"Power was easy to gain. Keeping it was where the real battle began."
— Murasaki Sumi
024.
Astrid stepped into her new chambers and stopped in the doorway, taking it all in.
The room was everything she had ever wanted. Soft gold curtains hung from the tall windows, a canopy bed sat draped in deep red silk, and a full-length mirror stood in one corner, framed in gold.
Fresh flowers filled every vase, and gift boxes wrapped in ribbons sat stacked near the door, congratulations from nobles eager to stay on her good side.
She should have been happy.
She was happy, but the happiness sat buried beneath something more disturbing, something that had been building since the moment Serene called Seyra’s name instead of hers.
Her hands curled into fists.
Seyra.
That maid. That nobody.
She had stood in front of the entire pack and humiliated her. She had made Astrid stand there in all her fame and glory, ready to be crowned, only to be told the title belonged to someone else.
And then, like it was nothing, Seyra had handed it back to her, like she was doing Astrid a favor.
A growl tore from her throat.
She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it against the wall. It shattered, flowers and water scattering across the floor.
She wasn’t done.
She tore the congratulations posters down one by one, ripping them apart with shaking hands. She kicked the gift boxes across the room, sending ribbons and torn paper flying.
By the time she stopped, she was breathing hard, her perfect chambers now a disaster of broken glass and scattered petals.
"I hate you, Seyra! I hate you so much!" she screamed. "Who do you think you are?!"
She removed the crown from her head and threw it onto the bed, her blood boiling.
Right from when they were kids, Seyra had always acted like she was better than everyone else. She got the good grades, had the best academic record, and even helped at the shelter. She had always acted like she was all that just because she excelled in school.
Astrid hated it.
She hated that despite her beauty, there was something Seyra was good at that she wasn’t.
And because of that, Astrid made sure she used her beauty and status as the prettiest girl to get whatever she wanted.
One wink, one blink, and a pout, and she had everyone in the palm of her hand.
While everyone ignored and bullied Seyra, Astrid got all the praise.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Seyra had always been stubborn, always refusing to stay down.
And now?
That good-for-nothing had humiliated her in front of everyone.
She wasn’t going to stand for it.
The door opened behind her.
"Astrid?"
She turned to find Cassiel standing in the doorway, her parents just behind him. All three of them stared at the mess with wide eyes.
"What happened here?" Salome asked, stepping carefully around a shattered vase.
"I’m mad," Astrid answered, her chest still heaving.
"Mad about what?" Bruce asked. "You got the crown."
"I don’t know what Seyra fed the Alpha," Astrid snapped, "but I know she told him something. I know she told him bad things about me. I knew she’d always been jealous of me, but going this far? I can’t believe it!"
She paced across the room, glass crunching beneath her shoes.
"And now I feel like this crown could be taken away just as easily as it was given."
"That’s not going to happen," Cassiel said, stepping toward her.
"You don’t know that."
"Astrid," Salome called, her voice firm. "You are the one who deserves this crown. Seyra never measured up to you. Not in looks, not in grace, not in anything. Stop worrying."
"I can’t stop worrying!" Astrid’s voice cracked. "Did you not see what happened tonight? The Alpha saw that she humiliated him in front of everyone, and instead of killing her like he should have, he brought her back alive. He spared her."
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"Why would he do that unless he’s interested in her somehow?"
Silence settled over the room.
Salome’s eyes narrowed.
"She probably sold her body to him," she said with a sneer. "That’s the only explanation. Desperate, pathetic girl, using the only thing she has left to keep herself relevant."
She shook her head.
"She’s worthless to him either way. Just something to pass the time with."
"Exactly," Bruce added. "Seyra is useless. Always has been. Don’t waste your energy worrying about her, Astrid."
Her parents left shortly after, satisfied they had calmed her down, leaving Astrid alone with Cassiel.
He reached for her hand.
"Don’t worry," he gently rubbed the back of her palm. "Everything will be fine."
Astrid shook her head slowly. "I have to make sure the crown doesn’t go back to Seyra after three months."
Her voice turned cold and calculating.
"Whatever it takes, I need her to do something that makes the Alpha want to kill her himself. And if he doesn’t..."
She looked up at Cassiel.
"I’ll have to do it myself. Accidents happen all the time."
Cassiel’s eyes widened. "Astrid, that’s going too far."
"She went too far first." Astrid’s voice sharpened. "She plotted to take this crown from me and then acted innocent in front of everyone, making me look like a fool for believing I’d earned it."
"She didn’t kill you," Cassiel said carefully.
"What makes you think she won’t?"
Cassiel raised a brow. "I don’t see Seyra as that kind of person."
The girl might have had her flaws, but he had spent eight months with her. He knew the kind of person she was.
Seyra basically cried whenever any animal got hurt.
Why on earth would she think about killing someone?
Besides, if she wanted to kill Astrid, she would have done it a long time ago.
She was the one who had basically cooked everybody’s food when she was still with her family. She worked in the house like a maid even though Bruce was rich enough not to need her to. She cooked everyone’s meals and prepared Astrid’s tea.
Killing Astrid wouldn’t have been hard then.
So why now, when Astrid was Lady Royal? When anyone who tried it would be risking their life?
It didn’t make sense to him.
Astrid turned on him, her eyes narrowing. "Since when do you defend her?" she asked, her voice cold.
"I’m not defending her." Cassiel straightened. "I’m saying you’re going too far. Your job as Lady Royal is to protect people, not plan how to kill them."
Astrid threw her head back and laughed, the sound cold and humorless. "I didn’t become Lady Royal to take on responsibilities, Cassiel. I became Lady Royal for the power and the respect."
She stared at her nails, scowling before continuing. "I became Lady Royal because it elevates my status, and because I was the only one pretty enough to deserve it."
She crossed her arms. "I don’t care about weak people. If they want justice, they can get it themselves."
Cassiel stared at her, something unreadable crossing his face.
He knew she was selfish, but this was on a whole new level.
"I’ll do a few things for the Alpha and the pack when it suits me," Astrid continued. "That’s it. I’m not making sacrifices for anyone. I’m not the Moon Goddess."
Cassiel said nothing.
"Leave," Astrid said, turning away from him. "I’m tired. And send a maid up here to clean this mess."
Cassiel sighed and left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.
The next morning, Orin left to handle pack matters with Beta Magnus, and Ophelia used the opportunity to work Seyra harder than she ever had before.
Seyra scrubbed floors, hauled laundry, polished silverware, and ran errands across the entire palace, barely given a moment to catch her breath between tasks.
Every time she looked up, another maid was watching her with narrowed eyes, whispering just loud enough for her to catch fragments.
"There she is. The reject who rejected the Lady Royal position."
"Senseless," another muttered.
"Thinks she’s better than everyone. I don’t know what she’s trying to prove. Why want it only to throw it away like trash?"
"If she likes suffering so much, we’ll make sure she suffers. She didn’t deserve it to begin with. Her sister is way better."
Seyra kept her head down and said nothing, letting the words roll past her like water.
She understood what this was.
It was a lesson.
A punishment disguised as extra work, meant to remind her exactly where she stood now that she’d dared to stand up to the Alpha in front of the entire pack.
She was barely finished scrubbing the last of the kitchen floors, her knees aching against the stone, when Ophelia appeared in the doorway.
"Seyra."
She looked up, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Yes, Head Maid?"
"The Lady Royal wants to see you."
Seyra frowned, pushing herself to her feet. "Now?"
"Did I stutter?" Ophelia’s eyes narrowed. "Go. Now."
Seyra set down her cloth and followed the hallway toward the newly decorated Lady Royal chambers, her stomach twisting with every step.
What could Astrid possibly want with her now?