“All right, baby,” Hawke said as he lowered himself down on the ground on top of , his pants hanging open. “It’s ti for you to experience what it’s like to be with a real man.
“No!” I whimpered, unable to say much more with the pain in my head keeping dizzy and my arms and legs pinned down.
My shirt was halfway torn open, revealing my bra, and I was desperate. Help! Where was Theo? Why wasn’t he back?
Susan... maybe she could think of a way to get out of this. I tried using the mind-link to call to her, but she didn’t answer either. And I didn’t know what else to do other than pray.
Soone... anyone, help, please!
Hawke chuckled and reached for my skirt, getting ready to pull it up.
Before he could get my skirt out of the way, he was suddenly lifted off of . I watched through blurry vision as he went flying across the room, crashing into the bookcase where I’d plucked the vase from earlier.
“What the fuck?” one of his n shouted. He was next. But instead of being tossed away, he got a thick black boot to his skull. Blood squirted out of his nose and mouth as his head crashed into the wall and his eyes rolled back in his head.
“How dare you touch her!” A thunderous and furious roar shook the entire mansion, and I had never been so thankful for Theo’s presence.
The other four n all got up to try and defend themselves, but they were no match for the Dark Prince. Even when two of them attacked him at once, he punched and kicked his way out of the situation, sending them flying against one another, into the walls and furniture, and tumbling onto the floor.
From across the room, Hawke shouted, “I’m gonna tell my dad!”
Pulling myself up to sitting, I tried to get my head on right as Theo went over to Hawke and kicked him in the gut, hard. Hawke began to cry like a little baby.
“The mind-link,” I whispered, using the wall to push myself up to standing. The room was still blurry, but my vision was beginning to clear. All around , I saw bodies. I didn’t think any of them were dead, but they were in bad shape.
Theo ca back to , and I could tell that he was still outraged.
“We need to get out of here,” I said to him. “Hawke must have mind-linked others. Raymond will be on his way, and I don’t want to blow your cover.”
He ignored my worry and threw his jacket on . His gaze was dangerous and concerned at the sa ti. “You’re hurt. Hawke hit you?”
“Yes,” I said. “But I’ll be okay. Let’s go.”
But he didn’t move. A chill went down my spine and saw his face darken.
I’d never seen him this way before, not even when he was attacked in his office the first day we t. His deanor was terrifyingly cold... and even without the mind-link, I could clearly acknowledge his urge to kill.
He gently laid down on the coach and stood up to walk toward Hawke.
“Don’t.... Don’t you co any closer!” Hawke cowered as Theo approached him.
Before he could do anything else, the door opened again, and Raymond hurriedly stepped inside. He had several people with him, including one of the pack healers. “What is the aning of this?”
“Daddy!” Hawke moaned. “Help! She hurt for no reason!”
I opened my mouth to protest, but then I closed it. Who was Raymond to believe anyway?
The pack healer kneeled down next to Hawke to examine him. His father stalked over as well, bending down to look at his wounds. A mont later, he stood and said, “How dare you! Both of you. I will ensure that you pay for this! You’re already in more trouble than you will ever be able to get out of, with everything you have done since you arrived here, girl!”
“Everything I have done?” I retorted, no longer caring about our original plan of laying low. If we needed to take care of Raymond right now, we would.
“Silence!” Raymond barked.
I looked back at the group he’d assembled. They were mostly pack elders, people who had prestige amongst the pack mbers. All of them were people who had been known to be friendly with Raymond, but I had never thought there was reason to believe they weren’t loyal to my parents.
“Do not say another word, girl!” Raymond was walking back toward the center of the room. “You have a lot to explain! You will be held accountable for every cri you’ve committed!”
I sneered, “Beta Raymond, between you and , if anyone has committed a cri—” I didn’t get the whole question out before he snapped his fingers and yet more people ca into the room.
They were carrying a sheet with sothing heavy in it. I had no idea what it was until they dumped it on the rug in the middle of the parlor. Then, the sheet ca open and the contents spilled onto the floor.
It was a body!
I gasped as I stared at the form of a woman, her dress bloodied and torn. Even with her hair covering her face, I knew who it was.
When Raymond leaned down and pulled her head back so that her dead eyes were staring into my face, I took a step back, running into Theo, who had returned to my side the mont Raymond entered the house. He was like a brick wall, unyielding, and even though he didn’t touch , it was such a comfort knowing I wasn’t alone at this mont.
“You recognize Susan, I presu?” Raymond asked , releasing her head so that it snapped back to the ground. “The two of you were good friends at one point, I believe. She was a ntor to you. A governess, yes? She greeted you upon your arrival here.”
I couldn’t speak. Everything he said about Susan was true. We were friends. She was a ntor to . I had been happy to see her smiling face when I had arrived back here.
“But then... sothing happened,” he continued, an accusatory look on his face as he stepped over Susan and ca closer to . “Susan must’ve noticed you were acting a little strange, girl. She must’ve been suspicious.”
“What are you... talking about?” I croacked as tears stread down my cheeks. Shock and pain consud . Susan... she was dead... why?
“Oh, that’s rich.” He shook his head, his hands on his hips. “You are still trying to play pretend with us, even though it’s obvious we are all on to you now, little girl.”
“On to ?” For the first ti ever since I’d been back, I started to panic. I had underestimated Raymond, and I had no idea what other strings he could pull.
I looked at Theo for help, but he didn’t make eye contact with . His head was pointed straight ahead at Raymond as he listened to the story that was being woven about us. But just having him next to seed to give strength and courage. I took a deep breath and did my best to switch my focus from Susan’s body to Raymond.
“That’s right.” He folded his arms and glowered at . “You killed her! And you did so because she figured out your secret!”
“What? No! I would never—” I began.
“Silence!” he shouted as all of the people gathered in the doorway began to murmur about what the secret might be. Though not everyone in the pack had co, there were still at least fifty people out there.
“You will pay for your cris—murder, beating my son, and... pretending to be the Alpha’s daughter!”
“Pretending?” I said, standing up, raising my voice. “You’re lying! I didn’t kill Susan. Your son was hurt because he was trying to force himself upon , and... I am Ciana Black, the Alpha’s daughter!”
“No, you’re not!” Pointing a finger at , his arm extended to its full length, he proclaid, “You are an imposter!” Raymond turned his attention to the door. “Let her in!”
My head swiveled around to look at the entryway as the people assembled there stepped aside and a woman walked through them. She had her face tilted to the floor, but when she lifted her head so I could see her, I gasped in shock.
The woman who had just walked into the room looked exactly like ! We could’ve been identical twins! It was like I was looking in a mirror. She had the sa fair skin, blonde hair, sapphire eyes, and the sa petite build. She was wearing different clothes, and her countenance was much eker than mine, but other than that, we were the sa.
How could this be?
I turned to Theo, expecting him to be just as shocked as I was, but he looked more bored than anything else.
As she turned her eyes to look at , I rembered what Luther had said. He’d warned of this. He’d spoken of an imposter....
“This is the real Alpha’s daughter,” Raymond explained to the crowd. “Ciana, tell us what happened.”
“Yes, Mister Raymond.”
The girl cleared her throat and spoke in a voice that sounded similar to mine but much quieter.
“I was on my way back from the castle after Prince Theo chose soone else over . At any rate, I was making my way ho by train when suddenly this hideously ugly woman ca at . She assaulted , and using witchcraft, she made it so that her face looked exactly like mine. Then, she locked up and ca here to fool all of you.”
By the ti she finished, she was weeping softly, wiping at the tears that flowed down her face.
Inside, I was seething, infuriated that she was standing here, pretending to be , and accusing of doing such heinous things.
But I didn’t get a chance to say anything.
“That’s right!” Raymond barked. “This woman,” he said, pointing at , “is a fake! She hurt our dear Ciana and killed Susan! Now, she must pay, and I believe the only just punishnt for these horrible cris is for this woman to be put to death!”
With his words, the crowd worked themselves into a tizzy. They were turning toward one another, murmuring under their breath, all of them aghast at what Raymond was telling them.
I heard many of them agreeing with him, saying that the imposter, which was , apparently, needed to be put to death for my cris.
“Wait!” I shouted, trying to get them to hear above their conversations. “You can’t seriously believe him. I’m Ciana, and I can prove it! I know much more about this pack and all of you than this woman, the true imposter, could possibly know!”
“If she knows anything, it’s all due to her witchcraft!” Raymond shouted.
“That’s preposterous!” I shouted back at him. “No, Raymond! Stop this nonsense right now!’
“You are an evil, vicious woman, and you must die for all that you have done!”
Raymond continued to yell, the crowd began to talk even more loudly, and the girl who wore my face began to cry even louder.
My head was already swimming, a dull ache in the back of my skull from where I’d hit it on the wall. I couldn’t believe any of this was happening.
How was I going to get out of this situation?
I was just beginning to think that I was going to collapse on the floor, curl in on myself, and give up on ever being able to convince them that I was who I said I was and that this other woman was a liar when I heard an authoritative voice demand, “That’s enough!”
Imdiately, the entire room went dead quiet as every eye turned and focused on the speaker, who had commanded our attention and obedience just by opening his mouth.
My eyes were locked on his handso face. I waited with bated breath to hear what Theo would say next.
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