I moved swiftly through the crowd, balancing the tray carefully in my hands as I made my way toward the Alpha's table. The laughter around me was loud and forced, everyone trying a little too hard to keep Batista entertained. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. His jokes were the same tired ones he told every time, and I swear, I could practically feel the fake chuckles from the pack members. But maybe that was just me.
As I reached his table, I set the tray down with practiced ease, the food still steaming from the heat.
Batista's eyes snapped to me immediately, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. I should've been used to it by now, the way he always focused on me the second I walked into a room, but every time, it made my heart do that stupid, annoying flutter. I hated it. I hated how he could still have this effect on me, how every glance from him felt like a silent pull I couldn't escape.
"Rain," his voice low and warm, like it always was when he saw me. "I haven't seen you all night at the party. I specifically told Matilda to give you the day off."
His words were soft, and for a moment, it was just the two of us in the chaos of the pack. The way he looked at me—like I was the only thing that mattered in that crowded room—made my chest tighten.
"Really?" I managed to say, keeping my tone cool, but it came out flatter than I intended. "I didn't know you cared."
His brows furrowed, but I didn't let my gaze waver. I couldn't afford to let him see how his words made me feel—how they made everything inside me twist up into knots.
"Rain…" he started, but his voice faltered, like he wasn't sure what to say next. "Is something wrong?"
I clenched my jaw. It wasn't fair, really. He was trying so hard to pull me back into that space where it was just us, where I was his. But I couldn't let myself fall for it again. Not after everything I'd learned. Not after everything he'd done.
I forced myself to look at him—really look at him—and I could see it in his eyes, that softness, that affection. It was always there, like a lingering touch I couldn't shake.
"I'm fine," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Just doing my job."
He didn't look convinced. His gaze lingered on me, his lips parting like he was going to say something else. But I didn't give him the chance.
I stepped back, feeling the tension rise. Before he could speak, Laela, one of his concubines, approached, her fingers brushing the tray I'd just set down. With a smile that made my skin crawl, she took the food from me.
"Don't worry, Alpha," she purred, her voice oozing the sweetness that made me jealous. "I'll take care of it."
Batista didn't argue. He just watched her take the tray, his gaze following her every movement, like he was hypnotized by her every step.
I felt a pang of something sharp deep in my chest, but I swallowed it down. I didn't have time for this. I didn't have time for him or his games.
"I'm sure she'll do a better job than me," I muttered, my voice cold and detached, more to myself than to him. "You should let her handle everything."
I turned away before he could respond, the words lingering between us. I felt his eyes on my back, his gaze heavy on my shoulders. It seemed like he wanted to say something that could change everything, but I didn't want to hear it.
"Enjoy your dinner, Alpha," I called over my shoulder, my words as sharp as I could make them. "I've got other things to do."
I didn't look back. I couldn't. Not when all I wanted to do was run into his arms and pretend like nothing had changed. But I wasn't stupid. I couldn't go back to that.
A few hours had passed, and the festival was starting to drag. The party had lost its sparkle, at least for me. Everywhere I looked, people were either drunk or completely caught up in their own drama.
But tonight—tonight was different. Tonight was the night.
I stood off to the side, leaning against a post, trying to look like I was part of the crowd while doing everything I could to pretend my heart wasn't racing out of my chest. I couldn't help it. The big announcement was coming. The one everyone had been whispering about all night.
The Master of Ceremony's voice cut through the noise. "Everyone, you all know what time it is!"
A cheer erupted, and my heart skipped a beat.
He didn't need to say more. The moment had arrived. The ritual—the proclamation. Where the Moon Goddess's chosen came forward to declare their bond.
My breath caught in my throat, excitement and nerves clashing. I scanned the crowd, searching for Dan. Where the hell was he?
I spotted a couple stepping onto the podium, smiles on their faces, and the pack erupted in cheers. But my eyes were glued to the entrance, expecting to see Dan's strong, confident figure at any second.
But—nothing.
My pulse raced as I turned, eyes darting across the sea of faces, but no sign of him. Not even a glimpse. What the hell was going on?
Then—
A scream tore through the air.
The blood-curdling shriek cut through the air like a knife. My body froze, eyes wide as the crowd went silent. There was another, a guttural wail that sent a shiver down my spine. The festive atmosphere dropped into eerie silence.
"What's going on?" someone asked, but their voice was distant, muffled by the ringing in my ears.
And that's when I saw him.
Dan.
Only, he wasn't alone.
He was flanked by soldiers—big, burly guys with hard faces. They stormed into the crowd, like they were on a mission. The entire atmosphere shifted. One second it was a celebration, the next, it was like we were all waiting for a bomb to drop.
Dan's face wasn't the one I knew. That warm, gentle expression I'd seen for months? Gone. Replaced with something colder, harder. His jaw was clenched, eyes blazing with something I couldn't understand.
Something was very, very wrong.
Dan climbed onto the podium, his boots hitting the wood with a thud that silenced the crowd. His voice rang out, cutting through the stillness like a blade. "The Alpha's concubine has just been murdered."
The words hit like a slap to the face.
Murder?
I couldn't process it. My chest tightened, and my breath caught in my throat. The shock was almost too much to bear.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"What?!" someone shouted, their voice trembling in disbelief.
"Who could do such a thing?" another voice cried out.
But it wasn't over. Oh, no. What he said next made my blood run cold.
"And the murderer… is here with us."
My legs went numb, my heart pounding in my ears. The thought of the murderer standing so close, sharing the same breath, made my stomach twist. I fought the urge to puke, my body frozen in sheer panic.
Then came the words that shattered everything:
"Has anyone seen Rain, the kitchen servant?"
The room went dead silent. I felt every pair of eyes snap to me, sharp and unforgiving, like predators locking onto their prey.
Kitchen servant?
That was new. Dan had never called me that.
My hands trembled, my mind racing, desperate to understand what was happening.
Before I could move, the people closest to me stepped back, parting like the Red Sea. Suddenly, I was surrounded by nothing but empty space, as though I were a disease they feared to touch. A guilty one.
Dan's eyes locked onto mine, cold and accusing.
"Go grab her!" His voice sliced through the tension like a blade. "She's responsible for the concubine's death!"
My stomach dropped, the ground beneath me spinning. My breath hitched in my throat, and a wave of dread washed over me. What the hell was Dan doing?
The soldiers moved in an instant, closing in on me with terrifying precision.
I froze, panic seizing my chest as hands latched onto my arms, pulling me roughly.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed, struggling, my heart racing in my throat. "I didn't kill anyone!"
My body trembled, the pressure of their grip suffocating me. The room felt like it was closing in, my thoughts spiraling into chaos.
I twisted in their hold, my gaze snapping to Dan—the one person I trusted, the one person who had always been there for me.
"Dan! Dan, what are you doing?!" My voice cracked, desperate. I was pleading now, the terror seeping through every word. "Do something! Don't let them take me!"
Dan's eyes locked onto mine, but he didn't move. His hand lifted, and the soldiers froze, their hands still tight around my arms but no longer pulling.
Then he stepped closer, and my breath caught in my throat as he leaned in, so close his breath ghosted over my skin.
His voice, a mere whisper, sent a chill down my spine. "Don't say a word. And don't tell them anything, especially Alpha Batista. He'll try to wrap you into this, just like he did with your mother. I swear—I will save you. No matter what it takes."
His words hit me like a slap, my mind reeling, trying to make sense of it. Before I could even process what he meant, the command rang out.
"Take her to the dungeon."
Dan's voice was final, and this time, he didn't stop them.
I felt the soldiers yank me forward, their hands unrelenting as I was dragged through the halls, each step heavier than the last.
I didn't fight them.
Because Dan promised. He wouldn't let me die.
That was the one thing I clung to—like a thread in the dark, a fragile hope that kept me breathing as they pulled me away.