Alone in a crowded room
1229 Words
ISABELLA’S POV
I had never felt so alone in my life, not when I was a child hiding from bullies Not when I attended pack gatherings where everyone seemed to know exactly who they were while I struggled to fit in. PNot even yesterday when my parents handed me over to Lucien Nightbane like I was a piece of property.
This was different because now the reality had settled in. I wasn’t going home. The room no longer felt like a temporary stop, it felt permanent.
I sat beside the window and stared out at the unfamiliar landscape stretching beyond the castle walls. Jagged mountains surrounded the fortress on all sides. Dense forests covered the valleys below. There were no neighboring packs, no villages.
No familiar roads, nothing. Lucien had brought me to the middle of nowhere. A knock interrupted my thoughts, I ignored it but it was quickly followed by another knock followed. Then the door slowly opened, a young woman stepped inside carrying a basket.
She looked about my age, perhaps a year younger. Her brown hair was braided neatly over one shoulder and she wore a simple grey dress.
The moment she noticed me watching her, she immediately lowered her eyes.
An omega, I recognized the submissive posture instantly.
“Good morning,” she said quietly.
I folded my arms.
“It isn’t.”
The omega looked uncertain.
“I brought fresh clothes.
I glanced toward the basket, Inside were several dresses, undergarments, and a pair of boots. My stomach twisted. Everything I owned was still back home. Everything. Even the simple things the realization hurt more than I wanted to admit.
“What is your name?”
“Elara.”
She stepped further into the room.
“My Alpha asked me to attend to your needs.”
I almost laughed.
“My needs?”
The words came out sharper than intended.
“I don’t need dresses.”
Elara remained silent.
“I don’t need servants.”
Still nothing.
“I need to go home.”
For the first time, she looked directly at me, the sympathy in her eyes made my chest tighten. That wasn’t a good sign, people only looked at others that way when the situation was hopeless.
“I am sorry,” she whispered.
I looked away, I didn’t want her pity. Especially not from someone who barely knew me. Elara carefully placed the basket on the bed.
“There is a midday meal in an hour.”
“I am not hungry.”
The lie sounded pathetic, my stomach chose that exact moment to betray me. Elara smiled slightly, I rolled my eyes.
“Fine.”
“The entire pack gathers in the dining hall.”
That got my attention.
“The entire pack?”
“Most of them.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
Elara looked confused by the question.
“It has always been that way.”
Apparently, things worked differently here, at home, the Alpha family usually ate separately unless there was a celebration. The idea of hundreds of wolves gathering together every day felt strange. Then again, everything about this place felt strange. An hour later, I followed Elara through the castle corridors.
The fortress was enormous, every hallway seemed to lead to three more. The walls were lined with paintings, banners, and ancient-looking weapons. The castle looked less like a home and more like the seat of a kingdom.
As we descended a large staircase, I noticed something unsettling. People were staring. Servants. Warriors. Pack members. Everywhere I looked, someone was watching me.
Some appeared curious, others looked suspicious. A few openly disapproved, I kept my chin high. If they expected me to break down and cry, they would be disappointed. The dining hall was even larger than the council chamber back home. Long wooden tables stretched across the room.
Conversations filled the air, The scent of food made my stomach growl. Then I entered, the noise immediately dropped. Not completely, just enough to notice. Every eye turned toward me. Wonderful. I stopped walking. Elara gently touched my arm.
“Keep moving.”
Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the center of attention. Whispers spread through the room. I caught fragments as I passed.
“That’s her.”
“She looks younger than I expected.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Why would he choose her?”
“I heard he forced her family.”
“I heard she volunteered.”
People really would believe anything. Elara guided me toward an empty section of one table. The moment I sat down, conversations slowly resumed. Not that it mattered, I could still feel people watching.
A plate was placed in front of me. Fresh bread. Roasted meat. Vegetables. Far better than I expected, I picked up my fork. A shadow suddenly fell across the table. The conversations around us died once more.
I looked up, Lucien had entered. My appetite disappeared instantly. The room stood. Every single person, hundreds of wolves rose to their feet. No one hesitated.
No one needed to be told, the display of power sent a chill through me. Lucien acknowledged them with a brief nod. Nothing more. No speech.
No greeting.
He simply walked through the hall, the crowd parted automatically. Like water moving around a stone. I watched him take his seat at the head table. Several council members sat nearby. So did Killian.
Unlike everyone else, Killian looked completely relaxed, he was smiling at someone across the room. Lucien looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Not once did he glance in my direction. Not once.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or offended. Probably both, the meal resumed. Conversations slowly returned. Yet something about Lucien’s presence changed the atmosphere. Everyone seemed more careful, more restrained.
As if they were constantly aware of where he was, the fear wasn’t hidden. It lingered beneath every interaction. And that terrified me more than anything. Because these people knew him. They lived with him, they served him.
They followed him And they were still afraid. I lowered my gaze to my plategaze what kind of man inspired that level of fear? A movement near the head table caught my attention. One of the elders had approached Lucien.
The old man appeared nervous. He spoke quietly. Lucien listened. Then responded, the elder immediately stepped back. Conversation over just like that. No argument, no discussion. No debate. Only obedience, the power he held was undeniable. And I hated the fact that my future now depended entirely on him.
The thought made me lose my appetite, I pushed my plate away.
“I’d like to return to my room.”
Elara looked surprised.
“You barely ate.”
“I am tired.”
That part wasn’t a lie. Everything about this place exhausted me. The castle, the staring. The whispers, the uncertainty. Most of all, Lucien because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand him.
He had dragged me across the kingdom, locked me inside his castle. Assigned people to watch me, yet he barely spoke to me. Barely acknowledged me. If I was so important, why ignore me?
And if I wasn’t important, why bring me here at all? The questions followed me all the way back to my room. Unfortunately, I had a feeling the answers wouldn’t come anytime soon.
- Writer
