She barely made it a few steps before she suddenly grabbed at her throat, her eyes widening in terror as though an invisible hand had closed around her neck.
Within seconds, blood began to trickle from her eyes and mouth, struggling helplessly.
I stared at her in horror, knowing that she wasn’t the one who deserved this.
She had only been following orders, and somehow, I was the reason she was being punished.
“I’ll stay in here,” I finally said, my voice weak from exhaustion.
“Just let her go.
It isn’t her fault.
It’s mine.” A soft, amused laugh echoed through the darkness.
“Hahaha… So kind of you, my dear Paw Paw.” The invisible pressure around the servant disappeared immediately, and she slumped onto the floor, coughing weakly as she struggled to recover.
I barely had the strength to remain upright, and after everything that had happened, I could no longer pretend that I had any fight left in me.
“Don’t call me that,” I muttered tiredly.
“I’m too exhausted.
Just leave me alone.
I’ve truly had enough of all this.” I meant every word.
The Mills family was chaotic, cruel, and miserable, but whatever this place was, it was something entirely different.
At least with my family, I had understood the rules of their cruelty.
Here, nothing made sense, and every moment seemed to bring another terrifying surprise.
“Haha… That’s perfect,” the unseen voice replied, sounding almost pleased.
“You truly know where you belong, Paw Paw.” “I said don’t call me that,” I protested, irritation finally overcoming some of my fear.
“My name is Frida.
Frida.” Who even came up with such a ridiculous nickname?
I had never been called anything like that in my entire life, and I certainly didn’t understand why this strange man seemed so determined to use it.
“Haha… All right, Rida.” I closed my eyes briefly, too tired to argue with him anymore.
“Kiaren, leave with that servant, and since she has been pardoned, don’t kill her.
I don’t want my pet to think I’ve gone back on my word.” The voice faded as quickly as it had appeared, and the strange presence that had filled the room seemed to disappear with it.
Silence settled over the Dark Night Wing once again, leaving only the faint sounds of breathing and the servant’s weak movements on the floor.
“Kiaren?” I whispered, the name suddenly registering in my mind.
Wasn’t that the name of the man I was supposed to marry?
Wasn’t he the supreme Alpha?
But wait?
He couldn’t be a weakling right?
I stared toward him in confusion, still trying to understand how my wedding had somehow turned into this nightmare.
The man who had been trying to reach me through the cage glanced in my direction before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
“Tsk.
You just made the wrong choice,” Kiaren said coldly.
He bent down, grabbed the servant, and began dragging her toward the door.
She was barely able to keep her feet beneath her, but he showed no concern for her condition as he pulled her out of the room.
A moment later, the door closed behind them, leaving me alone inside the cage once again.
“So useless…” Kiaren muttered as they reached the corridor, before tossing the exhausted servant aside.
He then walked out of the Dark Night Wing and approached the guards who had been searching the estate.
“There’s no need to continue the search,” he ordered coldly.
“And no one is to enter the Dark Night Wing.” The guards immediately stopped what they were doing and followed his command without question, unaware of what had happened beyond those forbidden doors.
For several minutes after Kiaren left, I remained exactly where I was, sitting on the floor of the cage with my back against the bars.
The silence that followed felt almost unnatural after the chaos of the past few minutes, and although I could no longer hear Kiaren or the servant outside, I knew better than to assume I was truly alone.
This room had already shown me enough to understand that silence did not necessarily mean safety.
I slowly lifted a hand to my neck, rubbing the place where Kiaren’s fingers had been wrapped around it.
My throat still hurt, and every breath carried a faint soreness that reminded me of how helpless I had been inside the cage.
I couldn’t understand why he had been so furious with me, especially when I had never even met him properly before today.
According to the Mills family, I was supposed to become his bride, yet the first time I had come face-to-face with him, he had treated me like a criminal.
And now I was apparently his uncle’s pet.
I let out a tired sigh and rested my head against the bars, wondering how my life had gone so terribly wrong in a single day.
A few hours ago, my biggest concern had been figuring out how to survive the Mills Estate until I could somehow become independent.
Then I had gone to the hospital and learned that I had barely four months left.
I had thought that diagnosis was the worst thing that could happen to me.
I had clearly been wrong.
A faint sound came from somewhere in the room.
My body immediately tensed.
I lifted my head and listened carefully, but nothing followed.
The room remained dim and quiet, and for a moment I wondered whether my exhausted mind was beginning to betray me again.
I didn’t move, however.
After everything I had witnessed, I had no intention of dismissing strange sounds so easily.
Then I heard it again.
A soft creak came from somewhere behind me.
I slowly turned my head, scanning the room through the bars.
The enormous bedroom looked exactly as it had before, with the large bed standing against the far wall and heavy curtains covering the windows.
There was no sign of anyone, but the feeling of being watched returned so strongly that I instinctively pulled my knees closer to my chest.
“Are you still there?” I asked quietly.
There was no answer.
I swallowed and lowered my gaze, trying to convince myself that whoever had been hiding in the shadows had finally left.
I had barely managed to relax when the voice returned.
“You’re rather brave for someone who keeps claiming to be exhausted.” I immediately froze.
The voice hadn’t come from outside the cage.
It had come from behind me.
I slowly turned around, and my heart began pounding when I found him sitting casually on the edge of the bed as though he had been there all along.
The faint light barely touched his features, leaving most of his face concealed by shadow, but I could still see the amusement in his eyes.
I immediately pressed myself farther against the bars.
“I thought you left.” “I did.” His answer was so casual that I stared at him in confusion.
“Then how are you back?” A quiet laugh escaped him.
“You ask far too many questions, Rida.” “My name is Frida,” I reminded him, though my voice lacked the strength to sound angry anymore.
“And I don’t understand anything that’s happening here.” “That is because you are trying to understand things that aren’t meant for you.” I frowned at him, irritation replacing some of my fear.
“Then why did you bring me here?” He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed on me, studying me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and that uncertainty was almost worse than the threats.
Finally, he rose from the bed and walked toward the cage.
I instinctively moved away from him.
He stopped several steps from the bars.
“You’re afraid of me.” “Of course I am,” I replied honestly.
“You locked me inside a cage, called me your pet, threatened me, and somehow made another person bleed without touching her.
What exactly did you expect?” For the first time, his amusement seemed to fade.
“You noticed that?” “How could I not?” He stared at me for another long moment before his expression became unreadable again.
“You’re different, Rida.” I sighed in frustration.
“Everyone keeps saying things like that without explaining anything.
I’m just Frida Mills.
I’m sick, I’m tired, and I want to go home.” “Home?” The way he repeated the word made me pause.
“Yes.
Home.” He tilted his head slightly, as though considering the meaning of it.