DONIKA’S POV

“Why should I? Why should I meet with the elders of your pack, Kael?”

He had just dropped the news on me like it was nothing, expecting me to go on with it just because he saved my life. I had suffered so much in my pack, which was why I let him save me and not bring me to his pack for a different interrogation. I didn’t expect the world to ever treat me well, but it seems now that the moon goddess sent me down here just to suffer.

His silence was getting me even more annoyed.

“What’s the point of this, Kael?” My voice came out sharper than I meant. “Why do you even want me there? What’s your motive for bringing me to your pack? Does it have anything to do with the elders wanting to meet me? Why?”

He didn’t answer. His expression was stoic, like he was carved from stone, as he looked at me coldly.

I pushed again. “If this is some sort of… punishment, or a way to—”

“You shouldn’t be worried,” he cut in, he said finally. His tone was calm, but it carried a coldness that made my chest tighten.

“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered, folding my arms. “You’re not the one walking into a council full of people who will—”

“Donika.” My name on his lips stopped me. “You’ll be fine.” He said with finality, signaling the end of this whole elders meeting conversation.

But he didn’t meet my eyes when he said it.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes closing in that way people do when they’re mind linking. I used the moment to study him properly. He was a work of art. Chiseled jawline, he didn’t keep a beard, and his face with his eyes closed gave off calm and chilling vibes like when a baby is asleep. Too bad we have bad blood.

His focus was elsewhere for a moment before his gaze returned to me and he caught me staring. “Did you enjoy the view?” He asked his almost like he was teasing me.

My ears reddened as I had just been caught checking out the man I’m supposed to hate with every fiber in me. “N-no, I wasn’t doing that…” I could swear I saw him smirk at me being uncomfortable.

“Elena will come take you to your own room,” he said, returning to his usual rude and cold tone. “It’s been prepared for you.”

Prepared for me. The words should have felt reassuring. They didn’t. It sounded more like I was being caged, just like I used to be in the ThornClaw pack.

When Elena appeared in the doorway, smiling in that effortless way of hers, Kael’s attention shifted to her.

“Make sure she avoids the South Wing,” he instructed. His voice was still low, but there was an edge in it now, something sharp and unspoken. Like a warning.

“Yes, Alpha Kael.”

I glanced between them. “Why?”

He didn’t look at me this time. “Just don’t go there. Touring the house isn’t what you’re here for; this isn’t a museum.” He added the last part rather rudely before turning and leaving.

Something in his eyes that seemed dangerous while he spoke and cold sank into my stomach. I nodded without meaning to, already making a mental note to ask Elena about the south wing later on.

The new room was nothing like Kael’s or the one I’d stayed in back at my uncle’s (that wasn’t even a room; it was a damp attic meant for rodents, which, unfortunately for me, I became part of).

This one soft cream walls, a canopy bed draped in pale blue fabric, a little balcony with potted plants and a vanity table with an oval mirror that caught the light.

It was beautiful. Too beautiful.

My throat tightened. The last time I’d had a room this nice, my parents were still alive. The last time I’d woken up to sunlight on my face instead of a draft creeping through rotted shutters.

I sat on the edge of the bed, fighting the ache pressing at my chest as I ran my fingers over the soft duvet.

Elena’s voice broke through. “Don’t tell me you’re going to sit here all night looking for a child who lost their pet, Miss Donika.” She smiled brightly at me while she spoke. Her smile reminds me of Mother, and her bubbly attitude reminds me of Father. She was like an embodiment of both my parents. She didn’t seem like a maid to me.

A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had… anything like this.”

“Well, get used to it,” she said with a mock flourish, setting down a tray in front of me. I guess she’d brought it in before she led me in. “Dinner in bed—Alpha’s orders. Though between us, I think I picked the better dishes from today’s menu; hopefully it suits your taste buds.”

Suit my taste buds? If anything, I’m so happy inside of me for getting the chance to eat a well-prepared meal for the first time in ages without begging for leftovers.

The smell alone was enough to make my stomach growl. Elena caught it and grinned.

She didn’t just leave after I ate. She cleared the tray, helped me change into a set of night clothes she had set out for me, fussed over the blankets, and even plumped the pillows.

“You don’t have to—” I tried to get her to stop not being used to being cared for any longer, but she just pulled my arms away from her and continued with her task cheerfully. Warmth spread all over my chest as she worked.

“Too late,” she said, tucking the quilt around me. “Now sleep. Big day tomorrow, right?”

I managed a small nod, though my chest felt heavy again at the thought of meeting the elders.

“Goodnight, Miss Donika.” Elena whispered before turning off the lights and slipping out quietly.

Sleep didn’t come easy. Every time I closed my eyes, the council’s faces formed in my mind… stern, cold, disapproving. I imagined the whispers, the judgment, and the same cruel words I’d heard all my life.

“Wolfless.”

“Useless.”

“Cursed.”

And under it all, the one question I couldn’t shake. What would my fate be after tomorrow?