Chapter 5

Anya’s POV.

“Here we are, Miss Melinda. Your sleeping chambers,” the maid announced, opening a heavy arched door and stepping aside to let me pass.

Sleeping chambers. The old-fashioned phrasing only deepened the knot in my stomach.

“You can relax now,” she reassured with a gentle smile. “My name is Suzanne. I know everything feels overwhelming right now, but please don’t worry. The people here at Hellcrest are quite friendly, and you will be very well taken care of.”

I remained silent, keeping my lips pressed tight and offering only a stiff nod. I was terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing and facing Garrick’s wrath.

I needed to survive whatever the hell this was, and hopefully, find a way to return to my world and time—ideally without getting spotted by my mother or Carl.

I watched Suzanne bustle around the room lighting a couple of small oil lamps, while I mustered the courage to ask a basic question. “E… Excuse me, Suzanne?”

She turned, her eyes bright and attentive. “Yes, Miss?”

“Could you… could you tell me what today’s date is?”

Suzanne let out a soft, musical giggle. “Oh, bless your heart, Miss Melinda! I bet all the fuss and chaos of today has completely overwhelmed you. It’s understandable to lose track—it’s a lot to take in!” She blew out the burning stick of wood with a soft puff of air and set it on the nightstand. “Today is the second of Midfall, in the dawn of Mornfire.”

My face contorted into a deep frown. Midfall? Mornfire? The words sounded completely alien.

Suzanne glided over to me. “Let’s get you out of this heavy gown, shall we?”

She reached for the laces at the back of my dress, loosening the stiff corset and helping me peel the white silk from my skin. But as the fabric slid down my arms and pooled at my feet, Suzanne gasped.

I peered over my shoulder to see her hands flying to her mouth in horror as her eyes raked over my body. My gaze dipped down. Dark, violent shades of purple and yellow mottled my ribs, my arms, and my swollen knees—the remnants of Garrick’s abuse.

“Goddess above…” Suzanne faltered. “What happened to you?”

I swallowed hard, inching back slightly and wrapping my arms around my chest.

Suzanne moved in front of me, her eyes searching mine with concern. “Who did this to you, Miss? Who was responsible for this?”

I shook my head, keeping my jaw locked shut, but I knew my pulse was visibly hammering against my throat.

Seeing my panic, Suzanne’s expression softened into sympathy. “It’s alright, Miss Melinda. You don’t have to say a word. I’ll make sure you’re safe here.”

She guided me toward a small washbasin, bringing over a copper bucket of warm water, fresh linen, and herbal ointment.

Suzanne dabbed the ointment over my battered skin, then bathed the rest of me in warm water that smelled like lavender.

As she retrieved a soft, flowing nightgown to dress me in, she gave me a conspiratorial smile. “We need to make sure you are properly prepared for the union with your husband tonight.”

“The… the union?” I stammered. “What union?”

Suzanne’s cheeks flushed a light pink. “Oh, don’t be silly, Miss! Surely your father Garrick already explained what happens on a wedding night!”

She smoothed down the skirt of the nightgown, her eyes lighting up with a touch of playful envy. “Lord Rhydian is undeniably the most handsome Alpha in all the realms. And from what his past flings used to whisper around the castle… Well, I’m quite certain his lovemaking is of absolute top performance.”

The room seemed to suddenly spin and I struggled to catch my breath.

The union meant sleeping with him.

I was still a virgin. The thought of giving away something so intimate was daunting enough on its own, but to be forced to surrender it to a total stranger? To a cold, unkind man who couldn’t even bring himself to look at me at the altar, much less be capable of loving me?

This wasn’t supposed to happen this way, my mind screamed in terror. Not like this!

A loud, sudden clatter echoed from the hallway outside, followed by the muffled sound of footsteps and laughter.

Suzanne paused, pulling back from the nightgown she was smoothing out. She let out an exasperated sigh. “Goddess help me… Lord Rhydian’s teenage cousins. Little unruly pups, I tell you.” She offered me an apologetic smile. “I’ll be right back, Miss Melinda. Let me just deal with this nonsense.”

Before I could say anything, Suzanne rushed out into the corridor, leaving the door wide open.

Left alone with my galloping pulse and the impending dread of the night ahead, I couldn’t just sit still and wait. Cautiously, I tiptoed toward the threshold. I reached the frame and peeked around the heavy wood into the hallway.

My blood turned to ice.

I was staring straight into the face of an abnormally large wolf. Its shoulders easily brushed over the height of my own, its thick coat a mottled brown, and its glowing, silver eyes locked straight onto mine.

A sharp, terrified scream ripped from my throat.

I scrambled backward, but I didn’t make it far as my weak legs gave out beneath me. I crashed onto the floor, my flailing arm catching the edge of the copper bucket Suzanne had brought in earlier. It tipped over with a deafening clang, sloshing warm, soapy water all over the stone floor and soaking the hem of my gown.

Desperate to protect myself from the beast, I pressed myself flat against the wall, my limbs locking up and hysteria bubbling up inside my chest.

Instead of tearing me to shreds as I expected it would, the wolf simply tilted its massive head. It inched forward, nudged its snout into the air, and took a long, calm sniff of the damp lavender scent in the air.

Unbothered by my panic, it turned on its heel and began trotting down the hallway.

“Lori! Rhydian will hang you by your ears if you don’t stop this nonsense!” Suzanne’s voice barked from around the corner. “Go clean up your mess this instant!”

A second later, Suzanne reappeared in the doorway, huffing as she wiped her hands on her apron. But as her eyes landed on me—sprawled on the wet floor, trembling, and staring at the hallway with wide, mortified eyes—her face dropped.

“Oh, you poor dear!” Suzanne clucked her tongue, rushing over to help me up. She carefully hoisted me away from the puddle, assuming the loud crash outside was what had startled me. “I am so sorry, Miss! Those youngsters have no manners whatsoever, making such a racket right outside your room!”

My jaw worked, but no sound came out. I pointed a shaking finger down the corridor.

“W-what…” I managed to choke out. “What was that?”

Suzanne paused, then let out a light, airy laugh, as if I had just asked about something as simple as what time it was. “Oh! That pup you just got acquainted with? That’s Lori, one of Lord Rhydian’s younger cousins. She’s at that age where she thinks turning into her wolf gives her an excuse to avoid her chores.”

I stared at Suzanne, my mind completely short-circuiting. Turning into her wolf?

How the hell was a monstrous, horse-sized wolf a person’s cousin?

Garrick’s warning back at the castle flashed through my mind then: “If anyone asks, you were born powerless. You have no magic and no wolf.”

A wolf.

Realization crashed over me with the weight of a falling mountain. Had I not only traveled space and time, but to a world where people can turn into wolves?