When Kira cracked her eyes open again, it was morning, and the morning sun was pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. She groaned and turned over, only to find Derek’s part of the bed empty and cold. Sitting up, she wondered if she had only dreamt of his presence.

Checking her phone, she saw it was past eleven o’clock.

"Oh, no," she muttered, sitting up abruptly.

Derek had said they were leaving for Dravengard today. She swung her legs off the bed, ready to get moving, when she almost had a heart attack.

Maya was standing quietly by the closet door, watching her.

Fear instantly formed a lump in Kira’s throat, and a cold shiver crawled down her spine as she stared at the child, wondering if she was even real or some lingering hallucination. She blinked, but the girl was still there, quiet.

How had she gotten into the beach house? How had she slipped into their bedroom without making a single sound? After the Umbra attack last night, Kira wasn’t sure what was real and what was not anymore.

Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat, she forced her lips into a shaky smile. At least, if the girl was real, she wouldn’t want to scare her. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Hey, Maya. How are you doing this morning?" Kira asked cheerfully. She reached for her robe draped over the arm of a nearby chair and shrugged it on, tying the belt with trembling fingers.

The girl stayed silent, just watching her with those big, serious eyes.

Kira shrugged off the creepy feeling and stood up. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, keeping her tone cheerful despite the way her skin prickled. "I didn’t realise you were in the house. I suppose I’m quite a heavy sleeper."

Silence.

Kira moved about the room, gathering a few stray items, but stayed on high alert. "It’s a real pity we didn’t get to spend more time together, Maya. I would have liked to get to know you better. But we’re leaving today, you see." She paused and looked at the girl. "You should know that you’re welcome in Dravengard whenever you wish. You can come and visit me if you want."

"I could?"

Kira paused, completely shocked to hear the girl’s voice. Flora said the girl went mute after her parents’ death. She recovered quickly, her smile becoming more genuine as she knelt to the girl’s level. "Yes, of course you can. I’m going to leave my contact details with your grandparents. Whenever you want to visit the capital, you just have to ask your grandma to bring you."

To Kira’s surprise, a bright smile spread across Maya’s face. "I knew you would make a great queen. That is why the fates chose you."

Kira’s brows creased in confusion. "Fates?"

Maya nodded seriously. "You are stronger than you think. The battle has only just begun, and you must never trust anyone."

"What do you mean, Maya?" Kira asked in total confusion. "I don’t understand—"

"Maya! Maya, darling?" Flora’s voice rang out from the hallway. "Maya! Where are you?!"

Maya gave Kira a tiny, subtle wave and turned towards the door just as it burst open. Flora stood in the doorway, her face pale. She lunged forward, grabbing Maya by the arm and pulling the girl towards her.

"Oh, Your Highness! I am so sorry," Flora cried, her eyes darting between Kira and the child. "I am so sorry for the disturbance. We had to bring her with us late last night—with everything that happened at the pack house, Alistar and I couldn’t leave her behind. We had to keep her safe. I didn’t mean for her to wander into your bedroom."

Kira stood up, smoothing her robe. "It’s quite alright, Flora. Truly. She wasn’t a bother."

Flora offered a final, harried apology before ushering the girl out and closing the door. Kira stood there for a long moment, turning Maya’s strange words over and over in her head. She walked to the small desk, picked up her diary, and opened it. She turned to a fresh page and began to list the things that were haunting her:

1. Could Father be the reason for the blood feud between Lycans and werewolves? Why had he betrayed them?

2. Alpha Braxton looks way too familiar to me, even though I have never met him before. (Crystal Pack. Derek says it is a weird pack.)

3. The Umbras attacked the Snow Crest pack house last night, and I almost got killed. (They want a Nexus. But why attack the banquet party)

4. Maya is not mute after all. But she scares me so much. And I can’t help but get drawn to her.

She stared at the words until they blurred. Closing the book, she took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was filled with the comforting scent of sizzling bacon and toasted bread. Maya was already seated at the kitchen island, quietly spooning cereal into her mouth as if the conversation upstairs had never happened.

"Your Highness," Flora said, looking up from the stove. "How are you feeling? Any pain from those scratches?"

"I’m much better, thank you," Kira replied, glancing around. "Have you seen The King? What about Alistar?"

"The King left early for an emergency council meeting with the other Alphas," Flora explained, stirring something on the stove.

"Alistar drove him. They should be back soon. His Grace was very adamant that we shouldn’t wake you. He said you needed the rest."

She went to the island where some vegetables lay. "I’ve already taken the liberty of packing your luggage."

"Oh, thank you," Kira muttered, suddenly feeling a pang of disappointment that she hadn’t seen him before he left, but she pushed it aside. "Is there any news? About the Umbras?"

Flora’s shoulders slumped slightly as she shook her head. "They didn’t catch a trail last night, I’m afraid. We’ll have to wait until the men return to hear if the council found anything."

Kira’s mind drifted to darker thoughts. What if the werewolves are aligning with the Umbras again? The thought made her stomach turn. What if my father is behind this attack, too?

So many questions swirled in her head, but she pushed them to the back of her mind and walked up to the island. "Let me help you cook, since I have nothing else to do." She needed something distracting to take her mind off thinking.

Flora chuckled. "Do princesses cook? You were an Alpha’s daughter before you became the queen. Would you know the first thing about cooking?"

Kira chuckled, bewildered. "In case you’ve not noticed, I was a different kind of princess. I cook, clean and do laundry just fine. I wasn’t pampered at all, contrary to what you might think."

"You don’t mean it," said the woman, glancing at her.

"Try me. I can make you a whole sumptuous meal." She took over from the woman and began to slice vegetables. "Let me."

Flora left the vegetables for her with a smile, watching the Queen dice the vegetables effortlessly.

"Flora? Can I ask you something?" Kira asked abruptly.

"Of course, dear."

Kira hesitated, her eyes following Maya, who was still eating silently. "It’s about Maya. You don’t need to answer if it’s too personal."

"I do not mind at all," Flora replied, her voice softening.

"Has she... has she spoken a single word since her parents died?"

Flora shook her head sadly. "Maya has refused to speak to anyone since that night."

"But she spoke to me," Kira said. "Just a few minutes ago, upstairs."

Flora froze, the dishcloth in her hand hovering mid-air. She turned, staring at Kira with wide, disbelieving eyes. "She spoke? To you?"

Kira nodded slowly. They both turned to look at Maya, but the girl did not give them any reaction. She continued to eat, staring blankly at the wall, pointedly ignoring the fact that she was the centre of the conversation.

"She told me she would love to visit Dravengard," Kira whispered.

A radiant, tearful smile broke across Flora’s face. "She said that? Oh, goddess..." The older woman rushed over to the table, her hands trembling as she hovered near the child. "Maya? Sweetheart, did you tell the Queen you wanted to go to the capital with her?"

Maya did not look up, but her head gave the tinniest bob. Flora looked back at Kira, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. "You have no idea what this means. We have tried everything—healers, therapists, even elders. Some of the pack members have started whispering that she is... possessed. Or cursed."

Kira’s brows furrowed. "Why on earth would they say something so cruel?"

Flora shrugged and let out a heavy sigh. "People fear what they cannot understand. We had to pull her out of school because the headmaster claimed she was ’unsettling’ the other children. We found out later that it was the other way around—the poor thing was being bullied mercilessly. Nobody wants to be friends with the ’ghost girl’ who will not speak."

Kira watched Maya, remembering how the girl had piped up when she mentioned coming to Dravengard. "I don’t think she is a freak. I think she doesn’t know how to express herself properly, or maybe found someone with whom she has connected.

Flora smiled warmly, her eyes full of gratitude. "You are the only one who has said that about our Maya."

The moment was interrupted by the distinct crunch of tyres on the gravel driveway. Kira’s pulse gave a traitorous leap. Derek.

She did a bad job at hiding her reaction, as she dropped the knife, smoothing down her clothes and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She told herself she was just relieved to see him after the chaos of the Umbra attack, but the flutter in her chest told a different story.

"I’ll be right back!" she called out to Flora, already hurrying toward the front door.

She threw the front door open, a smile blooming on her face, ready to greet him. But the smile died instantly.

It wasn’t Derek’s Rolls-Royce.

A sleek, unfamiliar car sat in the drive. The driver’s door opened, and Sandra stepped out, looking as polished and smug as ever. Kira watched calmly as she walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

A little boy, no older than eight years, climbed out. He had messy brown hair and bright amber eyes.

Kira’s heart dropped. Those eyes. Those amber eyes looked so familiar.