Chapter 97
I stayed standing in Alexander’s room even after the call with my mother ended, the silence thick between us. My phone screen had already gone dark, but I still stared at it for a moment as though I could disappear into the reflection.
I had lied. Boldly lied.
Technically, it wasn’t a lie–at least not in the way lies are usually defined. I told my mother that everything was alright with me. And in some sense, it was true. I was alive. I was breathing. I wasn’t bleeding out or being torn apart by the fever that nearly knocked me down. By that standard, yes, I was alright.
But it wasn’t the full truth. The words I didn’t say hung heavy on my tongue. I hadn’t told her about the sudden fever that had left me gasping for air. I hadn’t told her about the revelation Alexander’s mother had dropped on me like a stone in a still pond–rippling everything I thought I knew about myself.
I pressed my lips together, shifting awkwardly as I felt Alexander’s gaze on me. He had been watching me all through the phone call, silently, but his silence wasn’t light. It was heavy. Even now that I had ended the call, he still looked at me the same way, as if he were peeling back layers I didn’t want him to see.
I sighed and finally spoke. “Before you say anything…there’s a reason I didn’t tell her…about the fever. Or about what your mother said. I know she would only panic, and she’d probably assume I was dying or something dramatic like that. I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily p>
Alexander didn’t even blink. He simply shrugged, as though my words barely grazed his attention. “It’s not my business whether you tell your mother the truth or not p>
I blinked, my mouth falling open slightly. Really? That was it? No lecture? No argument about responsibility or honesty?
“I just explained myself,” I muttered, half embarrassed, half annoyed. “And here I thought I was justifying why I-” I cut myself short and gave a little laugh, rolling my eyes at him. ” Never mind. Thank you for your time, Alpha,” I added, deliberately cheeky.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and I took that as my cue to leave.
I walked out of his room and down the hall, letting out a soft sigh I hadn’t realized I was holding in. By the time I reached my door, I felt lighter. Or at least I thought I did–until I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my key.
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Chapter 97
The key slid into the lock too smoothly.
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My heart sank. I froze for a second before trying again, and that was when I realized the truth -I hadn’t locked my door. Again.
For the love of the moon.
I shook my head. Alexander would lecture me for the rest of the day if he had seen it. He was already on my case about security, about how careless I could be sometimes. Forgetting to lock my door was practically an open invitation for him to lecture me until my ears fell off.
“Great, Faye,” I muttered to myself. “Brilliant habit to keep repeating in a pack house full of eyes p>
I turned the knob and pushed the door open, mentally preparing to scold myself harder when my eyes fell on the figure standing inside my room.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Maya p>
The young maid startled at the sound of my voice. She had been standing near my dresser, and the way she flinched told me she hadn’t expected me to walk in at that exact moment.
“Oh–Luna Faye, ” she blurted out quickly, straightening her posture. Her hands fiddled with the cloth in her grasp, her eyes darting to the floor before flicking nervously back up to me.
My brow arched instinctively. “What are you doing here p>
Maya swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing as though she’d been caught stealing. “I–I brought in your laundry, Luna. I folded everything and placed it neatly in the wardrobe. I was just about to leave p>
My eyes flicked to the wardrobe and then back to her. “Oh p>
I softened my voice, not wanting to make her more nervous than she already looked. “Thank
you, Maya p>
She bobbed her head quickly, clutching the cloth tighter. “Yes, Luna, of course. Always.” She backed away as she spoke, her movements hurried, almost clumsy. When she reached the doorway, she nearly tripped over her own foot.
“Maya-” I began, instinctively stepping forward to steady her, but she righted herself quickly, muttering something about being fine. Then, with another hurried bow, she scurried off down the hall before I could say another word.
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< Chapter 97
I stood there in my room, watching her retreating figure until she disappeared around the
corner.
That… was strange.
Maya was always polite, always quiet, but this was different. She had looked rattled. Nervous. Almost guilty.
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I glanced around my room slowly. Nothing seemed out of place. The bed was neatly made, the laundry folded just as she had said. The wardrobe door stood slightly ajar, but I supposed that was normal since she had just put things away.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I was just imagining things. But the way she practically ran out of her…
My thoughts circled back to the last time Maya had been caught up in something…when Alexander had interrogated her. I remembered how pale she had looked afterward, her hands trembling as though she’d been dragged to the gallows.
Since then, she’d been different. More conscious. More timid.
Maybe this was just the aftermath of that trauma. Maybe she was still afraid of slipping up, of giving Alexander any reason to turn his piercing gaze on her again.
And it’s also his fault that I’m being paranoid now.
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