“They looked human. But they knew I wasn’t one of them.”
Lena
I followed him inside.
That was how it all began.
It started without ceremony, no welcoming, but with silence and the sound of my own footsteps following a king.
We walked along, my bags on my shoulders, Riven somewhere behind me, and Kael ahead, moving as if everything around him already knew to get out of his way.
I watched his back, its steadiness, his stride, and felt warmth rising inside me.
What was I thinking?
I should be considering what I’d do in a werewolf kingdom and how I’d survive in the hands of a werewolf where I was the only human.
And here I was, admiring the werewolf king’s back.
Fantastic priorities, Lena.
I still hadn’t spoken since my “you’re not old” comment.
I had made a firm choice not to dwell on that again.
We reached the palace doors, enormous and dark, fashioned from heavy wood carved with unfamiliar symbols older than history itself.
When they swung open, a deep, resonant sound vibrated through the stone floor and up through the soles of my feet.
I stepped inside, and the entrance hall swallowed me whole.
The ceiling was so high I couldn’t see the top.
The walls were thick, dark stone, and the silence inside wasn’t empty; it was weighty like a silence that had sat in this place for hundreds of years and had no interest in you.
It was cold, not “outside” cold but “stone” cold, the kind that lives deep in a building’s bones and never fully leaves.
Yet, the palace felt alive.
Torches flickered along the walls, and deeper inside, I could hear muffled voices, movement, and the pulse of a home lived in.
Almost immediately, I noticed eyes on me.
No one stopped or spoke, but I felt the gaze accompanying me, like heat on your neck.
Servants slowed as I passed; their conversations died, and heads turned.
They looked human, that was what kept tripping me up.
They looked completely human, but a whisper in the back of my mind kept repeating: but they’re not.
Was I expecting wolves to line up and welcome me?
Of course, they’d look human.
Kael moved through all this effortlessly.
People didn’t just look at him; they responded.
They bowed their heads, bodies shifting out of his path without being asked.
The whole corridor seemed to rearrange itself around him.
No one bowed to me.
That was fine.
I was a complete nobody here.
Was I expecting otherwise?
But the looks I received… some were curious, as if I were a strange animal.
Others were cautious.
And some looked at me as if I didn’t belong in this place.
Part of me agreed.
I was so busy watching everyone else that I forgot where I was going.
That was my mistake.
Kael slowed to speak to a guard, and I was still staring at a tapestry older than my country.
And then I walked straight into his back.
It was a full collision.
My face hit right between his shoulder blades.
My bag swung forward, and I staggered back, my heart almost in my throat.
The world spun to a halt.
Oh no.
Oh no, no, Lena.
What have you done?
I just walked into the werewolf king’s with my face on my first day!
Why was I so clumsy?
I was utterly embarrassed.
I wished the ground would swallow me whole, wishing I could vanish into the stone floor.
I kept my head down, not daring to look up.
Kael turned slowly; he wasn’t startled or annoyed.
As he did, I didn’t know when I raised my gaze, his eyes found me.
He looked down at me with that unreadable, sharp, and impeccably composed expression.
My whole body burned.
“I…” My voice faltered.
I cleared my throat and tried again.
“I’m so sorry. I genuinely didn’t… I was looking at the wall. I didn’t see you stop. I’m sorry. That was entirely my fault.” I blurted all at once, closing my eyes.
Behind me, I heard Riven make a sound that wasn’t a cough but a quiet, controlled laugh.
I refused to turn around.
I could still feel Kael’s gaze.
This time, I looked up again.
He wasn’t angry, he was… measuring me.
Then, he blinked slowly.
“Watch where you’re walking,” he said softly.
That was all… oh, wow.
He turned back and continued.
I stood there for a moment, mortified, then followed him at a careful three-step distance.
Riven immediately came to my back.
“Not a word,” I hissed quietly.
“I haven’t said anything,” Riven responded, his tone perfectly even.
“Keep it that way.” I couldn’t understand how I found him so comforting.
I kept my gaze on the floor after that; the floor was safe.
It didn’t have feelings.
But then, I sensed a particular gaze.
It wasn’t the general curiosity type, but a fixed, intense stare.
I looked up and saw a woman standing at the far end of the corridor.
Tall, dark-haired, she wore a deep red dress that seemed moulded to her skin.
She was beautiful in an intentional, deliberate way.
And she smiled at me when our eyes met.
It was a warm, welcoming smile, as if she were delighted I was there.
Yet, a strange feeling stirred in my chest.
It wasn’t fear but an instinctive warning: Something isn’t right here.
Her smile was too perfect, too practised.
I looked away first, but that feeling clung to me, like a stone in my shoe.
Who is she?
We arrived at the foot of a grand staircase, and Kael halted.
I looked up and saw a woman descending.
She wasn’t young, but she wasn’t old either.
She is strong, commanding, and everything about her, from her posture to her gaze, told me she’d been in charge for a long time and radiated royalty.
Her silver-streaked hair was free, and she wore no crown.
She didn’t need one.
Her eyes found mine and lingered.
She looked at me as if she already knew me, like she’d been waiting for me with the patience only a mother possesses.
Kael grew very still beside me as she approached.
The resemblance was clear.
I knew she was the queen, the werewolf queen, and Kael’s mother.
She stepped closer.
What should I say?
“Hello,” or “your majesty”?
I was still lost in thought when her voice broke in. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Welcome to Erevon, Lena.” Her voice was warm and genuine.
I swallowed.
“Thank you… Your Majesty.”
A faint smile crossed her face.
“Astrid,” she said.
“Just Astrid.”
I blinked.
Was the queen telling me to call her by her first name?
This was real.
“You’ve had a long day,” she said softly, her eyes gentle.
“And you’ve been very brave.”
A quiet part of me calmed at her words.
“A little,” I whispered.
I was unsure what kind of bravery I had been showing since coming into this world.
She understood.
I think she knew I meant more.
She reached out and brushed a stray speck of dust from my shoulder, a simple, motherly gesture that tightened my throat.
It reminded me of my mother, and I blinked hard to hold back tears.
“You’ll be shown to your room,” Astrid said softly.
“Rest. We’ll talk this evening.”
“Okay,” I replied, my voice steady.
I was proud of myself.
She looked at me once more, as if making sure I was real, then turned and climbed the stairs.
A servant appeared at my elbow to lead me away.
And just like that, the palace didn’t feel cold to me.
I cast a glance back, seeing Riven busy and the queen already gone.
But Kael remained where I had left him, watching me with an unreadable expression.
It was no longer that cold, measuring look but something quieter, something he hadn’t decided on yet.
We exchanged a brief look.
Then he looked away first.
I followed the servant deeper into the palace, where silence grew thicker.
My room was not at all what I expected; it was warm, with a crackling fire, dark wooden furniture, and a bed big enough for three.
There were flowers, dark purple ones, which I held and smelled; they smelled of night air and cold earth.
I loved flowers.
“His Majesty’s orders,” the servant said before leaving.
I stood there, gazing at them.
He had sent me flowers as a welcoming gift.
I’d never received flowers from anyone before, and here in this world, the werewolf king had given me flowers.
Was he thinking of me?
No, no, I dismissed that thought.
I sat on the bed’s edge and finally let my shoulders relax.
I breathed and realised I was here: I had crossed worlds, entered a palace of wolves, bumped into a king, and still survived.
I pulled my jacket tighter and thought of the woman in the red dress, her perfect smile, how it didn’t quite match her eyes.
I thought of my parents and Tessa.
How were they?
I didn’t know when I drifted off to sleep.
Lena has officially entered the lion’s den!
I wasn’t sure how to make this chapter feel exactly what I feel in my imaginary world, but I hope you enjoy it.
The Queen’s kindness was a relief.That woman in wine-red is definitely going to be a problem.
Drop your theories below!
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