Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Emily’s POV

My fingers tightened around the blanket. “ What do you want? ”

Stella smiled slowly. “ I wanted to congratulate you. ”

Her smile made it obvious she meant the opposite.

“ Congratulations on what? ”

She looked around the room again. “ The royal residence. ” Her eyes landed on the bed. “ The guest suite. ” Then her gaze snapped back to me. “ You’re moving up in the world. ”

I stared at her, refusing to show weakness. “ You seem disappointed. ”

Her smile twitched. “ I find it amusing. ”

“ No. You’re jealous. ” The words escaped before I could stop them.

Her polished mask slipped, but she recovered quickly.

“ You think Nathan wants you here? ” Her voice softened dangerously. “ Cute. ”

I refused to look away. “ Then why are you here? ”

That hit closer to home than she expected. Her eyes narrowed. “ Because, unlike you, I belong here. ”

I almost laughed. “ Really? ”

That one word made her jaw clench. Stella stepped closer, then again.

“ Listen carefully, Emily. ” The sweetness completely vanished from her voice. “ You may have fooled Meredyth. ”

I stiffened.

“ You may have fooled Liam. ” Another step. “ But don’t fool yourself. ” She looked me up and down. “ Nathan isn’t

nterested in you. ”

My stomach felt heavy. The worst part was that a small part of me still worried she might be right.

“ He brought me here, ” I said quietly.

For some reason, that seemed to anger her even more. Her nostrils flared. “ You’re a wounded stray he feels sorry

‘ or. ”

That one hurt, and she knew it.

“ You think this means something? ” Her eyes flashed. “ You’re temporary. ”

WAT M

: 25 pm

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Stella tooked uncertain. “ No? ”

I met her eyes. “ You’re wrong ” A strange confidence filled me. Maybe it was the Blackwood residence, maybe Jyx, or maybe I was just tired of being scared.

“ I don’t know what Nathan feels, ” said, still looking at her. “ But I know one thing. He doesn’t look at you the vay he used to. ”

The words hit their target perfectly. Real anger flashed across her face, and she stepped right up to the side of the ed. I instinctively shifted back, and right then, the door opened.

Stella? ”

Meredyth walked in, and the mood changed right away. Stella jumped back so fast it was almost funny.

Meredyth looked between us, her smile pleasant, but something sharp flickered in her eyes.

“ I sent you to ask Emily whether she’d like a snack brought to her room now, or if she’d come down for dinner ater. ” Luna tilted her head. “ You were gone a very long time. ”

Stella looked completely uncomfortable. “ I was just checking on her. ”

“ How thoughtful. ” Meredyth’s tone was perfectly polite, which somehow made it worse.

Stella immediately straightened. “ I should go. ”

“ I think that’s a good idea. ”

Stella shot me one final warning look, then walked out.

The moment the door closed, I finally let out a long breath. Meredyth watched the hallway for a few seconds efore turning to me. “ Are you alright, sweetheart? ”

I nodded. She didn’t look convinced, but thankfully, she let it go.

“ Now, ” she said, her expression softening. “ Are you hungry? ”

“ Not really. ” It was true; my appetite still hadn’t returned after the clinic.

“ That’s alright, ” she smiled gently. “ Rest for a few hours. Then I expect to see you at dinner. ”

“ I’ll try. ”

“ Good. ” She walked toward the door, then paused. “ Oh, and Emily? If Stella ever makes you uncomfortable in my

house … ” Her smile remained warm, but her eyes went cold. “ You tell me. ”

Then she left.

After Meredyth left, I headed straight for the bathroom to wash away the lingering clinic smell. When I came back into the bedroom, two bags had appeared beside the wardrobe. They held my things from the mall.

5:25 pm

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miled a little as I unpacked and hung my clothes in the wardrobe. There wasn’t much: a few dresses, some shirts, and a pair of jeans. Nothing special. But at the bottom of the second bag, I found the candles I’d bought on our trip to the city.

I opened one. The scent hit me right away, a warm and familiar juniper that smelled just like home. My throat ightened, and my eyes filled with tears. I missed my mother. I missed her so much. Some days were easier, but

oday was tough.

Meredyth reminded me of Mom sometimes.

“ She’s kind, ” Nyx said in my mind. “ We got lucky. ”

“ We really did. ” I wiped my eyes.

I took the candle into the bathroom. The bathroom was huge, with soft white towels, marble counters, and helves full of soaps and oils. I picked up a bottle and smelled it. Lavender. Another one smelled like vanilla, and a hird like wildflowers. I just stood there, amazed by how nice everything was.

I turned on the taps and watched steam fill the air. I lit the candle, and the smell of juniper filled the bathroom ind drifted into the bedroom. It felt safe. It didn’t feel strange anymore. It felt like home.

I sank into the hot water, letting it swallow me completely, and just lay there for half an hour. I closed my eyes as he warmth soaked deep into my muscles, easing the aches in my body. I really relaxed. When I got out, my hair vas clean, my skin smelled like lavender soap, and most of my tension was gone.

After drying off and changing into clean clothes, I looked around the room and remembered the library. I arefully slipped out and headed downstairs.

A few minutes later, I wandered through rows of shelves filled with books about history, medicine, pack laws, incient wars, and politics. Then I found a section with much more colorful covers.

I picked up a random book.

A shirtless man with enormous muscles held a woman tightly against his chest. She wore a thin red dress, and oth of them looked completely soaked. The title read: Feral Desires.

୮

I opened it. After three lines, my eyes went wide. By the fifth line, I was shocked. Ten seconds later, I snapped the

ook shut.

“ Oh my Moon Goddess, ” I mumbled, my entire face burning. I would never unsee that.

Nyx immediately started laughing. “ I like the romance shelves. ”

No. ”

“ You should keep reading. ”

“ Absolutely not. ”

The strange thing was, a warm, unfamiliar tingling started deep inside me. It was something I’d never felt before.

5:25 pm

PPP

and it made me put the book back on the shelf even faster while Nyx kept laughing.

Po distract myself, I went to the history and ritual sections and got lost in books about Luna traditions. Hours went by before I noticed. I was so absorbed that I nearly jumped when I heard a familiar voice at the door.

“ I’m glad you’re enjoying the library. ”

I looked up to find Meredyth smiling at me. “ I’m sorry. I lost track of time. ”

Her eyes drifted toward the romance shelves, landing on the one book I’d hastily shoved back crooked. A

suspicious smile appeared on her face.

My face turned bright red right away. Meredyth laughed. “ I see you’ve already discovered my favorite section. ”

I wished the floor would swallow me up. “ It was an accident. ”

“ I’m sure it was. ”

My face somehow became even hotter, but Meredyth mercifully changed the subject. “ Dinner is ready. ”

I relaxed for a moment, then froze. Dinner with the royal family. Suddenly, I didn’t feel hungry anymore.

Meredyth linked her arm through mine. “ Come on. ”

We walked together toward the dining room. I could hear deep male voices inside. Nathan, Liam, and Alpha King

Garrett were already there, and my heart started beating faster.

Meredyth gently guided me through the doorway. I took one step inside and stopped.

The entire room seemed to pause. Alpha King Garrett sat at the head of the table, Liam sat on one side, and

Nathan sat opposite him. All three men looked up at once.

In one horrible second, I remembered every embarrassing moment I’d ever had around Nathan. The kitchen, the linic, the city, the lake. Everything.

Then Nathan’s eyes met mine, and it felt like the rest of the room faded away. He looked at me, not in a rude or: old way. His face softened for a moment, and somehow, that made my heart beat even faster

I had forgotten this wasn’t a big pack dinner. There was no crowd to hide in, no hundreds of wolves around us. It was just Alpha King Garrett, Luna Meredyth, Liam, Nathan, and me, alone at the royal family’s dinner table.

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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.