Chapter 36 The Goddess Wakes

Chapter 36 The Goddess Wakes
Calistra

The heavy doors shut behind me with a loud click, but Rafael's words were still ringing in my ears.

"Try not to be so slow this time."

I squeezed my hands into fists. My nails dug into my palms. Inside me, Zara was curled up and crying, hiding in the darkest corner of her mind.

She felt worthless. She felt invisible. But me? I felt like lightning looking for somewhere to strike.

I walked down the cold hallway toward the cloakroom. That's when I heard it.

Giggling.

Three Omegas were bunched together near the stone archway, whispering and laughing like they were sharing the best joke of their lives.

"Did you see her face when Lady Elena spoke to her?" one of them whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I almost felt sorry for her. Almost."

"I didn't," the second one said flatly, her eyes sharp with enjoyment.

"She walked around here for weeks acting like she was something special just because the future Alpha looked her way once or twice. Please."

"Lord Rafael didn't even stand up for her," the third one added with a smirk.

"He just sat there and let Lady Elena cut her down like she was nothing. That tells you everything."

"Because she is nothing," the second one snapped. "Think about it. Lady Elena is a princess. She's beautiful; she's powerful; she's from one of the strongest packs in the country.

Why would Rafael choose a clumsy little maid who can't even carry a tray without tripping over her feet?"

"I heard he only paid attention to her because he was bored," the first one said, nodding slowly. "You know how it is. When there's nothing else to do, even a stray dog looks intriguing."

All three of them burst out laughing.

"Poor Zara," the third one said in a fake sweet voice, shaking her head.

"She actually thought she mattered. She actually thought the future Alpha of Shadow Creek was falling for her. A maid. A nobody."

I stopped walking. My eyes burned. That silver hum that lived deep under my skin started vibrating, warm and dangerous. I wanted to grab all three of them by the throat.

I wanted to show them exactly what kind of nobody was standing in front of them.

"Mind your mouths and get back to work!"

The sharp voice cracked through the hallway like a whip. All three girls jumped so hard one of them nearly dropped her basket. Beatrice stepped out of the shadows, arms folded tight across her chest, eyes full of cold disgust.

"You three have nothing better to do than stand around gossiping about things that are none of your business?"

Beatrice said slowly, looking each of them up and down like they were something she'd scraped off the bottom of her boot.

"I've been watching you for the last five minutes. Five minutes of doing absolutely nothing.

If I see that again, or if I hear another word come out of any of your mouths about things that don't concern you, I will personally make sure you spend the next month on your knees scrubbing the dungeon floors. Every single stone. With a toothbrush. Now move."

They scattered like mice. One of them knocked her shoulder on the archway, trying to get away fast enough.

I stood there, completely still.

Beatrice. The same person who had spent weeks making Zara's life miserable. The same person who had assigned her the worst jobs, spoken to her like dirt, and looked at her like she was a stain on the packhouse carpet.

That same person had just chased those girls away like an angry wolf protecting her den.

Beatrice turned and looked at me. For just a second, her eyes flickered. Something passed through them. Not quite fear, but something close to it, like she could feel that whoever was looking back at her wasn't quite the same girl she used to push around.

"Don't just stand there staring at me," Beatrice said gruffly, looking away quickly.

"Go and get that shawl and take it back before that Shadow Creek woman finds a new reason to make trouble. And walk straight.

Don't let her see you looking shaken."

"Thank you, Beatrice."

My voice came out different. Steadier. Deeper than Zara's usual quiet tone. Beatrice's shoulders stiffened slightly when she heard it, but she didn't say anything else.

She just walked away fast, like she wanted to get out of earshot before I could say anything more.

I made my way to the cloakroom, turning everything over in my mind. Elena of Shadow Creek. The "Ice Queen" of the Northern Packs.

I found the blue silk shawl hanging on a silver hook near the back wall. I ran my fingers over it.

Expensive. Cold. Exactly like its owner.

"A rude, wicked, miserable witch," I muttered quietly to the empty room, lifting the shawl off the hook.

"Rafael thinks he wants freedom. So he picks a chain made of ice and calls it a choice.

Fool.

Poor unfortunate soul.”

I hated watching him do this. He thought he was being smart. He thought he could play games with Zara's heart, use her feelings against her to break the mate bond, and walk away clean.

He had absolutely no idea that the thing he was poking at with a stick was not a small, sad Omega girl. He was poking at something ancient.

A sudden burst of noise from the front entrance stopped my thoughts cold. Shouting. The heavy pounding of boots on stone floors.

I stepped out of the cloakroom and saw three maids rushing past me toward the main entrance, their faces bright with excitement.

I grabbed the sleeve of a passing guard. "What's happening? What's all the noise?"

The guard turned, barely slowing down. "Alpha Alessandro and Luna Aurora are back!

They finished the border talks with the Black Ridge Alpha early. They just arrived at the gates!"

I felt something loosen in my chest. Alessandro and Aurora. Out of everyone in this cold, stone pack house, they were the only two who had ever spoken to Zara like she was a real person.

Like she had value. Like she deserved basic decency. Yes. Things might shift a little with them home.

I turned back toward the dining hall, the blue shawl draped over my arm.



When I pushed open the dining hall doors, the room felt heavy and quiet, like a held breath. Elena was leaning back in her chair at the far end of the table, swirling her wine glass in slow circles with two fingers, looking bored out of her mind.

Rafael was staring down at his plate like the food had personally offended him.

Alpha Silas and Alpha John were talking in low voices at the other end. Nobody looked up when I walked in.

I crossed the room and held out the shawl.

"Your shawl, Lady Elena."

Elena looked at it like I was holding out a dead rat.

"I don't need it," she said flatly, waving her hand in the air without even turning to look at me properly.

"The room is warm now. Take it back."