The Alpha's Forgotten Bride

Chapter 4: The Rules of This House

Wren's POV

I woke alone in the bed. The sheets stayed untouched on his side. Gideon had left hours ago.

My hand pressed the space beside me. Cool. Empty. I sat up. The room felt too large. Too quiet. "He really left," I said to the empty air. My voice sounded wrong in the space.

A maid entered without knocking. She carried a tray. Set it down hard. "Breakfast. Alpha gave orders. Eat."

I swung my legs off the bed. My bare feet hit cold floor. "Orders. What else did he give?"

The maid wiped her hands. "Eat. That is all I know." I stood. I walked to the tray. "All you know. Or all you will say?"

She turned toward the door. "House rules. Omegas stay in their wing. This wing. Do not ask more."

I picked up the bread. Broke it. "Their wing. This is my wing now. He said so. Last night. In front of everyone."

The maid paused at the door. "Said. But rules stay rules. The steward handles questions."

I followed her into the hall. "Then take me to the steward. I carry these linens with you. Talk while we walk."

She handed me half the stack without looking. Heavy. Still warm from the press. "Steward. Fine. But he will not like it."

We moved down the corridor. My arms burned under the weight. "He will not like it. Or he cannot answer?"

The maid glanced sideways. "Cannot. Will not. Same thing here."

The steward waited in the side room. He sorted papers. Looked up once. "Back to your room, omega."

I set the linens on the table. "Wren. Not omega. Not anymore. My mate gave me status. You know this."

Steward shuffled one paper. "Status. Yes. Eat. Rest. The alpha returns when he returns."

I picked up another stack. Helped him move it to the shelf. "Returns when he returns. Helpful. Tell me the real rules. The ones no one says out loud."

He took the stack from me. Fingers brushed mine. Pulled back quick. "Real rules. Stay in this wing. Eat what comes. Speak when spoken to. Simple."

Simple. The word sat behind my collarbone. Wrong. I knew it. The way his eyes darted to the door. The way his grip tightened on the papers. Lie. Clean as the crack in that serving dish weeks ago. "Simple. Yet you check the hall twice. Why?"

Steward straightened. "No reason. House business."

A younger maid passed the open door. She carried a blanket. Soft wool. Paused. Placed it on my bed across the hall without a word. Left again.

I stared at the blanket. One minute. Maybe more. No one asked. No one explained. Small thing. Heavy in my chest anyway. Mercy or trap. I could not decide which.

I turned back to the steward. "House business. Like the orders he gave before the wedding. The ones about my treatment."

Steward dropped a paper. Picked it up. "Before the wedding. Who told you that?"

I stepped closer. "No one. Yet you just confirmed it. What orders?"

He looked at the maid who brought the tray. She looked away. "Orders. Standard. Nothing unusual."

"Standard." I laughed once. Short. Awkward sound in my throat. "Standard would be the border huts. Or nothing at all. He blocked three offers for me. Last year. You know about them."

Steward wiped his forehead. "Blocked. Alpha makes decisions. We follow."

I grabbed another linen. Folded it. My hands moved while my mind spun. "Follow. But you sweat when I ask. Tell me one thing. Did he say I could enter the main hall? The alpha's study?"

The maid spoke up. Voice low. "Main hall. No. Omegas do not…"

"Omegas do not," the steward cut in. Sharp. "But you... ask him yourself."

I set the folded linen down. "Ask him. When he returns. If he returns. Last night he gave me the room. The bed. Space. Then disappeared. What kind of mate does that?"

Steward shrugged. One shoulder. "His kind. The kind that keeps this pack alive."

I walked to the door. Stopped. "Keeps the pack alive. By watching me for years. He admitted it. Last night. In that room."

Both of them froze. The maid clutched her tray. The steward opened his mouth. Closed it.

"Years," I said again. "Not days. Not after the bond switch. Years. Why?"

Steward looked at the floor. "Ask the alpha. Not us."

I stepped into the hall. Toward the main part of the house. No one stopped me. My feet carried me past the line where omegas supposedly belonged. Nothing happened. No shout. No hand on my arm.

The pull in my chest returned. Same one from the binding. From his hand on mine. From his voice at the window. Kindness. Control. Both at once. I hated how much I turned it over.

A guard at the main hall entrance straightened. "Miss. The alpha's study is… "

"Open," I said. I pushed the door. It moved. No lock. I stepped inside.

Books. Maps. One desk. His scent lingered. Wood and steel. I touched the edge of the chair. "He sat here. Thinking about me. Before any of this."

The steward arrived behind me. Breath short. "You should not be here."

I turned. "Should not. Yet nothing stops me. Because he gave orders. Before the wedding. Tell me what they were."

Steward stood in the doorway. Hands at his sides. "Protection. Access. Status. More than anyone expected."

"More." I sat in the chair. His chair. The wood felt warm. "He planned this. Not last minute. Not forced. Planned."

Maid appeared beside the steward. "Planned. Yes. The second blanket. He told us to watch your comfort. Quietly."

I stared at her. The pull shifted lower. Near my stomach. Gratitude. Suspicion. They tangled until I could not separate them. "Quietly. Like everything else in this house."

Steward cleared his throat. "Alpha returns soon. He will explain."

"Explain." I stood. Brushed my hand across the desk. "Or give more half answers. Like last night. Like this morning."

The maid stepped closer. Voice dropped. "He gave the orders months ago. Specific. About you. Not the bond. Before anyone knew the switch would happen." Months ago. The word landed heavy. I gripped the desk edge. My knuckles showed white. He watched. He planned. He protected me. All before I belonged to him on paper.

I walked past them both. Back toward the bedroom. The blanket still waited on the bed. I touched it. Soft. Unexpected.

"What else did he order?" I asked without turning. "Tell me before I find out another way."

Steward stayed quiet. The maid spoke. One sentence. Quick.

"He said no one touches you. Ever. Even him. Until you choose."

I sat on the bed. The blanket under my hand. My chest pulled tight again. Choose. The word changed everything. And I had no idea what I would pick when the moment came. Or why the thought of him waiting made the string inside me pull even harder.