#Chapter 8 – Walls Have Ears

Lila I scrubbed the marble floor, my hands wrinkly from the soapy water. Two punishments in as many days and I was starting to feel right at home. Anger and frustration tangled together in a knot so tight I could barely breathe. I had been framed. I didn't know by who or why, but the fact remained I had done nothing wrong, yet I had somehow angered the Lycan King himself. Damon. He had called me an opportunist, accused me of scheming, and dismissed me like I was nothing. I gritted my teeth and wrung out the cloth in my hands, trying to push the memory of his piercing gaze from my mind. But it clung to me, as stubborn as the dirt I was scrubbing away. The meeting hall was a massive expanse of polished floors and towering chandeliers. Everywhere I looked, there were reminders of power, of wealth, of just how small and insignificant I was here; of how hard it was to fit the role I was supposed to play. The sheer extravagance of it all made my presence here feel ridiculou