Chapter 13: Chapter 13

DUSK.

I was lying in bed, feeling terrible. The last few days had been rough, and my health had taken a turn for the worse. I felt helplessly funny for thinking I'd be jumping back on my feet after the pill Ethan gave me. The fact was, I was way worse than I was. But weirdly, I preferred lying here to going out to face my helpless reality.

I hated being sent around, ordered around, and bullied. All I want is a life I can call my own, I want to create my own reality in this harsh world, but that seems like a far-fetched dream to me because it doesn't look like I will be getting out of here any soon, I have totally given up on trying to get Lucius to give me attention or love. When he might have even ordered Ariadne and Dalia to send me these strenuous tasks.

But thanks to my sickness, I can't get up 'to work '. Sick or ill people don't work, but for me? I hope it was different this time.

Seline had been staying with me. She was acting like an overprotective mother; not that I was complaining, but I wasn't used to someone being fawning and always out to make sure I was okay. Seline had made sure Ariadne and Dalia made no entrance to my room. I heard from a maid who brought me some potions a few days ago that Seline had an almost physical showdown with Ariadne. I felt proud, but I hoped that outright going against those two wouldn't affect us in any way.

But today, I am certain that my newly found life is about to take a sour turn. Why? Seline dropped a letter at my bedside; she had a but she had to take care of an urgent family emergency. I didn't know anything about Seline's family, which made me feel like a bad friend. I made a mental note to ask her about it when she got back. For now, I had to figure out how to remain bottled up in the room without those two bullies popping in.

But remember something I said about my life not going how I wished it would? That proved true again as Dalia walked in. Her face held a malicious smile as she scanned the room, probably jubilation that Seline wasn't here to kick her ass.

"I guess we are back to square one, little princess? I see your guard isn't here to keep us at bay. How do you think you can escape us now?" She sneered. Knowing fully well what she had in mind, I had no choice but to play pathetic and useless one more time.

"Good morning. I'm sorry for any inconveniences I caused, but...” I tried to speak, but she didn't let me.

"But what? You're feigning your sickness so everyone will believe your lies that you are sick?" She gave me a 'really' look.

Was she being real? As a matter of fact, Seline and the physician had already pointed out how frail and fragile I looked, not to mention pale.

“Please, Dalia, I am really ill and..." I tried to speak again, but the damn a**hole didn't let me find my words.

Oh, come on, shut that filthy mouth of yours and get up. The royal Chambers need to be cleaned." Dalia instructed with a firm glare, daring me to disobey, and it was true. I had no choice but to drag my sick body out of the bed and do what she wanted to avoid further harm, but before I could get up, another presence walked into the room.

"I don't think you can do that, Dalia. You can obviously see she is sick, and besides, she isn't meant to do your work. I am pretty sure we have maids and workers for a reason." Her hair was raised into a tight ponytail, pronouncing her high chin and making her bold lipstick more pronounced.

Belle, a familiar warrior I had seen with Seline practicing. Why was she standing up for me? This is the first almost physical meeting we are having since I saw her with Seline.

Dalia didn't look pleased with Belle's intrusion; her eyes blazed with hidden fury that she fought so hard to suppress. Releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding, I leaned back into the bed, shutting my eyes tight and trying to block out their words.

"You say she is sick; where is the medical report? You are enlightened enough to know that every sick person in this pack has a medical warrant or report." Dalia stated it as a matter of fact.

"Dusk, do you think you can show me where your report is?" I heard Belle ask and stretched my eyes open, ignoring Dalia's glare. I painfully got up, but Belle was quick to help me. I fished out the medical file I saw Seline stuff into the cabinet, handing it to Belle before slumping on my bed.

"Here you are." Belle handed Dalia the file. Grabbing it, Dalia squinted, raising it dramatically to see if there was a forge sign on it.

"Fine. I won't let this pass. I'm not done with you, Dusk." Dalia gritted her teeth and stormed out.

Belle sighed, shut the door, and walked over to me. Placing a reassuring hand on my fisted hands.

"You really shouldn't let them treat you that way, Dusk." Belle started with a sigh. "I know it's hard for you with all the treatment, but you still have Alpha's blood running through your veins. Not to talk of Lucius being your mate."

I sighed in response. I had no response to give; they wouldn't understand why I had become like this. My foundation growing up was the least favorable, with people who were supposed to love me but didn't. My father literally thinks of me as a bad omen, because if not, why would he auction me off at the slightest chance he gets? It makes no sense.

"Can I ask you a question, Dusk?" Belle asked, turning to me.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

"How's your growing up like?" Her voice trailed, and she squinted her eyes, probably trying to get the perfect words. "How was it being an Alpha's daughter? I mean, I didn't really have a great experience growing up. After my mom died, my Pa beat himself to it, getting drunk and physical on me. Eventually, I had to run away. But I have always been fascinated by the type of life you all, Alpha's daughter, lived. How was it? Tell me."

"Sorry to dampen your gooes, but I didn't have a great experience either. See-" I told her everything about my father, how I got here, and how I was treated. It was obviously not what she expected because of the way her mouth dropped.

"Woah. I wasn't expecting that; I'm sorry for bringing this up, Dusk." She took my hands and smiled sweetly. "I am always here for you. And I think it's high time your boyfriend got some beauty treatment; maybe he would start noticing how irresistible you are.".

I laughed so hard that it wrenched out of me almost immediately. I clutched my stomach as the tears spilled from the corner of my eyes.

"Yeah right. Stop trying to make me feel better," I said, waving her off, and she frowned.

"Do you think I'm joking? Honestly not! But if you don't realize that now, But I hope someday you do." She said, nodding her head softly as she spoke.

I nodded, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. I didn't believe her, but that didn't cancel out the fact that she was actually trying to make me feel better. Just that it won't work.

After she left, I raised my hair into a ponytail and plopped on the bed.

Suddenly, the door burst open; the sound made me startle, and I turned to see Seline rushing in with a relieved expression.

"Dusk, I'm so sorry I left you alone for so long," she said, looking at me with concern.

I smiled weakly. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're back."

Seline dropped what she had on the table by the door and walked in. "I met Belle. She did a really good job, huh?"

"Huh? Wait, you asked her to do so?"

"Not really, yeah. Volunteered kinda." She said. "But you are fine, right?"

I nodded. "I just feel a little bit lightheaded. Maybe I'll just take a nap."

Seline smiled. "I have training to attend to as well. Get better; we have a whole lot to talk about."

Wow that's strange.

…

As the days went by, I slowly began to recover, thanks to Seline's care and attention. But I couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. The constant chaos and turmoil of my life made it feel like everything was just one crisis away from falling apart. Or just a step for those bullies to make my life hell.

But for now, I was just grateful for the simple things: a warm bed, good company, and the hope that my life might be better. With or without my mate. Talking of mates, he hasn't returned to the pack since he left for the Alpha's trip. Well, not like I cared, but I noticed a subtle change in our bond. It felt neutral, like he was keeping himself away from other ladies. I tried not to overthink, but it was impossible.

Is there something fundamentally wrong with Lucien, or does he just hate me? Well, time will tell. I stomped the sword into the ground and walked in.

…

LUCIUS

Returning to the pack was another sad reminder of how my life went. My life revolved around my position as the Alpha and my duty to the people. And my responsibility to my father. There was nothing about me. Being an Alpha shouldn't make me feel more like a monster than the human that I am.

After leaving my Dad's meeting, I couldn't get my head around what to do with the ball. Heck, I even turned down one of the hottest breeders in that province that all the Alphas were dying to get into her pants.

I didn't know why, but the image of pathetically dark dusk flashed through my vision almost every time I was frustrated. Slowly, I was beginning to feel that there was more behind that pathetic girl. But that doesn't have anything to do with me, because all the same, she is still a weakling.

I barely noticed Ariadne as she approached me. I irritaed.  Normally, I wouldn't have minded the attention, but today, I just couldn't be bothered with her games.

"Hey, Lucius. Welcome back to the pack," she purred, trailing her hand down my arm.

I pulled away, not in the mood for her flirting. "What do you want, Ardiane?"

She shrugged with a twinkle in her eye. "I just wanted to say hi. And maybe see if you're free later."

"I'm not, sorry," I said curtly, trying to walk away.

But she followed me, pressing herself against my side. "Come on, Lucius. Don't be like that. We could have some fun."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not interested. Please leave me alone."

But she didn't stop. As we walked, she continued to trail her hands on me, whispering in my ear about how I deserved someone who would treat me better than Dusk. I tried to tune her out, but her words still managed to get under my skin.

Eventually, she mentioned something that caught my attention. "You know, Dusk has been acting all strange lately. She doesn't listen to us anymore; she is arrogant and threatens us with her position as your mate."

My ears perked up at this. It wasn't like Dusk to act that way, but with everything that had been happening lately, anything was possible.

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning towards her.

Ardiane smirked. "She's been flaunting her status, acting like she's better than everyone else. I mean, I get it. She's the Alpha's mate and all. But that doesn't mean she can treat us like dirt."

I felt a sense of anger rising within me. If Dusk was really acting that way, then I needed to remind her that I picked her up from the slum as well.

"Thanks for letting me know, Ardiane," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "I'll deal with it."

She smiled, clearly pleased with herself. "Anytime, Alpha. You know where to find me if you want to blow off some steam."

I nodded, barely listening to her as I headed off.

As I walked, I felt a sense of unease settle in my stomach. Ardiane's words had planted a seed of doubt, and I couldn't help but wonder if Dusk really was acting proud and unnerving.

But as I thought about it more, I realized that it didn't matter.