Hazel POV.
"Beta Caspian is here."
The words creating intense tension in the air. My breath caught in my throat as I turned my eyes still blurred from tears and pain.toward my father.
The silence stretched between us, dense as we maintained intese eye contact . He stood frozen, the cruel whip still clenched in his hand, his gaze locked on the doorway where Mara, the trembling maid, waited.
Then, with a sudden jolt, he seemed to come back to himself. The whip fell to the floor, the sharp sound echoed across the room. Selene reacted instantly, her gaze shifting from me to the urgent need to maintain appearances.
"Oh my god!" she shrieked, spinning to Sophia. "Your Beta is here! Go, put on that new gown I bought last spring!"
Lilian grabbed Sophia's arm and pulled her toward the door. They disappeared instantly transforming from tormentors to demure, eligible she-wolves. Natasha scrambled to conceal her mutilated hair with a large silk scarf pulled seemingly from thin air. The sight sparked a sweet satisfaction deep in my chest.
"Natasha, go to your room," Father said, his voice oddly gentle but firm. "No one must see you like this."
Surprisingly now gentle, Natasha nodded, tears still shining in her furious eyes, and hurried away only a ghost of her usual brazen self. My father then turned back to me, his dark eyes burning with intense rage.
"I'll deal with you later," he snarled, the threat thick in the air.
"You better," Selene hissed, her gaze scouring my bruised, exposed body with open disgust. With one last ugly look, they both stormed out, whispering to each other.
As soon as they were gone, my last reserves of strength gave way. I crumpled to the floor, a silent heap of pain and exhaustion. Ariel, bless her, was instantly at my side.
She pulled a huge, soft blanket from a nearby armchair and gently wrapped it around me, shielding me from the cold, judgmental air.
"I'm so, so sorry, Hazel," she whispered, voice thick with tears. Her bright eyes swam with the same sadness I felt. "My family… they're horrible to you. And you did nothing but exist." Her voice cracked, fragile and raw.
I reached out, taking her small hand in mine, offering what comfort I could. "It's fine, Ariel," I murmured—the familiar lie falling from my lips like a worn-out mantra. It wasn't fine. Nothing was. But what else could I say?
She looked so much like them—blonde hair, piercing blue eyes but she was the one with a heart untouched by their venom.
"No, it's not!" she cried, voice rising with unexpected strength. "You always say it's fine, but it's not! It's never fine!"
"Ariel!" I cupped her flushed cheeks, thumbs brushing away her tears. "Don't ever stand up for me again. Don't you hear? You should leave."
"But... but Hazel..." Her lip trembled.
"It's fine. I'm good. You should go before Father or Mum comes looking for you again. You'll only put yourself in danger," I insisted, firmer than I felt. Finally, she nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"I won't leave until I treat your injuries," she declared, determination shining through her sorrow. She dashed out, returning moments later with a small, intricately carved wooden pot. "This will help. You can't heal yourself since you're not a werewolf, but this balm will." She twisted open the lid, revealing a thick, fragrant salve. Her touch was feather-light as she applied it to the angry cut on my forehead, the cool balm soothing the burn.
When she finished, she pressed a soft, innocent kiss to my brow. "I'll be back later," she whispered, eyes full of concern, before quietly slipping out.
Left alone in the silence, I sank into the aftermath. My body ached a symphony of bruises and cuts. I pushed myself upright, my gaze drifting to the ornate gilded mirror nearby.
The reflection staring back was devastating a jagged chunk of hair missing from the side of my head, an ugly, glaring gap. My once-beautiful long black hair was ruined. My heart shattered all over again.
But then, a flicker of dark satisfaction pierced the pain. Thank the stars I did the same to her. The memory of Natasha's scream and horrified face brought a grim smile. A small, fleeting victory and it was mine.
Voices drifted up from downstairs, pulling me from my thoughts. A deep, masculine voice, resonant and commanding, echoed through the house, sending a shiver down my spine. It was a voice that demanded attention, spoke of authority and exquisite elegance. Sophia's sickly sweet, practiced laughter followed an all-too-familiar sound.
Father had always been strategic, meticulously pairing his daughters with the most powerful wolves in the pack. Natasha, eldest, destined for the Alpha himself. Sophia now for his brother, Beta Caspian. And had the third brother lived, Lilian would have been groomed for him. Their heads filled with delusions of grandeur, believing they'd ascend to the High House as mates to the pack's most influential wolves—securing power and status.
Driven by a sudden, fierce curiosity, I tugged my gown over my bruised body and tiptoed toward the living room.I wouldn't miss the chance to see Beta Caspian for the world. Every maiden in the Blue Moon Pack dreamed of him.
Everyone whispered his name the gentleman in a suit, the sophisticated triplet brother with exquisite taste and an unmatched aura.
Reaching the top of the grand staircase, the figures below came into view. My heart nearly stopped.
The rumors were true.
He stood there, radiating an almost extraordinary presence. His hair was perfectly styled, a jet black hair that caught the light from the massive crystal chandelier above. His tuxedo, cut impeccably for his perfect masculine shape. His eyes piercing blue, holding an intense, almost unsettling depth that truly captivated me. His presence was breathtaking.
A sweet eye candy.
Sophia clung to his arm, practically draped over him, her face beaming with practiced coyness. The way she wrapped herself possessively around him stirred a surge of irrational anger. I wanted to hurl something at her but I needed to stay alive.
My fingers clenched the rough fabric of my gown as I watched from my precarious perch on the stairs. They were deep in polite conversation. Father, Selene, Sophia, and Beta Caspian. Natasha was absent, the haircut I had given her is too beautiful for any eyes to see.
Father, proud yet subservient, continued to impress Caspian, who now held the prestigious position Father once held.
And then, it happened.
My breath hitched, caught painfully in my throat.
His head slowly turnednso perfectly poised and his piercing blue eyes scanned the room. They passed over my family, the lavish décor, and finally landed on me.
I froze. Chills ran down my spine.
My body locked, my mind screamed. He blinked slowly, deliberately, as if confirming what he saw wasn't a mirage. We held eye contact for endless seconds that felt like years.
When he finally looked away, I recoiled instinctively. I pressed my back against the cold hallway wall, hands flying to my chest. My heart thundered against my ribs–A frantic drumbeat that was so loud I hope they can't hear downstairs with their heightened senses.
Damn it. What have I done?