Maeve looked at the large man with wide eyes. He seemed familiar but Maeve couldn't connect the dots.

"Oh let me introduce myself. I'm Ethen Walfcer, a commander to The Kings army and the future Royal Gamma."

What? Is the only thing that is going onto Maeve's head. He seems nice but there is something shady in him. No one has been so nice to her in here, not even Caspian.

"And you are?"

There is no doubt that this werewolf already knew her name. "M-Maeve."

"Oh isn't that a beautiful name. Did you know that it means a Warrior Queen?"

Maeve just shook her head.

"Well no, you do." He said and offered his arm to her. "Let me guide you back to your room. After all, I'm a gentleman who isn't going to let a beautiful woman walk by herself. After all who knows about the dangers that lurk in the dark." When Ethen said that Maeve noticed a smirk on his face. It seemed like in that sentence was something funny. But to Maeve's ears, there were none.

Maeve let her arm tangle his and followed his large steps. Ethen started to explain some facts about the castle as they walked towards the room she stayed.

"How long have you been here, Maeve?" He asked.

Maeve didn't answer to his question right away. "Ummm I don't k-know but p-probably a mo-month."

"And you have been in the dungeon all that time?"

Maeve nodded. She even missed that bloody cell, it felt more like a home than this giant cold castle. There was no love in the castle.

When they finally reached the room Maeve was staying in Ethen bowed and opened the door for her. Maeve muttered a quiet "Thank y-you." And stepped inside. Now all of the windows were covered and the broken dresser.

But what Maeve didn't notice was that Ethen followed her to the room.

"What happened to the dresser?"

Maeve felt tears forming on her eyes again. "I f-fell."

"You fell?" She nodded.

"Your ass isn't that big to broke a dresser, so cut the crap. What happened?"

Ethen waited for an answer for a long time, but the human kept her mouth shut. Something has happened in this room and he could feel that it has something to do with The King. Finally, he has started to treat her like she deserves, a plaything. After all, that is all she is; A pet.

"P-please leave."

Ethen walked closer to her. If both of them breathed at the same time their bodies would touch each other. "Why would I do that? After all, a weak lady needs a soldier to protect her." Ethen took little of her hair in his hands and twirled it.

"Your hair is beautiful. It makes you look even more vulnerable." After saying that Ethen ripper one hair off of her head. "You don't need this, but to me, it will be a reminder for your incredible beauty."

Ethen kissed her forehead and bowed. "Now it's a time for me to leave. Remember to sleep well, after all, we don't want to ruin your beauty. Sleep well, human." After that, he left the room.

Maeve felt disgusted for his actions. First, he seemed very nice but it seems like he has some kind of obsession for her looks. It felt like he would want her to stand next to him and look pretty. He even kissed her forehead, the only person who has ever done that before is her Mother.

He even made Maeve felt disgusted for her hair. She had always loved her strawberry blonde hair, but her Mothers hair was truly stunning. Sophie inherited that hair and Maeve was always super jealous for it.

"You k-know Mother that I truly miss you from the bottom of my heart. I m-miss our f-family and my Father, even though I don't know h-him."

"P-please tell him w-where I am." That is when Maeve realized she is crying. She hated that part of herself. Why does she have to be so weak?

The girl made her way to the bed and closed her eyes.

"Good Night." She whispered and started to dream about her family.

***

First thing in the morning she noticed a bruise on her arm. And after that the cuts all over her body.

"Miss?" A voice asked.

Maeve turned her head and saw a young woman wearing a maids outfit. "I was ordered to clean your wounds and check if anything has been broken."

"W-whats your name?"

"Cory."

"W-well Cory, my name is M-Maeve. It is nice to meet you." Maeve smiled. Finally, she has met a woman that is nice and yet haven't called her a human bitch.

"You too Maeve."

Cory is a young woman that is probably in her mid-twenties with a chestnut brown hair that reached to her shoulders. She is also about five foot six inches tall with tired looking blue eyes.

"Will you please stand up and come here so I can look at the wounds so he doesn't punish me." Maeve looked at herself and realized that she is still laying in the comfy bed.

"Oh, s-sorry."

When Maeve reached Cory she noticed a mirror on the wall. But that wasn't what spooked her. A human with a messy birds nest hair with hazel eyes stared back at her. Blood in her dress and face along with drool on her cheek. Puffy and red eyes from crying. She almost didn't even recognize herself. That girl is not the Maeve she remembers. That girl is something this castle has shaped her.

"Umm.... can you please stop shaking?" Cory muttered.

This is just crazy because Maeve didn't even notice herself shake and she was the one staring herself in a mirror. That place is truly doing something to her mind.

"Is everything right?"

Maeve just started to shake her head uncontrollably. She could see small black dots appearing in her sight and she knew what usually followed after that. And now is the last time she would ever want to pass out. And that's when a pair of warm arms surrounded her.

Cory was hugging her and at that moment it was the only thing she needed. It reminded her of her Mother and siblings and that there is something good in this world.

"I know that we didn't know each other five minutes ago, but if you need to talk to someone please remember that I'm here." And that is when Maeve burst in tears. She tumbled on the ground with Cory, whose arms were still around her. The human hugged Cory's body as her life depended on it.

"T-thank y-you." She whispered between her sobs. "I'm sorry t-that your f-first impression of m-me is like this."

Cory just shushed her and mumbled soothing words to her ear.

"It's going to be fine." After half an hour, Maeve finally stopped crying and let Cory clean her wounds and face. Now her hair was in a loose braid and cheeks red from a little blush.

Cory noticed Maeve standing in front of that mirror again and she was checking herself out. The once dirty and ripped dress was now replaced by a dress Cory found in the laundry room. It belonged to one of the former mistresses of The King. She won't probably mind that Maeve is wearing her dress, because she is rotting in a grave. The dress is simple light brown with a ribbon on the waist. It was a little big from the waist and chest but Cory fixed it with a needle and yarn.

"You look great." She assured the human.

"W-who's dress is t-this?"

"It belonged to a beautiful woman who is now unfortunately dead."

"Oh.... o-okay." Maeve didn't know. what she should think about the dress. It is very beautiful and Maeve fell in love with it, at the first second she saw it. But it used to belong a woman who is now dead. And on the other hand, there was nothing else she could wear unless she wanted to wander around in her underwear. She blushed even thinking about someone seeing her in a corset and little shirt that barely reached to her mid-thigh.

"Are you hungry?" Maeve nodded.

"I'm going to get some food for you.... unless you want to come to the kitchen with me?"

"Ummm I don't t-think that they w-would be pleased to s-see me walking a-around the castle."

"So you are staying in here?" Maeve nodded.

"Well then, I will see you soon." After that Cory was gone.

Maeve sneaked towards the door and opened it. Now there was no guard standing next to the door. She felt a big smile forming onto her face, finally, she could go to the window again. But when Maeve was in front of the window she saw that it had been boarded.

"W-what?!" Maeve stared at the now sealed window. That was the route she planned to use as an escape route, but now those shapeshifters sealed it that she couldn't even watch the landscape. But how did they know about her plans? Was it all because of that guard who saw her standing in front of the window. She felt like cursing, but her Mother hated it and if there is still something she could do for her. It is that she doesn't curse, because sometimes life is not by your side but in someday everything will be fine.

She sat on the bed and threw a pillow towards the sealed window. Those wolves have ruined her life and now they have left her to rot in a room that isn't even that better from the cell she was in. And she missed Tommy and prayed that the giant fat cat hasn't eaten him.

Her stomach growled. She truly is hungry but her appetite was somewhere long away from there. It felt like it has left for a holiday and now is laying at a beach.

After waiting for a half an hour Cory opened the door and a mouth-watering smell wafted to the human's nostrils.

"I found some bread and roast. They didn't have anything else except a big pile of food to the celebration, but they wouldn't let me take those."

"C-celebration?"

"Yes, few days from here the whole Kingdom will be celebrating The Kings birthday." It felt weird that The Ruthless King would want to celebrate his birthday with the entire Kingdom.

"H-how old is he?"

"Twenty-eight."

"W-when did he h-heritage the c-crown?" Maeve asked. Cory is the only person who has answered her questions truthfully and Maeve is wishing that is what she will do for now on.

"Ummm I don't think that I'm the right person to tell you all of this. They will punish me if I say something that I shouldn't have."

Maeve was in a shock. They really are even worse than the stories tell, they have no mercy.

"What w-will they do?" Out of pure curiosity, Maeve opened her mouth and the look on Cory's face told that she shouldn't have asked that.

"I'm sorry Maeve, but I c-can't..." Maeve walked in front of Cory and hugged her.

"N-no, I'm sorry. I s-shouldn't have a-asked that."

It seemed that they really did something terrible to the servants who said something wrong or disrespected them. And Maeve truly didn't want anything to happen to Cory.

"M-may I ask you one q-question?" Her curiosity really took the best of her. Maeve remembered when she asked this exact same question from Caspian, he didn't answer it. Hopefully, this is something Cory could speak of.

Cory seemed to think about it a while before she nodded.

"Many p-people from h-here talks about...ummm.... m-mates. And n-no one t-tells what they a-are. Some people e-even talks a-about me being T-the K-kings........m-mate."

"You want to know what 'mate' means?" Cory asked and Maeve smiled at her awkwardly. The werewolf took that as a 'yes'.

"Like many other shapeshifting and supernatural species, werewolves have mates. The word 'mate' is short from a soulmate. The Moon Goddess has paired all werewolves with someone that will complete them. It's like their souls call to each other. Usually, a werewolves mate is a werewolf too but there are few exceptions when the mate isn't a werewolf. Usually, it is a witch but sometimes it is a human. But humans are the rarest because their body can't handle a pregnancy with a werewolf. Of course, there are exceptions. Usually when mates meet they mark each other in minutes and mate later." Cory turned to look at Maeve and noticed confusion all over her face.

"Saying it simply, a mate is someone that will complete you and is destined to be with you."

Maeve stayed in silence for a while.

"H-how do you recognize y-your.... m-mate?"

"A werewolf senses his or her mate when they are close, usually their mate wears some kind of unique smell that only their mate can smell. But when they look at each other's eyes they can recognize their mate."

"H-have you found y-your m-mate?"

"I know that he is somewhere in this castle, but because I can't look into his eyes I am not able to find him."

"That's sad."

"Don't pity me, Maeve." They stayed in silence and Maeve decided to finally eat the food Cory brought to her. And it was delicious.

"I think I should leave," Cory muttered as she remembered the other chores she has to do today. The last thing she wants to do now is doing laundry.

"W-wait!" Maeve yelled after her. The maid turned around.

"D-do you know where the d-dungeon is? I have s-something I need t-to pick from there."