Chapter 6: The Clinic

Olivia’s POV

​I sucked in a deep breath. I had to act like a princess.

​"Yes," I replied, holding his gaze.

​One of his dark eyebrows lifted. "Yes?"

​"She insulted me."

​Lucian’s expression didn’t change. "And that gives you the right to cut out the tongue of someone under my roof?"

​Behind him, the blonde maid looked far too pleased with herself. Something inside me hardened. I couldn’t back down now. If I allowed the servants to disrespect me, they would keep doing it. Worse, they might start questioning why Princess Annabel suddenly allowed servants to walk all over her.

​And questions were the last thing I needed.

​I folded my hands calmly in my lap. "She called your wife a sex slave."

​The smug look disappeared from the maid’s face. Lucian’s green eyes shifted toward her, and she immediately stiffened before his gaze returned to me.

​"If that is how servants are allowed to address your wife," I added calmly, "then I apologize. Clearly, I wasn’t informed."

​Silence filled the room. The maid went completely pale.

​Lucian stared at me for several long seconds, his face impossible to read. Then he slowly leaned back in his chair, studying me.

​Something had changed in his eyes. It wasn’t warmth. Definitely not. But there was something almost curious in the way he looked at me now, and somehow, that frightened me even more.

​Lucian remained silent for a moment before finally turning his attention to the blonde maid.

​"Apologize," Lucian ordered.

​The maid’s eyes widened. "Alpha, I..."

​"I will not repeat myself," he warned.

​She bowed her head so low her forehead almost touched her knees. "I am sorry, Princess," she squeaked out, her voice trembling with genuine terror. "Please forgive me."

​Lucian didn’t even look at her. "Get out."

​The maid didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly bowed and hurried toward the door. Lucian glanced at the rest of the staff standing nearby.

​"All of you."

​Within seconds, every servant in the dining room scattered, leaving the heavy double doors to click shut behind them. Suddenly, the massive room felt far too quiet. I was left alone with the beast.

​My stomach twisted with fear. I took a deep breath, forced my hands to remain still in my lap, and looked down at my food.

​Don’t be nervous. You are Princess Annabel.

​At least, that was who I needed him to believe I was.

​I picked up my fork and forced myself to eat calmly, copying the way I had watched Annabel eat for six years.

​Small bites. Keep your back straight. Don’t let the cutlery scrape against the plate.

​Lucian didn’t touch his food. He simply leaned back in his chair and watched me.

​"You’ll have to make yourself useful while you’re here," he suddenly said.

​My fork stopped halfway to my mouth, and I set it down slowly. "Useful?"

​"Starting today, you’ll work at the pack clinic."

​I stared at him. "The clinic?"

​"Yes."

​"But I don’t have any healing abilities."

​Lucian scoffed. "Then you’ll run errands. Carry supplies. Clean. Help the healers with whatever they need." His eyes hardened. "What did you think, Annabel? That you were brought here to sit around in expensive dresses and play princess?"

​I stared at him, taken aback by his tone. "You want me to work?"

​Anger flashed across his face. "While my warriors suffer from the wounds your father’s army gave them?" His voice hardened with raw hatred, making my breath catch in my throat. "People in my pack are still injured because of your people. Some of my warriors still can’t walk. Some lost their mates. Some lost their children."

​His jaw tightened as he leaned forward. "And my sister is still lying unconscious because of that war. I’m not going to let you sit here wearing expensive dresses while my people suffer. If you have hands, you’ll use them."

​The anger in his eyes was different now. This wasn’t just about hating me because I was Kenneth’s daughter.

​This was personal.

​I lowered my gaze to the tablecloth. "Yes, Alpha."

​Lucian pushed his chair back and stood. He walked around the table and stopped directly behind me.

​I went completely still.

​"Keep your head down. Do what you’re told, and don’t annoy me," he said coldly near my ear. "Because if you become a problem, Princess, I’ll send your corpse back to your father’s pack in a wooden box."

​Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out. His heavy footsteps faded down the hallway before the door closed behind him.

​I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and sank back into my chair. My fork slipped from my fingers and fell onto the plate.

​"Okay, Olivia," I whispered, pressing a hand against my racing heart. "You can survive this."

​I had survived worse as a maid. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. But whatever appetite I’d had was gone. I pushed my plate away and tried to calm my racing heart.

​A few minutes later, a tall guard entered the dining room, his face giving nothing away.

​"Princess Annabel," he said flatly. "I’ll be taking you to the pack clinic."

​Already?

​Lucian clearly hadn’t been joking when he said I was starting today.

​I stood up and smoothed down the front of my blue dress. "Lead the way."

​The guard turned without another word. I pulled my shoulders back and followed him out of the dining room into the long corridors of the mansion.

​Almost immediately, I felt everyone staring. Servants stopped sweeping, cooks paused in doorways, and guards watched me from their posts. For one terrifying second, a cold spike of panic hit my chest—could they tell? Was my posture wrong? Did I look like an imposter?

​Then I saw their expressions clearly. It wasn’t suspicion. It was hatred. Some glared at me, while others looked at me as if they wished I would drop dead where I stood.

To them, I wasn’t Olivia. I was Princess Annabel of the Blood Moon Pack, the daughter of the man they blamed for ruining their lives.

​As we passed two servants whispering near a pillar, one of them spoke just loud enough for me to hear.

​"I give her one month. The Alpha will kill her before the next full moon."

​The other woman laughed quietly.

​I stopped walking.

​The guard glanced back. "Princess?"

​I slowly looked over my shoulder. The two servants immediately lowered their eyes and pretended to be busy.

​I almost laughed.

​"We’ll see about that," I muttered before continuing after the guard.

​If they expected me to spend every day shaking and waiting for Lucian to kill me, they were going to be disappointed.

​The guard led me through a set of glass doors into a private courtyard. My steps slowed as I looked around.

​The clinic was massive. Two tall stone buildings stood on either side of the courtyard, connected by a covered walkway. Large windows covered most of the walls, while healers moved quickly between the buildings and guards carried boxes of supplies.

​Even with everything on my mind, I couldn’t help staring. The Full Moon Pack was clearly very wealthy.

​"The clinic is connected to the main estate," the guard explained as we crossed the courtyard. "Most serious injuries are treated here."

​I nodded. The moment I stepped inside, the smell of crushed herbs and bitter medicine filled my nose.

​The first floor was busy, but the moment I walked in, the entire hall went quiet. A healer carrying a tray stopped walking. A nurse near the door froze, and patients sitting on wooden benches lifted their heads.

​Within seconds, everyone was staring at me.

​News of my arrival had clearly spread fast.

​A nurse near the front desk looked me up and down with disgust before spitting on the floor right in front of my shoes.

​I didn’t flinch.

​Strangely, I was almost glad it was me standing here instead of the real Annabel. Annabel had always been soft and sensitive. Being treated like this would have broken her heart.

​But I was a maid. I was used to being looked down on and treated like I didn’t matter.

​Ignoring the hateful stares, I straightened my posture, lifted my chin, and walked the way Annabel would have walked.

​The guard led me up a wide staircase to the quieter second floor. We passed several closed doors before stopping in front of one with a small brass plaque.

​GRAND HEALER

​The guard knocked twice.

​"Come in," a calm male voice called from inside.

​The guard opened the door, stepped aside, and gestured for me to enter. "You can go in, Princess."

​I hesitated, wondering why he wasn’t coming with me, but stepped inside anyway. The door closed behind me.

​I had expected the Grand Healer to be an older man, maybe someone in his fifties with gray hair. Instead, the man sitting behind the large desk couldn’t have been much older than his late twenties.

​He paused his writing and looked up. The moment his eyes landed on me, his brows furrowed in deep confusion.

​I swallowed the lump in my throat, lifted my chin, and put on my best royal posture.

​The man leaned back in his chair, studying every detail of my face. "Princess Annabel?" he asked slowly.

​"Yes," I replied, forcing my voice to sound calm and confident. "I am."

​His frown deepened. For several long seconds, he simply stared at me.

​Then he slowly shook his head.

​"No," he said, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. "You’re not."