Talia’s POV
I rounded the corner to find Madame Hildegard standing there, waiting for me like a sentinel.
She offered no words, asked no questions, barely spared me a glance before pivoting sharply and marching down the corridor.
I trailed behind her in silence, my heart still racing from the confrontation with Caspian and Maddox.
The trek back to my quarters felt endless.
Corridor after corridor stretched before us, staircase after staircase climbed beneath my aching feet.
My body protested every step, exhaustion weighing down my limbs like lead.
Thirst scraped at my throat, hunger gnawed at my stomach, yet Madame Hildegard maintained her iron posture, each footfall crisp and unwavering.
Despite her advanced years, she displayed no hint of weariness.
I exhaled slowly, confronting another crushing truth about myself—I didn’t belong in this realm.
If I possessed a wolf, ascending flights of stairs for minutes on end wouldn’t feel like hauling iron shackles behind me.
Caspian’s cutting words echoed in my skull.
“Get a wolf first before you think about flipping a table.”
My fingers clenched tight.
He had mocked me, same as all the others.
Dismissed me as pathetic.
And the cruelest part?
His assessment was accurate.
That truth stung worse than anything else.
When we finally arrived at my door, my breathing had turned ragged.
Madame Hildegard produced a key and stepped back.
I paused, uncertain.
She made a subtle gesture.
“After you.”
My eyebrows drew together in confusion.
After me?
That courtesy was foreign to me.
People typically pushed past me, made me wait, relegated me to last place.
But her expression remained unchanged.
I couldn’t tell if this was some kind of test, but I refused to linger outside my own chamber all evening.
I moved forward and crossed the threshold.
The instant I entered, I detected activity within the space.
Four female attendants bustled about, repositioning items, smoothing pillows, refolding linens as though the smallest imperfection would cause offense.
But when our footsteps reached their ears, they stilled and pivoted toward us, bowing low.
To me.
For a heartbeat, I remained motionless.
They weren’t showing deference to Madame Hildegard.
They were honoring me.
The gesture felt foreign, leaving me uncertain how to react.
A sharp clap shattered my reverie.
Madame Hildegard had struck her palms together, commanding the servants’ complete focus.
“Time is precious,” she declared.
“Remove the Alpha’s wife’s garments and prepare her bath.”
Alpha’s wife.
Not Luna.
I wondered if the distinction was deliberate.
Titles held little meaning for me, but the choice seemed significant.
They could have addressed me as Luna, the standard term for any Alpha’s mate.
But I wasn’t just any Alpha’s bride, was I?
I belonged to Caspian.
And I carried a curse.
Pushing the thought aside, I complied with Madame Hildegard’s directions wordlessly, settling before the vanity mirror as the maids lifted away my cloud veil, jewelry, and cosmetics.
The heavy ceremonial fabric slipped from my frame, and I breathed deeply, attempting to shed the evening’s oppressive weight.
But it remained attached to me, contaminating my thoughts and forcing me to relive moments I desperately wanted to forget.
Caspian compelling me into marriage.
Caspian defending my honor.
And Caspian degrading me.
I despised how completely he dominated my consciousness.
Two attendants escorted me toward the washroom.
Steam spiraled through the air, heavy with vanilla and lavender fragrances.
Madame Hildegard’s voice penetrated the mist.
“Apply the lavender essence,” she commanded.
“Should the Alpha reconsider and decide to call tonight.”
My blood turned to ice.
Caspian?
Here?
After everything that transpired?
I set my jaw firmly.
Absolutely not.
He had degraded me.
Humiliated me.
Allowed others to show disrespect.
I had no connection with him, and he had no right entering my chambers.
And hadn’t he already declared that bedding me wasn’t part of his intentions?
So why would he—
I stopped myself short.
It was irrelevant.
He wouldn’t appear.
He shouldn’t.
Before I registered the transition, I had been divested of my wedding dress and lowered into the heated bath while the maids attended to my skin.
Their touch was deliberate and thorough, though less brutal than earlier treatments.
I felt the warm water ease my throbbing feet, but the rigidity in my frame persisted.
I barely registered when the servants completed their work.
I barely noticed when they clothed me in a gossamer nightdress.
Only when they wrapped a robe around my shoulders did I finally release a breath, some pressure lifting from me.
I emerged from the bathroom just as Madame Hildegard closed the door behind a departing figure.
She faced me, her expression unreadable.
“The Alpha will not be calling on you this evening.”
Relief flooded my chest, which I concealed expertly.
Madame Hildegard wasted no time guiding me to a small dining arrangement beside my bed.
The moment I seated myself, my gaze fixed on the meal awaiting me.
It looked…
delectable.
Fresh-prepared meat, spiced vegetables, rich amber bread.
The fragrance wafted into my senses, causing my stomach to contract painfully.
As if to highlight my predicament further, my stomach rumbled audibly.
I gripped my fingers tight.
One servant quietly filled my goblet with wine.
I dismissed the heat creeping up my neck.
I wouldn’t feel shame over requiring sustenance.
I had consumed almost nothing throughout the day.
And their consideration was genuinely thoughtful.
Just as I prepared to reach for my drink, a realization struck me.
Bree.
I raised my eyes to Madame Hildegard.
“Where is Bree?”
Her face remained impassive.
“She will join you after mastering our pack’s protocols.”
I scowled.
“What?”
Madame Hildegard folded her hands behind her spine.
“Umbra Wilds operates differently than Moonstone.” Her tone stayed level, but carried a subtle barb.
A veiled slight.
The meaning became clear instantly.
She neither trusted nor valued Moonstone’s preparation.
She considered her pack superior.
And given everything I had witnessed thus far, her assessment wasn’t incorrect.
Still, Bree was my sole familiar presence in this fortress, the only soul who had genuinely cared for my welfare.
And now she required instruction before even being permitted near me?
Madame Hildegard must have detected my dissatisfaction because her features hardened.
She addressed the maidservants and dismissed them.
Immediately, they departed and sealed the door.
Madame Hildegard raised her chin slightly.
“You committed an error today.”
I stared blankly.
“What?”
“During the ceremony,” she stated, her voice controlled but resolute.
“You shamed our Alpha before the entire werewolf establishment.”
My muscles tensed.
“The staff witnessed it.
Consequently, they hold no regard for you.”
I had suspected as much, but her directness made something frigid settle in my gut.
“The lowest-ranking wolves,” she pressed on, “remain wolves nonetheless.
And despite our order, their allegiance can be purchased easily.”
An unsettling chill traveled down my backbone.
I studied her carefully, attempting to decode her implications.
She wasn’t merely discussing servants.
She was referencing adversaries.
Infiltrators.
People who desired my elimination.
She allowed the quiet to extend before delivering her final caution.
“If you wish to preserve your existence for any substantial duration,” she said, “I recommend you honor Alpha Caspian.
And remain faithful to him.”
Remain faithful to Caspian?
How absurd!
I wanted to retort sharply but restrained myself ultimately.
“Because he alone can shield you,” Madame Hildegard’s stare intensified as she concluded.
With that declaration, she pivoted and exited the room, sealing the door behind her.
I remained seated, unmoving.
For the first time since my arrival at Umbra Wilds, I grasped something with perfect clarity.
I wasn’t merely an outcast in this place.
I was prey.