286 She Needed Mental Assistance

    biMeredith/i/bb. /b1

    She froze mid–step. Then slowly, she turned. As soon as she saw it was me, she tilted her chin high, her smirk

    sharp enough to cut.

    Behind me, I felt Deidra’s quiet presence. I didn’t take my eyes off Wanda when I said, “Wait here.”

    “Yes, mydy,” Deidra replied softly.

    I walked forward, closing the space between us, each step deliberate. Wanda’s smirk deepened, as though

    she had been expecting me.

    “I received your letter,” I said tly.

    Her brows rose a fraction, then sheughed under her breath, tilting her head in mock innocence. “And how

    can I help you?”

    My stomach twisted with disgust at her arrogance, but my face remained smooth, unreadable. “I’ve read your

    letter, Wanda. But I have one question for you.”

    “Oh?” She chuckled, smugness dripping from her tone. “Don’t tell me you want to ask how I knew about

    Draven’s unimaginable intentions for you?”

    For a moment, I simply stared at her. iThis /iiwoman /iiwho /iihad /iithought /iiherself /iiclever /iienough /iito /iiruin /iime/ii, /iby itrying /i

    to iuse /iiher /iiwords /ito inearly /iishatter /imy ipeace/i.

    Then I exhaled slowly, wondering how I would have almost wasted an entire morning brooding over her

    poison.

    “I’m not interested in how you got your information,” I said calmly. “It isn’t important.”

    The chuckle faded from her lips, her smirk faltering just a little. “Then what is bothering you?”

    I stepped closer, closing the gap until my shadow brushed against hers. My voice lowered, sharp and

    deliberate.

    “In your letter, you said everyone was pressuring Draven to marry their daughters because he didn’t have a

    286 She Needed Mental Assistance

    mate. And the way you wrote it, the way you tried to make me feel worthless, as though I was nothing more

    than his chess piece, told me exactly what you thought of me. That I was of no importance to him.”

    Wanda scoffed, rolling her eyes. “So what are you getting at? Make your point straight.”

    I leaned in slightly, my lips curving in the faintest smile. “I bet you didn’t know… that I am Draven’s mate.”

    Her facepletely drained of all color. Her lips parted, her confidence crumbling. “You are actually Draven’s

    mate? I thought-” her voice broke, “-I thought Draven lied?” b1 /b

    “Do you still think he would still use me as a pawn?” I asked, not letting let her finish.

    But not wanting to waste any more time with her, I let my voice slice cleanly through her disbelief.

    “I guess now everyone can stop harassing Draven and trying to force their daughters on him.” 1

    Wanda’s eyes darkened, her body stiff with barely contained rage.

    I tilted my head, meeting her re with serene finality. “And Wanda… I think you should get help when you

    return to Stormveil. Some sort of mental assistance. You look like you will be needing it.”

    Then I paused for a beat, letting the barb sink in. “And be sure to get the help from my Moonstone pack.”

    Her face twisted, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of watching me gloat. I turned smoothly and walked

    away with my head held high.

    Deidra lowered her head respectfully, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

    “Let’s go,” I said simply.

    “Yes, mydy,” she murmured.

    We stepped back into the house and ascended the stairs together, step after steady step.

    Satisfaction hummed faintly in my chest at the fact that I had dismantled Wanda’s pride in less than five

    minutes. But beneath it, the unease remained.

    Because the truth still lingered like a bitter taste on my tongue. Wanda’s letter was not entirely lies.

    Though I had silenced her, I was far from at peace.

    As we reached the third floor, I pressed my fingers briefly against my temple. No matter how sharp my words.

    286 She Needed Mental Assistance

    had been, the storm inside me wasn’t gone. I still needed to confront Draven.

    And when I did, it wouldn’t be with rage or silence. I would face him as his wife and demand the truth.

    I wanted to do things the mature way and not risk creating a rift between us.

    The history book felt heavier than it should in my hands. The words blurred, lines swimming together until

    they were nothing more than meaningless ck ink on white paper.

    I blinked, then turned another page and realized I hadn’t even absorbed a single sentence of thest ten

    minutes.

    With a sharp groan, I mmed it shut and pressed my palms against the cover. My chest felt tight, my mind a

    storm that refused to quiet.

    No matter how I tried to distract myself, Wanda’s revtion kept wing back into my head, dripping poison

    with every memory they touched.

    I couldn’t keep sitting here like this–restless, suffocating and spiraling. At least, not until I had looked Draven

    in the eyes and gotten the truth out of his lips.

    I rose from the sofa with a forceful breath. “I’m leaving for breakfast,” I announced, startling my maidservants

    where they stood by the corner.

    Azul straightened immediately, concern flickering in her gaze. “Now, mydy? It is still a little early.”

    Kira chimed in gently, “Yes, about twenty minutes early.”

    “I know.” The words came out clipped, firmer than I intended, but I didn’t take them back. “I can’t sit in this

    room any longer.”

    The unease in their eyes was in, but they bowed their heads. Azul stepped forward without hesitation.

    “Then I will apany you.”

    I gave her a quick nod before heading for the door. My footsteps echoed down the quiet corridors as Azul

    followed a respectful distance behind.

    The dining hall was already alive with the soft bustle of servants setting the table.

    286 She Needed Mental Assistance

    Porcin clinked against polished wood, silver cutlery glinted under the chandeliers, and trays of steaming

    dishes were carefully arranged down the long spread.

    The moment the servants noticed me, they froze, surprise shing in their eyes before they quickly lowered

    their heads. “Good morning, mydy.”

    Their voices ovepped in unison.

    I forced a smile and inclined my head. “Good morning.”

    Azul was already pulling a chair out for me. I sat down at my usual ce, fingers tracing idly over the edge of the linen napkin as my gaze flickered across the empty chairs.

    The vast table suddenly looked lonelier than ever. This was the first time I was appearing at the dinning hall

    for a meal, as the first person.

    A sigh slipped past my lips. In my rush, I hadpletely forgotten about Xamira. Usually, I would peek into her room, take her hand, and bring her down with me.

    She loved it, and she had started to expect it.

    But this morning, my head had been too clouded, too consumed with anger and doubt. I hadn’t even thought

    of her.

    My stomach knotted with guilt.

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