Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 95: Chapter 95

Selena

Something was wrong with me. I had been telling myself that since morning, but I could not figure out what exactly was wrong.

My hands continued working, my body followed the routine it had followed for months, yet my mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

The pig farm was usually noisy. The animals grunted and squealed as we moved around them, wooden buckets scraped against the ground, and the sharp smell of hay, mud, and livestock filled the air.

Normally, I could work through all of it without thinking twice but today, everything irritated me.

I lifted a bucket and poured feed into one of the troughs, but halfway through, I stopped.

My chest felt strangely heavy. I stared at the animals eating. Why did I feel like crying?

I frowned and rubbed my chest. "What is wrong with me?"

Niamh, who had been working a few steps away, immediately looked over. "You’ve been asking yourself that question all morning."

I glanced at her. "I have?"

"Yes." She dropped the handful of feed she was holding and walked toward me.

"You’ve barely spoken to anyone today. You almost poured the entire bucket into one trough earlier, and you’ve been staring at the same pig for at least five minutes."

I looked toward the pig and it was still eating.

I sighed. "I don’t know what’s wrong."

Niamh studied my face. "Are you sick?"

"No."

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No."

"Did anyone say something bad to you? Or are you thinking of Alpha Kael being interested in our course?"

My heart squeezed at the mention of his name and I immediately looked away.

"No." The answer came too quickly.

Niamh’s eyes narrowed before speaking, "You shouldn’t bother yourself with anything, okay?"

I swallowed and before I could open my mouth to respond, footsteps approaching from behind stopped me.

A maid stood several feet away. "Selena."

I turned to face her as she added, "The headmaid wants you."

I wiped my hands against my dress. "Now?"

"Yes." She said and I followed her out.

The headmaid’s study was quieter than usual when I entered. She was sitting behind her desk, and a bottle of wine rested beside two cups.

She looked up at me. "Sit."

I obeyed, then she poured wine into one of the cups and pushed it toward me. "Drink."

I stared at it. "Why?"

"Because I told you to."

There was something almost motherly about the way she said it so I picked up the cup and took a sip.

The warmth spread through my throat. I had not realized how thirsty I was until then so I drank again.

The headmaid watched me carefully. "I’ve noticed something."

I lowered the cup before asking. "What’s that?"

"You haven’t been yourself." I remained silent then she continued, "You’re distracted. Sad. Irritable."

"You’re right. But I don’t know why I feel that way." I muttered with a loud sigh.

"I do." She stated and my eyebrows lifted in surprise.

She leaned back. "It’s because of your mate."

My fingers tightened around the cup. "What about him?"

"You’re feeling this way because he’s away."

I stared at her then realization struck me.

My wolf, the heaviness, the sadness and the strange emptiness that had followed me since waking.

"Is it truly because he’s away?" I couldn’t help but ask.

She nodded. "When you’re bonded to someone, your wolf feels their absence. The farther they are, the worse it can become."

I lowered my gaze. "So this is why I feel like this?"

"It can be." She paused. "It’s usually worse when the bond has not been sealed."

My face heated. "You mean..."

"Has the Alpha marked you?" She suddenly asked.

I nearly choked on my wine.

"No." The word came out too quickly.

She smiled faintly. "I see..." An awkward silence followed.

I took another sip simply because I needed something to do.

After a moment, she asked, "And what happened with your plans to seek employment elsewhere? How did it go at House Black?"

I stiffened. "House Black?"

"Yes."

I quickly composed myself before responding. "I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"I realized I didn’t want to leave and this has nothing to do with Alpha Kael." I explained then smiled nervously. "I’ve met good people here. I thought leaving would be unnecessary."

She studied me for a long moment before finally nodding. "If that is what you want."

"It is."

I stood. "May I return to work?"

"Yes." She nodded and I left the room with a strange feeling in my stomach.

I had barely made it through the corridor before I realized I was already thinking about Alpha Kael again.

I hated how much his absence affected me. I hated even more that some part of me found comfort in knowing why.

By the time I finished my chores, I headed toward the usual training grounds.

I expected Kieren to be waiting but he wasn’t. I stood there for several minutes and he was still nowhere in sight.

I sighed knowing he was probably with Sera.

Perhaps they were searching for more Vaelthorn wood or organizing supplies to strengthen Blackbourne’s defenses against the vampires.

Everyone seemed to be doing something... everyone except me. I was slowly beginning to feel useless.

Then I saw Sally.

"Selena!" She hurried toward me.

"What did you find?" I quickly asked.

She smiled before responding. "Quite a lot."

We moved toward a quieter section of the training ground.

"I asked around about House Hawthorne," she began. "And about the girl."

I immediately became attentive. "What did you learn?"

"No one has seen the real Sophia Hawthorne in months."

I frowned. "Nobody?"

"Not anyone who actually knows what she looks like." She added with a shrug.

That confirmed what I had suspected. "And what about the girl?" I inquired.

"Some people I asked, they believe she was taken from the lower belt."

"How certain are they?"

"Not completely. But that’s where the questioning has been concentrated."

I nodded. "Good work, Sally."

She smiled. "We’ve started asking questions ourselves."

I glanced toward the castle. "We need to move faster and I need to make a move myself."

Sally immediately knew what I meant. "No."

"I haven’t even said anything."

"You want to go back to Hawthorne Manor."

I sighed. "Yes."

"You’ll get caught!" She snapped at me.

"But I didn’t get caught the first time."

"I’m certain you were just lucky." Sally said pointedly.

I couldn’t argue with that.

Then Sally crossed her arms. "How did you even get inside the Hawthorne Manor?"

"I told you."

"You said you went there pretending to be a new maid."

"That’s what really happened."

She stared at me. "Why do I feel like you’re hiding something?"

Before I could respond, Niamh approached us with Ryuiji. "We found you."

I turned toward them. "What happened?"

Ryuiji glanced around before speaking. "We were discussing the Alpha."

My stomach tightened. "What about him?"

"His sudden involvement in our group." Ryuiji’s expression hardened.

"What are you implying?" I asked with creased brows.

He folded his arms. "That he may not be on our side."

Sally frowned before asking, "Why would you say that?"

"Think about it." He looked directly at me. "Why would an Alpha deliberately challenge the vampires?"

Nobody answered, then Ryuiji continued. "He knows what happens when someone defies them. He knows what kind of power they possess. So why would he risk his entire pack and why should we even trust him in the first place?"

My mind immediately supplied the answer. Because he told me himself.

Because he had been preparing for this long before he met me. Because his rebellion had begun months ago.

But I couldn’t tell them that. Instead, I said, "Maybe he believes things have gone too far."

Ryuiji shook his head. "That’s an assumption."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"That we continue carefully. I think an Alpha doesn’t stumble upon a secret rebellion and simply decide to join it without an ulterior motive."

My jaw tightened. "You don’t know that."

"And neither do you." His words hit harder than I wanted them to.

I looked between them. "We’ll continue with our plans."

Ryuiji opened his mouth to speak but I quickly added. "I’ll find out what the Alpha truly intends."

It was the only thing I could promise. Eventually, everyone dispersed.

The sun had begun to descend by the time I returned toward the servants’ quarters.

Then I saw Sera and she was walking toward me. My first instinct was to avoid her but I slowed instead.

She had barely passed when I called out. "Sera."

She stopped but didn’t turn immediately so I walked toward her. "I owe you an apology."

She finally faced me. "For what?"

"For not knowing." Her expression remained guarded as I continued. "I grew up believing my father was simply my father. I didn’t know what he had done to your family or any other families."

Her eyes hardened. "You didn’t know."

"No." I swallowed. "I only learned the truth after coming here to Blackbourne."

Sera looked away before muttering, "I understand that."

Relief barely had time to settle before she continued. "What I don’t understand is why the Alpha is protecting you."

My heart stopped and before I could think of an answer, she walked away.

I stood there watching her disappear down the corridor.

What was I supposed to say? That Alpha Kael was my mate? That he had chosen to protect me despite everything?

My thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps then a guard stopped before me. "The headmaid summoned you."

I sighed. I was exhausted, but I followed him.

When I entered the headmaid’s study, I stopped on seeing that someone else was there.

Someone I recognized almost immediately. It was the headmaid from House Hawthorne.

She turned toward me slowly and my heart began beating so fast that I could literally hear it.

The woman from Hawthorne Manor studied my face then she asked calmly, "Have you been to Hawthorne manor recently?"

I froze in place.

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