"Liora, you should let the maid be," the young man said again, his voice calm as he stepped closer.
Liora’s head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing into slits. Her arms, still crossed tightly over her chest, filled with barely contained rage. "You again?" she spat.
"You’re defending her? This filthy maid over me?" She jabbed a finger in my direction.
He didn’t flinch, his expression remained the same as he spoke. "I saw what happened, Liora," he said. "You slapped her first. Don’t play the victim now."
"What? How dare you?" she shrieked, as she took a step toward him, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "You think you can just come here and take her side? A nobody? A maid?" Her voice rose higher, drawing the attention of a few nearby pack members who paused to watch the scene.
"I’m not taking sides," he said coolly. "I’m calling it like I saw it. You started this."
In great fury, Liora’s chest heaved, her breaths coming in sharp, angry bursts. Her hands shook as she pointed at him, snapping. "This is why I never liked you. You’re always sticking your nose in my business. I hate you. I hate you so much."
She took another step closer. "I wish you’d just go join your mother in hell. Your existence is nothing but an irritation to me. I don’t even know why my father brought you into Warborn in the first place."
He didn’t respond or feel like her words had any effect on him, as if he had gotten used to it and this wasn’t his first time.
He took a step closer to her "Stop being dramatic." He replied.
"Ass hole!" She cursed beneath her breath and then walked away.
He turned to me, his expression softening as he sheathed one of his swords in a scabbard at his hip. "You shouldn’t let her get to you, she’s always like that." He stepped closer and extended a hand. "I’m Silas, by the way. You must be one of the maids from Blackbane."
I hesitated, my gaze fixed to his outstretched hand. He looked friendly, nothing like the haughty arrogance I’d come to expect from anyone. I nodded slowly and swallowed as I reached out, my hand brushing against his as we shook. He didn’t carry himself like royalty, not like the triplets back at Blackbane with their sneers and entitlement.
"Your name?" He asked.
"Iris," I said, meeting his gaze.
Silas’s lips quirked into a small smile, the kind that felt genuine. "Nice to meet you, Iris. Sorry about Liora. She’s got a temper, but she’ll cool off. Eventually." He smiled.
Before I could respond, Lyra’s voice filled in my head. He’s handsome, isn’t he? Lyra, my wolf, purred, her tone teasing. I stiffened, trying to ignore her as she continued. "Look at those arms. Bet he could lift you without breaking a sweat."
I mentally shoved her voice down as I focused on Silas. He was still standing there, watching me with a curious tilt of his head. "You okay?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he noticed my unease.
"Yeah," I said quickly, too quickly.
Oh, come on, Lyra chimed in again. "He’s got that rugged charm." I gritted my teeth, silently cursing her inwardly.
Suddenly, Silas’s voice pulled me back to reality. "I’ll get going," he said, adjusting the second sword in his hand before giving me a nod. "Take care, Iris." He turned and walked away. I watched him go, when something tugged at my sleeve from behind. I jolted, spinning around to find Amelia standing there, her eyes filled with mischief as she was eating a red apple, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed. "You scared me!" I exclaimed, pressing a hand to my chest.
"Sorry, sorry!" Amelia said, laughing as she swallowed. She held out another apple, its skin glossy and inviting. "Here. It’s fresh."
I took it, turning it over in my hands.
"Where’d you get this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Plucked it from the garden," she said. "The chief maid gave me permission. She’s nice, you know. Not like the ones back at Blackbane." I smiled, taking a bite of the apple. The sweet, tart juice burst across my tongue. Amelia leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I saw the way you were staring at him, you know."
I choked on the bite, coughing as I glared at her. "You saw wrong," I snapped, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
Amelia smirked. "Oh, please. He’s hot. Don’t even try to deny it." She waggled her eyebrows, taking another bite of her apple.
I smiled, saying nothing, but my silence only seemed to egg her on. "You know," she said, her voice taking on a gossipy tone, "I heard some stuff about him. At the bar where I work part-time, some of the men were talking. Apparently, he’s Liora’s senior stepbrother. His mother was with Alpha Trent, got pregnant, but died giving birth to him."
I paused, the apple halfway to my mouth. "How do you know all this?" I asked.
Amelia shrugged, her expression smug. "People talk when they’re drunk. You’d be amazed what you overhear when you’re pouring ale." She nudged me with her elbow. "He’s kind of a mystery, though. Keeps to himself, trains like a maniac. Not exactly the typical Warborn brute."
I said nothing, my mind drifting back to Silas’s steady gaze, the way he’d stepped in without hesitation to help me from Liora.
Amelia nudged me again, breaking my thoughts. "Come on, help me with this bucket. My arms are about to fall off." She grabbed the handle of the water bucket I’d set aside, and together we filled it, the cold water sloshing over the sides as we hauled it back toward the maids’ quarters. For a moment, I felt normal, like we weren’t strangers in this pack.
Later that night, I stood in the kitchen, my hands trembling slightly as I adjusted the tray of food I’d been asked to serve by chief maid who had instructed me to serve the meal to Alpha Lucas. Alpha Lucas? I’d wondered who it was but I didn’t bother asking questions.
I reached the door I’d been directed to and I knocked but there was no response. I waited and then knocked again but still nothing.
With a sigh, I pushed the door open. I stepped inside, careful not to spill the wine in the cup and the meal as I set the tray down on the table. And just as I turned to leave, the sound of a door opening stopped me in my tracks.
I turned toward the noise, my eyes landing on the bathroom door as it swung open. Steam billowed out as my eyes fell on Silas walking out stack naked, holding the towel as droplets of water glistened on his skin as they trailed from his hair and down his smooth chest as our both eyes locked.