Chapter 7 The Prince's Mask and the Maiden's Secret

Darius's POV:

For years, the palace maids assigned to me have felt like deliberate torment. Each one sent with a smile and hidden malice, testing the limits of my endurance.

I've endured cruelty cloaked in servitude;bitter food, cold water, schemes that made sleep feel like a trap. But lately, those schemes had quieted. The silence had become a different kind of prison.

That is, until Ravyn arrived.

My... wife.

At first, I almost laughed. Was this just another tactic? A fresh performance in an old play? I eyed her warily, expecting poison in my food or traps hidden in her gentleness. When I saw her handling my clothes, I intervened immediately, assuming the worst. But she only chuckled, her laughter surprisingly light.

"Relax," she said. "You're safe with me."

I didn't believe her.

Yet, twenty minutes later, I watched from a window as she hung freshly washed blankets, linens, and even my personal garments out in the courtyard to dry. The once dusty study was spotless. Shelves that hadn't been touched in years gleamed faintly. My bandaged feet had been redressed with care. And in front of me sat a warm plate of roasted chicken, fragrant and tender.

All of it... her doing.

The woman who claimed to be my wife had done what no other had in years, not through deceit or manipulation, but through quiet acts of service.

I wanted to dismiss the unease in my chest, to call it a trick, another lie. But something about her actions... felt different.

I didn't need anyone. I never had. But the small, mundane kindnesses she offered made something stir inside me. It was foreign, soft, and dangerously comforting.

After she left to prepare dinner, I returned to the study. Moving to a tall shelf, I pressed a hidden switch behind a row of ancient volumes. A panel slid aside, revealing a concealed chamber beyond.

A secret room. My sanctuary. My war room.

Yes, I had been cursed. Yes, my wolf was silent, my power crippled. But I was no helpless invalid, no defeated royal waiting to die.

Humans were not stronger or faster than wolves, but their cleverness allowed them to build kingdoms, conquer nature, and shape the world. I learned from them. I studied, adapted, and for three years, I built a power base beneath the palace walls.

This was not submission, it was strategy.

"Have you found everything I asked for?" I asked the man kneeling before me.

He was my most loyal guard, one of many from a private army I'd raised in secret. Former criminals, rogues, outcasts. Men with nothing left to lose. I gave them purpose, and in return, I had their silence and their blades.

"Yes, Your Highness," he said, offering me a thick file. "Everything we could find on Ravyn Ashridge is in here."

I took it with steady hands, though a storm brewed in my chest. I flipped through the pages, skimming facts, records, affiliations... until I reached that name.

Lucien.

Lucien had once been her mate.

A low scoff escaped me as I closed the file with force. "So that's the tie that binds."

I stared at her picture. Ravyn, gazing at Lucien with unmistakable affection. The rage that had quieted for a moment roared back, burning through me.

So was that her reason for coming here?

To get close to me... because of him?

The thought tasted bitter. I wanted to tear the photo apart. And yet... I felt a flicker of something else beneath the fury. Something too dangerous to name.

"Where is she now?" I asked tightly.

"She's with Flora."

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, then gave the order. "Let Flora continue observing her. If anything seems even slightly suspicious... handle it."

The guard bowed low. "Understood."

I was done being played. I may be bound by a curse, but I would become the blade that broke theirs.

---

Ravyn's POV:

Food wasn't a problem anymore. I'd figured that part out. Now, the real challenge was... getting into Darius's bed.

I mean, I'm technically his wife, even if no one treats me like it. I deserve that right. Don't I?

At eighteen, I hadn't so much as held a male wolf's hand. I didn't grow up being taught how to seduce, how to touch, how to... do that. My cheeks flamed at the very thought. Standing in front of the mirror, I eyed myself nervously, gaze drifting down.

I hesitantly let my hand explore lower, embarrassed but curious. When it came to my own body, I could manage. But with a man?

I remembered the day I helped Owen bathe and my hand had grazed that. I'd nearly jumped out of my skin. That thing had been huge and hard-surely, it would hurt. Was that what intimacy meant?

And then there was Darius.

He was injured. We couldn't even pretend to be a normal couple. Which meant I had to take the lead. The very thought made me want to crawl into the floor and disappear.

I searched the room for books, anything that could help, but found nothing useful. And that left me with one reluctant option.

Flora.

We weren't friends, not by any stretch. But she had experience, and right now, experience mattered more than pride.

I found her in the kitchen, fiercely guarding a food parcel.

"Flora," I said, approaching.

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about taking mine. I swear, I'll bite your hand off."

"I'm not here for that," I said quickly, raising my hands in peace. "I just... I need to ask you something."

She remained suspicious, but said, "Talk."

I leaned in, lowering my voice. "It's about men... and women. Intimately."

Her face went blank for a second. "You'll have to be clearer."

I flushed. "You know, the... bedroom kind of stuff."

Realization dawned, and she let out a slow, wicked chuckle. "Oh. That."

She raised an eyebrow, amused. "You mean with His Highness? You're his wife and still this shy? You poor little virgin."

I looked down, my face burning, saying nothing.

"I knew it," she said, cackling. "You two haven't done a thing, have you? That's why you're here, seeking wisdom from someone more... worldly."

"Oh my god," I muttered. "Do you read minds too?"

"Experience is its own kind of magic," she said, smirking.

Then her eyes narrowed. "Let's not forget, you threatened me for food just days ago. I already gave you half of my share. And now you want more?"

"I'm not asking for food," I said hurriedly. "Just some help... before I die of embarrassment."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue. Instead, she led me down a hallway, casting furtive glances around before stopping behind a storage cabinet. From under a loose tile, she pulled out a book and handed it to me.

"This is a forbidden book," she said. "Detailed. Explicit. You'll find what you're looking for. But I want it back."

I held it like it was a holy relic. "Thank you. I'll guard it with my life."

"Listen," she added, her tone slightly softer. "The Prince doesn't have a wolf. You'll have to approach this like humans do. Seduce him with your body. Show skin. Lie beside him without a stitch on. Trust me, he'll respond. He's been alone too long."

I nodded, heart pounding. I didn't know what to say.

Later, alone in my room, I cracked the book open. Just two pages in, I was already sweating, my hands trembling. One particular position caught my eye-on top.

That could work. It would let me be in control. I imagined it. Me, guiding him, moving to my own rhythm...

Heat surged through me, and I felt dizzy from the thought. Until...

"What are you doing?"

My heart stopped.