My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 11

Sera

Mina didn’t stop talking. She moved around the room like a whirlwind, poking at the fire with a heavy iron rod, adjusting the stack of towels by the washbasin, and smoothing out a wrinkle in the bed furs.

"I made sure they brought the cedar-scented water," she said, glancing back at me with a grin. "And the fire’s been going since I heard the horses at the gate. I didn’t want you walking into a tomb. I’ve been waiting for this since we got word you were coming."

I stayed by the door, my hands still clutching the heavy fur blanket around my shoulders. I was staring at her. There was something in the set of her eyes, the way her mouth curved when she talked. It felt like a memory I couldn't quite grab. It was so familiar it made my skin crawl.

"Who are you exactly?" I asked. My voice was scratchy, the northern cold still clinging to my throat.

Mina froze for a fraction of a second. It was the look of someone caught with their hand in a jewelry box. She let out a short, forced laugh and turned back to the basin.

"I’m your personally assigned help," she said, her voice a little too bright. "The Alpha put me in charge of making sure you don’t freeze to death or starve. Simple as that."

I didn’t move. It made sense on paper, but I kept thinking back to how she’d treated that warrior in the yard. He was a man who looked like he’d killed people for a living, (which he did.) and she’d scolded him like a misbehaving dog. And he’d taken it. Personally assigned help didn't usually have that kind of weight.

"Let’s get you out of those rags," Mina said, stepping toward me. "I’ll freshen you up before dinner. You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge."

I looked down at myself. Under the blanket, I was still wearing the jeans and the thin long-sleeved top I’d had on in the cabin. They were dirty, smelling of wagon grease and sweat.

The North was a strange place. I’d heard the stories—how they rejected modern technology, how they lived like the world had stopped turning three hundred years ago. Seeing it was different. We’d spent days in a horse-drawn carriage when a car would have done the trip in eight hours. Everyone was draped in animal skins. It was like stepping into a history book, yet the luxury in this room was undeniable. It wasn't the flashy, golden luxury of the Valdris palace. It was solid and real.

Mina reached out, her fingers catching the edge of my blanket to pull it off.

I jerked back. The movement was instinctive, sharp enough that she actually stumbled. I stared at her, my heart hammering against my ribs. I didn't want her touching me. I didn't want anyone touching me.

Mina sighed, her shoulders dropping. she didn't look angry, just tired. She looked down at the floorboards and let her hands fall to her sides.

"I'm just trying to help, Sera," she said quietly.

I felt a pang of guilt. She’d been nothing but kind since I arrived. "I’m sorry," I said, loosening my grip on the fur. "I’m just... I’m not used to this arrangement yet. Any of it."

Mina looked up, a small frown wrinkling her forehead. "But you’re a princess. You’re Princess Sera Valdris. You should be used to servants doing everything but breathing for you."

I nodded slowly. "I am."

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