*****CHAPTER 34

MAE'S POV
 
When my shift for the day was over, I dragged my legs back to the servants' quarters. I was still shaken and feeling guilty over what happened at dinner a while ago. I had been so clumsy and done the most hideous thing in the world: soiling an Alpha's clothes with his drink. The Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack!
 
I still wondered how it was that I was still alive and breathing. If it wasn't for Alpha Alcot's timely intervention, I was sure I would be dead meat by now. And it was also a good thing that the Alpha of the Red Wolf pack had decided to forgive my silly mistake and let me go unharmed. I guess the gods were on my side after all.
 
On stepping into my room, the first sight that greeted me was the sight of Pearl seated on my bunk bed with Piper beside her, both flashing large smiles at me. Piper had a hand placed warmly over Pearl's shoulder, and the way they sat comfortably close to each other made me wonder for a second if they had known each other from anywhere before now.
 
"Surprise surprise." Pearl hopped down from the bed and ran to give me a hug. I laughed, at once forgetting all about the drama from the dining room.
 
"Of course, I am not surprised." "We both agreed you were supposed to come today, didn't we?" I laughed again and played with her long hair. She smelled the same—rosy and feminine—and from our hug, I could feel how much weight she had lost.
 
"Can you not be a killjoy for once and pretend that you are truly surprised?" Pearl laughed too before distancing herself from me.
 
"Fine.  "I will, next time." I replied and eyed her lean frame. The sides of my mouth curled in displeasure. "You got thinner." "Have you not been eating?"
 
"Maybe it was because I had missed you and turned into an overthinker because of that." She replied with a nonchalant shrug.
 
"Your little sister is almost as pretty as you are." "The gods must have been so unfair to make your family the ambassadors of good looks." Piper commented from where she was sitting on the bed, and I chuckled at her compliment.
 
"Come." Pearl took my hand into hers and dragged me towards my bed. "I have missed you dearly. "Tell me everything that has been happening with you."
 
"While you guys will be busy with your sisterly chat, I will be off to the Alpha's Quarters." It's my shift already." Pearl mentioned it as she slid off the bed and walked towards the door.
 
"I will see you when I get back, Pearl." She threw Pearl another big smile, and Pearl reciprocated the smile, sending her a small goodbye wave before Piper walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
 
Another frown crossed my face as I looked back at Pearl. "Have you guys met before?"
 
"Nah." She answered, shaking her head and plopping her weight on my bed while I joined her. "She was the first person I met when I came here. It turned out that she was your roommate. She is sweet and friendly. "I like her."
 
"Oh." I mouthed. It was unusual for Pearl to take a liking to anyone. She was a chronic introvert who never had a friend her entire life. If someone like my little sister mentions liking Piper because she is sweet and friendly, then Piper is most definitely what Pearl has tagged her to be.
 
"Tell me, have you met the Alpha, Mae?" Pearl asked me, her eyes sparkling with interest and gossip. "Was he as cold and heartless as everyone said he was?"
 
"Uh…" I couldn't think of a proper reply to her question. To others, he was a beast. But to me, he wasn't any of the things the rumors had said about him. It was quite hard to tell who he truly was.
 
"To be honest, I can't really say." I finally answered with a surrendering sigh. "You know what rumors are." Rumors are just rumors. It could be a lie, or it could be true. "You just never know."
 
"Arrgh.  "Come on, Mae." "Don't be so boring." Pearl kicked her feet like a whining child.
 
"How am I boring?" I laughed at how interested she was in listening to gossip about other people. "I mean, he could be a bad person on the outside, but deep within, he could also be a good person."
 
Unsatisfied with my reply, Pearl rolled her eyes at me and shifted the discussion to another topic. "Fine".  And your anonymous boyfriend? The one who sends you letters "Have you been communicating with him now that you're working in the castle?"
 
"Not really."  I shook my head and sighed. The thought that had been lingering in my heart for the past few days crossed my mind again. The possibility that the stranger from the bridge and the Alpha could be the same person Even though it sounded absurd and impossible, I couldn't help wondering if my gut was right. Yesterday, I had done something—a little experiment to see if my gut feeling was correct or wrong. I snuck into the market, bought a cheap pearl bracelet, and wrote a letter to the stranger from the bridge, telling him that it was my little gift to him. And then I had left the letter at the bridge.
 
It was a simple experiment, which I was eagerly waiting to see. If I were right, then the Alpha would wear the bracelet. If I was wrong, then he would never be seen with it. One week.  One week was enough to find out the truth.
 
"Do you miss him?" "Do you think he misses you too?" Pearl question came again, and a weak smile crossed my lips.
 
"Yes.  "I miss him." I admitted.  "But I'm not sure if he misses me too."
 
I guess we would have to wait and find out. One week.  One week was enough to uncover the truth.