Zendaya sat quietly on the field, her mind drifting far from the playful chatter of the other Lunas. She couldn't stop thinking about what her mother had told her: "If you want a powerful man to notice you, act like he's invisible."
It sounded ridiculous at first, but lately, she was starting to wonder if it was actually working. Every time she locked eyes with Alpha Alex, she thought she saw something — a flicker of interest, a slight hesitation. Maybe, just maybe, he was finally noticing her.
A soft giggle broke her thoughts. Dora's laughter filled the air as she chased after a pair of doves fluttering nearby, their wings glinting under the sun. Zendaya shook her head, pulling herself back to reality. She couldn't afford to get lost in daydreams.
Not far away, Mira was trimming the hedges around the garden, her hands moving skillfully with the shears. When she caught sight of the Lunas laughing and twirling around Alpha Alex, she quickly lowered her eyes and focused on her work.
She could tell he wasn't interested in them. His posture was rigid, his eyes distant. But what did it matter to her? Mira reminded herself. She was just a maid.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mira noticed Laura, one of the more desperate Lunas, pretending to stumble dramatically on the grass. A high-pitched cry escaped her lips as she clutched her ankle and collapsed onto the ground.
Everyone around froze for a moment. Mira glanced up, her hands pausing mid-trim.
But Alex didn't move. He stood still, arms folded across his broad chest, a flicker of irritation passing through his expression. Only when his Betas, who had been watching closely from a distance, gave him a subtle nod did Alex sigh and finally approach Laura.
Without a word, he bent down, lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and carried her to a nearby bench. Mira watched as he sat her down gently and crouched in front of her, taking her ankle into his large hands and beginning to massage it with an almost mechanical touch.
Mira's chest tightened, an unfamiliar heaviness filling her heart. Why should it matter? she scolded herself. But she couldn't tear her eyes away.
Suddenly, Alex's deep voice broke into her swirling thoughts.
"You," he said, turning his head sharply toward Mira. "Fetch the physician. Now."
Mira blinked, startled. Normally, sending for the physician was a guard's duty — the physician's house was deep within the thick woods, and it wasn't considered safe for a maid. Why was he sending her?
Still, she dared not question him. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron, bowed her head, and rushed off toward the forest path.
As she disappeared among the trees, Alex's gaze lingered on the spot where she had been, a strange tightness in his chest he couldn't explain.
Mira made her way through the thick forest, her heart pounding in her chest. Every step she took seemed heavier than the last, and not just because of the rough path beneath her bare feet. Her mind was a swirling storm of confusion and questions. Was she being punished for something she didn't even understand?
She thought about Alpha Alex's cold command. It wasn't like him to involve her so directly — especially for something as minor as fetching the physician.
Lost in thought, she barely noticed the sharp thorn that caught the skin of her foot. She gasped, staggering as a sharp pain shot through her. A thin line of blood trickled from the wound, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on, limping lightly.
The deeper she went into the woods, the more uneasy she felt. Twisted trees loomed over her like silent sentinels, their branches blocking out the sun. Finally, after what felt like hours, she spotted a small hut nestled between two ancient oaks — the home of the kingdom's most powerful physician.
Why would someone so important choose to live all the way out here? Mira wondered, shaking her head as she approached.
She knocked lightly on the door, and after a moment, an old man with sharp eyes and a long grey beard opened it.
"The Alpha needs you," Mira said simply, bowing her head out of respect.
The physician studied her for a long moment, as if reading something deeper from her expression, then simply nodded. Without another word, Mira turned and made her way back to the palace, her foot throbbing with every step.
To her surprise, by the time she finally stumbled back to the open fields, the physician was already there, examining Laura's ankle. Mira blinked, confused. How had he gotten here before her? It made no sense — unless the physician had used one of his secret shortcuts known only to the elders of the kingdom.
Mira stood silently to the side, watching the scene unfold.
The physician knelt before Laura, his gnarled hands gently probing her ankle. After a few seconds, he sat back with a small smile tugging at his lips.
"She'll be fine," he said simply, brushing his hands off as if the entire thing was hardly worth the fuss.
Alpha Alex stood nearby, arms crossed, observing everything with a cold, unreadable expression. His sharp eyes flickered from Laura to the physician, then briefly to Mira, who was still standing awkwardly at the edge of the field.
Mira felt his gaze like a touch against her skin and quickly lowered her head.
Meanwhile, Laura pouted dramatically, clearly hoping for more attention. "Are you sure, physician? It feels so painful," she whined, trying to win more sympathy.
The physician only gave a slow, knowing smile and said, "Pain will pass quickly when it isn't real."
Laura's face flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly looked away, pretending not to understand his meaning.
Alex said nothing, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He knew. He had known from the start that Laura was faking, but he had no interest in calling her out publicly. Let her embarrass herself, he thought coldly.
Without a word, he turned and started walking back toward the palace, leaving the others to follow him like lost puppies.
As Mira turned to leave, she couldn't help but glance back once.
For just a second, she caught Alex looking at her — and unlike the way he looked at the others, his gaze was different.
Softer. Almost curious.
Mira's heart skipped a beat before she quickly scolded herself and hurried away, her wounded foot leaving tiny spots of blood behind her on the grass. We