Althea's POV
The morning light poured softly through the tall glass windows, painting warm streaks across the polished floor. I shifted under the covers, eyes adjusting slowly, until the memory of last night—of him—hit me all over again.
Maximus.
Mate.
Not rejected.
Not broken.
Not invisible.
I breathed in and my wolf, Lunara, hummed with warmth. He smells like strength and home, she whispered, curling inside me like a flame finally given air.
A gentle knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Althea?" Kaelani peeked in, her golden curls bouncing around her shoulders. "You up for a little outing?"
I blinked at her. "Outing?"
She grinned. "You're not going to spend the rest of your life in that nightgown. Come on, we're going shopping."
—
The royal district was nothing like the world I came from.
Everything gleamed. Shops were lined with dark wood and silver trim, each one displaying luxurious fabrics, enchanted trinkets, and clothing so beautiful it made my throat tighten. Kaelani dragged me from window to window like we were childhood friends. I didn't know how to act. But I let myself try.
Inside a boutique, soft music played. A saleswoman glanced up—and then her nose twitched. Her eyes flicked to me, widened slightly, and she quickly looked away. I noticed the subtle change in posture. The whispers.
"They can smell him on you," Kaelani said softly, like it was nothing unusual. "They'll talk, but they won't dare say a word to your face. You carry the King's scent now."
I hesitated, fingers tightening around the fabric of a silver blouse I didn't even realize I was holding. "Is that… a bad thing?"
Kaelani's smile turned sharp. "Only if you plan on pretending you're less than you are."
I let out a breath. "I'm still figuring out who that is."
She looped her arm through mine. "Then let's dress her properly while we're at it."
—
By the end of it, I had more than a wardrobe. I had something I didn't know I was missing.
A phone. My first. Sleek and silver, already programmed with Kaelani's number and something labeled Royal Contacts. I stared at it for a long moment, half expecting it to vanish.
"I'll show you how to use it," she said, sipping a smoothie with too many toppings. "And before you ask, yes, I already told the King. He said, and I quote, 'Get her whatever she needs.' So, I took that very literally."
I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me—small, surprised, but real.
As we walked through the market square, I caught the stares again. Not hostile. Just… curious. Whispering behind raised hands. Some looked at me like I was a threat. Others like I didn't belong. But no one came close.
Still, for the first time in my life, I wasn't walking alone.
—
"Are you always this nice to new wolves?" I asked as we sat on a bench beneath a flowering tree.
Kaelani glanced at me, then away. "No," she said after a beat. "Most new wolves don't look like they've been chewed up by life and still stand tall anyway."
I blinked, caught off guard by the truth in her voice.
"I like you, Althea. You don't act like you're owed something." She paused. "And this place—it can get lonely when everyone only sees you as a title."
"I don't even have one," I murmured.
"You will," she said confidently. "And until then, you have me."
Something loosened in my chest at those words. Not everything had to be earned through pain. Maybe some things—like friendship—could simply be offered.
I looked up at the sky. The sun was shifting westward, gilding the clouds in gold.
This wasn't the life I imagined.
But maybe it could become the one I chose.