Chapter 22

• HAERA.
• I didn't expect anything to change the next day. In fact, I wasn't hoping for a miracle whatsoever to happen and for the Alpha to come to his senses and come running to me. No. I didn't think everything was a dream when I woke up the next day. I didn't pinch myself in hopes that I would wake up from what seemed more of a nightmare than a dream. What was the point anyway? My life was miserable; dream or not. And so I woke up the next day with no expectations. And really, nothing changed. I was still in the cramped up room I shared with the rest of the entourage of my pack. I still waited in line to wash up. I still joined the rest of the maids to clean the kitchen and the venue of the Alpha Duel. Head maids Gennora and Dina still barked orders at us with their high-pitched voices. It wasn't that I accepted my fate or what has come to me, it was just that I didn't find the will to fight for anything. There was nothing to fight for in the first place. Nothing was different. Except for the turmoil inside of me. Except for the pain I felt when I woke up this morning. Except for my Wolf's disappointed whimpering all through the night. These things were ones I feared will never Most of the diginatries who came for the Duel at the Imperial pack already left this morning as well as the long entourage that came with them. Our entourage which now included Our Alpha and his family also prepared to leave while we finished up cleaning the entirety of the Imperial palace. Gennora hasn't said anything to me after yesterday but I felt her eyes follow me everywhere as I worked with the other maids. She's probably wondering what my next line of action was. Wondering what I planned to do about the situation. I merely focused on getting much work done so we could get out of there faster. Before I see him and burst into tears all over again. Currently, I was high up on a ladder, removing a decoration off of a lamp at the venue of the Duel. The maids around me were whispering incoherently but I was still able to gather bits of what they were saying. Most of them gossiped about how I made a mess at the dining hall yesterday while some gushed about how perfect the new Alpha was and how well suiting his mate was. I tried to block their voices out but it didn't go quite well. It's in times times like this that I hate my powers as a werewolf. My ears could pick up whispers from about a mile away even if I didn't mean to listen on most conversations. I wasn't the only one who was having a hard time. Dezra has been restless all through the day. She seemed to be raging with different type of emotions and I was barely keeping her in control. Even now as I worked, she was causing me distractions. "I want to sink my teeth into her and tear her from limb to limb." She sneered. I sighed, knowing who she was referring to. Dezra has a murderous instinct as well as a stubborn one. Right now, she's angry at both me and the Alpha princess Ilvira of my pack. "Keep it down Dezra, I really don't want to be in anymore trouble than I already am." I tried to speak calmy to her like I have done countless of times since I woke up today. "Coward!" That one was meant for me and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah whatever! I'm a coward.Happy now? What exactly do you expect me to do? "I don't know but giving up is definitely not what I expected from you. It's not your thing!" "I guess it is now." I said, shunning her completely in my head. She raved on and on but I ignored her. Get the job done quick and get out of this pack. That was the mantra I repeated in my head. I removed the last of the decorations and began to climb down the ladder to get the floor. I missed a step and almost slipped but a arm was quick to grab me before I fell to the ground. It would have been the most epic fall ever but instead of that, a huge arm circled around my waist and helped me stand to my feet. The scent of the person was unfamiliar. I had my eyes closed out of shock but I could tell it was a male. One I haven't come in contact with before. It took the hushed murmmurs of the maids beside me for me to snap my eyes open and out of the shock of almost falling to the ground. My eyes widened twice their sizes when I saw who held me and had kept me from falling heavily to the ground. I was quick to shake myself off his grip and bowed slightly to him. Never in my messed up life did I think I would come so close and in contact with the second Prince of the Imperial pack. The one who lost to his brother just yesterday. Alpha Prince Tybalt. Never in my life did I also think he would save me from falling to the ground after what I witnessed at the Duel the day before. I could still see him shift into a big black wolf and almost hurt my mate yet he saved me from falling. He didn't say anything for the longest moment and just stared. He seemed to have recovered pretty well. He wasn't dressed in the usual princely attire but he was clean-cut. Dressed in grey slacks and a pair of black pants that made his almost golden eyes–the one thing that sets him apart from Alpha Zachary, glow and bring out the rest of the features of his face. It looked like I was staring right at my mate. As he stood there, I wondered how he was taking the loss but I couldn't feel rage come from him. He was normal. "Watch where you put your feet, it's a long fall from up there." He finally said after staring at me for the longest of time. There was something about his gaze that made me feel uncomfortable and I couldn't even tell if it was in a good way or a bad way considering the fact that I was still wary of him because of what he did at the Duel. But still, I was thankful to him for keeping me from falling. "I'm sorry–thank you." I said. I expected him to turn and leave after my words but he didn't. Instead, he dipped his hands into his pockets and relaxed. "Which pack are you from?" He asked me. My eyes shot up to look at him. Why does he want to know that? "The Moonstone pack." I answered him anyway. He didn't say anything after and just nodded before turning to leave. He was strange. Too strange. In a kind of way that made me make a mental note to stay away from him. But I wouldn't even see him again after today anyway since today would be my last day at the Imperial pack. I watched his retreating figure and questions plagued my mind. What will become of him and his mother in the Imperial pack? "Well that's a new one." I jumped as someone snuck up on me. I turned to look at Opaline in horror and the blood beauty didn't even bat her an eye lid after almost scaring me to death. "You scared me!" I snap at her. She merely shrugged and stood beside me, watching the prince disappear into the palace. "He certainly hasn't done that before," Opaline said, with a sceptical look in her eyes. She turned to me before asking "you don't think he hurt his head from that fall yesterday, do you?" I seethed at her. "I thought you hated gossips." "Not ones that are actually reasonable and strange. Prince Tybalt is definitely not the type to save a common maid, you could have fallen to your death for all he cares." Opaline said again. Did he really hurt his head yesterday? Or it's his heart that's hurt after losing the fight? I shook my head as his thoughts began to plague. I was in not in any position to pity anyone or worry about anyone, other than myself. "Are you okay?" Opaline finally had her attention to me. She looked worried as if trying to figure out what made me lose myself yesterday at the dining hall. She wouldn't believe me if I told her. No one would. But I had the feeling that she might actually understand me and what I was going through. No one has ever really cared to ask me if I was okay and I was really happy that she bothered to ask me. "You seemed really out of it yesterday and today and I can't help but feel like something is wrong. You're totally different from the annoying girl I met at the kitchen." "Are you sure you don't want to be friends with me?You seem to care so much about me." I teased while she snorted. "Don't push it." She said and her expression caused me to laugh. "It doesn't matter anyway. You're leaving." She said. "I'm sorry I can't tell you what's going on with me but I hope you understand." I replied. There was a brief pause for several seconds before she pulled me into a hug. "Stay strong." She said and with that she turned to leave. Her show of affection that goes against her usually Cold self made my heart warm. I made my first friend in the most unlikely place. Maybe my coming to the Imperial pack wasn't so bad after all. I finished up the last of my chores and the joined the entourage. I didn't see the Alpha throughout but as much as I was disappointed, I was grateful. Soon, we were on our way back to the Moonstone pack. Back to the place that was the setting for my nightmares.