Chapter 2:
The ducal palace kitchen was never truly quiet. Even before sunrise, when the sky was still painted in pale shades of gray and cold air slipped through the tall stone windows, life already moved within its walls. Knives tapped rhythmically against wooden boards, soup simmered inside heavy copper pots, old doors creaked endlessly, and servants whispered softly as they prepared for another exhausting day.
Amid that organized chaos stood Sera Vale.
She was positioned near a large stone counter, the sleeves of her old forest-colored dress rolled slightly above her wrists. Loose strands of long brown hair framed her face messily after hours near the fire, while flour dusted the tips of her fingers.
Carefully, she arranged thin slices of apple over golden pastry dough as the scent of cinnamon and baked apples slowly filled the kitchen.
Apple pie.
Something simple.
Something she loved.
Perhaps because the smell gave her a strange feeling of comfort… something warm and distant, like home.
Even though she could barely remember what home truly was anymore.
Sera worked quietly, as she always did. She didn't speak much, didn't seek attention, and never caused trouble. She moved through the kitchen like a silent shadow, barely noticed among the servants.
And she preferred it that way.
The less people looked at her, the safer she felt.
From outside came the distant sound of steel clashing against steel. Faint at first… then clearer.
The soldiers had already begun their morning training.
Sera's hand paused briefly above the pie.
The sound of swords.
Familiar.
Sharp.
Strangely unsettling.
For a moment, something tightened deep inside her chest before she forced herself to continue working.
"Sera!"
A cheerful voice shattered the silence around her.
She turned just in time to see Hailey rushing into the kitchen with flushed cheeks and bright excited eyes.
"What are you doing?" Hailey asked dramatically. "Don't tell me you're making apple pie again."
"It's almost done," Sera replied calmly.
Hailey leaned lazily against the counter with a grin. "You're wasting your youth in this kitchen."
Sera raised an eyebrow slightly. "Am I?"
"Yes!" Hailey whispered loudly. "The soldiers are training outside. Real soldiers. Strong, handsome, muscular soldiers."
Sera sighed softly. "And?"
"And we should go watch them!" Hailey grabbed her arm excitedly. "At least one of them might fall in love with us. Imagine it—marriage, freedom, leaving this miserable place forever…"
Sera's fingers slowed slightly.
This place.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Lonely.
The palace once belonged to Duke Aureole Richard, a man whose death remained wrapped in mystery and whispers. No servant dared speak openly about it, though everyone secretly believed something terrible had happened within these walls.
Now the title belonged to his son—Michael Aureole.
A man born from a servant woman.
A man many nobles secretly despised.
Sera had never seen him personally.
And honestly, she never wanted to.
"Don't tell me you want to spend your entire life baking pies," Hailey continued dramatically.
Instead of answering, Sera's fingers brushed lightly against the silver necklace resting against her collarbone.
Cold silver.
Smooth against her skin.
The moonstone embedded within the pendant reflected the weak morning light strangely, almost as if something alive rested inside it.
Her gaze softened unconsciously.
And for a brief moment—
Her mind drifted far away.
Yellow flowers danced endlessly beneath warm sunlight.
A forest.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Safe.
Laughter echoed faintly somewhere nearby.
Then suddenly—
Her mother's frightened voice shattered the memory.
"Forgive me… please… you have to run."
Sera's chest tightened painfully.
That memory always came in fragments.
Broken pieces.
Blurred faces.
Fear.
She remembered small trembling hands grabbing her shoulders.
Her mother crying.
Another woman standing nearby.
"Take her," her mother whispered desperately. "Please… take her far away."
Young Sera had not understood anything back then.
She had thought it was a game.
She remembered running through flowers while laughing at first.
Then confusion.
Then tears.
And after that—
Nothing.
The memory always ended there.
Incomplete.
Like her.
"Sera?"
She blinked and returned to reality.
Hailey stared at her suspiciously. "You're spacing out again."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that." Hailey crossed her arms dramatically. "Do you realize you're already twenty-three?"
Sera sighed softly. "Unfortunately."
"If you don't marry soon, people will call you a spinster."
"Let them."
"I'm serious!" Hailey leaned closer. "You're beautiful. Any man could fall for you…"
Then her grin widened mischievously.
"Especially him."
Sera frowned slightly. "Who?"
"Steven."
The movement of Sera's fingers stopped for only a second.
Steven.
Her childhood friend.
The one person who had always stayed beside her no matter how much time passed.
Moments later, the two girls quietly slipped out of the kitchen unnoticed and made their way through the long palace corridors until they finally reached the training grounds outside.
The courtyard was alive with movement and noise.
Swords clashed violently.
Boots scraped across stone.
Cold wind carried the scent of sweat and iron through the air while soldiers trained under the pale morning sun.
Several servant girls stood nearby pretending not to stare while secretly admiring the knights.
Hailey immediately grabbed Sera's arm excitedly.
"There!"
Sera followed her gaze.
And instantly found him.
Steven stood among the soldiers, taller than most of them, his posture calm yet perfectly balanced. Golden blond hair reflected sunlight like liquid gold, while his blue eyes—clear and bright like the open sky—remained focused on his opponent.
He was painfully handsome.
The kind of beauty people envied immediately.
His pale skin, sharp jawline, and naturally composed expression made him stand out effortlessly even among trained knights.
And the others hated him for it.
Sera noticed the looks they gave him.
Jealousy.
Resentment.
Mockery.
Yet Steven never reacted.
"Look at him…" Hailey sighed dreamily beside her. "Even losing suits him."
Sera's gaze narrowed slightly.
Because she noticed something the others didn't.
Steven was holding back.
Again.
Their swords collided sharply before Steven deliberately stepped back a second too slowly.
His opponent knocked the sword from his hand instantly.
Cheers and laughter erupted nearby.
"Too slow!"
"The pretty boy lost again!"
Steven calmly bent down, picked up his sword, and returned to position without arguing.
As though losing meant nothing.
But Sera knew better.
Steven was strong.
Much stronger than everyone here.
She had seen glimpses of it before.
Moments too fast for normal eyes.
Movements too precise.
Strength carefully hidden beneath calm silence.
So why did he keep pretending to lose?
Why allow others to mock him?
"Honestly," Hailey whispered dramatically, "if Steven looked at me the way he looks at you, I would faint immediately."
Sera blinked. "He doesn't look at me differently."
"He does."
"No, he doesn't."
"He absolutely does."
Sera looked away with a quiet sigh.
Steven had simply always been there.
A steady presence beside her childhood.
Safe.
Reliable.
Familiar.
And maybe that was why she never questioned it.
Then suddenly—
Pain exploded through her body.
Heat spread violently beneath her skin without warning.
Her breath caught sharply in her throat.
The sounds around her changed instantly.
The clashing swords no longer sounded like steel.
They sounded like claws.
Sharp.
Violent.
Animalistic.
Every sound echoed painfully inside her skull.
Her vision blurred.
The world tilted slightly beneath her feet.
Her heartbeat slammed wildly against her chest.
Too fast.
Too loud.
"Hailey…" she whispered weakly.
But her voice disappeared beneath the noise around her.
Then her eyes landed on something.
Blood.
A thin stream trailing down a soldier's arm after a shallow cut.
And the moment she saw it—
Something inside her awakened.
A violent pulse rushed through her veins.
Hot.
Wild.
Terrifying.
Her body trembled uncontrollably as unfamiliar energy spread through every inch of her.
It wasn't fear.
It felt worse.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Dangerous.
The smell of blood suddenly became overwhelming.
Too strong.
Too tempting.
Sera stumbled backward, horrified by herself.
"What's wrong?" Hailey asked immediately.
But Sera could no longer answer.
The noise.
The heat.
The blood.
Everything felt unbearable.
She turned suddenly and ran.
Fast.
She didn't care where she was going.
She only needed to escape.
Her breathing became uneven as she stumbled through stone corridors and empty pathways. The world around her blurred strangely while the sounds inside her head grew louder and louder.
Claws.
Not swords.
Claws.
Her hands shook violently.
Her skin burned.
What was happening to her?
Why did she feel this way?
Why did the smell of blood affect her so much?
Her thoughts spun chaotically as she turned sharply around a corridor—
And crashed directly into someone.
A solid body.
Hard as stone.
Strong hands caught her before she could fall.
Sera lifted her head slowly.
And froze.
The man standing before her was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed entirely in dark clothing that emphasized the power in his frame. Black hair fell carelessly around sharp features so perfect they almost seemed unreal.
His skin carried a warm bronze tone.
But his eyes—
Brown.
Deep.
Cold.
Then for the briefest second—
They glowed crimson red.
Alpha eyes.
A chill ran down Sera's spine instantly.
Who… was he?
There was something terrifying about his presence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Predatory.
Like standing too close to a monster pretending to be human.
And yet—
He was beautiful.
Not gentle beauty.
Not soft beauty.
The kind that warned you to run while making you unable to look away.
Darkness suddenly consumed her vision.
The last thing she felt was his grip tightening around her before consciousness disappeared completely.
---
"Sire, are you alright?"
A knight approached quickly before stopping at the sight of the unconscious girl in the duke's arms.
"What about this servant girl? Should I call someone—"
He froze instantly.
Because the duke looked at him.
And his eyes were no longer brown.
They burned crimson red.
The unmistakable eyes of an Alpha.
Cold.
Dominant.
Terrifying.
"Leave."
One word.
Quiet.
Absolute.
The knight immediately lowered his head. "Yes, my lord."
Then he disappeared without another word.
Silence returned.
The duke slowly lowered his gaze toward the girl in his arms.
His expression remained unreadable as his eyes gradually faded back to brown.
Then his attention shifted toward the necklace resting against her chest.
The moonstone glowed faintly beneath the daylight.
Recognition flickered briefly across his face.
"…Finally."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"It seems… things are beginning to move."
In his arms, Sera's fingers twitched weakly.
Her breathing turned uneven.
Fragile.
Then slowly—
Her eyes opened.
For one brief second—
They were no longer hazel.
One eye glowed deep golden yellow.
The other burned faint crimson red.
Omega.
And something else.
Then the strange glow vanished immediately as though nothing had happened.
Far across the courtyard—
Steven suddenly froze.
His grip tightened sharply around his sword.
A suffocating pressure wrapped around his chest so violently it stole his breath.
"…Sera?"
His voice came out low.
Uncertain.
And for the very first time—
Steven felt it clearly.
Something was terribly wrong.
Dear readers,
Thank you for being here at the very beginning of this story.
We are still at the early steps of the journey, and everything is just starting to take shape. The world, the characters, and the direction of the story are slowly unfolding.
I hope you continue reading and growing with it as it develops. Your support at this stage means a lot, and every new chapter will bring us closer to something more interesting and meaningful.
Stay with the story… there is still much more to come.