SAREYA
A DEAFENING silence greeted me the moment I stepped inside the dining room.
The sheer size of the place still intimidated me no matter how many times I entered it. The room was enormous, elegant, and almost painfully luxurious. A long twenty-seater table stretched across the center beneath a grand crystal chandelier that reflected warm golden light onto the polished marble floor.
Everything looked expensive.
Perfect.
Untouched.
And empty.
Only a single maid stood near the table waiting for me.
She immediately pulled out a chair for me the moment I approached, her movements careful and practiced.
"Good evening, Miss Sareya," she greeted softly.
Her voice was polite.
Too polite.
I quietly thanked her before sitting down.
The aroma of seafood filled the room almost immediately. The dish prepared for me tonight looked exquisite—butter-glazed shrimp, grilled salmon, fresh vegetables, and warm soup resting beside neatly arranged utensils.
Anyone else would have been delighted.
But no matter how delicious the food looked…
I couldn't bring myself to feel happy anymore.
Because once again. I would be eating alone.
The maid silently poured water into my glass without once meeting my eyes.
She avoided every glance I tried to give her.
And honestly… I was already used to it.
The people inside this estate hated me.
Or feared me.
Maybe both.
Every day whenever I passed through the hallways, the servants would immediately lower their heads and step aside as though I carried some kind of deadly disease.
Sometimes I even heard whispers stop the moment I appeared.
The loneliness inside this mansion felt heavier than chains.
I slowly picked up my utensils and began eating.
The only sound filling the dining room was the faint clinking of silverware against porcelain.
The maid remained standing silently nearby, waiting in case I needed something.
From the corner of my eye, I studied her carefully.
She looked young.
Too young.
Perhaps close to my age.
Her frame was thin and fragile-looking, and there were faint dark circles beneath her eyes as though she barely slept. Something about her reminded me painfully of the girl I met inside that prison.
Small.
Quiet.
Afraid.
Without thinking too much, I looked up at her.
"Why don't you join me?" I asked gently.
The maid froze completely.
Her eyes widened in shock as though she thought she heard me wrong.
"M-Miss?"
"You can eat with me," I repeated softly. "There's too much food anyway."
The girl looked genuinely panicked now. Her brows furrowed together. "Th-thank you very much for the invitation," she answered quickly, her voice trembling slightly, "but the head maid strictly instructed me that I'm not allowed to dine with you. I apologize."
Her gaze remained lowered the entire time.
Shoulders slightly hunched.
Like she was terrified of saying the wrong thing.
A bitter smile unconsciously formed on my lips.
This wasn't new anymore.
Ever since I arrived here, I had tried inviting several maids to eat with me.
Every single one refused.
Some politely.
Some fearfully.
Some hatefully.
Some looking at me like accepting would cost them their lives.
"I understand," I murmured quietly before returning my attention to the food.
The rest of the meal passed in silence.
Heavy.
Lonely.
I finished eating with a tight feeling in my chest.
It had already been almost a month since I came here.
And ever since Raven brought me to this estate…
I hadn't seen any of them again.
Not Raven.
Not Zython.
Not the others.
And especially not Kazer.
A part of me was relieved.
But another part... A smaller, quieter part..
Couldn't stop wondering why.
I slowly stood from my seat.
Immediately, the maid followed behind me.
So she was my assigned attendant now.
Not the older woman from before.
What happened to the elderly maid who used to accompany me?
Did they replace her?
Or did she request to leave because of me?
As we walked through the long hallway, I glanced toward the girl beside me.
"How long have you been working here?" I asked softly.
The question clearly startled her.
She looked at me with visible confusion and unease.
"I-I only started last week, Miss Sareya," she answered carefully.
Last week?
That explained why I had never seen her before.
I nodded slowly before continuing down the hallway.
Soon, we arrived at one of the only places inside the estate that gave me even the slightest comfort.
The library.
Massive shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with countless books of every size and age. The scent of old paper and polished wood immediately surrounded me.
This place felt different.
Quiet…
But not suffocating.
Books about vampires, werewolves, witches, ancient kingdoms, forgotten wars, and mythical creatures filled the shelves.
I walked toward the history section and carefully pulled another old book from the upper shelf.
This was already the fourth volume discussing the history of the Reighton Pack.
The previous books explained how the pack was formed centuries ago and how it rose to become one of the most powerful werewolf bloodlines in existence.
According to the records, the ReightonPack belonged to the Six Pillars of the Werewolf Knights—ancient pure-blooded families chosen long ago to serve the Moon Maiden herself.
Each pillar carried its own sigil.
Its own territory.
Its own army.
But everything changed after a mysterious plague spread throughout the city protected by the Moon Maiden.
The ancient order eventually collapsed.
The Six Pillars separated and began ruling independently.
Yet despite that…
The ReightonPack remained one of the strongest among them.
My fingers brushed over the faded pages thoughtfully. The book I got from the upper shelves talked about Kazer's grandparents—how they prospered and led the Reighton Pack.
I slowly closed the book before glancing toward the maid beside me.
"What's your name?" I asked gently.
The girl visibly startled again.
As though she still couldn't understand why I kept talking to her.
"N-Nelly, Miss Sareya," she answered quickly.
I looked at her fully this time.
For a brief second, our eyes met.
But she immediately lowered her gaze again.
"Just call me Sare," I said softly.
Nelly froze.
Her expression shifted strangely.
Fear.
Shock.
Hesitation.
Something unreadable flickered across her face.
I frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously.
"N-Nothing…"
I tilted my head slightly.
"There's clearly something bothering you," I said gently. "Don't be afraid. Just tell me."
Nelly opened her mouth hesitantly.
But before she could answer—
The library doors suddenly opened.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Head Maid Porsea entered the room.
The older woman stood tall and rigid in her dark uniform, her sharp eyes immediately landing on me with visible displeasure.
Cold hostility radiated from her so naturally that I almost found it amusing now.
Nelly immediately lowered her head further beside me.
"Alpha Kazer is here," Porsea announced coldly.
My entire body stiffened.
"He wants to see you in his office in five minutes."
Her tone left absolutely no room for refusal.
Silence settled over the library before I finally nodded quietly.
"I understand."
Porsea's eyes narrowed slightly as though dissatisfied by how calm I sounded. She remained near the entrance, staring at me impatiently.
The head maid always looked at me like I was something filthy that wandered into the estate by mistake.
At this point, I was already used to it.
As I walked toward the door, Porsea suddenly spoke again.
"You haven't changed."
I stopped briefly.
Her voice had lowered now.
More serious.
I slowly turned toward her.
"What do you mean?"
Porsea's sharp eyes studied me carefully.
Then she looked away.
"Nothing," she answered stiffly. "Just remember your place."
Before I could respond, she turned and walked out of the library.
Leaving me alone once more in the suffocating silence.
And somewhere deep inside my chest.. unease slowly began to grow.
***
I STOOD silently in front of the massive doors leading to Kazer's office.
Even from outside, I could hear faint voices coming from within, though the thick wooden doors muffled their conversation too much for me to understand what they were saying.
Behind me stood Nelly.
She looked far more nervous than I was.
Her hands were tightly clasped together in front of her apron while her anxious eyes remained fixed on me.
Before we came here, she had repeatedly warned me to be careful with my words around Alpha Kazer.
"He hates disrespect."
"His patience is short."
"And when he gets angry… everyone suffers."
Those were the exact words she whispered to me earlier while helping fix my hair.
Even now, I still didn't fully understand why she suddenly cared.
But despite my confusion…
I found myself smiling softly at her.
Because ever since I arrived in this estate. She was the first person who genuinely looked worried for me.
Not because of duty.
Not because she was ordered to.
But because she truly feared something bad might happen to me.
And somehow…
That small concern warmed a part of me I thought had already gone cold.
I took a slow breath before raising my hand.
Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
The voices inside immediately fell silent.
A few seconds later, a deep voice spoke from the other side.
"Come in."
My fingers tightened slightly around the doorknob before I slowly pushed the door open.
The moment I stepped inside—
Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
All five Alphas were present.
Kazer sat behind the large black desk near the windows, his posture relaxed yet commanding enough to dominate the entire room effortlessly.
Beside him stood Raven, calm and unreadable as always.
Zython leaned casually against the wall with crossed arms, though unlike his usual playful expression, his face looked unusually serious tonight.
The other two Alphas sat nearby in silence.
And then—
There was Doc Elena.
The moment our eyes met, worry immediately flashed across her face.
But what truly made my chest tighten were the two unfamiliar elderly men seated near the center of the office.
Both of them were staring directly at me.
No— Studying me.
Like I was some kind of puzzle they had spent years trying to solve.
The older of the two slowly narrowed his sharp eyes.
Then Raven suddenly spoke.
"Are you certain?" he asked seriously while looking at one of the elders. "Is she truly the one, Elder Raul?"
My brows furrowed slightly.
The one?
Who were they talking about?
The elderly man called Raul slowly rose from his seat.
A cane supported his movements, though despite his age, there was something deeply unsettling about him.
Power.
The kind that didn't need violence to be frightening.
His hair was completely white, and deep wrinkles marked his face, yet the moment he looked at me.
The entire room seemed to grow heavier.
I instinctively fought the urge to step backward.
Elder Raul slowly approached me.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
The sound of his cane echoed sharply across the silent office.
Then he stopped directly in front of me.
Close enough for me to notice how strangely intense his gaze was.
His eyes slowly moved across my face.
As if searching for something.
Remembering something.
Finally, he spoke.
"I cannot be mistaken, Alpha Raven."
His voice was old but firm, every word carrying undeniable certainty.
"She is that child."
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
Child?
What child?
Elder Raul's eyes never left mine.
"It seems," he continued quietly, "you have finally found her."
Silence swallowed the room.
Then suddenly...
Everyone looked at me at once.
The intensity of their gazes hit me like a physical force.
Raven's expression hardened.
Zython stared at me with visible disbelief.
One of the other Alphas looked tense, irritated even.
And Kazer...
Kazer remained completely emotionless.
But his golden eyes…
They were terrifying.
Sharp.
Focused.
Watching every reaction I made.
Doc Elena immediately stood from her seat.
"Sareya…" she called softly, concern evident in her voice.
Only then did I realize I had unconsciously stepped backward.
The pressure filling the office was overwhelming.
It felt difficult to breathe.
"What…" My voice came out weak. "What are you talking about?"
No one answered immediately.
The silence only made my heartbeat pound harder.
I looked from one face to another.
Confused.
Uneasy.
Afraid.
Elder Raul slowly lifted one trembling hand toward me.
And the moment he did—
My entire body froze.
Because suddenly—
A strange pain exploded inside my head, and an unexplainable emotion made my chest ache.
I gasped sharply.
My knees nearly gave out beneath me as a violent pressure spread throughout my body.
Images flashed through my mind so quickly they barely made sense.
Golden eyes.
Fire.
Blood.
A woman crying.
A symbol glowing beneath moonlight.
And a voice—
Soft.
Broken.
"Protect her…"
I stumbled backward with a shaky breath, clutching my chest tightly.
"What… is happening…?"
Doc Elena immediately rushed toward me.
"Sareya!"
But before she could reach me—
Kazer moved first.
In a single instant, he was suddenly standing directly in front of me.
His hand caught my arm firmly before I could collapse.
The warmth of his grip sent another violent ache through my chest.
I looked up at him instinctively.
And for the first time since entering this estate—
I saw something crack slightly inside his emotionless expression.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Something far more dangerous.
Recognition.
Kazer's grip on my arm tightened slightly as his golden eyes locked onto mine.
Then, in a low voice filled with chilling certainty, he said.
"So it really is you."
To be continued...