Chapter 3

"Are you awake now? Do you know where you are?" A voice whispered to me as I struggled to adjust my eyes to the lightning of the room.

"Where... Where am I...?" Once my vision had fully adjusted to the room's brightness, I forced myself into a sitting position.

The lady who had been speaking to me drew closer to me. "You are in the palace; we have been waiting for you to wake up. How do you feel now?"

"In the palace? Why am I in the palace and not at home?" My stepmother won't like this.

"You passed out at the ballroom yesterday evening; do you not remember?"

"Yes... Yesterday evening?" My eyes widened as I turned to face the lady. I can tell from her dress that she is a palace worker. But she seems to be of higher rank when compared to the girls I met outside the gate. She looks older too.

"Yes."

"You mean I've been here since yesterday?" I gasped out again.

"Yes. Do you not remember?"

"No... I mean yes, I think I remember a little bit of what happened. I shouldn't be here, though; I need to leave right now." I jumped down from the bed and tried to reach for the door but paused on noticing my state of undress.

I'm naked. Why am I naked? 

I curiously turned to the lady for answers, and it didn't take long before she provided one.

"We washed your dress; we had to get rid of the bloodstain on it. Your clothes are over there; you can put them on now," she stood to her feet as she explained.

I followed her gaze to see my clothes neatly folded on a dressing table.

"Okay, thank you." I immediately rushed to the dress, and within the next minute, I was fully clothed and ready to leave, but before I could do so, the lady spoke up again.

"I'm afraid you can't leave; Her Majesty gave orders."

"Her majesty? Why? Did I do something foolish yesterday? Am I in trouble? Will I be punished?" I asked in one breath. I hope it's not what I think it is. I don't wish to be punished. 

Royal punishments are too severe; I don't think I can handle them.

"No, it's not that. Her Majesty just wants to see you before you leave. She wants to speak to you," the lady surprised me with her next line of words.

"She does?" Her Majesty wants to speak to me? Oh, what a surprise. She just wants to speak to me. What does she want to talk about? I certainly don't have anything to say to her. Does it have to do with the way I passed out at the ballroom yesterday?

Oh, moon goddess! Am I in trouble? 

"Her Majesty will be here within the next thirty minutes; before she arrives, I want you to tell me what you would like to eat. Any favorites?"

"You want to feed me?"

"The palace will feed you; I know you must be hungry."

"I... I... I just want to go home; I'm not hungry. I just want to go home." I can't waste another hour here; I'm already in serious trouble, and if I don't return home before noon, I'll be in even more trouble.

My stepmother has threatened to throw me into a pot of hot oil if I ever misbehave. She's the type of person who keeps to her promise; she's not the soft type. She might really throw me into a pot filled with hot oil if I don't return home before noon.

"You should sit down; Her Majesty will be here shortly," the lady encouraged. I obeyed her words; I returned to the bed and sat at the edge.

"I'll leave you now," the lady added before walking out of the room, leaving me alone in this big room. The room is very spacious; it's almost the size of my father's house. I wonder if all the rooms in the palace are as big as this one. It wouldn't be surprising if all the rooms were as large as this one, given that the palace occupies a vast expanse of land. It's the biggest and the tallest building ever known in history.

As different thoughts filled my head, I didn't realize how much time passed; however, the sudden loud voices at the door pulled me out of my imaginary state. I immediately rose to my feet when I heard the doorknob turn.

Still on my feet, I silently watched a strange girl pop her head in after opening the door.

"Her Majesty is here," the girl announced before throwing the door wide open. 

She stepped out of the way as her majesty, the queen mother, majestically entered the room.

"Close the door." Once she was in, she gave the order.

The girl obeyed the queen mother's orders and quickly closed the door, leaving me completely alone with her.

I can't believe this. I'm in the same room with the queen mother, and not only that, I'm also alone with her. The queen mother is the most powerful female in the world. All she-wolves literally aspire to be like her. We all dream of being like her. Many stories have been told about her, about how scary she can be. And also how nice she tends to be sometimes. I wonder if those stories are true. Does she have a little bit of niceness in her? Or is she like my wicked stepmother who finds pleasure in seeing others in pain?

"Dear, you can have your seat."

"Huh?"

What did she just call me? I don't have the courage to stare at her, so I've been staring at my feet since she came in. But did I hear her correctly?

"We're here to talk about you. I want to get to know you. You can loosen up a little bit," her next line of words came.

Huh, why is she speaking to me with such a welcoming tone? Is she being real, or am I imagining things? 

"Are you listening to me?" She asked, raising her voice a little higher. Her sudden change of tone scared me, so I immediately apologized.

"Yes, my apologies, Your Majesty," I apologized and immediately took my seat at the edge of the bed. I hope my little display of foolishness did not anger her. I hope she is not mad at me.

"Come a little closer," the queen mother urged after also taking a seat on the bed.

"Ye… yes," I moved a little closer, but not close enough for our bodies to touch. Why does she want me close, though? It's suspicious. I can't help the feeling of anxiety rising up inside me.

"I heard your name is Sarah; is that correct?" She started.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'm Sarah Rowan. Beta Rowan is my father," I responded.

"Oh, so I heard. And your mother is late, am I right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, she died when I was little," I bobbed my head sadly.

"And you stay with your stepmother, am I right?"

"Yes, and my stepsister too. We all live together."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 25 years old."

"You are twenty-five?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." She sounds surprised; most people say I look too young for my age, and it's true. I have a very youthful look, and I also find it difficult to believe that I'm this old most of the time. It seems like I stopped growing at 18. I still look fucking 18. I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about it, but I've mostly felt sad about it. My youthful look doesn't help me at all; it only brings me disrespect and mockery. Mostly because I haven't met my wolf yet.

"That's great; it's perfect. But why aren't you looking at me? You haven't stared at me since I came in here; are you scared of me?"

"Huh? No! Your Majesty," Well, yes, I am scared of you. Who isn't? I secretly thought to myself.

"You can look at me. I told you to loosen up, didn't I?"

"Oh, oh, thank you, your majesty," I bowed slightly in appreciation. She's speaking to me so nicely, maybe I should truly loosen up.

"You don't have to thank me. I should thank you instead, you passed the test."

"Can I ask what test?" As I asked this question, I summoned up courage and glanced at her. She's beautiful. She has a calm look. A graceful look. And she also has a soft, almost non-existent smile on her face.

"You'll know the details soon; my maid told me that you are in a hurry to leave; I won't hold you back anymore. But you should eat before you leave; once I leave here, the maids will come in with your food. Eat before you leave, okay?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." I rose to my feet and gave a bow once she stood to hers.

"It's nice to meet you, Sarah," she flashed me a tight-lipped smile before stepping out of the room.

As the queen mother mentioned, the door to the room opened two minutes later to reveal two palace workers; they had trays of food and drinks with them.

**

Moon goddess, I've never eaten this much food my whole life, as I followed the palace worker from behind, I couldn't keep the smile away from my face. I'm so happy. I'm so full. 

Right now, a palace worker is leading me out to the palace gates; they know I can't leave the palace on my own. The palace has too many rooms, hallways, and corridors; one can easily get lost if not careful enough.

"We are here," the palace worker stated once we were close to the gate. I can see the gate; I can continue the journey on my own.

"Thank you," I appreciated her with a small smile, but she ignored me and went on her way. As usual.

I continued my journey alone, venturing out of the palace walls and the palace gates. Happy that I was finally free from the palace and all that had to do with it, I let out a small laugh, pleased that I wasn't punished in any way. I was very nervous, especially when I was with the queen mother. I'm glad she let me go after feeding me; I never knew that she would be that nice and considerate.

I think the only thing left to do is come up with a lie, I need to cook up a story for my stepmother. I can never reveal the fact that I went to the palace. She'll kill me if she learns of this. She must never know the truth.

What should I tell her? What lie can I come up with? As I tried to come up with a convincing lie, I failed to notice the tall, brooding figure in front of me.

"Why are you so deep in thought? What are you thinking of?" The question not only startled me but also forced me to stop in my tracks. Looking up, I found the king's beta leaning against the only tall tree outside the palace.

"I... I... I..." Not knowing what to say or how to react to his presence, I ended up stuttering. What is he doing out here? And why is he talking to me? 

Does he want to scold me? Wait. Is he here to kill me? I knew it! He must be here to finish me off. The palace rules are pretty strict; fainting in the palace yesterday wasn't okay. I must have broken the palace rules.

The king must have sent him to kill me out here in the open. He'll probably hang my head on a stake so it could serve as a lesson to others. Oh, moon goddess! Was that my last meal on Earth?

Why wasn't I given a heads-up? Maybe I could have eaten more if I had been given a little clue.

"I'm not here to hurt you," as if the beta had listened to my thoughts, he leaned away from the tree and declared. "I'm here to ask you a question."

"Oh...okay." What is it?

"Why did you behave that way yesterday?"

"Yes... Yesterday?"

"Yes. When you were bleeding, it seemed like there was a reason not to bleed."

"Oh... Are you referring to the way I reacted to my nosebleed? Well, I know I'm not supposed to bleed. Bad things happen whenever I bleed."

"Bad things happen?"

"Yes. That's what my stepmother said. She warned me against it. Against bleeding. But why do you ask? Did I do something wrong? Am I going to be punished?" I anxiously asked, but he shook his head negatively.

"You should return home. Prepare yourself for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? What is going to happen tomorrow?" I curiously asked.

"The queen mother will pay your family a visit."

"Huh? A visit? For what? Why? What's going on?" I asked the question in one breath but instead of replying to me, he turned toward the palace entrance and disappeared into the palace. Leaving me totally confused and scared.