<h4>Chapter 35: A Satisfactory Bedroom</h4>


    <strong><i>Meredith.</i></strong>


    Wanda finally stopped halfway through the ground-floor hallway. Without a word, she turned toward a door on the right and began sifting through a thick bunch of keys.


    A momentter, she selected one, slipped it into the lock, and twisted. The door clicked open.


    I followed Kira and Deidra in, the warm air of the house giving way to pitch ckness—until


    Wanda flipped the switch by the wall, and the room came to life.


    Light poured across polished floors, soft cream walls, and minimalist décor, giving the space a sleek, almost hotel-like calm. Large furniture pieces—muted in tone but undeniably expensive—were arranged around a center rug.


    The bed, framed in matte bronze and nked by marble nightstands, was massive. Clean lines. Modern luxury. A far cry from the cold prison cell I had expected Wanda to shove me into.


    I said nothing, though inwardly, I was stunned. Wanda gave me a <i>real</i> room?


    I didn’t know whether to feel lucky or suspicious. Maybe this wasn’t Wanda’s doing. Maybe... someone else had made that decision.


    Kira and Deidra were already pulling back the heavy curtains along one wall, letting the glow of outdoor security lights spill into the room.


    A ss door led out onto a small private patio. There, green hedges and beds of vibrant flowers offered a secluded escape. The sight alone made my chest loosen.


    Kira slid the door open slightly. Cool evening air breezed in, chasing out the room’s warmth.


    I was admiring the garden from where I stood when Wanda’s voice sliced through the air behind me.


    "Do not go up to the third floor," she said coldly. "You have no business there."


    I turned, slow and unbothered, and met her gaze without blinking. "Does Alpha Draven live there?"


    Wanda’s lips curled ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing in condescension. "Yes. Is there a problem?"


    I gave a short scoff. "No."


    But I understood the message loud and clear. It wasn’t just a rule. It was a reminder of where I stood in this whole situation.


    The third floor was the Alpha’s domain. I was just the woman with the cursed fate, the wolf-less bride with no voice. A guest in a house where even the furniture probably meant more than I did.


    I didn’t care. If Draven and I lived inpletely separate universes under the same roof, that suited me just fine.


    Wanda turned her gaze to Kira and Deidra next. "Get your mistress ready. Dinner is in less than an hour."


    Then back to me, she continued, "Dinner starts at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Everyone must be seated before the Alpha arrives."


    Then her stare turned pointed. "If you arete by even a few seconds, then don’t bothering. Just stay in your room and wait for lunch."


    Kira and Deidra gave each other a subtle look, and I couldn’t help but think that Wanda had just made that rule up on the spot. Still, I said nothing.


    I had grown up in a household where beingte for a meal meant worse than being skipped. So, I wasn’t about to rebel over dinner etiquette. At least not yet.


    "Hope I’m clear," Wanda said sharply.


    I didn’t bother answering.


    "Yes, Miss Fellowes," Kira and Deidra answered in unison.


    "Good," Wanda clipped, straightening her back like she had just delivered a royal decree. "You will learn the rest of the rules in due time," she said to me.


    And with that, she turned and walked out, leaving the door wide open behind her.


    Cora moved swiftly to close it, the slight <i>thud</i> of wood meeting frame feeling more satisfying than it should have.


    I let out a long breath and finally took another slow look at the room. As much as Wanda grated on everyst nerve I had, she wasn’t wrong—this room was... beautiful. Bigger than any room I had ever called my own. Quiet. Well-ventted. The bed looked like heaven.


    A soft knock sounded. Then Cora and Arya went to check it out, and re-entered with my luggage, wheeling it across the floor and toward a second door.


    "You have a walk-in closet, mydy," Deidra said casually. "They are putting your things in there."


    I went to check it out. It was organized, clean, andrge enough to house four of us. Not that I cared about it. Closets didn’t matter. Peace did.


    I wandered back out and sank onto the edge of the bed, letting my fingertips trail along the soft coverlet. Expensive. Everything here was expensive.


    This entire house reeked of wealth and control and something else I couldn’t name.


    <i>What exactly did Draven do here in Duskmoor? What business gave him the money to live like this?</i>


    I had told myself again and again not to care about Draven and his affairs, but I still did.


    Maybe it was curiosity. Or maybe... it was that nagging question that had been crawling through my brain since the moment Xamira had appeared.


    I nced at Kira, who was folding some items on a nearby bench. Deidra was pouring a ss of water.


    "Can I ask you both something?" I said, voice quieter than I intended.


    "Of course, mydy," Kira replied.


    I took the ss from Deidra and held it between both hands. "Has your Alpha... found his mate?"


    Kira paused mid-fold. "No, mydy. He hasn’t." Then her voice dipped slightly, almost... disappointed. "It’s sad. He’s waited long."


    I nodded slowly. "Has he ever been married before?"


    The ss stopped at my lips just as I saw them exchange a look. Their eyebrows lifted slightly, as if I had asked something odd.


    Kira shook her head. "No. Never. Why do you ask mydy?"


    I took a sip of water to stall. Then I finally asked the question that had kept scratching at the back of my mind.


    "If that’s true... then how did he end up with a daughter?"


    Their faces brightened in immediate understanding, and a soft chuckle escaped Deidra.


    "Oh—Xamira?" she said. "She is adopted. Alpha Draven adopted her two years ago."


    My breath caught mid-sip. "Adopted...?" I whispered, blinking. "She is... not a werewolf?"


    I had assumed that Xamira was his by blood and that he had some secret woman hidden away. This was something else entirely.


    Deidra shook her head. "She is a human. Just a little girl. She was five when he brought her here. She is seven now."


    <i>Human.</i>


    Of course. That strange sensation I felt earlier—something different, something off about her—it all made sense now.


    But what didn’t make sense was... why?


    Why would a man like Draven adopt a child, especially a human child?


    I looked at both Kira and Deidra again, heart thudding against my ribs. "How? I mean... how did he adopt her?"


    Because there had to be a story. A reason. Something that exined the soft smile I saw on his face when he held her.


    And I wasn’t sure why, but I needed to know.