Chapter 5. Under His Shadow
1094 Words
Selene
I spent the morning counting herbs.
Anything to stay busy. Anything to keep my hands from trembling.
The quiet was comforting—until the first customer stepped through the door.
Mrs Penna, with her bad knees and even worse gossiping habits, swept in like a dust storm.
“Is Eric in?” She asked, not even glancing at me.
“In the back,” I replied.
She sniffed. “Good. He’ll want to hear the news.”
I sighed quietly, already regretting why I did not lock the front door.
“Eric!” She called out and then leaned over the counter. “You haven’t heard?”
I tried not to listen.
But Penna never needed an audience. Just air and a month.
“They say the Alpha here is back from the border provinces,” she hissed. “And colder than ever.”
Mmm-hmm,” I murmured.
“I heard he didn’t even speak when he arrived. Just walked through the hall like a ghost. One look from him, and the guards stood straighter than arrows.”
“Sounds dramatic.”
“You think I’m making it up?”
I gave her a faint smile. “I think Moonspire loves a good story.”
“Then you must love it here.” She said with a sharp grin. “Stories are all we have.”
She waddled into the back without waiting for me to respond, her voice already echoing through the storeroom.
I had never seen Dominic before, but his name had always been one of those names people talk about.
The last customer of the day was a tailor named Mayrick. He was a little shifty, always looking over his shoulders—but today he was nearly vibrating with excitement.
“Did you hear?” He asked the moment he stepped in.
I didn’t look up from what I was doing. “Let me guess: another rejection?”
“No! Well—yes, technically. But that’s not the real story.”
“Then enlighten me.
He lowered his voice. “They say Dominic hasn’t taken a mate because he’s cursed. Or… no, wait, not cursed, mark-bound”.
“Mark-bound?” I echoed.
“To someone missing,” he whispered. “Someone lost when he was younger. A fated bond never completed.”
I scoffed lightly, “That sounds like a children’s tale.”
“You’ll be surprised how many people believe in them.”
I didn’t need the reminder.
“So what’s the theory, then? Is his mystery mate still out there?”
Mayrick grinned. “That’s the best part. Some say she died. Others think she’s been hidden.”
He leaned on the counter. “Can you imagine? Waking up and finding out you were meant to stand beside the most powerful Alpha heir in the realm?”
“No, I can’t even imagine. It sounds like a nightmare.” I muttered.
He laughed. “Not to every girl.”
The rumours about Dominic’s coldness were true—or maybe exaggerated; I didn’t care. One thing is certain: he was the heir to Moonspire, the Alpha destined to mate or rule, whether he wanted to or not.
I didn’t know Dominic Veylor. I had no reason to fear him—or be curious.
But something about the way he haunted rooms he’d never entered…
Meala caught me just as I was about to close the apothecary for the evening. She grabbed my sleeve.
“You’re coming with me with no excuses.”
“To where?”
“A party.” She grinned.
“I don’t belong there,” I said.
“Ohh yes, you do. You belong anywhere you want. Besides, it’s just one night.” She tossed me a crimson cloak. It’s silver thread shimmering faintly even in the dim light.
You need to see what the world beyond the apothecary looks like,” she said. I wasn’t convinced, but she had a way of making decisions for me.
The masquerade was in full swing by the time we arrived.
I kept to the edge, my head pounding, as I scanned the crowd until I saw him.
Dominic.
Tell, imposing, his presence commanding even when he stood apart watching.
He didn’t notice me at first, but when our eyes met, something flickered—curiosity.
I forced myself to breathe steadily, to look like any other woman here.
When he finally approached, I didn’t run.
“Nice gloves,” he said, looking at my gloves.
“Thank you.”
“Not what I expected.” He said quietly.
“No one is,” I replied.
He studied me for a moment. “Why are you here?”
I hesitated “to escape”.
“Running from something?”
“Maybe.”
His jaw tightened, but his eyes softened.
“Good”, he said, “maybe tonight we can both pretend.”
I almost smiled at that. Pretending is what I do well.
He shifted closer, just enough I could feel the heat radiating from his body, but not so close.
“So,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though my pulse hammered in my ear. “What’s the usual for an Alpha here at a party like this?”
He chuckled, a brief, dry sound. “Probably not sneaking around in the shadows.”
“Sounds lonely.”
“It is lonely.” His gaze flickered away for a moment and then back to mine. “Sometimes the crown feels heavier than it looks.”
I nodded, understanding more than I wanted to admit. “I get that.”
He studied me then, eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to read what I didn’t say. “You don’t look like someone who belongs in the outskirts.”
I shrugged, a half-smile tugging at my lips. I’m not exactly invited to the fancy part of town.”
“Funny,” he said. “I don’t get the feeling you’re an outsider.”
There was something about the way he said it—less like a question, more like a challenge.
I forced my thoughts back. “Why are you really here?”
“To forget who I’m supposed to be.”
“Sounds tempting.” I murmured.
He smiled, and for a moment the coldness around him softened.
“What about you?” he asked.
I hesitated. The truth was dangerous, tangled with secrets I wasn’t ready to share. “Sometimes you need to feel alive.
His eyes met me. “Maybe we both do.
- Writer
