h4Chapter 65: 65 - favourite wine/h4

    65

    ~Lisa’s POV

    I walked slowly back to my room, dragging my feet. My chest felt heavy, like something big was pressing on it. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I slid down to the floor and buried my face in my hands.

    Tears poured out of my eyes.

    "I could’ve died," I whispered to myself, rocking slowly. "I almost died."

    My shoulders shook as the tears kepting. My head was pounding, and my heart still hadn’t calmed down. Petra died right in front of me, and it could’ve been me. It was meant to be me.

    What if I had eaten first?

    I clutched my stomach tightly and cried harder. "Papa... I wonder how you’d feel if you heard your daughter died in a strange ce where she came to work just to survive."

    I sniffled and pulled my knees to my chest. "I don’t want to die. Not like this. Not for nothing..."

    I didn’t know how long I cried for. But at some point, the tears dried on my cheeks and I fell asleep on the cold floor.

    Knock, knock, knock...

    I opened my eyes slowly to the sound of someone at my door. My eyes were swollen, and my body ached from sleeping on the floor.

    Knock, knock!

    I stood up groggily and dragged myself to the door.

    "Yes?" I said in a low voice as I opened it.

    It was one of the pce maids. "The Alphas are looking for you," she said quietly.

    My heart dropped.

    "Right now?" I asked, wiping my face quickly.

    She nodded. "Yes. You have toe immediately."

    I shut the door slowly behind me and rubbed my face again. I didn’t want them to see I had been crying. I didn’t want them to see how broken I felt. I forced myself to move, one step at a time, until I reached the hall where they were.

    The three of them, Kael, Rowan, and Damon, were seated. They looked like gods, powerful and calm, but the moment I entered, their eyes were on me.

    I bowed quickly. "Good... good evening."

    Kael leaned forward. "Lisa. Are you okay?"

    I raised my head slowly and nodded. "Yes. I’m fine."

    They kept staring at me like they didn’t believe me.

    Rowan cleared his throat. "You weren’t at your duty post."

    I blinked. "Duty post?"

    Damon tilted his head. "Yes. You didn’t show up to clean the dining hall this morning."

    I scoffed without meaning to.

    Even I was shocked at myself.

    "You’re serious?" I said, slowly. "I almost died today. Petra is dead. And you’re asking me why I didn’t show up to sweep the floor?"

    They were stunned. None of them said anything for a few seconds.

    Kael’s brow lifted. "You’re... talking back?"

    "I didn’t mean to be rude," I said sharply, "but what do you want me to say? I’m still shaking. I saw someone die. Someone I knew. Right in front of me. It was supposed to be me."

    Rowan frowned. "We’re not trying to pressure you, Lisa. We just didn’t know you were..."

    "You didn’t know?" I cut in,ughing bitterly. "Everyone saw what happened. You were all there. And yet, today I’m just expected to go back to being a maid like nothing happened?"

    Kael’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile as he leaned back in his seat. His eyes were locked on me, watching me in a way that made me feel like I’d just stepped into a spotlight I didn’t ask for. It wasn’t the usual cold stare I was used to from him, no, this one was different. Amused. Curious. Like he was seeing me with new eyes.

    "Well, well," he said smoothly, his voice carrying a quiet edge of surprise and something else I couldn’t ce. "It seems I like this new energy."

    I blinked at him, not expecting that. My lips parted slightly, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say. My heart was still racing from everything I’d just said, the way I talked back, the fact that I’d stood my ground for once. And now... he was smiling?

    Before I could figure out what to do or say, Kael stood up.

    Slowly.

    Deliberately.

    His tall frame moved with such confidence, like he had all the time in the world. Each step echoed quietly on the polished floor, and with every one, I felt my pulse quicken. I stayed rooted to the spot, my hands clenched in front of me, trying not to look nervous, though I was.

    He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. He was taller, broader, and he smelled faintly of cedarwood and something smoky.

    I swallowed hard.

    Then, he leaned down, so close that strands of his hair brushed my cheek. My breath caught in my throat as his lips came beside my ear. His voice was low and deep, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

    "Keep that up," he murmured. "I like it."

    I froze.

    The words felt like they wrapped around me, warm and sharp at the same time. I didn’t know whether to be ttered, afraid, orpletely confused. Maybe all three. I felt the brush of his breath against my skin, and my chest rose with a shaky inhale I couldn’t control.

    Then, as quickly as he’de close, he straightened up, stepping back with that same smug, confident smirk on his face, like he hadn’t just set my nerves on fire. He returned to his seat casually, like he hadn’t done anything at all.

    I stood there for a second, still trying to process what had just happened. My legs felt like jelly. My face was warm. I had no idea what Kael meant by that, and worse, I didn’t know what he wanted from me.

    Was it a game?

    Was he mocking me?

    Was I supposed to be scared... or something else?

    I was still caught in that storm of thoughts when Rowan’s voice suddenly snapped me back to the moment.

    "Get us our favorite wine," he said with a slight lift of his brow, like he was daring me to hesitate.

    I lowered my head respectfully, my voice calm. "Yes, Alpha."

    Without another word, I turned and walked out of the room, my heart pounding, my steps steady, my mind a storm.