Chapter seven
Liliana
The training yard was bright and sunny.
"Think fast,' Tony said, his wooden sword hitting my sword with a force that vibrated through my entire body, causing me to almost lose balance.
I managed to hold on to my sword, but Tony was not giving up.
He struck my sword again, sending it flying from my tiny seven-year-old hands.
I pouted as he charged towards me with his sword, ready to strike again.
He immediately stopped when he noticed and pretended to fall, making me win.
My father's laughter warmed my chest.
"You did good, my princess." My father walked over to us, clapping his hands.
He high-fives Tony. "Good work on protecting your sister, son," he said with a proud smile.
He turned to me and carried me up.
I smiled, happiness radiating in my chest.
I never wanted to grow up.
But then the illusion broke when I heard the sound of laughter and yelling.
I groaned at the crushing realization that I had been dreaming this whole time.
I kept my eyes shut, knowing that if I opened them, I'd be forced to acknowledge all of the betrayals I had gone through in the past week.
The sound of heavy metal music suddenly started playing from nowhere, forcing my eyes open.
The music got louder, and voices of people mixed in, causing a complete ruckus and shaking the entire house.
What was the time?
I glanced at the intricately designed wall clock, and it was only 7:30am.
What in the goddess's name?
Do these people even sleep?
For a pack of feared and revered assassins, they sure were a rowdy bunch. I looked out from the large glass window, and my eyes landed on Gerald, who was just sitting outside puffing cigarettes. His eyes almost met with mine, but I looked away and crawled back into bed. Why did it feel like he was always watching? Why is he everywhere!?
A knock came at the door before I could fully form my thoughts.
I let out a sigh, wondering who the hell was at my door at this time of day.
"Who is it?" I yelled as I made my way to the door.
A tiny voice started to speak right as I unlocked the door and pulled it open.
"It's me."
A beautiful young brown-haired girl not older than fifteen stood at the door looking at me a little lost.
"Hello miss, I'm Tabitha. I am your new handmaiden."
I stared at her suspiciously. Why would Gerald assign a handmaiden to me?
Was it to spy on me?
"Tell him I'm not interested in one." I said, about to close the door.
Ever since my brother and Damon, trusting people has become hard. The only reason I was still with Gerald was because he'd saved me from the hands of Damon, and even at that, I was still skeptical about his intentions. There was no reason for him to want to save me, and yet he did, which meant there was some kind of ulterior motive that I didn't know about yet.
"But the Alpha will punish me if I return," she panicked.
I held back the door, glared at her, and sighed out loud.
As much as I wanted to send her away, I couldn't. The poor girl was a child, and Gerald was a terrifying man. I had a feeling he didn't mind hurting women or children. Hell, he was about to kill me just forty-eight hours ago.
"Fine. Come on," I said, opening the door wider.
She smiled nervously and walked in. She is wearing a wood-colored rope that I've never seen before, nothing like the handmaiden in my father's house. Is this how they dress here?
"I'm sorry if I'm causing any inconvenience," she said as she stood in the middle of the room looking confused.
For the first time, I was in the room.
It was large. Larger than the windowless room I had been taken to the last time...
The walls were painted a dark, almost midnight blue, and the curtains were golden. The queen-size four-poster bed lay in the middle of the room.
It was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as my room back home, but not quite.
"It's not you," I sighed.
Now that I took her in, she looked a lot like the handmaid I had back at my pack.
The thought brought about a wave of depression that made me uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?" Tabitha asked.
I nodded even though I felt the furthest from okay.
"Would you like me to run you a bath?" She asked.
"Yes, go ahead," I said.
She smiled big, all too happy to be of help.
I watched as she skipped towards the bathroom and smiled involuntarily. Then schooled my features.
I shouldn't trust her, especially since I knew next to nothing about her.
I made my way towards the window on the right and opened it.
The rays of the early morning sun illuminated the room, casting a glow that gave the room an ethereal feel.
I stared out the window and was met with a well-manicured garden.
It felt out of place. Almost a ridiculous contrast to the brutality of the inhabitants of the place and the rest of the pack house.
"Lady Liliana?" Tabitha called from behind.
"Yes," I turned.
"Your bath is ready."
"Thanks," I said and made my way to the bathroom.
It was no less extravagant than the room.
It was complete with a bathtub that doubled as a Jacuzzi and then a shower and a huge vanity.
There was a shower gel and a moisturizer on the vanity table. The ones I assumed Tabitha had brought with her.
"Would you like anything else?" Tabitha suddenly appeared.
"Some privacy would be nice," I said.
Her eyes widened as if coming to a realization, and then she blushed.
"I'm sorry," she said and scurried out of the bathroom.
I closed the door behind her and sauntered towards the bathtub. I bent to gauge the temperature of the water and smiled when I realized it was just right.
I took off my clothes and climbed into the tub.
"Ah, that's perfect," I murmured as I lowered into the tub.
I felt relaxed for the first time in weeks.
Steam curled around me like a warm embrace as I sank deeper into the water. For a fleeting moment, the fear, the betrayal, and the chaos melted away into silence and peace.
I closed my eyes, letting the warmth soothe the ache in my bones. My mind drifted back to my dream easily: Father's laughter, Tony's clumsy fall, and the way happiness had once come so easily. A lump formed in my throat. That life was gone, shattered like glass underfoot. Still, in this moment of quiet, I let myself pretend it wasn't. The scent of lavender fills the air, and for the first time in days, I felt like myself again, or at least a fraction of it.
The naive part of me is gone now.
I stood up from the bathroom tub what felt like an hour later but was only about twenty minutes and dried myself with a towel neatly placed on a rack beside the bathtub.
I caught my reflection in the mirror above the vanity: tired eyes, hollow cheeks, a stranger staring back at me.
I looked away, not quite ready to face my demons yet.
I found a robe and put it on before walking out of the bathroom.
I found Tabitha folding and arranging some clothes out of a shopping bag.
"Whose are those?" I asked, walking towards her.
"Yours, Lady Liliana."
I frowned.
"Alpha Gerald got them for you since you have no clothes."
"Oh, thanks," I said simply, unsure how to feel about it.
"You should not be thanking me. I'm merely the messenger."
A smile crawled its way to my face.
"I guess you're right."
"I picked out a couple of clothes for you that you might want to wear."
I glanced at the love seat where a couple of folded clothes lay.
Quietly, I strolled towards them and found a coffee-brown sundress.
There were more sundresses of different varieties and cuts.
"You look beautiful," she said with an eager smile.
"Thanks," I said.
"Where is Gerald?" I asked after a pause. I needed to talk to him about everything.
"I'm not sure. Probably at the training yard. The Alpha never tells the servants his whereabouts."
"I see."
"If you're ready, I'll take you to breakfast."
"Sure, of course."
I glanced once more at the sundress, the warm room, and the sunshine pouring in.
A golden prison is still a prison.
With that, I followed her out of the room, ready to face a new life.
But Gerald is ruthless; he didn't strike me as the kind of man who gave gifts... without expecting something in return.
I'm still his captive.
Why would he buy clothes for me and bring me to this room?