CHAPTER 5: RUDE ENCOUNTER

Summer was on the edge of a mental breakdown. After she had made a promise for vengeance the other night, she thought everything would suddenly fall into place, but she was no closer to achieving her goal. This was because there was one person standing between her and her first step to getting revenge–Dominic.

He had made it clear that she was not allowed to leave the palace, but she was not going to give up so easily.

Something else was bothering her, she would sometimes have these weird dreams that she couldn't understand, but she had a feeling that they were somehow connected to Dominic. Her mind was filled with burning questions and a lot of unpleasant words for him, if only she had gotten the chance to confront him, again.

She had tried to speak to the Lycan king every day, but he was never available or barely gave her the time of day. On some rare occasions she would catch sight of him watching her from afar with a distinct look in his eyes, but he would disappear before she could ever approach him.

Summer had made three different attempts to escape the palace since that time, but each time she was caught, and the security only grew tighter. Because of that, her resentment for Dominic grew stronger by the day.

Then, she had moved on to causing trouble within the palace walls, so that she could catch his attention. That had not yielded anything except for breeding the dislike that the Lycans already had for her, since they always had to clean up after her messes.

Even Hilda seemed to have had enough of her, finally learning to stay away when she was not needed.

Today, she stared at her reflection in the new mirror as Hilda helped in braiding her hair. She was thinking of another scheme to catch the king's attention.

"Would you like to take a stroll in the gardens today? Without destroying anything this time…" Hilda asked with a taunt at the end.

Summer's eyes sparkled with a new idea as she stared at Hilda's hands on her hair.

"What is that look? I don't like it." Hilda deadpanned, already accustomed to that twinkle in her eyes when she was about to do something mischievous.

"That's for me to know…" Summer retorted with a smirk.

"You seem to be in a better mood today," Hilda suddenly commented, glancing at her reflection.

Summer instantly wiped the smile off her face at her words. She could not allow herself to feel any type of joy until her plans were accomplished, she just had to get out of the palace first.

"Let's go on that stroll now." She announced as soon as Hilda was done with her hair.

"Breakfast first!" Hilda interjected with a stern expression.

Summer's stomach rumbled at the mention of breakfast, and she quickly agreed.

"But we'll go to the garden immediately afterwards." She finished smartly.

Hilda accepted, and with that, they left for breakfast.

After they were done with their meal, they exited the dining hall, heading for the garden. Summer had planned to let out her wolf and cause a bit more trouble, or possibly escape in her wolf form.

She was getting desperate to get an audience with the king and was even beginning to suspect that Dominic and Alan might have planned this together. Trapping her in the palace without any way to escape, so that Alan and her sister could have full reign over her pack.

"If not, why would he prevent me from leaving this place and even going as far as to avoid me?"

Summer concluded that she had to find a way to run away from the palace, whether the king permitted it or not. She was not going to rot away while her sister and Alan got away with their evil doings. Her face soured with a frown at the ideation.

She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice the person walking towards her until it was too late.

"Oof"

She had bumped into the figure harshly and staggered on her feet before regaining her balance.

She directed her gaze to the person with an apology on the tip of her tongue before she was interrupted.

"What do you have eyes for? Watch where you're going!" The high pitched voice exclaimed with a sneer.

The woman dusted herself off with an upturned nose, as if she had touched something filthy. Summer guessed that she must have caught her wolf scent.

She shot a glare at the woman, annoyed by her tone and body language.

"You don't have to be so rude about it, you bumped into me too. Do you not have eyes?" She retorted in a similar tone.

It is not as if she was pleased to have ran into a Lycan either, a disrespectful one at that.

"Wha- who do you think you are to speak to me in that manner? Do you know who I am? I can destroy you at the snap of a finger!" The woman spluttered with a scowl, scrutinizing Summer with a vehement gaze.

Summer rolled her eyes in reply.

"I don't care who you are, you should be able to take what you dish out anyway," she said in a bored tone.

Just then a group of ladies passing by snickered at the scene.

The woman's face turned red in embarrassment, shooting Summer a scathing glare.

"You're going to regret ever talking back to me!" She promised with a tone that reminded Summer of a bratty child.

The woman gave a glare to an innocent Hilda before she stormed away from the pair.

Summer stared at the woman's form as she left with stomping feet, she thought the woman must have been related to someone important by the expensive clothes and the way she carried herself.

Directing her words to Hilda, she asked;

"Who was that woman?"

Hilda gulped a breath of air and answered with wide eyes.

"That is Jessica Wellington.”