His Mate

Care

Chapter Seven

Liora’s POV

My hands were cold inside the water. I had been washing the Alpha’s clothes since morning, and still, the basket beside me was not empty. My fingers were red, and my stomach made a loud sound again.

I pressed my lips together. I had not eaten since yesterday. My body felt weak, but I did not stop. If I stopped, the maids would laugh louder.

“Look at her,” one of them whispered, but her voice was sharp enough for me to hear. “She thinks because she came back to this pack, she can take Tella’s place.”

Another maid laughed and clapped her hands. “Take Tella’s place? Impossible. Tella is the Luna we all know. The Alpha only looks at her. This one is only a shadow.”

Their voices burned in my ears. I kept scrubbing the shirt in the water, but my hands shook.

“She looks hungry,” another one said with a laugh. “Maybe she thought being the Alpha’s mate means she will eat from gold plates. Look at her—no food, no rest, only washing.”

They all laughed. My chest hurt, but I forced myself not to cry. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood.

I told myself, Don’t answer them. Just finish. Just finish.

But their voices would not stop.

“Do you remember the night she came back?” one maid asked. “She stood there like she was someone important. Hah! If the Alpha wanted her, would he let her scrub dirty clothes?”

“No,” another answered. “He only keeps her here because he feels pity. Soon he will send her away again.”

My heart squeezed. I tried to push the words away, but they fell heavy inside me.

The basin shook as my hand slipped. My vision blurred with tears. I bent my head low so they would not see my face.

Just then, a deep voice came from behind.

“Is this how you spend your time? Gossiping?”

The laughter stopped at once. Silence filled the air. My heart jumped.

I turned slowly.

Alpha Dalin was standing there. His golden eyes looked sharp, brighter than the sun outside. His presence filled the whole room. Even the air felt heavy.

The maids quickly bowed their heads. “Alpha, we—”

“Quiet,” he said. His voice was calm but dangerous. “If you have so much strength to laugh, then perhaps I should give you double work.”

The maids froze, their faces pale. They lowered their eyes and did not speak again.

Dalin’s gaze shifted to me. His eyes softened, just a little. He looked at my hands, red from the cold water. He looked at the basin full of clothes. Then he looked back at me.

“Why have you not eaten?” he asked.

I froze. My lips parted, but no words came out. The maids were still there, listening. My cheeks burned with shame.

“I..I am not hungry,” I whispered.

His eyes narrowed. “Do not lie to me.”

I bit my lip. My stomach made another loud sound, betraying me. The maids tried to hide their smiles.

Dalin’s jaw tightened. He took one step closer. Then another. His shadow covered me.

“Leave us,” he ordered the maids without looking at them.

“Yes, Alpha,” they all said quickly, bowing again before rushing out.

Silence filled the room. Only the sound of water dripping from the clothes remained.

I kept my head down, afraid to look at him. My hands shook as I rubbed the shirt.

“Liora,” he said softly.

The sound of my name from his lips made my chest tight. Slowly, I looked up. His golden eyes held mine, steady and strong.

“You will not starve yourself in my house, no body, even maids, servant, guards aren’t allowed to starve here” he said. His voice was low, almost gentle, but it carried power.

Tears stung my eyes. I shook my head. “I know to you I am worse than them, so I am just doing what you would evnatually tell me to do .”

His brow furrowed. He bent slightly, bringing his face closer to mine. “No or Do you think feeding you is a burden to me?”

I could not answer. My throat was too tight.

His gaze dropped to my hands again. He reached out and took them gently, lifting them out of the cold water. His touch was warm, steady. My breath caught.

“I said you could only speak when I said you should, that means, you can’t do what I said you should not”he said.

I pulled a little, but he did not let go. His thumb brushed over my wet skin. My wolf stirred inside me, her ears perked, her tail wagging softly.

“Alpha…” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

“You do not need to prove yourself by scrubbing clothes until your skin bleeds,” he said firmly. “If anyone dares mock you again, they answer to me.”

My heart thumped so hard I thought he would hear it. I wanted to believe his words. I wanted to hold onto the warmth in his voice. But doubt still whispered in me.

“Iknow this is what I am here to do, to follow your rules, and I am ready to abide to it well ,” I whispered, tears spilling before I could stop them. “I am to do house chores, and I am ready for it .”

For a moment, silence. His eyes burned brighter, like fire. His grip on my hands tightened, not in anger, but in something else, something I could not name.

He leaned closer, his voice dropping so low it was almost a growl.

“Just do whatever I say you should, not too forward”

My breath stopped. His eyes did not leave mine. My heart beat faster and faster. His face was so close now, I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.

I wanted to move away, but I could not. I wanted to look away, but my eyes were locked in his.

For the first time since that night under the Blood Moon, I felt that same fire. That same pull. That same dangerous, wild bond between us.

And when he whispered, “You belong here, Liora,” my whole body trembled.