Episode 004
1245 Words
The Maid
Maelis's Pov
He tripped and fell toward the closet, then turned around. His eyes were red, like the blood that was on the sheets. His lip curled, and for a second that felt like an eternity, I thought he was going to jump at me again. I put my arms up to protect my face.
But instead of attacking me, he roared and broke the silence.
The sound tore through the room, shaking the walls. I put my hands down just in time to see blood pouring from his palm. He had stabbed himself hard and deep with a fork that was on the closet. He tightened his grip around his wrist and clenched his jaw as he pulled the fork out.
He was sweating, his face was pale, and his body was shaking. But when his eyes flicked back to me, they were no longer red. They were blue once more. Blue was fighting hard against the red.
I stood still as he pulled a shirt from the bed, and our eyes met for a moment. There was something strange there, not anger or hunger, but something I couldn't put my finger on. It looked like two parts of him were fighting, and neither wanted to give up.
And then he was gone. He stormed out of the room without a word, the door slamming behind him.
The night air slipped in through the open window. The cold wind touched my skin, raising goosebumps. I glanced down at my hands and realized his blood had smeared across my fingers when he grabbed for the shirt.
I held them up in the moonlight. The silver glow made the blood glisten. And all I could think was—did he do that to keep from killing me?
…
I did not sleep, the bed was too big, the silence too heavy. Kaelen never came back. I told myself I should be relieved, but instead, worry clawed at me. I hated that part of me cared where he was, hated that Nora whispered about his scent in the back of my mind, and hated that my chest tightened remembering the way he stopped himself.
When the first sliver of morning light crept into the room, I climbed out of bed and found the suitcase that had been left for me. The suitcase contained some of my personal belongings. I pulled out jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, comfort clothes that did not belong in a palace. I did not care.
My phone was tucked at the bottom of the bag. I turned it on and groaned when I saw the name on the screen. Cedric.
His message blinked up at me.
I’m sorry you had to find out about Soriah and me that way. It wasn’t personal.
Not personal?
I threw the phone on the bed, fighting the sting in my chest.
When I opened the bedroom door, a young woman was standing there. She was only a few years older than me, wearing a neat black blouse tucked into a dark skirt.
“Oh—your highness.” She gave a nervous smile. “I’m Caroline. Your handmaiden.”
I blinked at her. A handmaiden? The idea felt ridiculous.
She cleared her throat when I did not answer. “I’ve prepared your breakfast in the dining hall.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “But please, call me Maelis.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t. That’s against the palace rules.”
We walked together down the long hall. My thoughts drifted to Kaelen.
“Have you seen the Alpha King?” I asked.
Caroline’s steps slowed. “Beta Garrick chained him in the dungeon last night. For everyone’s safety. The Beta is the only one he allows near him during the full moon.”
I was about to ask more when voices carried from a cracked door at the far end of the Palace. My gaze caught on Queen Veyra inside, surrounded by a few maids and a tall man I didn’t know.
“He must be stopped before he kills every last one of them,” she hissed.
Then her eyes flicked at the door, to me. Her spine straightened. She walked over and shut it firmly, cutting me off from the rest.
I stood frozen until Caroline touched my arm gently. “Your Highness?”
“What’s going on in there?”
Her face tightened. “Another maid was found dead this morning.”
My stomach sank. “And that man with her—who was he?”
“Probably Marrick. Her real son.”
I stared at her. Queen Veyra had a son?
“And they think Kaelen killed the maid?” I asked.
Caroline nodded. “This isn’t the first time. The full moon makes him go crazy. The queen is tired of covering for him.”
“But you just said he was chained,” I pressed.
Her eyes darted away. “Not all night. Garrick caught him wandering before dragging him down.”
I thought back to Kaelen’s bloodied hand, his fight against himself. Could he have slipped away long enough to kill?
“He didn’t do it,” Nora whispered in my head.
I could not shake the thought.
“I’m not very hungry,” I told Caroline.
Her face fell. “Oh. I hope I didn’t upset you.”
“No, you didn’t.” I forced a smile. “Thank you, Caroline.”
She curtsied and walked off, but I did not follow. Instead, I crept back to the door Queen Veyra had closed. I pressed my ear against the wood. Their voices were low and muffled, but pieces broke through.
“He doesn’t deserve the throne. My son is fit to rule. That beast kills maids for sport.”
A pause. Then—
“I wasn’t anywhere near the library. Another maid found the body. The blood is still being scrubbed out of the carpet.”
My pulse raced. She was lying.
When Caroline returned, her eyes widened at finding me by the door. I pulled back quickly.
“Where’s the library?” I asked.
She hesitated, then said, “The other side of the palace.”
“Can you take me?”
Her frown deepened, but she nodded.
We walked in silence until we reached the heavy double doors. She pushed them open. The smell of iron hit me before I saw the stain. A dark, wide blotch bled into the carpet, impossible to ignore.
My stomach turned. This was where it happened.
The chairs near the table were broken, some splintered, a struggle. I crouched low, eyes sweeping the floor, until a glint caught my attention. A small silver earring wedged under the leg of a chair.
I picked it up, holding it in my palm. “Did this belong to the maid?”
Caroline shook her head quickly. “No. Servants aren’t allowed jewelry. Queen Veyra states that only those in power are permitted to wear jewelry.
I stared down at the delicate piece of silver, cold in my hand. If it wasn’t the maid’s, whose was it?
“She lied,” Nora hissed. “She was here. She’s framing him.”
The realization struck me abruptly. My chest tightened as I turned to Caroline.
And then the door creaked open.
I spun, the earring still in my hand.
Queen Veyra stood in the doorway, her eyes locked on me.
- Writer
