11|Do you have a death wish?

Dorothy came out of the shower with her new dress. It was white in color and the dress clung to her figure in all the right places. Her red hair dripped with water as she used a towel to dry it. She was stunning, beyond beautiful and Sofia had seemed to stare at her for too long .

“Hm” Dorothy brought Sofia out of her trance and Sofia smiled, walking to take the towel to help dry Dorothy’s hair. “Thank you” Dorothy muttered, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"It's no problem. I'm glad to help," Sofia said with a warm smile. Dorothy felt a flicker of warmth in her heart. It had been a long time since someone had dried her hair—her mother used to do it back then but she had forgotten her touch, her laughter that she missed it so much.

When Sofia was done, she forced Dorothy to put on makeup.

"I don't think—" Dorothy started, shaking her head. Why would she even bother putting on makeup right now? It wasn’t like Ace was dying to see her, and besides, wasn’t she in the middle of a serious situation? Priorities!

“It’ll just be light makeup. You’re already beautiful—imagine how jaw-dropping you’ll be with a little extra pizzazz!” Sofia grinned, holding up a mascara wand like it was a magic wand.

Despite the back-and-forth, Dorothy sighed in defeat and allowed Sofia to do whatever she wanted.

A few minutes later, Sofia stepped back, beaming with satisfaction. “There, all done!”

Dorothy glanced at the mirror and froze. She had worn makeup the night before, but this was different. It was light and subtle, and paired with her white dress and her red hair cascading down her back, she looked as though she had just stepped out of a fairytale.

“You look really beautiful, Dorothy,” Sofia gushed, causing Dorothy's face to heat up. What Dorothy didn’t know, however, was that an operation to bring her and the Alpha King together was already unfolding in Sofia’s mind.

As Dorothy and Sofia walked out of the room, Dorothy couldn’t help but admire the sight before her. Even the packhouse she’d seen in her pack before paled in comparison to this place. This one screamed two things: wealth and extreme wealth.

“Is this the packhouse?” Dorothy asked, though she almost rolled her eyes at herself. Of course, it was the packhouse. Who else would live here besides the Alpha?

Sofia laughed and nodded. “Yes, but it’s just one of the packhouses. This is where the king currently resides because it’s away from the rest of the pack.”

Dorothy paused, her jaw nearly dropping. “Do the other packhouses look like this?”

Sofia shrugged. “Some do, and others are even better. You know, the late Luna loved decorating, so the king used to build different packhouses just so she could design each one however she liked.”

Her words made Dorothy freeze slightly. At the mention of the late Luna, a pang of guilt struck her. She couldn’t quite understand why—perhaps it was because she had become Ace’s mate, or maybe it was something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“This is the dining room. You should sit down and eat—I’m sure you’re hungry,” Sofia said gently. “I’ll get someone to prepare something for you.”

Dorothy shook her head, about to protest that she wasn’t hungry, but the loud growl from her stomach betrayed her. She clamped her mouth shut, her cheeks heating up, as Sofia burst into laughter.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Alya teased in Dorothy’s mind, her voice dripping with amusement.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. “I thought you were giving me the silent treatment,” she scoffed, her gaze drifting around the grand, castle-like house. Admiration swelled within her, though there was something more—a nagging feeling that she had seen this place before. No matter how hard she tried to remember, it felt like an invisible force was blocking her memory.

But that couldn’t be right. It wasn’t possible. She had never left her former pack before.

“No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. I could never be mad at you,” Alya said, her voice suddenly sweet, almost sugary.

Dorothy sighed. “What do you want, Alya?”

“I can smell him nearby, lets go to our mate” When Dorothy heard that, her heartbeat increased and she stood up, walking to the a direction but not to direction Alya had hoped. Unlike Alya who craved for their mate, she was scared of him–Why? Oh well its nothing…he had just almost killed her not once but TWICE.

She wanted to go back to the room, to avoid him and stay far away from the terrifying man. But somehow, she had gotten lost. She had no idea which direction she had come from. Goddess, why did this packhouse have to be a maze?

“Was it left or right?” she muttered under her breath. Before her brain could process anything, her body was already moving. It felt almost like a trance, as if her movements were guided by memories. When she finally snapped out of the daze, she found herself standing in a garden.

It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Flowers of every kind and color adorned the area, each petal vibrant and full of life. Unlike the dull and somber parts of the packhouse, this garden felt carefully maintained, brimming with love and care. Before she could stop herself, tears spilled down her cheeks, falling silently onto the ground.

Why was she crying? Why did it feel like her heart was being ripped apart over something she couldn’t remember?

“Maybe… it’s just so beautiful it moved me to tears,” Dorothy murmured to herself, quickly wiping her cheeks. But then she froze, her senses suddenly overwhelmed by a familiar scent coming from behind her.

She didn’t have time to react before her hand was yanked roughly. She spun around, coming face-to-face with those once-emotionless eyes now burning with raw, murderous intensity. The tension in the air grew so thick it felt suffocating.

Ace had dropped the watering can he’d been holding at his side. His grip on her was firm, his silver eyes glowing with unmistakable fury—an indication of his anger.

“Do you have a death wish?” Ace hissed through clenched teeth.