Lies Under The Scarf

Lies Under The Scarf
It was bright tonight but her mood wasn't.
Myra sat on her thin bed—if it could pass for a bed, her knees drawn close, her eyes bleak as she gazed up at the window far beyond her reach.
The room was soaked in darkness. Just like she was.
A stiff sob escaped her lips.
She was doomed. Her life was cursed. Bearing his mark—that cruel Alpha—was the last straw.
She hugged her knees tighter, contemplating on the cruel fate she was given.
Everyone was slowly slipping away and that frightened her. She need to save them but now, she wondered if she was the one in need of saving.
"Everything will be okay" she reassured herself in a broken whisper. But the hollowness in that promise glared at her.
A single tear fell. Everything will be okay. When?
She was sinking deep into an abyss where there was no hope.
Tears dropped silently but she made no move to brush them away. She was tired.
"I've done nothing wrong" she said, closing her eyes as her emotions tumbled into a wave that crashed roughly.
"I've endured my own share of suffering. I'm wallowing in pain. Isn't that enough?"
But all she got was silence. Lately, that was all she could get.
Yet the knowledge didn't soften the painful blow that rocked her.
The mark burned again but she resisted the urge to touch it. Its presence was now a shameful reminder of that night that shouldn't have happened.
"But it was his fault" she twisted the fabric of her skirt.
Myra hissed at the memory of his golden eyes that had glanced at her with rage and accusation. Like she had truly seduced him.
A bitter laugh passed her lips as she shook her head in disbelief. What an irony, she thought.
She had vowed to Henry that she wouldn't go to bed with him. Yet it happened, in a twisted way.
She laughed again, the bitter sound resonating with the horrible silence she was locked in.
That night was a mistake. But she thought that was it, maybe she could live with the shame.
Now.... she was his mate—the very word made her recoil.
She leaned against the wall, watching the little moon through blurry eyes. Deep down she knew her life was about to change.
And it wasn't for the best.
She thought of her father and felt a sense of failure. "He wouldn't be proud of me"
She vowed she would get the Alpha to his knees. Now she was bonded to him.
She swallowed a fresh knot of tears. Her head began to pound.
Myra was damn glad her father wasn't alive to see the mess she was in. He would be disappointed, which was good.
She was disappointed in herself.
For not standing up to the Alpha. For stupidly obeying her curiousity by walking into his room.
For succumbing to him, when she could have put up a fight.
She rubbed her eyes tiredly then pulled out a crumpled paper from her dress pocket. The letter her father had written to her.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn't read the whole content that day. She smoothened out the wrinkles then her eyes began to scan the words.
——There are things I should have told you. Secrets I should have entrusted to you. But I was a coward ,Myra.
A father first, a king second. I have done terrible things Myra. Things I will never ask for your forgiveness for.
But you must know everything I did was for you.
Every step I took, every lie I swallowed, every battle I fought..... it was all to protect you from a truth too monstrous to bear.——

Her eyes blurred with unshed tears as she folded the paper. She couldn't read his last words when she had failed him.
'I have done terrible things Myra'
'Everything I did was for you'
'It was all to protect you from a truth too monstrous to bear'
There was nothing as monstrous as being mated to the Alpha that ended his life. She squeezed her eyes shut and stifled a sob.
Everything he had ever done was for the good of their Kingdom. But here she was, mating herself to the enemy that had ruined both their lives.
She wanted the Alpha to kill her. At least then she wouldn't have to live with the shame.
With the disappointment. With the series of misfortune that somehow stuck to her.
The next morning, Myra had showered before the other maids woke up. She didn't need their mocking whispers or piercing gazes.
The silence was more comforting.
She wrapped a thick grey scarf around her neck just before she left the bathing room, careful not to show even a peek of her skin.
From now on, she was walking on eggshells. Wolf-like eggshells.
'If you dare breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll ruin you' his voice echoed at the back of her mind.
Her lips curved into a smirk.
Judging from his expressions, she guessed he was appalled at the twisted idea she was his mate.
As if he wasn't the one that sank his fangs into her.
"I'm not the only one in this bottomless pit" she murmured.
As usual, eyes stuck to her as she walked into the servants hall. Whispers filled with snide insults reached her ears but she shook them off.
She had grown a thick skin now. Their words merely bounced off her as if she was a shield.
Lily walked up to her with a smile. "Haven't seen you around lately"
Her smile was empty. "Been trying to survive in the claws of these wolves" while trying to make sense of what is happening to me.
She left that line unspoken. She couldn't let Lily know.
Not with the heavy threat dangling above her sister's head.
Even as she thought about it, her jaw tightened. It hurt that she couldn't do anything about it.
"Have you been listening Myra?" Lily's voice had her crashing back to reality.
She blinked then forced a laugh. "Sorry. Just worried, that's all"
"You've not been looking fine lately" Lily's gaze was sympathetic. "Are you sure you're alright? Did anyone hurt you again?"
Myra resented the pity in her voice. "No" she said. "I'm fine. I've just been thinking"
Lily arched a brow, pursed her lips, then eyed the scarf around her neck.
"Aren't you feeling hot? That scarf doesn't even look comfortable. Why are you even wearing it?"
A sliver of tension pricked her spine. "Wearing it?" She repeated, fingering the ends of the scarf.
"I caught a cold" she lied.
Lily regarded her comment with a long stare. "That's strange. The sun is practically melting my skin. But you're cold?"
Myra forced a nonchalant shrug but tugged on the scarf consciously. "I'm human. Humans have fragile bodies unlike werewolves"
"If you say so" Lily's voice held doubt. Her eyes were slightly narrowed and cautious.
Myra swallowed her heart that wanted to escape. Did Lily pick up on the signs? Did she sense the mark?
She pulled the scarf tighter around her neck, irritated at the coarse fabric.
But she had no choice. She had never even had a choice.
She gave a quick smile to Lily and picked up a basket of clothes, eager to leave.
Lily didn't believe her and that was a red flag.
What if everyone else noticed? Has someone caught a glimpse of her neck?
"You're just being paranoid" she reminded herself, walking at a brisk pace, hoping nobody's stare lingered.
When she passed by a window, she paused to glance at her reflection. Her ginger curls were pulled tight into a bun, the scarf hid her neck.
Not a glimpse of skin. It was odd but it was safe.
With a sigh, she tugged it again and resumed her stride. Her neck tingled, shooting tiny sparks that tickled her, but she didn't dare inspect it.
Even while she folded clothes in the laundry room, she was aware of the eyes that rested heavily on her back.
Of the murmurs that floated lazily around her. Of the nervous pounding of her pulse.
"No one's watching me. The mark is hidden. I am safe" she chanted, trying to calm herself.
It wouldn't do her good if everyone noticed she was anxious and edgy. She had to act normal—whatever that meant.
But, in the evening time, as she carried a tray filled with plates, she halted when she saw two figures walking in her direction from the other end of the hallway.
Princess Amber and Lady Helen.
Her heart sank to her stomach. Terrible timing.
Dressed in everything silk and jewelleries, the mother-daughter duo laughed over something as they came her way.
Myra stood stiffly, watching them. She couldn't forget the pain of her injured hand, the horrible taste of humiliation.
She turned, wanting to slip away but Amber noticed her.
"Well well well, if it isn't the red-hand princess herself"
Her back straightened but she turned around slowly.
Amber's smile was sharp, her eyes brimming with anger. "It has been a long time" she murmured.
"Too long for me" Helen scoffed. "Enjoying your scorched hand?"
Myra's lips tightened but she stuck her gaze to the floors.
"My mother's talking to you" Amber spat.
"Leave her alone Amber. She's still mulling over the pain, the anguish, the torture" Helen cracked a wicked smile. "For daring to lift her hand"
Amber chuckled. "Now she's silent and even looks timid"
Myra stood still like a statue, her posture stiff, her mouth sealed.
"No. She looks..... like she's hiding something"
Hearing that made her nerves jolt. Colour drained from her face and her heart hammered in her ears. She swallowed thickly.
Helen's gaze was razor-sharp. "She looks like she's hiding something" she repeated, strolling to her. "And I'm guessing it has something to do with that scarf"
Her knees wobbled but she managed to stay still. Her fingers gripped the tray tightly, her knuckled going white.
Amber frowned, totally confused. "The scarf is odd" she admitted. "But what could she possibly hide there? A knife?"
"Something" Helen said slowly, watching her for any reaction.
Myra's expression was cool, but her blood was rushing to her brain.
"I have duties to attend to milady" She replied calmly, excusing herself from the burning curiousity in the woman's eyes.
Helen's eyes followed her like a hawk.
"What was that about mother?" Amber turned to her.
Helen's gaze was thoughtful. "The girl is hiding something. I can smell it"
"What?"
"You won't understand Amber. You might not feel it but I do. There's a strange aura around that human slave"
There was an invisible shield around her. One that wasn't there before.
The aura was subtle but powerful. She had smelled a faint scent hovering around the human.
Smoky, filled with spice.... and very familiar.
Her eyes narrowed. "Watch over that girl, Amber. There's something going on here. Something big. And I must find out what it is"