Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lola's POV

"You don't look good enough for Tyler." Genevieve's words hit me like a knife, and I found myself thinking about them long after she left. Long after I left the dining room myself. Even hours later, when the sun had set, it was like her words were on repeat in my head over and over until I couldn't get enough of it.

"Damn her," I muttered, throwing my fist at the wall but stopping at the last moment, thinking carefully about it. I was angry but not enough to think of hurting myself, and something told me that my fist on the wall would do way more than just hurting myself. Well, for one thing, it certainly wouldn't undo the words she said or make her feel the backlash of it.

A knock sounded at the door and I turned around. I was sitting by the balcony of the room, and so I had to walk back into the room just as the door opened and the Doctor stepped in. I recognized her as Marcella immediately.

Just like before, she didn't have her uniform on though. Marcella waved at me in greeting and walked into the room, looking around.

"Quite a large space you have here," she commented, taking in the awfully huge room, and I couldn't agree more with her. Even I didn't know what to do with this amount of space. But my status commanded it, and I could not have it any other way myself. After being scorned and treated like rags in the Blue Ray pack, this was a new development that I was more than willing to embrace.

"I thought we were done with all the tests?" I raised an eyebrow at her. I couldn't help but question her sudden appearance.

I didn't recall any appointments with the doctor. I certainly didn't expect her to be here at all.

She turned to face me. I noticed that she had been admiring the painting on the wall of the hillside. It was a good piece.

"Well, yes," she admitted. "You don't have an appointment if that's what you're thinking about. But I'm here to check up on you... Make sure you're settling in just fine."

"Huh?" My mouth hung open for more than was necessary. "That doesn't sound like the job of the doctor," I crossed my arms over my chest and assessed Marcella again.

Pale blue eyes that contrasted with her tanned skin. Her black hair fell over her shoulders in waves. She wore a simple black t-shirt over blue baggy pants. Plain and casual... Almost too casual.

She might be many things, but I didn't think that she was dangerous. And then again, there was still that unsettling feeling in my gut. It was almost like I had seen her somewhere before.

"Are you popular around here?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

I drew a chair forward and sat down. Back in the Beta Mansion, I never had a doctor in my room. Only a few of my close friends whenever we hung out.

But I didn't even know if I was supposed to regard Marcella as a doctor right now. She seemed way more friendly, far above the normal professional level. She was the only one who knew my secret. Keeping her as a friend who kept loyal would buy me enough time to figure things out for myself. Frankly speaking, it wasn't sounding like that bad an idea.

She sat across from me and tapped her chin in thought.

"Well, popular?" she muttered. "I wouldn't say that."

"Then you're just the Lycan's doctor?" I asked again, a slight frown forming on my face this time.

The Lycan's personal doctor. That didn't sound right even in my head.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about anything," Marcella waved her hand immediately. "Our relationship is strictly professional. And it's not long since I started working for him either," she added.

"Just a couple of months at the most."

I nodded. It wasn't like it was supposed to matter anyway. What mattered was that she did her job well and went back home at the end of the day.

"Do you perhaps know anything about the Diamond Pack that might be useful for me to know?" I asked her, deciding to change the topic.

She was the only one I could talk to right now. The maids were too scared to engage with me in conversation. And even when they did, all they knew how to do was nod and agree with everything I said.

The guards would hardly acknowledge me apart from a bow. They seemed to have sworn themselves to muteness.

And then the only other Royal company that I might have had turned out to be a bitch in human form that went by the name Genevieve Wilson... No surprise there.

I figured out that my only options were to make Marcella my friend or die of boredom.

"Actually, there are some things that you need to know indeed," Marcella began carefully.

"But at the moment, there are no threats looming in the distance. So why don't I show you a few things instead?" she proposed.

I took a glance across the room and shrugged.

"If I stayed here any longer, I would be constantly plagued by Genevieve anyway," I muttered to myself.

Marcella chuckled. My head snapped up to her, not expecting her to hear me.

"I see you've met the princess," she said as we stood up.

"Princess," I scoffed.

"She would prove to be a valuable asset if you can get her on your side though," she added. "She didn't think much of me when I first started working with the Lycan either."

"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded, even though I had already dismissed the thought.

If she was the kind of woman who didn't respect her brother's choice of woman and his preferences in the first place, then I didn't have anything to prove to her, that was for sure.

Marcella led me out of the room. By now, I was already rather familiar with the manor, and it didn't take us time to arrive at the gates.

She didn't say anything about leaving the premises, but I decided to shrug it off.

Marcella guided me past the majestic gates, the soft crunch of gravel under our steps which on its own contrasted with the cool evening. The guards at the gate didn't stop us either as we left. I didn't think that I was trapped in the manor, but a part of me did think that Tyler wouldn't let me out of his sight without guards. I was glad that that wasn't the case.

Outside, the evening breeze carried a refreshing chill, the sky bright despite being dim, painting the clouds in orange and purple hues. I stole a glance at her, wondering where she was taking me to.

Not a kidnap, right?

"Don't be silly," another voice in my head chided. She worked with the Lycan. He wouldn't let a spy work with him. I was safe.

We arrived at a secluded clearing just beyond the towering walls of the manor. Hidden away, it revealed an ancient well at its heart, surrounded by dignified statues portraying wolves in the midst of transformation.

At the middle of the garden just before the walls, a huge statue towered high above the others. A female warrior, with a wolf behind her. Both of their eyes were glowing white. I had seen this image several times in books and during studies.

"The moon goddess," I said under my breath. This was only a statue, but it already commanded a fierce air of reverence around it.

"You know your history," Marcella nodded in approval.

She paused and gestured towards the statues. "This place has stood the test of time. The legacy of the Diamond Pack is etched into every stone, every sculpture."

Then she turned back to me. "Do you understand why the Lycan brought you here?"

I folded my arms, contemplating. "To claim me as his prized possession? It's because he loves me, of course," I said immediately.

Then I paused, hearing myself and how stupid that sounded.

How would he love someone that he hasn't even met before? He just waltzed in and saved me... Should I really think that was a complete coincidence?

"He brought you here because you hold more significance than you realize. You are a crucial player on a complex chessboard, Lola. Unlike Genevieve, you possess a key essential to him," Marcella said, watching me closely.

"A key to what exactly?" I frowned.

Marcella rested against one of the statues, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "That, my dear, is a puzzle for you to unravel. But rest assured, your presence here is no coincidence. The Diamond Pack selects its allies with careful consideration."

Her words stirred a sense of apprehension within me. Did she suggest I harbored a latent power or purpose? If so, why was I only hearing about it now?

I had a lot of questions, honestly.

"And why are you telling me all this?" I asked, my voice laced with suspicion.

"So that it won't come as a shock when you have to do certain things," Marcella replied plainly.