Chapter 9

Sylvia’s POV

The palace corridors felt endless, their vaulted ceilings swallowing the sound of my steps. I trailed after Lucian, my fingers brushing the cool stone walls as though touching would convince me this was real; that I had truly left everything behind.

The Moon Veil Pack… Marshall… the only home I had ever known, as cruel as it might be.

King Lucian’s strides were unhurried, yet purposeful, his presence filling the corridor like a shadow I couldn’t escape.

“This will be your room,” he said at last, stopping in front of a carved oak door.

When he pushed it open, I froze.

The chamber beyond was nothing like the drafty, cramped room I’d lived in within my mother’s cabin. Soft rugs covered polished stone, muffling footsteps. A wide bed, dressed in deep crimson linens, stood against the far wall, its carved post curling like vines. Heavy curtains framed tall windows that overlooked the courtyard, their fabric so thick they seemed to hold back the world. A wardrobe stood steady in one corner, and beside it, a small table bore a silver basin and a pitcher of water.

My chest tightened instead of loosening. I didn’t belong here. Not in a place so fine, not when the bond to my old pack still tugged at me like a frayed thread. Until the next full moon, I was neither theirs nor Lucian’s.

I hovered between, untethered.

I turned to Lucian; he was watching me.

“This is too much,” I told him. “There has to be a catch.”

“No, catch,” he replied simply, his eyes scanning the room before they landed back on me. “This is all yours.”

I shake my head.

“This is a temporary solution.”

He quietly assessed me, as if trying to read my every thought. I squirmed uncomfortably beneath his scrutiny.

“We will talk more tomorrow. For now, just rest.”

With that, he was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I turned back towards the bed, longing to sink into it and lose myself in a deep sleep. But the thought of sleeping in the sheets that had never known dirt or ash made me feel like an intruder.

I thought of my mother and how she died in a bed with an itchy blanket, and then I remembered how she was thrown into a fire and discarded like she was nothing more than rubbish. Anger coiled at the pit of my stomach, and bile rose in my throat.

Was it true that she once knew this man? Was my father truly his friend?

Could King Lucian Orion be trusted?

….

A knock sounded at the door, waking me up bright and early the next morning. I couldn’t even remember when I fell asleep. Last night, I bathed in the tub, utilizing the hot water, a rarity in the cabin I lived in. It relaxed every single one of my muscles, and I found myself drifting off before I even got out of the bath.

I eventually got out of the tub and wandered to the bed, where I lay my head to rest for the night.

I stretched as the sound of the knocking continued. I slid out of the bed, my bare feet hitting the soft rug, my shoes long forgotten in the corner of the room along with the clothes I had worn here yesterday. I didn’t have anything to wear because everything in the cabin, including my clothes, was destroyed.

Thankfully, there were some clothes hung up in the closet. They weren’t female clothes, though, but had the scent of sandalwood and pine resin, with maybe a little bit of smoky amber. It was calming and made me feel a false sense of security. I put on a shirt that was long enough to be a dress and fell asleep soundly in it.

I padded over to the door; the knocking continued.

“Okay, I’m coming,” I murmured, slightly annoyed to be woken so early. I could tell from the dimmed lighting outside that it was just past dawn.

I pulled the door open only to be greeted by a female around my age with sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She wore the uniform of a maid, a skirt long enough to cover her knees, and her hair was tied back into a low pony.

“Hello, Miss Rowan. I have been sent to retrieve you and bring you to His Highness’s office at once,” the young maid said. “I am Carla, one of the maids.”

I glanced around her, a frown marring my lips.

“Where is Grace?” I had hoped to see her this morning.

“Miss Grace is still resting,” she told me. “She is under the wing of the head maid this afternoon and will be learning from her. I’m sure you’ll be able to see your friend later this evening, though.”

My frown deepened; I found it unfair that Grace was able to sleep in this morning, and I wasn’t.

“Okay,” I said, glancing down at my attire. “He wants me to go now?”

She nodded.

“Yes, ma'am,” she replied. “Shall we head there together?”

I glanced over my shoulder at my room, the closet in the distance. I didn’t have anything else to wear, and it wasn’t as if anything in that closet would be better. So, I sighed and turned back to her.

“Sure,” I replied.

Together, we walked down the long corridors. It felt like it took forever to reach the other end of the palace. Carla greeted the other maids in our path, and they all stared at me questionably. I kept my head down as I tugged at the ends of the shirt, willing it to become longer.

Perhaps I should have searched for pants, or at least put my shoes back on. I was starting to feel ridiculous for leaving my room like this.

We finally reached a large set of doors at the end of a long corridor, and she knocked several times before a gruff male voice sounded from inside.

“Enter.”

Carla pushed the door open and stepped in, bowing to King Lucian.

“Your Majesty, I have brought Miss Rowan per your request.”

“You are dismissed now,” Lucian said, waving her off.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she replied before turning to me.

She gave me a small and maybe even a reassuring smile before leaving. I stepped into the office, closing the door behind me, against my better judgment.

Perhaps I should have left it open just a little in case I needed a quick escape.

Lucian was writing something on parchment, and when he looked up at me, his entire body stilled. His dark eyes roamed over me, from head to toe, almost like he was undressing me with his eyes. My entire face flushed with heat, and I was uncomfortably aware of how ridiculous and underdressed I looked.

I wrapped my arms around myself, an attempt to shield my body from him.

“You wanted to speak with me, Your Majesty?” I asked.

“I will have someone get you proper clothing,” he said, tearing his eyes from me and back at the parchment.

“I would appreciate that,” I said, also avoiding his gaze.

I was aware of the awkwardness brewing between us before he cleared his throat.

“The Full Moon is in a couple of weeks,” he told me. “That’s when we will be able to do the transfer ceremony, and you can be a permanent member of the Ironclaw Pack.”

I lifted my gaze to meet his, my eyes wide.

“I hadn’t decided if that’s what I wanted yet,” I told him.

“Have you not? I thought your mother’s heirloom was important to you.”

I pressed my lips together.

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“I am simply stating a fact. You can’t have it if you leave. But to ease your mind and earn your trust, I'll personally show you your mother's letter once my duties are settled. You have my word on that."

I dropped my arms to my sides, my hands balling into fists.

“And can I trust your word?” I asked, my throat becoming dry.

“Yes.”

His reply was quick and left me off guard. I wanted to believe him, but years of being let down by those who were supposed to be in my corner had proved that I couldn’t believe anybody by their word.

“And if I just leave?”

“Then, that would be your choice,” he retorted. “You have time to think about it, Sylvia. But in the meantime, just enjoy your time here. There is no rush. Get to know the pack. It’s what your family would have wanted for you—”

“You don’t know what they would have wanted!” I snapped.

He raised his perfect brows, his eyes penetrating through me like he could see right into my soul; it lit my insides on fire, and I had to step back to ease some of the tension.

“I assure you, I do,” was all he said, his voice calm and collected. “I’ll assign you some tasks. I have a library that is in desperate need of organizing. Think you can manage that?”

My cheeks burned; I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of breaking me, so I stubbornly folded my arms across my chest.

“Of course I can.”

It was a complete lie… I didn’t think I could manage it. Because the truth of the matter was…. I had no idea how to read.