CHAPTER 25: THE CONSEQUENCE

A sharp knock at the door jolted me awake.

My eyes blinked open to pale morning light seeping through the drapes. My body ached as if I hadn’t slept at all, though I must have drifted off at some point between the raging thoughts and the numb silence.

I pushed myself upright, rubbing my sore eyes. "Yes?"

The door creaked open and one of the maids stepped inside. For a moment I thought she carried a tray, breakfast, maybe, but her hands were empty.

Her voice was flat, "The Alpha summons you to the dining hall."

My stomach knotted, but I said nothing. She didn’t linger, turning swiftly to leave.

When the door clicked shut, I let out a long breath.

I wanted to ignore the summons. I wanted to curl back into the sheets and pretend Finn didn’t exist. But that was impossible. And after last night, with him on high alert, this was not the time to defy him again. Not yet.

I slipped from the bed, bathed quickly, and dressed. My reflection in the mirror showed a pale face, shadowed eyes, and damp hair I didn’t bother to braid. I looked like someone I barely recognized.

Bide your time, I told myself as I smoothed the folds of my dress. Survive long enough to find the right moment. Not now. Not when the estate is crawling with his guards.

I stepped out into the corridor, my footsteps hushed on the rugs as I made my way toward the dining hall.

Halfway down, I slowed.

Two maids were bent over their chores, sweeping and polishing the frames of the grand paintings that lined the walls.

Their whispers carried through the stillness.

"That was really terrifying," one maid whispered, sweeping the edge of the carpet with lazy strokes. "I had a hard time sleeping last night. My heart was still pounding long after he left."

"I thought the manor would be attacked," the other said, holding a rag in her hand as she wiped the frame of an oil painting. "The way our warriors lined up... it felt like a war was about to start right there in the garden."

"Yes. But why would the Undercity’s Alpha suddenly appear here, of all places?"

Undercity’s Alpha.

I froze, my stomach lurching.

"I’ve never seen him before," the first maid went on, lowering her voice further. "Only last night, when I stood in the distance. But still, I was sweating cold the whole time. Every move of his seemed dangerous. He didn’t even look the least bit concerned that our elite warriors had surrounded him."

"Imagine how strong he must be," the second whispered. "They say the rogues in the Undercity aren’t bound by the same laws as us. They fight like savages, like creatures the Moon Goddess turned her face from."

The first maid made the sign of the Goddess with trembling fingers.

"I heard he’s not just any Alpha... they call him the Rogue Alpha because even the Unified Alliance won’t cross him. Do you remember what happened to the pack that tried to invade the Undercity a few years ago?"

The other swallowed hard. "They disappeared. Not one survivor."

"Yes." The maid shivered, glancing both ways before adding, "And some say he doesn’t even need a pack. That he alone is strong enough to tear through armies. The Undercity follows him not because of law, not because of bloodline, but because they fear him. Because he’s more beast than man."

A silence stretched between them before the second maid whispered, "Then why was he here last night? What could he possibly want with our Alpha?"

"I don’t know," the first admitted. "But if I were to guess... trouble. He wouldn’t come uninvited unless he had a reason."

Their words blurred after that, but my mind was already spinning.

The Undercity.

A name whispered like a curse. It was the den of rogues, of wolves who had cut themselves from the order of packs and law. And its Alpha... he was spoken of in rumor and shadow, a phantom that even the strongest avoided.

And last night, he stood right here. At our Alpha’s gates.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to slow the frantic pounding of my heart.

Terror coiled through me, but beneath it, another thought stirred. Something sharp, unwelcome.

Curiosity.

Why had he come?

Why had Finn’s warriors treated him like a threat great enough to warrant their full defense, yet still let him walk away untouched?

It was what occupied my thoughts until I reached the dining hall.

The dining hall was still and cold when I entered, the faint smell of roasted meat was in the air.

Sunlight filtered through tall windows, cutting pale stripes across the long table.

And there he was.

Finn sat at the head as always, alone, his knife and fork on his hands.

He looked calm as though nothing had happened last night. As though he hadn’t shoved me onto a bed and stripped me of all breath and choice.

My steps faltered, rage simmering beneath my skin.

I could still feel the ghost of his body over me, the chill of his words: punish you. If not for the knock, for that visitor—

I swallowed hard, pushing the thought away.

I forced myself to walk forward. My gaze never left him, though he didn’t spare me more than a flicker of his golden eyes.

When I reached the table, I pulled out a chair far from his.

The legs scraped against the floor with a screech that echoed in the silence.

I sat stiffly, keeping as much distance as I could manage. My fingers curled into fists in my lap, nails digging into my palms.

He let me sit in silence for a moment, as though measuring how far I would go, and then his voice cut through the stillness.

"You need to eat," he said, not looking up from his plate. "So you’ll be ready to face your mother later."

The words struck like a blow. My head jerked toward him, eyes wide.

"Mother... will visit?" My voice broke, trembling.

He continued eating, his expression calm, his movements unhurried. "She will be staying until you give birth to my child."

My lips parted.

The blood drained from my face until I felt pale as bone. My insides twisted, recoiling violently at the meaning of his words.

He wasn’t offering comfort. Not even the pretense of kindness.

No, this was a clear threat.

He had brought her here not for me, but for him. To anchor me. To hold her as a hostage within these walls, a warning that if I tried anything again, her safety would be the price.

My throat burned, the taste of bile rising.

He didn’t even need to look at me or say anything harsh for the threat to land.

I sat frozen, unable to breathe, unable to speak, terror clawing up my spine.