
The man pressing down on me was no longer the refined Crown Prince. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he stared at me, a threatening growl rumbling from his throat like a beast ready to pounce on its prey. I trembled all over, wanting to struggle, but his strength was too great—I couldn't move at all.
"Your Highness... please..." I sobbed, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.
His gaze grew even more vicious as he lowered his head, canines pressing against my throat. I could feel those sharp points pierce my skin, warm blood trickling down my neck.
I closed my eyes, waiting in despair for death to come.