Chapter 3- The Key

Aria's POV 

Alpha Kieran’s words rattled in my mind like broken glass. 

A curse? Four Alphas? Mates? A true mate? What were all these?  I could not make any sense of it and it all sounded insane, like something out of a nightmare.

And yet, the way he looked at me made my skin crawl.

I let out a short laughter and smiled mischievously to myself. That bastard thinks he can tie me up here after spitting out some rubbish folktales from his mouth. 

No, he can't. I'm not that foolish to believe whatever he says. 

I sat on the edge of the bed that I had been sleeping in. 

It was already late at night and I kept staring out the window and the crescent moon was hanging low in the sky. 

The room was dead quiet, but my thoughts were not. They roared like a storm inside of me, drowning out everything else.

I was figuring out something for myself. An escape. That was what it was going to be. 

No way. I could not stay here. Not with him. Not with his crazy warnings and the kind of expectations that I didn’t ask for.

Also, I did not trust him. I didn't trust a single word that he said and I didn’t want to be anyone’s “key” to saving the world or whatever he said. 

The clock was ticking slowly and I waited patiently until it rested on 12.  That was the time everybody would have gone to sleep and the hallways would be silent. 

Quickly, I slipped out of the room, careful enough not to make any sound. 

It was not difficult to navigate the place and soon, I was outside. The cool night air hit me as I stepped outside and my heart could not stop hammering in my chest. 

I was scared of so many things but the ultimate thing I was scared of was being caught by any of the Lycans. 

I could see some shadows stretched across the ground. I guess they were the territory guards and from afar I could see the dark forest.

I didn’t care about all of these. I just needed to get away and I did. 

***

By the time the sun began to rise, my legs were numb, and my stomach ached so much with hunger.

I had been able to escape without attracting any of the guards to me and I didn't stop moving all night. 

My only goal now was to put as much distance as possible between myself and Alpha Kieran.

After some time, I stumbled into another land with different structures and a massive building in the middle that looked like a palace.

Its stone walls gleamed in the morning light, and there were a lot of guards patrolling the gates.

I didn’t know what drew me toward it, but my feet moved before I could stop them.

Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe it was because I was so desperate to hide from Alpha Kieran. 

Either way, I knew I could not keep wandering aimlessly like a rogue. 

As I approached the gates, I began to have different thoughts. Each telling me to turn back and not go through the gate. 

But I shook them all off. I was ready to risk my life at this point. 

Getting closer, the guards stared at me with their sharp and suspicious eyes. 

I looked like a mess. My dirty clothes and disheveled appearance must have made me look pitiful. 

“Hold her! A spy!” One of the guards commanded and two others rushed towards me, almost seizing me with their strong grips. 

“Please, I'm no spy. I need a job. I'm poor and starving. Can you help?” I asked almost in tears and their scowls softened just slightly when they heard my intention. 

“Wait here,” one of them said before disappearing inside. “You two. Put your eyes on her. She must not escape,” he ordered the other guards and they nodded. 

I fidgeted and my weak legs kept shaking every passing second. What if they turned me away? What if this place was worse than where I had come from? 

But then the guard returned, nodding at me. 

“Follow me.”

***

I just applied to be a maid in the palace of the crescent moon pack and trust me when I say that life as a maid was not glamorous. 

Well, it was simple, and for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe like a normal being.

The palace was so enormous, with high ceilings and long hallways, and I quickly learned to keep my head down and my hands busy.

No one asked questions, which suited me fine. No one talked to me. I didn't even have any friends. 

I didn’t want to talk about where I had come from or why I was here. I just wanted to live and bury myself in work without anyone noticing me.

For a few days, it worked for me. I scrubbed floors, polished windows, did the dishes, helped the pack chefs in the kitchen and avoided making eye contact with anyone who looked too important and royal. 

I was carrying a stack of linens through one of the grand hallways when I turned a corner and collided with a wall. 

At least, that is what it felt like but it was more softer. The impact of the collision sent me stumbling backward and the linens fell to the floor in a heap.

“I’m so sorry…” I apologized and my voice trailed off as I looked up.

My jaw dropped, and I could not collect myself. 

The angel, sorry, man standing before me was tall and broad-shouldered, with long golden hair and chiseled features.

His presence overwhelmed me, almost sweeping me off my feet and when his scent hit my nostrils, I was almost gone.

For a moment, we just stared at each other. His gaze was intense, almost like that of a hungry wolf, and it made my skin prickle.

“Are you alright?” he asked, breaking the silence. 

Holy heavens. His voice was fucking deep and smooth too. 

I nodded quickly, crouching to gather the fallen linens.

 “I’m fine. I didn’t see you there. I'm sorry, please forgive me.”

“That is alright.” He crouched too, helping me pick up the pile and I quickly stopped him. 

His eyes never left mine even for a second and he decided to still help me even after I protested. 

“I don’t think I have seen you around before. Are you new?”

“Oh, yes. I’m new,” I said shortly, avoiding his gaze as I stood.

He straightened too, holding the last of the linens out to me and his hand brushed mine softly as I took them, and I flinched at the strange jolt of warmth that shot through me.

“I’m Elain,” he said and his lips curved into a small and disarming smile. “The Alpha of Crescent Moon.”

My breath hitched at the sound of that. 

Alpha? I almost blurted out. 

“I’m Aria,” I answered, barely holding myself together.

“Aria. Beautiful name for a pretty princess like you. Hmmm, Aria,” he repeated, as if testing the sound of my name on his tongue. 

His smile widened slightly, and for a moment, the intensity of his gaze made me want to step back.

Instead, I forced myself to nod politely.  

“Thank you, Alpha. I should get back to work now. Again, I'm sorry for what happened earlier.”

His smile disappeared for a while but he nodded. 

“Of course.”

As I turned and hurried away, I could feel his eyes on me and for reasons I could not explain, I didn’t trust him. 

There was something about him, something in the way he looked at me. 

I didn’t know what it was, but I didn’t want to find out. I have no choice but to put him on my blacklist and be wary of him.