Rejected by the Alpha of Fire

Into the Forbidden Room

Cindra’s POV

I hadn’t left my room since the conversation I’d had with Helio the day before. If I had my way, I would have stayed locked up in there until the visiting nobles were all gone, especially Knox, but Scarlett had brought me the cleaned dress and a whole basket of medical supplies to tend to my injuries. She’d been just as surprised as I was that Helio had saved me from his mother and hadn’t hurt me himself.

Helio’s dark expression flashed through my mind and I forced my thoughts away from the memory. The castle’s bell tolled the eleventh hour, and I bundled the dress under my arm. By now, most of the castle would be asleep. If there was any hope that I could get the dress back into my mother’s room without being caught, I had to take the chance now.

Opening my door as quietly as possible, I stuck my head out. Every gust of wind and distant creak filled me with tension. Slowly, I slipped out and crept between shadows down the long corridor, up the stairs, and all the way to the royal wing. I clutched the dress tightly in my arms, careful to keep it from fluttering around and making noise, and crossed over from the acid-washed stone flooring to the redone wooden floors of the area where all the other royals had their chambers.

Only a few turns separated me from the threshold of my mother’s room, but it felt like a trek of ages. My heart pounded in my chest, echoing in my ears. Goddess, help me avoid any of my family.

My footsteps barely whispered across the polished wooden floors as I slipped down the main corridor. Cold sweat beaded on my temples and fear churned in my stomach, but I kept my mind focused on the task—return the dress and get back to my room without being seen or heard.

I didn’t know if anyone actually went inside the room. I’d been told no one could ever go there, but that didn’t actually mean no one necessarily. I had to get the dress back in case they did check. Bridget would have a fit if she could confirm that I had taken it.

The hallways were empty, so I opened the door to my mother’s room. The hinges were mercifully silent, and I slipped in and closed it behind me.

I held in a sigh of relief and crossed the room to the closet. A single empty hanger taunted me from the rack of gorgeous gowns. I rehung the stolen dress and put it back where it belonged, setting the world right again.

For a moment, I wondered if my mother had been the belle of society, vain and excited about formal gatherings or just as nervous as I felt. There had been a time when I wanted to go to all of them, but once I’d realized they were not for the likes of me, they had lost their appeal.

I trailed my hands over a rich emerald gown made of silk. The woman would have drawn every eye in the castle in something so fine. My eyes stung and my jaw trembled. I turned away from the dresses. I couldn’t afford to linger. What good would it do?

King Flint had been clear that I didn’t deserve to know anything about my mother. The servants who had known her didn’t even speak to me. The few precious facts I had were all damning, and as I looked around the room, I had to come to terms with the fact that those circumstances would never change.

Just like this room.

Her chambers were frozen in time, haunted by my mother’s memory. I took a deep breath and shook away my dark thoughts. There would be other times to come back. King Flint and Queen Bridget would be leaving the palace eventually for some occasion or another. I took comfort in the knowledge that this room never changed, and thus, it would always be here and I could come back for some small connection to the woman who birthed me.

I turned to leave and the floorboard beneath my foot gave out a loud creak. Panic welled up in me, choking me. I held my breath, straining to hear if the noise had drawn anyone’s attention. Whose rooms were nearest to this one anyway? I couldn’t remember.

Were those footsteps?

My heart beat frantically and I strained to hear beyond the door. I glanced around for a place to hide if I needed to. The armoire was my first thought, but I was almost certain that if someone got near, I wouldn’t have time to get inside.

The sound of footfalls in the hall grew louder. It had not just been my imagination. I swallowed, praying to the Goddess that whoever it was would go away.

Minutes that felt like hours passed before the footsteps drifted past the door and continued to fade down the hallway. I took a slow, deep breath as I started to relax. I waited a few moments before I started toward the door. Something caught on my foot, causing me to stumble, but I managed to stay upright.

I froze and listened, but no noise came from the hallway. The light spilling through the curtains was just enough for me to see as I bent down. The floorboard was sticking up just slightly, hardly noticeable, but as if it was supposed to. I really should have left, getting back to my room as quickly as possible, but curiosity got the better of me. I crouched down and carefully lifted the board. It glided open like it was attached to a hinge. Beneath it was a small space filled with books.

Eyes wide in surprise, I reached for one, trying to figure out what they were. The first book I grabbed fell open, leaving me in shock.

Today, June 9th…

It was a journal. My mother’s journal. My hands shook. The urge to take them all with me and get answers to some of the questions I had was tempting, but I pushed that thought away. Taking them was too risky. Someone could find them in my room.

I could stay here and read them, but I had already tempted fate by lingering. The night wouldn’t last forever, and more than that, did I even have the right to read them?

How would I feel, dead or alive, if someone, even if they were my own daughter, read my private thoughts?

The guilt left a bitter taste in my mouth. I set the journal back inside. It felt like a betrayal to myself to close the secret compartment again, but I set the board in place and hurried out of the room.

The door opened to an empty corridor. I held my skirts to keep them from rustling and rushed down the hall. Just as I rounded the corner to the main hallway that led back to the newer section of the castle, I slammed into something as solid as a brick wall.