Chapter 4

EIRENE

I was in deep thought but it was cut short when I heard a knock on the door.

“I was sent here by the Alpha, he asked me to relay a few messages to you.”

The maid’s voice was quiet, but the weight of her words sent a chill down my spine.

I sat on the bed, fingers curled into the sheets, my body still aching from yesterday’s events. I had expected this. Expected him to summon me like I was nothing more than a tool to be used. Still, hearing it out loud made my stomach twist.

I swallowed. “Ofcourse, he couldn't wait any longer, tell him I’ve changed my mind. I’ll do whatever he wants.”

The maid didn’t blink. “He knows.”

“What?” 

The maid continued, “He just wants you to know you will serve him tonight.”

A sharp pressure built in my chest. “That soon?”

She didn’t respond. She turned on her heel and walked out, leaving me in suffocating silence.

I clenched my fists. I want to survive. I have no choice.

But before I could even gather my thoughts, the door slammed open.

I whipped around, my breath catching.

Annika.

Aldar’s Beta. The barren wolf.

She stepped inside, arms crossed, her dark eyes filled with disdain. “How bold of you to come into my pack and not visit me even once, did you not know the rules and ethics in this pack? Did you think this pack and the one you came from are the same?.”

I stiffened, sensing danger.

Aria, the maid who had been looking after me, rushed forward. “She just arrived yesterday. We haven’t had time to teach her proper etiquette yet.”

Annika’s maid, Leila, didn’t hesitate. She struck Aria across the face so hard that she collapsed to the floor.

I flinched. Aria groaned, holding her cheek.

Enough.

I moved, kneeling to pull Aria into my arms, but Annika’s voice rang out, sharp and mocking.

“Grab her.”

Rough hands seized my arms. My heart pounded as I was dragged outside the mansion. The cold air hits my skin, but the stars burn hotter.

Guards. Maids. Warriors. They watched but did nothing.

No one would stop her.

Aldar wasn’t here.

Annika stepped in front of me, her smile slow and poisonous. “You must be confused. Let me educate you.”

I was shoved to the ground, my knees scraping against the rough stone. I bit my lip to keep from making a sound.

Annika lifted her foot and pressed it against my back. Pushed down. Hard.

I gasped, my hands trembling against the dirt.

Still, I didn’t speak.

“Silent, huh? You must be tough” Annika mused. She nodded toward Leila.

Leila grabbed my hand and slammed her heel against my fingers.

I choked on a cry as sharp pain exploded up my arm.

My fingers throbbed. Maybe broken. Maybe not. It didn’t matter.

I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“She’s stubborn,” Leila said with a smirk.

Annika crouched in front of me, tilting her head. “Ask around, girl. Ask the omegas. Ask the maids. Do you know what happens to women like you in this pack?”

I didn’t answer.

Annika’s lips curled. “They conceive.”

My stomach dropped.

“And then they die.”

Her words sliced deeper than any wound. I forced myself to breathe through the sickening dread curling inside me.

She gestured toward Leila, who handed her a pair of scissors.

A new kind of terror settled over me.

Not my hair.

My fingers twitched, but before I could move, cold metal touched my scalp.

“No, please—I am sorry, I will do whatever you want but not my hair” My voice cracked.

Annika didn’t hesitate. She cut.

Long strands of my hair fell to the ground, lifeless like the memories they carried.

I sucked in a shaky breath as laughter rippled through the small crowd.

Nothing but a game to them.

A joke.

Annika ran her fingers through the remaining strands. “You should know your place.” She leaned in, whispering in my ear. “You are nothing but a tool. A body to be used. A toy to be discarded.”

She stood, tossing the scissors aside, and turned away, her laughter fading as she disappeared into the mansion.

The crowd dispersed.

The cold settled into my bones.

I was nothing.

Aria knelt beside me. Gentle hands. A quiet presence.

She helped me to my feet. She didn’t speak as she led me inside, into the warmth of a private chamber.

I sat as she ran a comb through what remained of my hair, shaping it into something… softer. Smoother. Her fingers were careful, gentle in a way that made my throat tighten.

She caught my eye in the mirror.

“Do you know what you’ve just gotten yourself into?”

I forced a bitter smile. “What?”

Aria hesitated.

“Aria.” I called.

“Alpha Aldar and Alpha R—.” She said and then stopped.

The door slammed open.

I turned.

Aldar stood in the doorway.

Dark eyes. Unreadable expression. Power rolling off him in waves.

“You are becoming too comfortable, Aria.” Aldar said.

Aria dropped her gaze and bowed before quickly leaving the room.

The silence stretched between us.

I met his gaze, my body still trembling from what had happened outside. But I refused to look away.

“What was she about to say?” I asked.

Aldar stepped forward, slow and deliberate. “Nothing important.”

Liar.

I clenched my fists. “Then why did you stop her?”

He ignored the question. His eyes flicked to my hair, his jaw tightening slightly before his gaze returned to mine.

“They touched you.”

I forced a cold smile. “Your pack. Your rules.”

His lips pressed into a firm line. “Annika overstepped.”

“And you’ll punish her?” I laughed, sharp and hollow. “I doubt it.”

Aldar didn’t respond.

I took a step toward him, my voice dropping. “You want me to serve you tonight?”

A flicker of something crossed his face, but it was gone before I could decipher it.

“Yes.”

I tilted my head. “And if I refuse?”

Aldar’s expression remained impassive. “You won’t.”

His confidence ignited something ugly in my chest.

“Because I have no choice?” I challenged.

His storm-gray eyes darkened. “Because you chose survival.”

I swallowed, my throat dry.

“I won’t let them kill you, Eirene.” His voice was quieter now, but no less intense. “But you will learn what it means to belong here.”

My stomach twisted.

He turned, moving toward the door. But just before he left, he spoke once more.

“Be ready when I return.”

The door shut behind Aldar, leaving me in suffocating silence.

My pulse pounded in my ears, my skin burning from humiliation and anger. My hair—what was left of it—felt foreign, wrong. Annika had taken something from me today. Not just my hair, but a part of my dignity.

Aldar stormed into Annika’s chambers, his rage barely contained. She didn’t bother standing, only smirked as she swirled the wine in her glass.

“You overstepped,” he growled.

Annika arched her brow. “Did I? I was simply educating her. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

His jaw tightened. “Stay away from her.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “And here I thought you didn’t care.” Then her smirk faded, and something sharper slid into her gaze. “What will you do once she finds out the truth?”

Silence. A deadly, suffocating silence.

Annika leaned forward, voice like silk. “That you’re Alpha Rane’s brother. The one who banished her.”

Aldar’s hands curled into fists, but she wasn’t done.

“And when she learns the real reason she lost her baby?” Her voice was almost a whisper. “That it wasn’t fate, or bad luck, or even Rane—but you.”

A flicker of something dark passed through her eyes. Triumph.

“She will kill you for it.”

Aldar didn’t move. Couldn’t.

Annika smiled.

“Tell me, Alpha—how long do you think you can keep your secrets buried?”