Chapter 46 - another game

Chapter 46: 46 - another game 46 ~Lisa’s POV I sat on the cold corridor floor, my back against the wall, hugging my knees. My face was still wet with tears, but I didn’t bother wiping them. My arms felt too heavy. My whole body did. I was exhausted, not just in my bones, but in my soul. I kept hearing their voices in my head. Their laughter. Their mocking. The way they looked at me like I was less than nothing. I didn’t hear the footsteps until they were right in front of me. My heart jumped. I quickly scrambled to my feet and bowed deeply. My hands trembled against my thighs. My knees threatened to buckle. I didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. Kael. Of the three alphas, he was the one who scared me the most. Not because he was crueler than the others, but because he was the quietest. Cold. Unreadable. You never knew what he was thinking. Or what he might do next. "Come with me," he said. Just that. No explanation. No emotion. My throat dried up. I wanted to ask why, where, what for...but I didn’t dare. I just nodded slightly and fell in step behind him, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it. My hands were clenched in front of me, my nails digging into my skin to keep them from shaking too much. I followed him through the hallway, my mind spinning with horrible possibilities. Was he angry about something? Was I about to be punished again? Were they testing me? I hated how afraid I was. I hated that I couldn’t even walk normally because my legs were so weak with fear. We turned a corner, then another. He didn’t look back once. And then... we stepped outside. I blinked. The air shifted. We were in the back courtyard now, the part of the palace grounds I had only heard about in hushed whispers. The one with the large stone wall and iron gate. The one the maids had warned us never to go near. The flower garden. A forbidden place. My feet faltered, but Kael kept walking, pushing the iron gate open with ease. I stood frozen for a second, unsure if I should follow, but then he glanced over his shoulder, just once, and I hurried in behind him. The garden was beautiful. Wild, yet delicate. Flowers of all colors bloomed in tangled vines, their petals open wide under the fading light. There was a marble bench in the center, surrounded by tall lilies and soft grass. Everything smelled faintly sweet, like earth and roses. But I couldn’t enjoy it. Because I didn’t understand what was happening. Why had he brought me here? I stood awkwardly to the side, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my dress, eyes lowered. I didn’t dare sit unless he told me to. Then I heard more footsteps. My stomach sank. Ramon and Damon walked in. They didn’t say anything either. But their expressions weren’t what I expected. They weren’t angry. They weren’t mocking. They looked... sad. Deeply sad. I had never seen that look on any of them before. Something in my chest twisted. I felt uneasy. More confused than ever. Ramon carried the wine bottle I had delivered earlier, and Damon had three glasses. They approached without a word and handed both to Kael, who turned to me and held them out. "Pour," he said simply. I blinked. My hands hesitated in the air. I glanced at the bottle, then at the three of them. What was going on? Still, I nodded quickly and took the wine, my fingers barely steady. I uncorked the bottle slowly, my breath catching at the sound. I poured carefully into the first glass, then the second, then the third, afraid to spill even a drop. I gave each one their glass, then stepped back, unsure of what to do next. They didn’t drink right away. They just stood there. The silence between us felt thick, like something unspoken was hanging heavy in the air. Kael finally spoke. "You don’t know what this place is, do you?" I shook my head slowly. He gestured around at the garden. "This is where our mother used to come. Before she died." I looked up at him quickly, surprised. His voice didn’t sound cold this time. It sounded... distant. Hollow. "She loved this place," Damon added, his voice low. "She said flowers were the only thing that didn’t try to hurt her." Ramon chuckled bitterly. "And we ruined that, too." I stood frozen, completely silent. What was I supposed to say to that? Kael sat down on the marble bench and leaned back slightly, staring up at the dusky sky. Damon followed and sat beside him. Ramon stayed standing, swirling the wine in his glass. "You ever lose someone, Lisa?" Kael asked suddenly, without looking at me. My mouth opened and closed. I hesitated. Then I nodded. "My mother," I whispered. "And... I don’t know if my father is still alive." None of them spoke for a while. Then Kael nodded. "Then maybe you understand." Understand what? I wanted to ask. But I was too afraid. They looked different tonight. Not like the cruel alphas I had known these past weeks. Not like the ones who had hurt me, mocked me, tossed me around like I meant nothing. Tonight... they looked human. Tired. Wounded. Lost. I hated that a small part of me wanted to understand them. But then I remembered what they’d done to me. And the ache in my chest grew sharper. Ramon suddenly turned toward me. "Why didn’t you scream louder that night?" My eyes widened. My heart stopped. "I... I did," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I begged." He looked away quickly, jaw clenched. "I heard you," Damon said softly. "But I didn’t stop." Kael didn’t say anything. Tears burned in my eyes again. Why were they telling me this now? Was this their way of apologizing? Was it guilt? Or was this just another game?