CHAPTER 52>>>>>>

Gilly paused immediately when Captain Zain walked into the room.

Everyone in the northern pack knew him as Prince Dominus's right-hand man. Despite not being a native of the pack, Dominus was so used to him that it aided the people's affection for him.

Once Gilly saw him, her lips curved into a satisfying smirk. She quickly forced a smile.

“Captain Zain! You came just at the right time!” she cheered, rearranging her face into a polite, innocent smile. “You won't believe what I just saw when I came in to help pack up the dishes.”

Captain Zain's eyes flicked over her for a brief moment before sweeping across the room. His gaze fell on Akira, who was still seated at the table with her cheeks full of food, and then on Beth, who was standing next to her, her face plastered with fear. He narrowed his gaze back to Gilly when he didn’t see anything that caught his attention.

“That one!” Gilly pointed her finger at Akira, her voice rising with fake concern. “She snuck in here to steal from the royal table meant for the royals. I walked in and caught her red-handed. I was about to report this to Madam Estelle before I bumped into you.”

Beth groaned under her breath, “Oh, Gilly, for Moon’s sake…” but Gilly totally ignored her.

“Honestly, Captain,” Gilly continued, “if we let things like this slide, soon all the slaves will think they can just stroll in and take whatever they want. You have to report this to Prince Dominus, or better still, deal with her yourself since we work for him. She needs to be punished severely so next time she understands how bad stealing is in the northern pack.”

Captain Zain tilted his head, his eyes following Gilly's hand to see where she was pointing.

Once he realized it was Akira, his hands balled into fists instantly, a surge of anger rising in his chest.

Having the daughter of his late Alpha called a petty thief didn’t sit well with him.

His eyes narrowed back at Gilly, and the thought of smacking her face crossed his mind, but he decided against it. That would raise questions. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, one brow raised as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. “What do you mean by 'sneak in here'?”

“Yes, she’s stealing whatever it is that she is eating,” Gilly said quickly, stepping forward. “You can’t just let this go! You can't let it slide, Captain Zain.”

“You have to make sure that she is severely punished for such a despicable act. Maybe strip her or throw her into the dungeon!” Gilly continued until she turned and finally met Captain Zain's gaze.

Once she did, she froze immediately. Zain's lips curled up, but not in amusement.

“Tell me something, girl…” he started coldly. “Since when did Prince Dominus make you the leader of the pack, or perhaps the head of all the maids in this pack? Since when did you turn into the commander-in-chief? Did they make you Alpha when I wasn’t looking or something?”

Gilly froze, blinking rapidly, a little startled.

“I am asking you a question,” Captain Zain barked. “Answer my fucking question!”

“N-No, Captain, but—”

“Shut the fuck up!” he cut her off sharply. “Prince Dominus personally ordered that she be fed here at this same table with his own breakfast!” He gestured lazily toward Akira's plate and then looked back up at Gilly in disgust. “Now you’ve just accused the prince’s guest, which is also punishable by law. You barged in here and accused his guest of theft, meanwhile she was just following a direct order from your prince. Now I'm thinking of whipping you or having you scrub the whole floor of the hall for all the days of your miserable life in this pack. Which one should I have you do?”

Gilly fell to her knees at once, Beth’s jaw dropped, and Akira bit back a laugh, covering her mouth with her hands.

Zain stepped closer to Gilly until he was towering over her. “So tell me, Gilly… which of the punishments are you choosing for accusing the prince’s guest wrongly?”

Gilly’s mouth opened, then shut. Her smirk had completely melted off her face. “I-I am very sorry, Captain Zain. I swear I didn't know she was the prince’s guest. Please forgive me; it was my mistake!”

Captain Zain raised his gaze, and Akira was smiling. That earned him a sigh of relief. He would do anything within his power to protect her in this pack. With that, he turned back to Gilly, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Girl, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to,” he said, and Gilly raised her head at once, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Who should I beg, Captain Zain?”

Zain gestured to Akira with his jaw, and Gilly swallowed hard. She had always hated Akira, and now he was telling her to beg her?

“Crawl over there and beg her to forgive you, or else I will have you punished for barging in here and accusing the prince’s guest wrongly!”

Beth bit her lip to keep from giggling; she couldn't believe what was happening right now.

Gilly slowly crawled to where Akira was seated, and once Akira saw her, she leaned back in her chair, posing while waiting for her apology.

Gilly felt like a knife was twisting in her heart, but she had no option but to do it. Captain Zain wasn't the kind of person anyone would want to mess with. He was too strict for her to get on his bad side.

“Look, I’m very sorry, Akira. I didn’t know you were the prince’s guest. Please, I am very sorry—forgive me, please. I beg you.”

Akira burst out laughing, sending a deep wave of humiliation over Gilly.

“You're only apologizing because you were served a big plate of humble pie!” she said. “I’ll think about your apology later, but for now, you can leave. Stand at the door outside and wait for us to finish up before you come in and pack up the dishes.”

Zain glanced at Akira and rolled his eyes. She had always had a bitchy side that she never showed because of her father, so he wasn't entirely surprised.

Beth stifled a laugh as Gilly shot them both a murderous look before storming out.