Lilienne
That night, the rain came suddenly—a torrential downpour so fierce it could've shattered records. I don't think we've ever had a storm this wild, at least not during summer.
I didn't go to the garden. I told myself there was no point. Surely the little wolf's "owner" had enough sense not to send the creature out in weather like this.
"There's no use checking now," Debby says, catching me staring out the window, my thoughts miles away. "Even if he left a note, a storm like this would've torn it to pieces."
I offer her a faint smile and nod in agreement. Only Debby and Melanie know about the little wolf and the notes. Mostly because Melanie found my last reply and wouldn't stop teasing me about having a secret admirer—until I finally confessed.
Unfortunately, Debby overheard. But I didn't regret it for long. In fact, telling them felt oddly freeing. Even after I admitted the truth, Melanie still insisted on calling the wolf's mysterious master my secret lover.
It's strange... I haven't seen Pepper for just one day, and I already miss him.
I sigh and shake my head at my own sentimentality. There are so many people around me, yet the only one I feel I can truly talk to is a little black wolf who appeared out of nowhere and quietly stole my heart.
Storm...
A pair of sharp gray eyes flickers through my mind—eyes like thunderclouds—and I flinch. But it's not the memory that startles me most.
It's the sudden knock at my door.
"Your Majesty?" One of my assistants steps in, looking oddly uneasy. "Alpha North is asking for you. What should I tell him?"
"Alpha North?" My eyebrows lift in surprise. "What does he want with me?"
"He wouldn't say," the assistant replies with a shrug. "He insisted he would only speak with you. Should I send him back to the guest palace?"
"No," I rise from my seat and make my way to the standing mirror, instinctively adjusting my hair and smoothing down my clothes. "Is he waiting in the tea room? I'll meet him there."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
As I walk down the corridor toward the tea room, my heartbeat quickens, and a faint sheen of sweat coats my palms. Why am I suddenly so nervous? Is it because he's a lycan—or is it something else?
"Your Majesty!" There it is again—that deep, mesmerizing voice, rich and unmistakable, already etched into my memory.
"Alpha North," I greet him with as much composure as I can muster, aiming for calm, even aloof. But the stiffness in my voice betrays me, and I'm not particularly proud of how I sound.
"Please," he says with a faint smile, his eyes catching mine like a net. "Just call me Magnus, My Queen."
His lips curve into a wide, unmistakably genuine smile—and my heart plummets to my feet. A rush of heat floods my cheeks, and for a moment, I feel like a teenager again, flustered and foolish.
Goddess, how embarrassing...
I silently scold myself, clearing my throat as I struggle to bury the fluttering sensation inside me. I can't act like this—not in front of such a prominent guest. I am a queen, for the Goddess's sake.
"My Queen..."
It feels like he's taken up residence in my head. Even when he's silent, his voice echoes there, trailing after every heartbeat.
"My Queen? Are you alright?"
Goddess, he was speaking this whole time!
"Alpha Magnus," I say, my voice faltering for just a moment before I manage to recover it. "Is there an issue with your rooms? Why did you ask to see me so suddenly?"
"Not at all," he replies, shaking his head. As he moves, his dark, glossy hair falls slightly over his eyes. With a casual sweep of his hand, he brushes it back—and somehow, even that small gesture manages to rattle something deep within me.
"The palace is beautiful, and so is my room," he continues. "But I'm growing restless. I'm not used to being... well, rooted in one space. I've heard there's a marvelous garden behind the palace, but the guards informed me I can't enter without your permission."
"Oh," I murmur, unable to hide the flicker of disappointment in my voice. "So you just want to see my garden..."
"No," Magnus shakes his head again—and honestly, I wish he'd stop doing that. Or at least find a way to tame that annoyingly perfect hair. "I want to see it with you, if that's alright. As someone who's never been there before, I think it would be best experienced in your company."
A strange wave of relief washes over me, unexpectedly warm and welcome. I catch myself smiling—just for a moment.
"Well, yes... I suppose that makes sense," I hear myself say, my voice reluctant, but my feet already moving toward the door of their own accord.
"Really?!" Magnus's entire face lights up, brighter than I thought possible. In an instant, his usual cool, commanding aura fades, replaced by something youthful and unguarded—something almost childlike.
It catches me off guard, if only for a second. But soon, I'll come to understand the truth: Magnus doesn't just shift between human and beast. He wears different faces, too—and that, at times, is far more dangerous.