Oh, crap!
What was going on? What did I do? Why did he look at like that?
Imdiately, I lowered my head to look at the floor and murmured in my head, “Do not look up. Avoid eye contact. Goddess, please, just let go unnoticed...”
I really, really wanted nothing to do with him.
Unfortunately, no matter how much I wished the opposite, I heard footsteps approaching. It only took a few seconds for a pair of high-end leather shoes to appear in front of , and I could sense that I was enveloped in the prince’s shadow.
My heart was racing as I held my breath.
And then I heard him ask, “Dyan Emstream of the Zabra pack?”
I blinked. Huh?
He didn’t co for , but the girl I was next to.
Phew!
I quietly let out a long breath of relief and almost laughed at myself. It was silly of to scare myself to death like that.
“Ye... yes, Your Highness?” Dyan answered. She was beautiful, with straight black hair and beautiful amber eyes.
“Your pack na sounds familiar.”
Now that I wasn’t the center of attention, I was able to sneak a peek at the prince up close. Lifting my head and gaze slightly, I got a glimpse of the profile of the legendary yet dreadful Prince Theo.
He was probably a couple of inches taller than Prince Warren, and while it was obvious they were related, Theo was more striking.
His eyes were darker with little flecks of gold in them. Along his strong jaw, I could see a bit of stubble the sa color as his hair. His nose was perfectly shaped for his handso face.
He was absolutely gorgeous even with that icy cold expression he wore. But I knew his reputation, and it was too bad it was a demon who lived under such an appealing exterior.
In a lot of ways, he reminded of the painting in the room where we’d t Beta Xavier. His presence gave an ominous feeling, and even though he was well-built, with muscular shoulders, a flat stomach, and strong legs, I was able to stop myself from swooning over him, thanks to his aloof deanor.
Dyan replied, “Of course, it sounds familiar...”
Her voice trembled, but sothing didn’t feel right. It was as if she wasn’t nervous. Instead, it was—hatred.
“Because it was almost wiped out by you a year ago!” the amber-eyed girl yelled.
Before I could process what was happening, she lunged forward in a flash, a sharp knife in her hand, and thrust it toward Theo with all of her might.
“Kill Theo, and we can take out Sebastian!”
He stood and grabbed her arm, snapping it in half as he snidely replied, “How ambitious.”
I expected to hear Dyan’s shrieks of agony, but she continued to attack as if she didn’t even feel the pain.
A hint of surprise flashed through Prince Theo’s dark eyes. Just then, the other won in my group shifted, their dresses falling away in shreds as vicious wolves leaped at their enemies. Half of them were aiming for the prince while the other three went after his Beta.
Their size and speed were not what I’d ever seen in she-wolves, and that was when I realized those were not ordinary girls, but well-trained assassins!
The prince and his Beta, both still in their human forms, made short work of the agitated wolves, slicing through them with the knives they had snatched from their attackers.
Prince Theo slamd the bloody blade into a large gray wolf before gutting another smaller, brown one. In just a few monts, the wolves had fallen, lying or bleeding on the carpet, draped across his desk, or in a pile at Beta Jake’s feet.
Theo crouched down next to the girl who had started it all. “Who exactly are you?”
She didn’t answer, but let out frantic laughs instead. “You... monster!” she gritted through her teeth. Her voice was filled with hatred that it almost didn’t sound like a young girl any more. “We curse you... to be forever... fated to a dark life of loneliness and pain!” With that, her mouth stopped moving and her amber eyes froze.
“Loneliness and pain?” Prince Theo causally wiped the blood off his hands. “Don’t bother. I’m used to it.”
I froze in place.
The girls’ blood had splashed on , and I could still feel the warmth.
Just a mont ago, they were still talking, walking, just like the rest of us, but now.... My hands covered my mouth, and I dared not make any sound.
The prince’s dark gaze landed on . I could tell that he wasn’t looking at out of concern. It was then that I realized that I was trembling in terror.
“You.” He stepped over the heap of fallen won. “What of you?”
My hands were shaking as I pointed at my chest. Imdiately, I began to shake my head. “I... I don’t know them.”
Beta Jake’s eyes didn’t leave . He was waiting for instructions from Prince Theo. I had no doubt that as soon as his Alpha gave him the signal to take my life, he would execute it without hesitation.
Prince Theo continued to look at for a long mont before he tore his eyes away. “I think that’s enough for one day.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Beta Jake answered respectfully.
“Get soone to clean this up.” Prince Theo motioned at the bleeding bodies and then went out another door.
As soon as he was gone, I locked eyes with the Beta, and he gave a softer look as he ca over, handing his own handkerchief. “You have a bit of blood on your cheek.”
I took it from him, wiping at my face and hastily thanking him.
With a nod, he took it back, shoved it in his pocket, and gestured for to open the doors.
The won standing outside knew sothing had happened, but they couldn’t have seen much inside the room because I was in the way. “Ladies, the prince will et the rest of you at a later ti,” he declared.
So of the girls moaned, but the doors were closed behind the Beta, and he did not give them a chance to look inside.
I dutifully walked away with the others, but my legs were shaking, which slowed down. I fell to the back of the crowd, alone.
Ahead of , I heard guesses about what might have happened. I thought it best to keep it to myself. All of it was so horrific—I doubted anyone would believe anyway.
“Where are the other girls?” soone asked.
“Maybe he ford a harem with them,” another joked.
Other girls were comparing Theo to Warren. I trudged along, just wanting to lay down and get my thoughts back together.
No one asked , and I was glad about it.
Finally, we arrived back in our rooms, and the whispering and chattering were so loud that it was giving a headache. The girls who got to see Theo were talking about how handso he was, while those that hadn’t were wishing they’d been luckier.
I had been fairly unlucky in all of this so far, but at least I wasn’t dead.
Sitting down on the end of my bed in a room shared with a few of the other girls, I tried to push the visions of what I’d just seen away.
Brook bounced in and sat down next to . “Well, I guess Prince Theo must like you. He kept you in his office alone for a bit.”
I looked over at her, seeing her silly grin, and imdiately admonished her. “Don’t even joke about that!”
The smile slid off of her face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Are you all right?”
Taking a deep breath, I realized I’d been rude. “Yes, I’m fine,” I told her. “I didn’t an to snap at you. It’s just... I don’t think about the prince that way.”
“I’m sorry,” Brook seed to feel bad.
“It’s okay.” I forced a smile to assure her. “I shouldn’t have overreacted.”
We sat in silence for a few monts before she asked, “So, what does he look like?”
Upon hearing her question, visions of Prince Theo scowling as he cut those wolves down filled my mind, and I just couldn’t bring myself to even try to recall what his face looked like. I muttered, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” she asked with a chuckle. “You have a sweetheart back ho and you can’t tell what he looks like?”
I blinked a couple of tis before I realized that she wasn’t asking about Prince Theo, but my alleged boyfriend. She was trying to cheer up by switching the topic.
I looked at her gratefully. However, as much as I wanted to answer her question, the truth was, I had no idea what the teenager I’d t years ago looked like.
“Well, if you’re not willing to share that,” Brook raised a brow, “how about this question instead? What do you like about him?”
I thought for a mont, and I couldn’t help but smile. “He once brought a beautiful flower.”
“A flower?” She laughed. “You’re so silly, Ciana.”
I managed a smile, but my heart wasn’t in it. More than ever, I wanted to go back to my own house, to my family, but I couldn’t.
I was a prisoner here. Until this was over in three years.
Or until I died.
Whichever ca first.
I took a breath and made up my mind. ”Brook,” I told her firmly, “I need to get out of here!”
Brook nodded in understanding and squeezed my arm. “Then you need to get your energy back. You look exhausted, and we’ll have another long day tomorrow. Get so rest.”
She quoted a book I’d read once before and said, “Sleep perchance to dream.”
I just wished I could fall asleep and forget about the blood and agony. I wished that when I woke up, I would be at ho... away from this nightmare.
But had I known what I would dream about that night, I would’ve done everything I could to stay awake.
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