SELIN'S POV.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that everything smelled expensive. The sheets…silk, definitely silk, were the softest thing I'd ever touched. The air carried this faint scent of pine and something sharper, like lightning and smoke had a baby. Even the sunlight leaking through the heavy curtains looked richer, golden and slow, like it was being filtered through pure arrogance.
I sat up slowly, blinking at the massive room around me. This wasn't my tiny village hut. There were no muddy floors, no leaky roofs, no chickens scratching around my feet. Just marble, velvet, and silence.
Then it all came crashing back…the flood, the forest, him. The tall, scary, quiet man who looked like he'd rather bite me than talk to me. The one everyone called 'my king.'
I groaned, rubbing my face. "Oh gods. I actually begged to come back here."
I fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. I didn't know what time it was, but the castle was eerily quiet. That man had told me—well, ordered me, not to leave his chambers. Apparently, it wasn't safe. Or maybe he just didn't want me wandering into another secret meeting and causing chaos again.
Fair.
So here I was, stuck in what had to be the largest set of "chambers" in the world. It wasn't just one room, it was a whole section of the castle, complete with a sitting area, a balcony, and my own room next door. Which was great. Except I had no idea what to do with myself.
After spending the first hour poking around the walls…who knew doors could be hidden inside wood panels? and staring at the weird glowing stones that replaced candles, I decided to get dressed. The maid, a tiny, nervous girl who wouldn't meet my eyes, had left folded clothes on a chair. They were plain, soft linen, far better than the ragged dress I'd come in with. I slipped them on and immediately felt like an imposter.
Everything here was too clean, too still, and too perfect.
My stomach growled. Right! Breakfast.
There was a tray on the table, covered with bread, fruit, and some kind of steaming drink. I didn't know what it was, but it smelled divine. I tore into it before I could think twice.
Halfway through stuffing bread into my mouth, I froze. Because something wasn't right. The silence. The cold. The way the air almost hummed, like the walls themselves were listening. And then it hit me…that memory. The one I'd been trying to ignore since yesterday.
That meeting room. Those people, tall, pale, eyes like they could see through my soul. The way they'd all looked at me like I was a bug that had crawled onto their dinner plate.
"Human," they'd said.
Not "woman." Not "girl."
Human.
I swallowed hard. Wait a minute. What if they weren't just snobby nobles? What if they weren't even people? I slowly looked around the room again, the heavy drapes that blocked the sunlight, the glowing stones instead of candles, the way no one ever ate around here.
Oh no.
"Oh my gods," I whispered, eyes widening. "They're vampires."
It made sense. The pale skin. The creepy eyes. The "don't wander around at night" rule. The fact that I hadn't seen a single person eat anything in this place—except me.
I pressed a hand to my chest. "I'm living in a castle full of vampires."
A ridiculous, hysterical laugh bubbled out of me. "Of course I am. Why not? Maybe I'll be dessert later. Maybe he's keeping me here to marinate."
I froze. "Oh no. What if I'm being fattened up?"
The door creaked open and I yelped, nearly choking on my fruit. It was the maid, the same one from earlier, holding a fresh pitcher of water. She blinked at me, startled.
"Good morning, miss," she said quietly.
I eyed her suspiciously. She was small, sure, but vampires could transform, right? Maybe she was one of those cute ones who turn into bats.
"Hi," I said slowly.
She poured water into a bowl for washing. "The Alpha said you're not to leave the chambers."
"Yeah," I muttered. "I figured."
Her gaze flicked toward me, curious but cautious. "Do you need anything else?"
I hesitated, then asked, "Do you guys…eat normal food?"
Her brow furrowed. "Normal?"
"You know. Bread. Meat. Apples. Stuff that doesn't have…blood in it."
She stared at me like I'd just asked if water was wet. "Of course we do."
"Oh." I tried to laugh, but it came out nervous. "Good. Just checking. Totally normal question."
She didn't look convinced.
"Right," I said quickly, backing toward the table. "Well, thank you for the water! You can…go now."
She curtsied and left without a word.
As soon as the door clicked shut, I sagged into a chair, groaning. "Smooth, Selin. Very subtle. Now she definitely thinks you're insane."
I poked at the remaining food, my thoughts swirling. Who were these people? Why did everyone act like I was some dangerous creature?
And why did their king—the terrifying, unreadable man with eyes like winter, act like he was the one afraid of me?
I didn't understand any of it. But I knew one thing…whatever this place was, it wasn't normal. And if I was going to survive it, I needed answers.
I stood, wiping crumbs off my hands. Maybe I couldn't leave the chambers, but that didn't mean I couldn't look around within them. The place was huge, a maze of corridors, bookshelves, and heavy doors that probably led to places I wasn't supposed to go. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? A vampire catches me snooping?
I'd seen worse. Probably.
I took a deep breath. "Okay, Selin," I whispered to myself. "No panicking. Just quiet exploring. You're not food, you're a guest. A very terrified, underfed, possibly doomed guest."
And with that pep talk, I set off toward the next room, completely unaware that someone was already watching from the shadows just beyond the balcony.