Willow made her way back to the servants' quarters and her mind was still spinning from her encounter with Magnus.
She couldn't understand why he had apologized to her when he had no reason to care about her feelings at all.
Maybe it was some kind of trick or maybe he was playing a game she didn't understand but either way, it left her feeling confused and unsettled as she walked through the dimly lit corridors.
The other slaves were already settling in for the night when she reached her small room, and she was grateful that nobody tried to talk to her as she passed by their open doors.
She just wanted to lie down and try to sleep even though she knew her mind would keep her awake for hours, thinking about everything that had happened today.
Her room was tiny with just enough space for a narrow bed and a small trunk where she kept the few belongings she had brought with her from home.
She sat down on the thin mattress and pulled off her dirty shoes before lying back and staring at the cracked ceiling above her.
Her body ached from all the work she had done today, but it was nothing compared to the emotional exhaustion that weighed her down like a heavy blanket.
She was just starting to close her eyes, when she heard a soft knock on her door. For a moment she considered ignoring it because she couldn't handle any more surprises or confrontations today, but the knocking came again and she reluctantly pushed herself up from the bed.
She expected to see Martha or one of the other servants coming to give her more work or tell her she had done something, wrong but when she opened the door her breath caught in her throat.
"Lyra?" She gasped, staring at the girl standing in her doorway.
Lyra was one of the first people she had met when she arrived at the palace and they had talked briefly before Lyra had disappeared and Willow hadn't seen her since.
She was a pretty woman with dark curly hair that she kept tied back in a bun and warm brown eyes that always seemed to be smiling even when the rest of her face was serious.
She was wearing the same plain servant dress as everyone else, but somehow, she made it look less depressing than it actually was.
Willow was so happy to see a familiar face that she couldn't help the squeal that escaped her lips as she threw her arms around her in a tight hug.
It had been so long since anyone had shown her any kindness and seeing her standing there made her feel less alone in this terrible place.
Lyra made a surprised sound, but then she laughed and hugged Willow back with equal enthusiasm.
"Well someone is happy to see me." She said, her voice was warm and teasing in a way that made Willow smile for the first time in days.
"Come in come in," Willow said, pulling Lyra into her room before closing the door behind them.
There wasn't much space, but they both sat down on the bed and Willow turned to face her with excitement bubbling up in her chest.
"Where have you been? I looked for you everywhere after that day, but nobody knew where you went and I thought maybe something bad had happened to you."
Lyra smiled, tucking a stray curl behind her ear that had escaped from her bun.
"I had to go home for a bit. My mother was sick and they needed me to help take care of her, but she's better now, so I came back," She explained and then her expression changed as she really looked at Willow for the first time since entering the room.
Willow knew she must look terrible with her puffy eyes, pale skin and the exhaustion that was written all over her face.
She tried to smile and act like everything was fine, but Lyra wasn't fooled for a second and her brown eyes narrowed with concern as she studied Willow's appearance.
"What's wrong?" Lyra asked, reaching out to take Willow's hand in hers. "You look like you haven't slept in days. Your eyes are all red and swollen like you've been crying for hours."
Willow pulled her hand back and wrapped her arms around herself because she didn't know if she could tell Lyra about everything that had happened.
It seemed too big and too complicated to explain and part of her was afraid that Lyra wouldn't believe her or worse, that she would judge her for being so weak and pathetic.
"It's nothing." She said but her voice cracked, giving away the lie immediately.
Lyra scooted closer on the bed, putting her arm around Willow's shoulders in a comforting gesture that almost made her start crying again.
"You can tell me whatever it is. We're friends and we are supposed to help each other through hard times." She said gently.
Willow's heart warmed at the fact that Lyra called her a friend. It had been so long since anyone called her that.
She hesitated for another moment but then, the whole story came pouring out of her like water breaking through a dam.
She told Lyra about how she had been brought to the palace as a slave and how she had been trying to adjust to her new life when everything changed.
She told her about Lady Carina trying to slap her which she witnessed that day anyway, and how the Alpha King had stopped it and how she had felt the mate bond snap into place between them.
She told her about overhearing Dorian and Magnus talking about her and how disgusted Dorian was that his mate was a slave.
She told her about being called to his chambers and how he had made it clear that he only wanted her for one thing, and how he had threatened to take her child away if she ever tried to run.
She told her about crying all night and working all day and how Magnus had found her crying and apologized which made no sense at all.
She had no idea if she was just desperate because someone was being nice to her for the first time, but she wouldn't stop spilling everything no matter how hard she tried.
By the time she finished talking, Lyra was staring at her with her mouth hanging open and her eyes so wide that Willow could see the whites all around her brown irises.
She looked like Willow had just told her that she had grown a third head or sprouted wings or done something equally impossible and she couldn't blame her. The whole situation was completely insane.