Chapter 3
The nobles in the council hall exchanged uneasy glances.
They'd never seen the Alpha this agitated before.
No one dared to ask any questions. Clutching their files, they quickly bowed their heads and hurried out.
The hall was silent now, with only Kaelen left inside.
He leaned back against the icy seat and closed his eyes.
The feelings from that half-blood she-wolf in the rundown cabin: fear, humiliation, and that stubborn defiance buried deep in her bones, came pouring into Kaelen's mind through their mental link.
The noise was so overwhelming that he couldn't concentrate on his official duties.
Kaelen complained inwardly about such unbearable mental chaos.
He frowned, grabbed the silver pitcher from the table, and poured himself a glass of warm fruit wine.
He wanted to mask the lingering honey sweetness in his mouth.
But his hand, wrapped around the glass, was still trembling beyond his control.
After three centuries, this was the first time Kaelen had faced something completely out of control.
Meanwhile, in that cabin far away, the half-blood she-wolf was staring in confusion at the silvery glow suddenly flickering in her palm.
*****
Early the next morning, two guards in silver armor showed up at my cabin.
They didn't bother to come inside, but stood on the steps and told me coldly that the Alpha had ordered me to move into the guest quarters on the west side of the palace.
As I followed them into the palace, the servants we passed kept stealing glances at me, gossiping under their breath.
I didn't dare to look up.
I clutched the edge of my one halfway-clean linen dress.
We finally stopped at the door of the guest room.
The guards pushed the door open.
Inside, the floor was covered with a plush cashmere carpet.
Bluebells were blooming by the window.
The wardrobe was hung with several pretty dresses I'd only glimpsed from a distance at the market, and below them were a few pairs of new boots.
I froze at the doorway, unable to make myself step inside.
My battered boots barely grazed the edge of the plush carpet.
It felt like I was ruining something precious.
Kaelen was suddenly there, standing at the far end of the corridor.
He didn't bother coming over but called out from a distance. "Get rid of everything you're wearing."
Without another word, he turned and left. His steps were quick.
He didn't spare me a glance.
I knew this wasn't some favor.
Kaelen didn't want his so-called "fated mate" to look so shabby and ruin his reputation.
But more importantly, it was that damn mental link.
While I was stuck in that battered cabin, chewing on black bread every day, he had to feel every bit of misery I did from his throne.
Of course, my peaceful life didn't last half a day.
Raymond kicked my door open.
He lounged against the doorframe, dressed in a noble suit lavishly embroidered with silvery thread.
His eyes, somewhat like Kaelen's, were dripping with contempt and mockery.
"Because my brother let you move in, you really think you've climbed your way up and become the Luna?" Raymond sneered as he strode in, full of arrogance.
He kicked over vases and candlesticks, leaving a mess in the room. "Take a look at this place, with its cashmere carpet. Do you think a worthless trash like you, who can't even shift, belongs here?"
I ignored him, crouched down, and picked up the sewing basket he'd knocked to the floor.
I always kept myself busy with sewing, and even after moving into the palace, I couldn't shake the habit.
"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you." Raymond kicked over an oak chair. "You're a lowest-ranking brown-tag half-blood. How dare you put on airs in front of me!"
I slowly stood up, locking eyes with him. My voice was steady, not giving an inch. "The Alpha had put me here himself, Prince Raymond. If you don't like it, go complain to him."
"You think dropping my brother's name will scare me?" Raymond's face twisted with rage.
He suddenly lunged at me, grabbed my hair, yanked me off the chair, and threw me down hard.
I hit the cold stone floor like dead weight.
The pain in my scalp was so fierce it felt like my hair was being torn out, and my eyes stung with tears.
*****
Kaelen's roar echoed like thunder in his mind. 'Let her go!'
He sprang to his feet from the throne in an instant.
The stack of paperwork piled halfway to his chest was sent crashing to the floor.
But Raymond, that idiot, couldn't hear Kaelen's warning through the mental link.
His eyes were burning with jealousy. "Stop pretending!"
Raymond crouched down and clamped his fingers hard around my chin.
His face twisted with fury. "You're a good-for-nothing who can't even shift. Do you think you deserve to be my brother's mate?
"I could snuff you out right now, and no one would find out.
"Kaelen might mope for a few days, but then he'd pick some real noble lady with pure blood to be his Luna."
He booted me hard in the gut.
I curled up, and my stomach twisted painfully.
The bit of bread I'd managed to eat in the morning rose in my throat.
The pain was so intense that I couldn't make a sound.
Across the palace, Kaelen clutched his stomach in sudden agony.
A coppery taste flooded his throat.
His vision went black for a moment.
The priceless ornaments behind Kaelen exploded into shards as a surge of Alpha aura burst out of him.
Raymond snatched his hand back as if he'd been burned.
He saw my face go deathly pale from the pain.
Suddenly, he sensed something off.
Raymond recoiled in terror, backing away two steps. "Wh-What kind of witchcraft did you use on my brother?"
He pointed at me, his hand shaking, his face turning pale in an instant.
I didn't say a word but gasped for air.
Cold sweat poured from my forehead, hitting the floor in messy drops.
Raymond didn't even get to finish his nasty threats.
He scrambled out of the room, stumbling as he fled.
The room fell silent right away.
All that remained was the harsh sound of my labored breathing.
I sprawled out on the icy floor.
Every inch of me throbbed with pain. I couldn't even muster the strength to raise a finger.
In my mind, that familiar cold male voice was so weak it was barely audible. But there was a fear I'd never heard before.
Kaelen's voice whispered in my mind. 'Don't die. Wait for me.'