Darius' POV Watching Alpha Orion storm away from the dining table, I knew my mother had orchestrated the entire evening just to ignite conflict between us. She had always been a master of manipulation, and tonight was no different. Her smile, barely hidden behind a mask of concern, told me everything I needed to know—this had gone exactly the way she intended. The dining room felt suffocating as I sat alone with her, the tension thick enough to choke on. I slowly set my spoon down, the clatter echoing in the silence. My mother glanced at me, sensing my displeasure, and immediately composed herself, as if nothing had happened. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, feigning innocence. "I didn’t commit a crime. I merely stated the truth. Anita is a problem, and I won’t support her. She refuses to let you love her. How is that fair? You could’ve saved her from the life she’s living, but she keeps choosing your brother. She’s hindering your potential, Darius, and you know it.
Darius' POV "You don't have to be scared, Anita. Just tell me everything," I said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Her fragile smile returned briefly before vanishing again. "Thank you, Darius, for trusting me, for giving me space to speak," she began, her voice trembling slightly. "But... he raped me. And not in the way you'd think. Yes, Alpha Orion has always been aggressive, but that night..." She stopped, her breath catching as tears welled up in her eyes. "That night was different. It wasn’t just forceful—it was something I can’t forget. I know I try to act normal, but I keep having these flashbacks. They’re always there, in my mind, no matter how hard I try to shake them off. It’s like I can’t escape it. I know he thinks I’m acting distant just to be difficult or as if I’m trying to be more than a slave... but it’s not that. It’s the memories, Darius. They haunt me." As she broke down into sobs, my heart ached for her. I moved closer, gently placing my hand on her
3rd person POV Maya had already arrived at the palace, eager to carry out the task given to her by Alpha Ethan. The palace was even grander than she had imagined—far more opulent than Alpha Ethan’s, which only heightened her feeling of pride. She felt important, as though Alpha Ethan had truly seen her worth. What Maya didn’t realize was that her importance to Alpha Ethan was solely based on his obsession with Anita. Maya was just another pawn in his game, something she would soon come to understand. She dragged her luggage into the palace, her heart racing with anticipation. Just as she was settling into her new surroundings, she bumped into Alpha Darius. Startled, she couldn’t help but stare at him, momentarily dazed by his presence. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there," Darius said, his voice polite but distant. Maya shook her head with a nervous smile. "No, no, Alpha Darius, it's my fault. Honestly, I feel lucky to have met you right as I stepped into this palace. It feels l
Maya's POV I couldn’t believe the words that had come out of Alpha Orion’s mouth. The humiliation washed over me in waves, leaving me furious. How could he dismiss me like that? I tried to serve him, to be noticed, but he didn’t even glance my way. The sting of being cast aside was worsened by Luna Nora’s sharp words. “Don’t you get it? Only Anita is allowed to serve him. The rest of you don’t matter. She’s the only special one,” Luna Nora said, her tone laced with mockery. The way she glanced at Darius after making that statement made me think she was trying to stir something between him and Alpha Orion. Her words stung, but they also gave me insight into the tension simmering beneath the surface. I smiled inwardly—if there was discord between Alpha Orion and Luna Nora, this was something I could exploit. With a small nod, I turned to leave, keeping my composure as best I could. As I exited the room, I heard Darius muttering to his mother, but I couldn’t make out the words. Whateve
Maya's POV I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The maids gossiped so freely, and every word they said painted a clearer picture of the tangled web within the palace. It was more than I ever expected to discover on my first day, and I found myself eager for more. One of the maids, who had been whispering with the others, confirmed the rumors I had heard from Alpha Ethan. "Alpha Orion doesn't plan on marrying Anita," one of them said with a sneer. "All she is to him is a source of pleasure and, maybe, an heir. If she weren’t the only one who could give him a child, she would have been thrown out long ago.” Another maid chimed in, bitterness dripping from her voice. “She’s only special because she’s survived what none of his other mates could. Everyone else who loved him died because of that curse. I honestly thought she'd be dead by now too." I asked the question that had been burning in the back of my mind, something even Alpha Ethan had been curious about. “But why is she still
Maya's POV I needed a plan. Fast. I had come to the palace to eliminate Anita, but if I was going to succeed, I had to get close to her first. The only way to achieve that was by playing on our past—back when we were best friends in Alpha Ethan’s pack. I could use that bond to my advantage, but things weren’t going as smoothly as I had hoped. Anita had changed. She wasn’t the naive girl I once knew, and I realized getting her to trust me again would be harder than I thought. After wandering around the palace, I decided to head to Anita’s quarters. I knocked several times but got no answer. Curious, I opened the door and stepped inside. Her room was immaculate, far more luxurious than any maid’s quarters I had ever seen. There were beautiful dresses hanging in her closet, far too fancy for a servant. But it was clear she hadn’t worn them. She still dressed like a simple maid. I shook my head, closing the door quietly behind me. She really has no idea how lucky she is, I thought. But
Maya's POV I was beginning to think this plan might actually work. As Anita threw the napkin back at me, my surprise turned into frustration. “What is that supposed to mean?” I snapped, though I quickly composed myself, realizing I couldn’t afford to lose control. “I helped you clean the stain off your arm. I don’t want any trouble, Maya. Please, let’s just stay away from each other. I don’t want to be friends with you again,” she said, walking out without looking back. My mouth hung open in shock as I watched her disappear down the hallway. She had just walked away from me as if I meant nothing. Anger boiled inside me, but it wasn’t just the rejection that stung. It was the fact that my plan to get close to her was slipping away. I glanced down at my arm, where the hot porridge had burned my skin. It wasn’t the physical pain that bothered me—it was the ache in my heart, the fear that I wouldn’t be able to do what Alpha Ethan needed. Anita’s coldness was making everything much more
Anita's POV I sat in the garden once again. This was the third night in a row, and each time, I found myself deep in thought. I was finally done with my chores for the day, and, for once, there had been no major problems. No issues with Alpha Orion, who had been unusually busy, or Darius, who had been quietly going about his business. But even with the calmness of the evening, my mind kept circling back to Maya and the strange things she had said to me earlier. I shook my head, feeling a mix of irritation and confusion. How does she expect us to be close again, to be best friends after everything? Something about her felt off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I knew Maya wasn’t here out of pure goodwill. She had an agenda, and I wasn’t going to fall for it. Not again. The more I thought about her sudden reappearance in my life, the more suspicious I became. The way she had acted earlier… It was almost like she expected everything to fall back into place between us, as if n