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“I’ll be fine Mary. I’ve survived worse.”

CHAPTER TWO

Mira

I woke up to a kitchen buzzing with activities and the aroma of exotic dishes wafting through the air.

“Hey, I took care of your duties for the day. They weren’t much. The prince is laying you off your duties for the duration of Lilith’s stay,” Mary said when I walked into the dining hall, pulling me into a quick hug.

He was laying me off for the duration of her stay? I couldn’t figure out if he was doing it to protect me or for her comfort.

“Thank you,” I muttered, melting into Mary’s arms.

“Brace up. They’re here,” she whispered, and I lifted my head to find Griffin walking into the dining hall with a tall, slender woman in his arms. His eyes immediately found mine, as if he sensed me before he walked in. The exchange was very brief but enough to draw out a whimper from my wolf.

The lady turned in my direction, and I could see why Griffin fell in love with her. She had the most striking green eyes I’ve ever seen, with dark curly hair framing her heart-shaped face. She looked likeshe walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. Everything about her reeked of elegance and sophistication. Even her nose looked aristocratic. She was the model image of everything I could only dream of becoming.

Mrs. Anderson walked into the dining hall, and Lilith untangled herself from Griffin’s arms and pulled the woman into a tight hug, her face beaming like the sun.

My gaze returned to Griffin and found him smiling lovingly at her. I couldn’t blame him. She was beautiful and kind and didn’t treat wolves lower than her like vermin. She was the poster woman of everything he stood for. Despite the pain I was in, I couldn’t bring myself to hate her or deny that they were perfect for each other.

I turned to flee the scene when a soft, feminine voice stopped me in my tracks.

“You must be Mira,” Lilith said, pulling me into an unexpected hug while I stood frozen like a statue. Griffin must’ve told her about me. Did she know we were mates? Would she hate me for sharing a bond with the man she loves?

“Griffin has told me so much about you, and I’m glad we have someone like you on our side,” she beamed at me. I flashed a tight-lipped smile in return. Of course, he had only told her about my display of courage. Why would he bother with information as relevant as we being fated?

“I’m honored to be one of you. Thank you again for taking me in.”

She squeezed my shoulders lightly and flashed me one last smile before returning her attention to Mrs. Anderson. They walked into the kitchen hand in hand.

The interaction shook me, and I occupied myself with helping Mary set the table to distract me from how wildly my heart was beating in my chest.

Lilith insisted we all had breakfast in the dining hall like one big family, and despite being surrounded by the best meals masterfully prepared by the best chefs, I had no appetite. Everything tasted like cardboard.

What hurt most was how she was always running her hands through Griffin’s hair, touching his arms, and lacing their hands together as she carried the conversation in the room.

The only thing that kept me sane was Mary’s hand squeezing mine in reassurance and the encouraging words she said through our mind link.

When breakfast was done, Lilith suggested some form of bounding activity, but I excused myself, saying I had caught a stomach bug the night before. I could feel Griffin’s eyes burning through my retreating figure, but I held my head high.

Noon rolled by, and I was tired of being cooped up in my room. I decided to go out and get some fresh air to help with my mood. I was on my way to the garden when the scent of sandalwood and pine assaulted my olfactory nerves, and I found my legs following the scent to the double doors of the library.

I raised my hand to knock when a voice I’d never heard floated out of the room. I suspended my hand in mid-air.

“…I understand your intentions, my prince, but until you birth an heir and become king, you must be careful with your plans for the reformation. The people you’re up against are very influential, and the rules you want to abolish are what give them the power they have. They won’t back down easily.”

The conversation sounded confidential, and I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop. But curiosity got the best of me, and I stayed.

“I understand what you’re saying, Elder, but my father is too weak to act in his capacity as the king, and every day I spend folding my armsbeing careful around these men, an innocent soul is being destroyed for being orphaned or belonging to a lower class. These people are taking their fellow wolves as slaves, taking away their rights to basic needs, and subjecting them to the worst kind of treatment.”

It was Griffin speaking now, and his voice was filled with so much pain I had to physically fight back the urge to go into the room and comfort him.

The conversation was obviously about the reformation he has been fighting for. Mary filled me in on some of the details and how Griffin had been working tirelessly to eradicate the caste system.

I also found out how the maids used to live in a stuffy room in the basement until he renovated a section of the palace and provided comfortable housing for all of them. There was an open policy that allowed anyone who wished to leave to go as long as they tendered a resignation in time to let the palace find a replacement.

It was very admirable how much he had achieved. I know his wins didn’t come without a bit of resistance, but from the conversation going on in the library, I could tell things were getting worse.