Alpha Eryx?!

I arrive at the servants' quarters, hoping to freshen up, just a little moment of breath before duties swallow me whole again.

I know I can only do that if I'm lucky enough to have gotten in before Morgana sees me. Because if she does… it's over.

She'll yell. About anything. Everything. Sometimes, I honestly feel like she waits for me to look the slightest bit at ease just to ruin it.

Even when I'm done with my assigned duties, she'll invent new ones just to keep me moving.

I once sat down to rest for ten minutes, she had me massaging her head and untangling her knotted hair for an hour after that.

And gods forbid I do it too gently, or she'll say I'm useless. Too hard? I'm aggressive.

Honestly, she doesn't even need a reason. She just needs me nearby, doing Something, anything.

The moment I step inside the quarters, the other servants I share the room with come rushing toward me. But not with concern, it can never be.

"Thank the goddess she's back," one scoffs. "We almost got burnt just because she wasn't around."

That's the first thing I hear. Not a 'how are you' after what happened. Not even fake concern.

I ignore it. I'm used to this kind of isolation anyway. I've lived in it long enough to know not to ask for anything else. But that doesn't mean I understand it.

Why do they hate me this much Just because I came here with Morgana...!

They hate her, I get that. I hate her even more. Everyone does. She treats them all like dirt. But when she's finished throwing her tantrums, they toss the leftovers at me. Like I'm some kind of extension of her evil. Like I chose to be her shadow.

They don't see that I'm stuck too.

Sometimes I wonder if Alpha Eryx even knows who she really is. But how could he? She only shows that side when he's not around. The moment he steps into the room, she transforms... calm, soft-spoken, almost angelic. A ruthless wolf hiding in a lamb's skin.

..I walk to my trunk quietly, pulling out my things to head for the bathroom.

"Where did you place her keys?" another servant pipes up with a sharp edge in her voice. "She was screaming so hard you'd think she fell into boiling oil."

Laughter follows.

I ignore it. And about her keys... since when do I ever keep her keys?!

My mind keeps Wondering about her keys because that's going to be the reason for her to give me a hell of time.

The other servants keep talking about her as they laugh,

They always talk boldly when she's not around, but the second Morgana's footstep echoes down the hallway? They fold like wet laundry. Heads bowed. Backs bent. Begging eyes.

No backbone.

"I see you already healed," someone mutters, voice lower but sharp. "I bet she was just trying to mark you as theirs. Typical. That cursed pack...! Clawingfang..!?Everyone in it is messed up, they don't even know why they are alive, and they act like they rule the whole world. Starting from servants. Pathetic."

That's it.

I didn't plan to say anything, but something in me snaps. The anger boils fast in my throat, and before I can stop myself, I turn slightly and say, "Not like I'm trying to justify myself to you so you'll like me or anything, but for your information, I'm not a pack. I'm me. Just me!"

Silence. But thick with tension.

I could say more. I could scream what my wolf is growling inside me: I'm the heart of Alpha Theo. Just wait until he hears how you talk to me.

But of course, I don't say it aloud.

Instead, I shake my head, turn away, and walk off to clean up. I freshen up quickly, trying to cool the heat still burning under my skin, but I barely even get a moment to breathe, barely pull on my serving outfit when a sharp knock hits the door.

"Alpha Eryx summons you right now, he is in his study,"

I'm being summoned.

By Alpha Eryx.

The words hit harder than I expect. For a second, I just stand there, frozen, the air leaving my lungs too quickly.

My hands go clammy, the towel slipping slightly from my fingers.

Alpha… Eryx?

Why? I mean, Does he even know me, that I exist?

Sure, I serve in the same house. I serve his Luna. But he's never spoken to me. Never once looked at me directly. Not even a nod of acknowledgment.

Even when I was serving in the same room where he sat with Morgana, he didn't glance my way.

So the idea that he's summoned me, makes my blood feel ice cold and fever-hot at the same time.

What could he possibly want? Is it the issue with the tea? Or Morgana said something to him about me, so maybe he's going to throw me out?!

But there's no time to panic. No time to question.

I rush out, heart hammering, feet already moving toward his study, the room I know he spends most of his time in. That's where I've been told he is.

The hallway stretches like a tunnel, every step feeling louder than it should. Servants walk by with lowered eyes, scrolls and trays in hand, and no one notices me. No one ever does.

But I can't help the way my pulse quickens as I near the door.

My mind refuse to settle...

Unless… unless Morgana said something. Maybe she told him something. Maybe she blamed me for her lost keys. Maybe...

No. That doesn't make sense. Morgana would just yell at me herself. Loudly. Publicly. She wouldn't hide behind her mate.

So what is this?

I slow as I reach the study doors, swallowing hard. I feel my wolf pacing inside,