Taming the Beast Within
1156 Words
Lizzy’s POV
I splashed cool water on my face and stared at my reflection in the ornate mirror above the sink.
Dark circles rimmed my eyes, but not from lack of sleep. I hadn’t even tried. The heaviness in my chest wouldn’t let me rest. Too many questions. Too many truths I wasn’t ready to face.
My skin still tingled from the heat of Varek’s touch earlier—his kiss, his hands, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing tethering him to this world… and yet, here I was, once again alone. Because apparently emotional whiplash was part of the whole “fated mate” package.
Nyra was quiet.
Too quiet.
And I wasn’t sure if that meant she was giving me space… or silently plotting Varek’s death.
Either way, I wasn’t getting any answers from her.
I glanced at the book Kai had left me—Lycān Lore: A Brief and Bloody History—and decided nope. Opening that was like digging up bones in a haunted cemetery. Whatever I found inside wouldn’t bring comfort. Just more shadows.
So I got dressed.
Simple black jeans. A fitted sweater. I wasn’t in the mood for royal glam.
The room was huge—dark wood, deep greens and silvers, everything elegant and perfectly placed—but it still didn’t feel like mine. I needed something grounding. Familiar. Real.
Like food.
And since no one had bothered to tell me if there was any, I decided to go find the kitchen myself.
The hallways were quieter than I expected. No servants rushing around. No guards at every corner. Just silence and stone. Like the whole castle was holding its breath.
I finally found the kitchen tucked beyond an archway at the end of a long corridor. Warm light spilled out into the hallway, and the smell of garlic and roasted something filled the air.
Inside, a young woman stood at the counter, peeling potatoes with the kind of quiet precision that screamed routine. Her long brown hair was tied back, her uniform a plain gray dress with a white apron. She moved like she was trying not to be noticed.
“Hey,” I said gently.
She jumped.
“Oh! M-my lady—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted. “No ‘lady,’ no curtsy, no freaking out. I’m Lizzy.”
She blinked. “…Lizzy?”
“Yeah. You know. Casual. Friendlier.”
She gave a small, hesitant smile. “I’m Holly.”
“Nice to meet you, Holly. What are you making?”
She held up a potato. “Just the basics. Roasted root vegetables. Braised meat. Fresh bread. The Alpha doesn’t like anything too rich.”
I stepped closer, peering at the pile. “Need help?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly—”
“Holly. I know how to peel a potato.”
She hesitated. “You’re… not like the others.”
“Good,” I said, grabbing a second peeler. “I’d hate to be.”
We worked in silence for a bit. There was something calming about it. Normal. Which was weird, considering we were in a castle with monsters and mating rites looming in the near future.
“You live here?” I asked.
She nodded. “Born here. Raised in the Omega wing.”
“Do you like it?”
She gave a noncommittal shrug. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”
That didn’t sit right with me. Neither did the collar around her neck, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. Decorative, sure—but symbolic.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “About how people treat you.”
Her hands paused. “You don’t have to say that.”
“No,” I said. “But I want to.”
The moment was interrupted by the unmistakable voice of Kai striding into the room.
“There you are,” he said, grinning. “I figured I’d find you causing chaos somewhere unconventional.”
I gestured at the potatoes. “Real scandalous stuff.”
He tossed a sleek, dark green dress onto the counter.
“The Dread Alpha has summoned you for dinner.”
I raised a brow. “Is that your dramatic way of saying I’ve been invited to eat?”
He chuckled. “Formal dinner. In the west wing. Seven sharp. That’s the dress.”
I eyed it. “Looks tight.”
“Looks gorgeous,” he corrected. “Like you’ll need help getting into it.”
I glanced at Holly. “She’ll help. Once we’re done here.”
Kai blinked. “You’re cooking?”
I shrugged. “Helping. If Holly finishes here faster, she can help me with hair and zippers and whatever else I’m supposed to look like tonight.”
He grinned. “Unexpected. I like it.”
“Good,” I said. “Now leave us peasants to our root vegetables.”
He left with a wink.
But before Holly and I could get back to it, another voice cut through the room.
Deeper. Rougher. Colder.
“What are you doing?”
Varek.
He stood in the doorway like a stormcloud with a temper.
I wiped my hands on a towel. “Helping.”
“With this?” he snapped. “This is an Omega’s work.”
I stepped forward, chin high. “This Omega has a name. It’s Holly. And yes, I’m helping her so she can help me get ready for the dinner Kai invited me to.”
His jaw ticked. “You’re not meant to be here.”
“No,” I said. “I’m meant to be kept in a tower like some mythical prize while no one tells me anything about what the hell is going on.”
His eyes darkened.
I tossed the peeler into the sink.
“Cooking for the pack is important,” I said. “It’s not shameful. It’s essential. Maybe treat it that way.”
We stared at each other across the kitchen.
The tension could’ve cracked the stone walls.
Finally, he turned on his heel and stormed out.
Holly exhaled.
“You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did.”
She blinked at me.
And I smiled. “Humanity tames the beast within. Right?”
She laughed softly.
“I think I’m going to like you, Lizzy.”
“Good. Because I’m going to need a friend when I inevitably offend every ancient tradition in this place.”
We finished the potatoes in silence, then went upstairs. Holly helped me into the green dress—it fit like a second skin—and twisted my hair into something vaguely royal.
I caught my reflection in the mirror.
I didn’t look like the girl who had walked away from her pack a few days ago.
I looked like someone else entirely.
Maybe someone who could survive this.
Maybe someone who could thrive.
- Writer
