"Why?"
She met his gaze. "Because I'm tired of being kept in the dark. I'm tired of not understanding what's happening to me. And I'm tired of being locked in a room like I'm something to be stored away until someone decides what to do with me."
Marcus didn't respond. Just watched her with that steady, assessing look.
"I'll tell him," he said finally.
Then he was gone.
The servant came twenty minutes later.
The same woman. At this point Cora had her own personal maid .She carried a basin of warm water, bandages, and a jar of salve that smelled like herbal. She knelt at Cora's feet without a word and began to work.
The water stung. Cora hissed through her teeth, her hands fisting in the sheets, but she didn't pull away. The woman's touch was surprisingly gentle despite her blank expression. She cleaned each cut with care, applied the salve in thin layers, wrapped the bandages tight but not too tight.
When she finished, she stood. Gathered her supplies. Left without acknowledging Cora's quiet thank you.
The door didn't lock behind her.
Cora stared at it,It would be so easy to get up, to walk out, to try again.
But her feet wouldn't carry her. And even if they could — where would she go? Back into the forest?
A knock on the door.
Cora's eyes snapped open.
"Come in."
The door swung wide. But it wasn't Damien.
Seraphina stood in the doorway.
She was dressed differently now — black silk blouse, fitted trousers, hair pinned up in an elegant twist. She looked like she'd stepped out of a fashion editorial. Perfect. Polished. Every inch the future wife of an Alpha.
Her dark eyes swept over Cora. The bandaged feet and The tear-stained face she hadn't bothered to wash.
"So," Seraphina said. "The little runaway returns."
Cora didn't move. Didn't react. She kept her expression neutral, her body still.
"Can I help you?"
Seraphina smiled. It didn't reach her eyes.
"I heard you caused quite a commotion tonight. Running through the forest like a frightened rabbit. Making the Alpha chase after you." She stepped into the room, her heels clicking against the floor. "It's almost impressive. Most humans would be too terrified to try."
"I'm not most humans."
"No." Seraphina tilted her head, studying her. "You're not, are you? That's the problem."
She moved closer.Like a cat circling something it couldn't decide whether to play with or kill.
"I've been trying to figure out what makes you so special," she continued. "Why Damien keeps you here instead of disposing of you like he would anyone else. And I think I'm starting to understand."
Cora's heart was pounding. But she kept her voice steady.
"Understand what?"
Seraphina stopped at the foot of the bed.
"You're not just a witness," she said. "You're something else. Something he wants." Her smile sharpened. "Or something he needs."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't you?" Seraphina leaned in. Close enough that Cora could smell her perfume, cloying in its sweetness. "I saw the way he looked at you in that dining room. Like he was fighting himself every second. Like it took everything he had not to touch you."
Cora's stomach twisted.
"He's engaged to you."
"Yes. He is." Seraphina straightened. "And that's not going to change. Whatever you think is happening between you and him, whatever fantasy you've built in that pretty little head, it doesn't matter. In three months, I'll be his wife. His Luna. The mother of his heirs." She paused. Let the words sink in. "And you'll be nothing.
Cora Wanted to cry more,Wanted to scream that it wasn't like that, that she didn't want any of this, that she'd give anything to make the bond stop pulling at her chest.
But she didn't.
She looked Seraphina dead in the eyes.
"Are you done?"
Something flickered in Seraphina's expression. Surprise, maybe. Or irritation.
"Excuse me?"
"I said, are you done?" Cora's voice was calm. Flat. "Because I've had a really long night. I've been chased through a forest. My feet are shredded. And I'm tired. So if you're finished telling me how little I matter, I'd like to rest."
Silence.
Seraphina stared at her. For a moment, something dangerous flashed in those dark eyes, something that reminded Cora that this woman was half vampire, half wolf, and could probably kill her without breaking a sweat.
Then Seraphina laughed.
"Oh, I like you." She stepped back from the bed. "You've got spine. She moved toward the door. "It's almost a shame, really. In another life, we might have been friends."
She paused and Looked back.
"But this isn't another life. And I don't share."
She walked out.
Cora sat in silence for a long time after Seraphina left.
Her hands were shaking. She pressed them flat against her thighs, trying to still the tremors. The confrontation had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit. Every word Seraphina had said was still ringing in her ears.
she was right. Maybe Cora was fooling herself, thinking she had any power here, any agency. She had no allies, no weapons, no understanding of the world she'd been dragged into.
Another knock.
"Come in."
The door opened and this time it was Damien.
He looked like hell.
That was her first thought. His suit jacket was gone, his shirt untucked, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was disheveled, like he'd been running his hands through it. And his eyes ,those cold blue eyes that usually gave nothing away l were shadowed. Tired.
He closed the door behind him. Didn't lock it. Just stood there, watching her.
" Well thanks , I know I look like hell.Marcus said you wanted to talk "
"I do."
"About what?"
Cora took a breath. Steadied herself.
"I want out of this room."
His jaw tightened. "That's not—"
"I'm not finished." She held up a hand. "I'm not asking to leave. I know I can't. I know you'd find me before I made it a mile. But I can't stay locked in here forever, staring at these walls.
She paused. Watched his face.
"Something is happening to me. I can feel it. Whatever I am — it's real. And it's getting stronger. I need to understand it. I need to learn how to control it."
Damien didn't respond. Just stood there, his expression unreadable.
"So here's what I'm asking," Cora continued. "Let me out of this room. Let me move around. Let me learn about this world ,your world. Not as a prisoner nor a pet. As someone who's trying to survive."
She met his eyes. Held them.
"I'm not asking for your trust. I know I haven't earned it. But I'm asking for a chance. That's all."
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, Damien moved. He walked toward her, slow, stopping at the foot of the bed. His gaze swept over her .
"You want freedom," he said.
"I want answers."
"And if I say no?"
Cora lifted her chin.
"Then I'll keep running. Every chance I get. I'll make your life hell until you either kill me or let me go."
"You're not afraid of me."
"I'm terrified of you." Her voice was steady. "But I'm more afraid of spending the rest of my life in a room ."
Damien was silent for a long moment. Then he exhaled slowly
"Fine."
Cora blinked. "What?"
"Fine." He straightened. "You can leave the room. You can move through the house — within limits. You can learn about what you are." His eyes hardened. "But there are conditions."
"Name them."
"You don't leave the estate. You don't go near the forest. You don't speak to anyone about what you are or why you're here." He paused.
The last condition caught her off guard.
Why?"
"Because I said so."
"Fine," she said.
Damien nodded. Turned toward the door.
"Damien."
He paused. Didn't turn around.
"Thank you."
A long beat of silence.
"Don't thank me yet," he said.
And then he was gone.