Shining Through Shadows

The Pantry

Lydia

I was carrying crates with different vegetables to the large storage room on the first floor. A large sending of parsnips, carrots, beets, leeks and potatoes had been delivered this morning, and time was of essence to get them inside to the much colder room to keep them as fresh for as long as possible.

The harsh winter in the north prevented most districts from growing any food themselves. Nothing could survive the biting cold. So we were dependent on the deliveries. If you had money to have vegetables delivered, that is… If not, you had to eat what you could make yourself.

At home, we ate a lot of soup and stews with whatever meat we had acquired. Different types of bread were also common.

I placed another crate on the wooden table inside the storage room. Even with the cold, my cheeks felt flushed from the labor of carrying so many crates back and forth.

I began sorting the vegetables into separate containers on the shelves, making sure to label each container with its contents along with the date of delivery.

“How’s your nose?” A deep rumble from behind me made me jump in my place, almost dropping a full container of beets onto the floor. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I tried to reach it, but he was much faster than I was, grabbing it only seconds before it reached the floor.

I, on the other hand, managed ever so gracefully to slam my forehead into the working table in front of me.

“Holy mother of—“ I groaned out loud as I placed a palm on my new sore spot to soothe the pain. As it subsided, I realized that he was still there, watching me intently as I stood there, probably looking like a fool.

I dared not turn around to face him, because I was afraid of my reaction. I was angry with him for snarling at me like I had tried to pick his favorite bone away from him. Also, I was embarrassed to put myself in yet another compromising situation.

How would Jena react if she saw the two of us, alone, in the pantry!? She would probably kick me out into the cold for disobeying. Again…

And what about the fact that the man in front of me probably was the Rogue Alpha himself? We’re not allowed to mix with the opposite gender, let alone the damned Alpha… But why did he keep on seeking me out? Did he want me to get in trouble? Or did he want me out of his house?

With all these thoughts racing through my mind, I hadn’t noticed him walking closer to me, almost caging me up against the working table.

His presence confused me, because yet again his whole demeanor was calm. He felt warm, standing so close to me, his breath rustling the tiny hairs around my face that kept on escaping my braid.

And why was my heart suddenly thundering inside my chest? God, it almost hurt me with how fast it was beating.

Thud-thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud.

I watched how his strange eyes inspected my forehead, the dark pits narrowed on my skin as if I was a piece of precious porcelain.

Oh wait, his eyes… They weren’t black as I had originally presumed. They were the darkest blue I had ever seen with small golden flecks swirling around his irises. Like the night sky covered in shiny stars. They were… Beautiful.

I gasped as his eyes met mine, probably realizing how I had been staring at him, and I felt my cheeks flush even more as I tore my eyes away.

“You have a habit of hurting yourself every time we meet, miss…?” He caught me off guard, again, and my mouth opened on its own accord.

“Excuse me?” I gasped, trying to get out of the invisible cage he was keeping me in, but he didn’t move one bit. “I only tend to hurt myself because you’re either in my way or scaring the living daylights out of me!”

“Then I must apologize. You forgot to tell me your name miss…?” He asked smoothly after smirking at me, probably amused by my lack of strength. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering briefly if he even deserved to know my name.

“I’m Lydia.” I finally said after treating him with a moment of silence and I sucked in a breath as I watched his dark blue eyes turn black for a second. What was that?

“Lydia…” He repeated once his eyes were back to their normal color. I didn’t miss how his eyes roamed across my entire face as he tested my name on his tongue.

Even with his darker voice, my name sounded like the sweetest dessert. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He bowed his head ever so slightly and the gesture took me completely by surprise, as I hadn’t expected him to act so… formal. Especially to a servant.

As quickly as he had cornered me in the pantry, he was almost out of it again.

“Can I know your name as well?!” I called after him before he escaped into the barely lit corridor. I almost cringed, afraid that I had sounded too desperate to know his name as well. He stopped moving, turning his head slightly to glance at me over his right shoulder. “Uhm., Alpha.” I quickly added, hoping that I hadn't offended him by not using his title.

“I’m Zachary to you.” Then he was gone, stealthily as a wolf, leaving no sound as he rushed away into the shadows.