Chapter Four: Ghosts in the East Wing
645 Words
The morning air was unusually quiet. Not even the birds dared to chirp as Liliana opened her eyes to the stillness of the alpha’s mansion. Her body ached from the events of the previous night, but it wasn’t the physical pain that lingered—it was the way his voice, cold and unfamiliar, echoed in her mind.
“Don’t go near the East Wing again.”
That warning wasn’t about protection. It was control. And it only made her more curious.
She rose from the bed and padded across the polished marble floor. The entire estate was built like a secret—towering, perfect, and far too silent. Each hallway whispered of locked doors and unspoken memories.
And she knew deep down—this man, Alpha Kael, was hiding more than just his pain.
Downstairs, the housekeeper, an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair and wary eyes, handed her a tray. “He asked you to join him for breakfast. In the garden.”
Liliana blinked. “The garden?”
The woman nodded. “It’s the only place he ever allows the sunlight to touch.”
Curious and apprehensive, she followed the winding stone path through the back entrance. The garden was vast—roses and wild violets bloomed alongside dark ivy, a place both alive and haunted. At the far end, beneath a willow tree, sat Kael.
He wore a black button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up, and his silver eyes were fixed on the horizon. A steaming cup of black coffee sat untouched in front of him. He didn’t look at her as she approached.
“You're late,” he said flatly.
She took the seat across from him. “I wasn’t aware there was a time set.”
“You’ll learn,” he murmured.
His gaze flickered to hers, something unreadable behind them. For a second, she thought she saw guilt—but then it was gone, replaced by that cool mask he always wore.
“I don’t understand you,” she said, surprising herself. “Sometimes you act like you care. Then you lock me out, or warn me like I’m your enemy.”
Kael’s jaw tensed. “Because caring gets people killed.”
His words struck like a lash. She wanted to ask who he had lost. Why was he like this? But she already knew he wouldn’t answer—not yet.
Instead, she changed tactics. “Why can’t I go near the East Wing?”
His fingers curled around his cup. “Because there are ghosts in that wing.
“Ghosts?”
He finally looked at her—truly looked. “My past lives there. And it should stay dead.”
Liliana swallowed hard. “You think locking the door makes it disappear?”
Kael stood suddenly, pacing to the edge of the garden. The wind tousled his hair, and for a fleeting moment, he looked like a man haunted by everything he couldn't say.
“It wasn’t supposed to be you,” he said quietly.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
But he didn’t answer. Instead, he turned back to her with that same unreadable intensity. “Come to the council event tonight. I need you to be seen.”
“As what?” she challenged. “Your guest? Your prisoner?”
He hesitated. “My fiancée.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me?”
“It’s temporary,” Kael said without blinking. “Just until the vote passes. If the council believes I’ve chosen a mate, they’ll stay out of my affairs.”
Liliana stared at him in disbelief. “So I’m just a pawn in your game?”
His voice softened, dangerously so. “You’re the only one I trust to play it.”
And with that, he walked away—leaving her in a garden that suddenly felt much colder than before.
- Writer
