Chapter 7
1131 Words
Freya's POV
The moment he left, the room felt darker.
I sat frozen on the bed, my lips still tingling with the memory of his touch, of a pill I never asked for, and a man whose name carried more blood than mercy. Lord Zaynx. The Alpha of Dark Hollow. The monster mothers used to scare disobedient pups into silence.
And he’d just fed me with his mouth.
The door clicked shut behind him, and only then did I remember how to breathe. My heart thudded against my ribs like it wanted to escape my chest. The walls felt too close, the air too thick.
I knew he said something before leaving, but I didn’t quite catch it.
More than the pounding heart and the strange heat spreading through me, something sharper hit inside, pain that didn’t feel like betrayal. Something deeper. Something unfamiliar.
Maybe the thought of losing the only father I had was too hard to bear, and all that grief was bleeding into something else.
I pulled myself together, took a few bites from my meal, then returned to bed.
As I lay there restlessly, the memory of what just happened flooded my mind. Even my wolf whimpered at the thought of him, the thought of a wolf so unlike Eric.
I closed my eyes weakly, a tear slipping through my lashes as I let my wolf retreat into silence.
******
It’s been almost a week since that encounter, and I still haven’t seen Lord Zaynx. It’s not entirely his fault, I haven’t left the four walls of my room.
Even though I was being treated like a returned Luna, I felt more like a criminal hiding in a haunted house that now served as my shelter for survival.
It’s not that I was being held hostage. I just haven’t grown shameless enough to roam freely, and the pain is still too fresh to carry.
The loss of my father right before my eyes, at the hands of the mate I once called mine, for a sin neither of us committed, still haunted me. And the betrayal… not just by Eric, but by the whole pack.
As much as I wanted to pull myself together and obey Lord Zaynx’s orders, I just couldn't.
I lost everything I owned, everything I called mine, everything that once made me believe I had a home. All of it was ripped away right before my eyes.
It had been a week of pain, suffering, and tears. I cry myself to sleep every night and wake to dried stains on my skin, my body weakened from emotional distress and the harsh truth that I am nothing more than a traitor to a pack that once adored me.
But this morning felt different.
For the first time since the chaos, I thought of something other than Eric. The memory of Lord Zaynx stirred in my mind as a beam of sunlight slipped through the dancing curtains and forced my eyes open.
I pulled myself up, and didn’t feel like crying.
“Good morning, my lady,” one of the handmaids greeted with a smile. I still hadn’t caught her name.
I could tell she was happy I didn’t groan or whimper like I usually did. She was younger than Chloe and Raven, but quick-witted and overly friendly.
“How would you like to start your day?” she asked gently, testing my mood.
“I don’t know. Let’s start the way I usually do,” I said, brushing on a small smile before heading to the bathroom.
The water was warm and soothing—the first thing I’d appreciated since arriving in Dark Hollow.
I sat in front of the large dressing mirror as the handmaid worked through my hair.
“What’s your name?” I asked after a while of comfortable silence.
“Laura,” she replied, smiling shyly.
“How long have you been here?” I asked, watching her from the mirror.
“I was born here,” she said quickly, still focused on my hair.
“Really? Then it must be boring to stay in the same place all your life.” I tried to keep the conversation going with the only person I felt remotely comfortable with, but she didn’t seem fully present.
“My dad was in a lot of debt before he died. The loan company took everything we had. They even went after my mum while she was pregnant. The Alpha found her by the gate one day, weak and scared. He cleared our debt and gave us back everything we lost. But my mum never returned home. She swore to serve our Alpha all her life and so did I after hearing the story.”
She spoke as though she was answering every unasked question at once, just to silence further curiosity.
Silence settled again until she finished with my hair.
“How about seeing the pool? You seem to be in good spirits today,” she said with a hopeful smile, tapping my shoulder.
I couldn’t help but nod, tears were starting to suffocate me in that room anyway.
Laura became my tour guide once we stepped outside.
She showed me around the guest house, and then we made our way to the pool.
It wasn’t what I expected. This was Lord Zaynx’s household, I thought nothing here would seem fragile or gentle. But there they were, different kinds of flowers, each carefully groomed into its own beautiful corner.
It took my breath for a moment. The beauty was indescribable. Sadly, I couldn’t stay long to appreciate it. The rose beds at the end of the pool already made my stomach churn.
I drifted away on my own, leaving Laura to admire the view.
I found a little seating area beneath some large trees, leading to a covered, decorated space I could tell was off-limits.
I sat down, observing the serenity around me. A peace I had never felt before washed over me, and my lips curved into a natural smile.
I know I don’t belong here, but it feels like the perfect home for me, like a place made for me to soothe my taste.
“Luna Maya…?” A cracked, cautious voice called out.
Instinctively, I turned to see who had spoken, and who they were addressing.
Luna Maya.
The name Lord Zaynx called me the first time we met. The name that softened his voice and shifted his expression. That name again.
“How are you here… here…” The old woman’s voice trembled with confusion, excitement, and something else I couldn’t place.
The feeling was familiar, she wasn't a familiar figure but her voice was, even the moment was strange.
Who bore the name Luna Maya? And where is she?
- Writer
