My life under "house arrest" began.
I lived in the side chamber next to his personal quarters, separated only by a heavy wooden door. Except for a fixed time for fresh air, I was not allowed to go anywhere.
The first evening, a maid brought dinner. No longer was it coarse black bread, but honey-roasted meat and fruit with a southern flavor. Next to the tray was a thick book on northern history.
I looked at the food, having no appetite. I just picked up the book and began to read.
After some time, the door opened. It was Kaelen.
He glanced at the almost untouched dinner on the table, then at me.
"Why aren't you eating?" his voice was cold.
"Not hungry," I replied without looking up.
"I said," his tone became more forceful, "finish it."
I ignored him.
He was silent for a moment, then turned and left.
However, the next evening, Drake knocked on my door.
"Miss Aila," he said, his face expressionless, "the Alpha requests your presence for dinner in the main hall."
I was stunned.
I followed him through the heavy wooden door and, for the first time, entered Kaelen's main hall. It was vast and empty, with a ridiculously long obsidian dining table in the center. Kaelen was already seated at the head, his head bowed as he read a document.
A maid led me to the other end of the long table, the furthest seat from him. A place had been set for me with exquisite cutlery and food.
I understood.
Because I hadn't eaten yesterday, today, he was going to personally supervise me.
This man… was so childish and domineering.
I glared at him but reluctantly sat down.
We were in the same room, but we were like two separate ghosts. The only communication was the light clinking of cutlery against plates.
What is the meaning of this? I thought as I mechanically chewed my food.
A show for others? Or does he think a 'valuable piece of evidence' has no will of its own?
The next few days were the same.
Every evening, I would be "invited" to the main hall for a silent dinner with Kaelen.
Sometimes, Drake would stride in during the meal and whisper something in Kaelen's ear. Whenever that happened, Kaelen's brow would furrow. I would keep my head down and eat in silence, pretending not to hear, but I would watch them out of the corner of my eye.
And every morning, Drake would bring a large pile of thick books—Geography of the North, A Thousand-Year History of Winterfang, A Review of Ancient Werewolf Battles…
Great. He not only treated me like a prisoner but also like a student in need of tutoring.
Nevertheless, I read all the books. Because there was nothing else to do, and because… I wanted to learn more about this cold place, and the enigmatic man beside me.
In those books, I read about the terrifying legends of the Wailing Canyon, that it was a place sealed by the ancient gods. I also saw records of the South's Moon Lake and an ancient curse, but the most crucial pages had been deliberately torn out.
This planted an even deeper question in my mind.
Another silent dinner. I couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere any longer.
"Lord Alpha," I said, putting down my cutlery, "aren't you bored?"
He finally looked up from his documents, his lightless eyes on me. "What?"
"I mean," I said, my tone deliberately light, "personally supervising this 'important suspect' at dinner every day, don't you think… it's a bit of an overreaction?"
He looked at me, a sarcastic curve to his lips. "If you would just eat properly, I wouldn't have to waste my time."
"Oh? Is that so?" I retorted, leaning forward slightly and mimicking his expression with a fake smile. "I thought you weren't supervising my dinner, but that you were afraid."
Kaelen's brow furrowed slightly. "Afraid?"
"Yes," I slowly cut a small piece of roasted meat, put it in my mouth, and savored it before continuing, "You're afraid that if you don't watch me, I'll vanish into thin air, just like the other 'disappeared' girls. You're afraid that your only 'cure' against the curse will suddenly disappear."
I looked up, meeting his eyes, which had instantly darkened, and said, enunciating each word, "In the end, Lord Alpha, who is 'supervising' whom? Am I the one who can't live without your food, or… are you the one who can't live without my presence?"
He wasn't angered by my words. Instead, he seemed somewhat intrigued. He closed the document and leaned forward slightly, for the first time, giving me his full attention.
"Sharp-tongued," he said slowly, his tone unreadable. "It seems the 'offering' from the South is not only a healer but also skilled at mind games."
He paused, then changed the subject. "Liam said you like to read?"
Liam! You traitor! I wailed internally.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "Does the Lord Alpha even need to approve of what books I read?"
"I'm just curious," Kaelen said, his eyes holding a faint mockery. "Does the confidence that gives you the illusion that 'I can't live without you' come from that Travels of Ancient Heroes? Did the heroes in the book give you some unrealistic fantasies?"
"Perhaps those 'unrealistic' fantasies are a little more free than a certain reality, trapped on a throne?" I shrugged, returning his jab with one of my own. "Besides, instead of guessing at the source of my 'confidence' here, I think it would be more useful for you to study how your younger brother so easily wins people's hearts."
After I said that, the temperature in the entire hall seemed to drop several degrees.
He didn't press the matter, just gave me a long, deep look, as if trying to see into my soul.
"Starting tomorrow," he said suddenly, "you can read in my study. There are more books there than these."
He paused, his gaze intense and oppressive, and added, enunciating each word, "And, you can also see how a true Alpha wins one war after another in an 'unfree' reality."
I was stunned.
Was he… challenging me? Or… was he inviting me into his real world?
The next day, Drake came to invite me to the study.
There were no swords in Kaelen's study, only mountains of books, scrolls, and a massive sand table, which held a miniature topographical map of the entire northern territory.
"Find a book yourself," he said, gesturing to a row of bookshelves without looking up.
Then he ignored me and, with Drake and… Liam, who were already waiting, began to discuss the latest military intelligence at the sand table.
I pretended to be looking for something on the bookshelf, but my ears caught their every word.
"Brother," Liam's voice was grave. He placed a small grey flag on the area of the sand table representing the eastern front. "An urgent report from the Grey Wolf tribe. One of their supply depots was attacked last night, with heavy losses. Commander Gavin is requesting immediate reinforcements and a full-scale counter-attack on the Wailing Canyon."
My heart tightened.
Kaelen looked at the flag but shook his head.
"No. This wasn't the work of the 'Ghoul-Wolf Knights'."
"Why? My lord?" Drake was confused.
"I know similar tracks were left at the scene," Kaelen cut him off. "But don't you think it's too deliberate?"
He picked up a few small red flags from the side and placed them one by one on the sand table.
"Look here, here, and here," he said, pointing to the red flags. "These attacks, though they seem random, have perfectly avoided our most elite patrol routes and have never engaged our main forces in a direct confrontation."
"And," he continued, "they never linger. They strike and retreat. They use tactics, they know how to feint. Drake, do you think the 'ghouls' we saw in the Wailing Canyon had the intelligence for coordinated warfare?"
Drake was silent.
"This means," Kaelen's voice turned to ice, "that in our territory, besides the 'monsters' holed up in the Wailing Canyon, there is another enemy. An enemy that is very familiar with our defenses."
"It seems their goal is harassment and provocation," Liam immediately picked up the thread, adding, "They're deliberately mimicking the 'ghouls'' methods to provoke simple-minded commanders like Gavin, to lure his strongest Grey Wolf forces away from the eastern front."
"Could it be… the southern werewolves?" Drake asked in a low voice.
"It's not impossible," Kaelen said, looking at the sand table, a trace of exhaustion in his lightless eyes. "It's also possible… that the enemy is among us."
He paused, his voice dropping to a low whisper.
"It seems someone… is getting impatient."
I listened to his calm and precise analysis, deeply shaken.
"Brother," his tone was unquestionable, "Drake and I will handle this. You must stay in the castle."
Kaelen's brow furrowed.
"Aila has just stabilized," Liam's gaze drifted towards me. "I don't know what happened between you two, but you know better than I do how unstable the blood pact is. For you to leave her side now, to face this mysterious enemy, is too dangerous."
Hearing him mention me, a warmth spread through my heart, and I couldn't help but speak up. "Liam, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself… you two, be careful."
Hearing me express concern for Liam, Kaelen's face instantly turned cold again.
"When did I ever need her to stabilize me?" Kaelen's voice was like ice. "I am the Alpha of the North, not some useless thing that needs to be chained to the castle by an 'offering'."
"That's not what I mean, brother," Liam did not back down. "I am stating a fact. It is the most stable choice for me to go."
Kaelen looked at his younger brother's determined eyes and was silent for a moment.
"Alright," he finally conceded. "You and Drake take a small team. Remember, reconnaissance only, no engagement. I need to know who this enemy is."
"Yes, brother."
Liam and Drake took their leave.
The study was once again silent, leaving just Kaelen and me. The atmosphere was even colder and… more awkward than before.
He returned to his desk, reviewing documents, as if I were invisible.
And I, pretending to be searching among the massive bookshelves, found my gaze uncontrollably drawn to something on his desk.
It was a small crystal vial, in which a single, dried, but carefully preserved pure white wildflower was placed.
My heart skipped a beat.
This flower… how is it exactly the same as the one the black-cloaked 'ghost' once left by my pillow in the tower?
I walked to his desk and, pointing to the crystal vial, said in a deliberately flippant tone, "I never thought the great, strategic Lord Alpha would have such… refined tastes."
He looked up from his documents, his lightless eyes on me. Under my gaze, the usually iron-hard lines of his face seemed to soften, and a faint, unnatural blush colored the tips of his ears.
"…It was my mother's favorite flower," he mumbled, immediately looking back down and pretending to read.
"Is that so?" I pressed, not letting him off the hook. "Well, there was a mysterious 'visitor' who once left me the exact same flower in my room in the tower. I thought it was some kind soul who knew I was feeling down and brought it to comfort me."
His hand, holding the pen, tightened.
"Perhaps," he said, not looking up, his voice even stiffer than before. "The maids in the castle sometimes do unnecessary things."
"Oh? Is that so?" I continued to press. "Then she not only brought flowers but also roasted meat and fruit. It seems the maids in the North are not only kind but also very casual. They can just walk in and out of the Lord Alpha's private kitchens as they please?"
"Enough," he finally looked up, his deep, bottomless eyes now showing a hint of panic. "A 'suspect' should not be asking so many questions about things that don't concern her."
Seeing his stubborn but flustered expression, I began to suspect that the "visitor" who had snuck into my attic room in the middle of the night was, in all likelihood, this hypocritical tyrant.
I said no more, just turned and returned to the bookshelves, a smile uncontrollably playing on my lips.