Chapter 10 CHAPTER 10

Chapter 10 CHAPTER 10
Ophelia’s POV
"There were some creeps in town," I said, which wasn't technically a lie. "Ryan helped me get away from them and made sure I got home safe."
Jovie's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Him? The same guy who looked like he wanted to murder everyone at the marketplace?"
"People can be more than one thing," I said. "Look, I know he seemed scary before, but he's actually really nice. Sweet, even. Super helpful. Very... um... helpful."
Jovie was staring at me like I'd grown a second head. "Miss Ophelia, are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head?"
"I'm fine! I promise!" I let go of her face and grabbed her hands instead. "Look, I want to offer Ryan a position in our pack. He needs work, we need capable people. Win-win, right?"
"Miss Ophelia—"
"Plus, I kind of owe him," I added. "For the whole false accusation thing. And for helping me tonight. So this is my way of making it right."
Jovie looked between me and Ryan, clearly not convinced.
Ryan remained completely still, his face giving nothing away. But I noticed his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
"Please, Jovie?" I tried my best pleading face. "For me?"
She sighed heavily. "You're sure about this?"
"Completely."
"He didn't hurt you at all? You're not covering for him because you're scared?"
"I promise. Cross my heart." I made an X over my chest. "He's been nothing but... well, okay, he's been kind of quiet and broody, but he hasn't hurt me."
Jovie studied Ryan for a long moment. He stared back at her, unflinching.
Finally, she sighed again. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on him."
"That's fair," I said, relieved.
Jovie turned to Ryan. "You. Come with me. I'll take you to see Gamma Tatum. He handles work assignments."
Ryan glanced at me.
I gave him an encouraging smile and a little thumbs up. "You'll do great! Just be yourself. Well, maybe not exactly yourself. Like, the nice version of yourself. The version that doesn't glare at people. You know what, just smile and nod. That works too."
"You're rambling," Hex said.
"I'm being supportive!"
The corner of Ryan's mouth twitched. Was that another almost-smile?
"Good luck!" I called as Jovie started leading him away. "Work hard! Do your best!"
I pumped my fist in the air like a cheerleader.
I watched them disappear into the castle. Just as they reached the door, I heard a voice.
"Okay."
Super quiet. Barely audible.
I spun around, but Ryan wasn't looking at me. He was facing forward, following Jovie inside.
"Did he just...?" I whispered.
"Yep," Hex confirmed. "He said okay."
"To what?"
"To everything you said, probably. Working hard. Doing his best. All of it."
A stupid grin spread across my face.
Day one of Operation Save The Future Tyrant: Success.
I was starving.
Like, genuinely about to die of starvation. My stomach had been growling for the past twenty minutes, and I was pretty sure I could eat an entire cow at this point.
I stumbled into the dining hall, which was still busy with pack members having dinner. The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread hit me like a beautiful, delicious punch to the face.
"Oh my god," I moaned. "Food. I need food. Now."
I loaded up a plate with everything I could reach. Roasted chicken, bread, some kind of stew, vegetables (not celery, thank god), and this amazing-looking pie.
Then I found a quiet corner and absolutely demolished it all.
"Slow down," Hex said. "You're gonna choke."
"Don't care," I mumbled through a mouthful of chicken. "So hungry."
Fifteen minutes later, I'd cleaned my plate and was seriously considering getting seconds.
But I was also exhausted. My whole body felt heavy, and my eyelids kept trying to close on their own.
"Bath," I decided. "Then sleep."
I dragged myself up to my room—which was actually really nice, all things considered. Big bed, soft blankets, a window that overlooked the forest.
I found the bathing room attached to my chamber. They had this big wooden tub that servants had already filled with hot water.
"Thank you, medieval magic," I said, stripping off my dirty clothes and sinking into the water.
It was perfect. Hot enough to soothe my sore muscles but not scalding. I found some soap that smelled like lavender and scrubbed away all the dirt and stress of the day.
"So," Hex said. "How do you feel about today?"
"Tired. Very, very tired."
"That's fair. You did almost die. Again."
"Please don't remind me." I scrubbed harder. "But I guess it went okay? I mean, Ryan's at Ironcliff now. That's progress, right?"
"Definitely progress."
"And he almost smiled. Like, twice."
"The bar is very low."
"Hey, for him? That's huge." I rinsed the soap from my hair. "Plus, we bonded over hating celery. That's the foundation of a beautiful friendship right there."
"You're ridiculous."
"Thank you."
After my bath, I put on a clean nightgown and practically fell into bed. The mattress was soft, the blankets warm, and I was out like a light in approximately three seconds.
I woke up smiling.
The dream was already fading, but I could still remember the important parts. Food. Lots of food. And Ryan smiling at me.
Even if it was just a dream, it felt like a good sign.
Sunlight streamed through my window, warm and golden. Birds were chirping outside. Everything felt peaceful and calm and—
"Wait," I said out loud, sitting up in bed. "Hold on."
The events of yesterday came rushing back. Ryan. The rogues. The blood. That dark look in his eyes.
"Okay," I said to Hex. "We need to talk about Ryan's villain origin story."
"Now?" Hex yawned. Could wolf spirits even yawn? "It's early."
"It's important!" I threw off my blankets and started pacing. "Think about it. Ryan turns into a tyrant because life keeps kicking him when he's down, right?"
"That's the general idea, yes."
"Honestly? If I went through all that crap, I'd probably snap too." I gestured wildly as I talked. "Like, I'd be the worst tyrant ever. I'd probably outlaw celery first thing. Death penalty for anyone caught with celery."
"Please," Hex said dryly. "You'd be terrible at being a tyrant. You'd probably apologize to people before executing them."
I stopped pacing. "Excuse me?"
"'Oh, I'm so sorry, but you broke the law, so I have to kill you now. Do you need a hug first? How about some cookies?'"
"That is—" I sputtered. "I would NOT do that!"
"You absolutely would."
"Come out here and say that to my face!"
"Nope. I'm good right here in your head where it's safe."
I grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room. "You're the worst!"
"I'm realistic."
"I could totally be a tyrant if I wanted to!"
"Sure, sure. Very scary. Much intimidating."
I was about to throw another pillow when I had a thought. "Okay, but seriously though. As long as Ryan stays out of trouble and keeps his head down, everything should be totally fi—"
The door burst open.
Jovie rushed in, breathing hard. "Miss Ophelia!"
"Oh, come on!" I threw my hands up. "I wasn't even done with the sentence!"
"That new guy from yesterday—" Jovie gasped. "He's in trouble!"
"Are you KIDDING me right now?!"
"He got into a fight with Tom from the stables!"
My brain immediately conjured an image of Tom. Big guy. Muscles everywhere. Built like a literal bear. He worked in the stables and was known for being a complete jerk to anyone smaller than him.
Which was basically everyone.
"Tom?" I grabbed Jovie's shoulders. "The Tom who's built like a mountain and loves beating up new people?"
"Yes!"
I thought about Ryan yesterday. Skinny. Exhausted.
"Oh hell no."
I bolted for the door, Jovie right behind me.
"Miss Ophelia, wait!" Jovie called. "You don't understand—"
"If Tom hurt Ryan, I swear I'm gonna—"
"That's not—"
But I was already running down the hallway. I didn't even care that I was still in my nightgown.
I burst out into the courtyard, Jovie scrambling after me.
A crowd had gathered near the stables. Pack members stood in a circle, watching something.
I shoved my way through. "Move! Excuse me! Coming through!"
The crowd parted, and I finally saw what was happening.
Ryan was sitting on the ground, his back against the stable wall. His face was pale, almost gray. In the bright morning sunlight, he looked exhausted. Vulnerable.
Tom stood over him, soaking wet and furious. His fist was pulled back, ready to punch Ryan in the face.
"Stop!" I shouted.
My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. Angry.
Tom froze, his fist still in the air. He turned to look at me, and his eyes went wide.
"M-Miss?" he stammered. "This isn't—"
"Don't," I cut him off. My hands were shaking. "Don't you dare."
The crowd had gone completely silent. Everyone was staring at me.
I walked forward slowly, my eyes locked on Tom. "Back away from him. Now."
Tom lowered his fist but didn't move. "Miss, you don't understand. He started it. He dumped water on me!"
"I don't care."
"But—"
"I said I don't care." I stopped a few feet from them. "Back. Away."
Tom's jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to argue. But he must have seen something in my face because he took two steps back.
I knelt down next to Ryan. "Are you okay?"
He didn't answer. Just stared at the ground, his jaw tight.
"Ryan?" I touched his arm gently. "Did he hurt you?"
Still nothing.
I looked up at Tom. "What happened?"
"Like I said, he dumped water on me!" Tom gestured at his soaked clothes. "I was just standing there, minding my own business, and this little punk threw a whole bucket at me!"
"Is that true?" I asked Ryan.
He glanced at me. Then at Tom. Then back at the ground.
"Well?" Tom demanded. "Tell her! Tell her you started it!"
"Tom," I said slowly, standing up. "You were minding your own business?"
"Yes!"
"Just standing there. Doing nothing."
"Exactly!"
"Really." I crossed my arms. "So you weren't doing anything to provoke this? Nothing at all?"
Tom's eyes flickered. Just for a second. "N-No. Nothing."
Liar.
"Interesting," I said. "Because that's not what I heard about you and Mike."
Tom went very still. "What?"
"Mike. From the gardens. You remember him, right?" I kept my voice calm. Cold. "Two days ago. You beat him up because he accidentally bumped into you."
The color drained from Tom's face. "That was—"
"And last week. You made that new stable hand cry. What was his name again? Peter?"
"Miss Ophelia—"
"And the week before that. You stole food from Jenny's little brother. A child. You stole food from a child."
Tom's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
I stepped closer to him. "So when you say you were just 'minding your own business,' what you really mean is you were probably bullying Ryan. Just like you bully everyone who can't fight back."
"I wasn't—"
"Don't lie to me."
The crowd murmured. Some people were nodding.
Tom's face went from pale to red. His fists clenched at his sides. He shot a look at Ryan that was pure hatred.
"You speed speed go and receive your punishment," I said to Tom. My voice was ice. "And if I see you bullying anyone else—anyone at all—you're done here. Understand?"
Tom's jaw worked. He looked like he wanted to say something. Like he wanted to punch someone.
But he just forced a smile onto his face. It looked painful. "Yes, Miss Ophelia."
"Good. Now go."
He turned and stomped away, dripping water with every step. The crowd parted for him silently.