Chapter 0004

Raven

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the prince to reject me, but…

Nothing happened.

I’d never experienced it myself, of course, but being rejected by one’s fated mate was said to be an extremely painful process—the type of pain that would last for days and days on end, maybe even weeks or months, and in some rare cases, would never fully go away.

The type of pain that would create a void that could never be filled again.

But instead of the blinding pain I expected, instead of that feeling of emptiness, there was just…

Nothing.

“Did you do it?” I asked, cracking one eye open.

Neil’s face hardened, confusion and then recognition flickering through his expression. He pushed away from the wall and bit out, “Is your wolf always this weak?”

I frowned and flipped a lock of hair over my shoulder. “We’ve been through a lot today,” I replied. Truthfully, though, she had been unusually quiet since yesterday—when Nathan and Dani had betrayed me. Perhaps it also had something to do with that, on top of the crash.

Not that I was about to tell this brute about any of that. He’d likely just laugh in my face. Call me pathetic or something.

“Hmph. Must have always been weak if one bad day is enough to make your wolf practically dormant.”

I grit my teeth and resisted the urge to say something nasty back.

Neil hesitated for a moment, as if considering deeply. I felt my throat constrict as he shoved his cloak aside to reveal a bone-white dagger at his hip. “Maybe I should just kill you and be done with it,” he muttered. “I can’t tolerate letting a potential threat to my people remain in this land.”

My eyes widened. “You’d kill me before considering any other options?” I squeaked, hating how small my voice sounded. There was nowhere for me to run, nowhere to go—I could feel myself beginning to panic.

But to my surprise, Neil shook his head and let his cloak fall back into place.

“No,” he growled. “Luckily for you, my wolf just kindly reminded me that the death of my fated mate could result in an extreme weakening of powers on my end.”

“Gee. Thanks,” I said, quietly letting out the breath I’d been holding. “So what now? You’re going to send me back to your prison until my wolf is strong enough for you to reject me?”

“Precisely.” Neil turned on his heel and made for the interrogation room door. “And if you decide to tell us the truth about your purpose here in the meantime, then perhaps I’ll consider letting you return to your own land.”

I watched his broad back retreat, oddly relieved that I’d be going back to my cell and not stuck here at the mercy of his whims. I wanted to tell him that there was no ‘purpose’, that I’d already told him a million times that I wasn’t a spy, but I knew it was no use. Maybe a night of sleep would clear his head, at least.

Or maybe my friends and family would come looking for me by then and get me out of here.

But just as Neil reached the door, he paused, his head cocking to one side. Listening.

I heard a low growl rumble in his chest. “Seriously…?” he whispered. “You want to…” He glanced over his shoulder at me and looked extremely annoyed.

“What now?” I asked, cocking my own head. “Something else to say?”

Neil sighed and swung the door open. “It seems my wolf is intent on bringing you with me tonight.”

I let out a tiny scoff that sounded far weaker than I wanted it to. Go with him tonight…? If he thought I was going to share a bed with him, then—

“Come,” Neil ordered, holding the door open for me. “I don’t have all day.”

…

I’d heard a lot of stories about the Lycans.

That they were barbarians.

They lived in caves and tents made of animal skins.

That they ate on the floor like dogs.

Most of it was untrue, or so it seemed.

The stone keep that Neil led me through was far grander and more luxurious than I’d anticipated. High stone walls, large windows with ornate shutters that opened to let in the cool ocean breeze, plush hand-woven carpets lining the flagstone floors.

Even more of a surprise, though, was how Neil and his guard kept me to the shadows—as if they didn’t want me to be seen. Every time we rounded a corner, the guard would glance around as if checking that the coast was clear, and then usher me quickly down the hall.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on it before Neil was leading me down a dimly lit corridor and swinging open a heavy wooden door.

“In,” he grunted.

Such a way with words…

I stepped into the room, my keen Werewolf eyes adjusting to the low light even before the guard lit a fire in the fireplace. It wasn’t a cell—just a bedroom. A surprisingly nice one, with a four-poster bed and a carpet that was…

“Is that a real bearskin?” I choked out as I saw the massive furry head and pointy white teeth.

Neil merely grunted again in response.

“You’ll be staying here until I decide what to do with you,” he said, already heading for the door once again. “And don’t try to leave—you’ll be under constant surveillance. If you try to run, I can guarantee we’ll catch you before you reach the front gates.”

“Noted,” I replied coldly.

With a curt nod, Neil strode over to the door, but paused again. Taking a sharp inhale, he said without turning, “The king’s sixtieth birthday celebration is approaching, which means that the castle will be full of high profile members of our kingdom.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” I retorted somewhat nastily.

Neil sighed. “If you’re discovered to be from an enemy nation, it’ll be both our heads on a spike. So I’d suggest you seriously follow my orders and remain in this room.”

And just like that, without waiting for a response, he was gone.

Once I was alone, I sniffled miserably.

My head on a spike… I never wanted this. I never wanted any of it. I just wanted to go home at this point—screw the vacation.

But… People were coming for me. They had to be. Someone would have noticed I was missing by now, wouldn’t they?

Or at least, that was what I kept telling myself.

First thing’s first, though, I needed to bathe.

Padding over to the wardrobe, I pulled the doors open and winced at what was inside.

I pulled out a dark brown dress and held it up to myself, grimacing at the sight. It was short, a wrap-dress style with long sleeves that were fastened by leather cuffs at the ends.

“How… quaint,” I grumbled as I hung it back up. There were some other items, too—a pair of leather pants that looked too big for me, a couple of cotton blouses that should never see the light of day, one long gown that seemed more fit for a party than anything else…

There was a sheer white nightgown, though, which I pulled out and laid on the bed. It was long enough to reach my ankles, with fluttery straps around the shoulders and a golden cuff to go around the neck.

To my surprise, there was a bathroom attached to my room—with running water and a toilet. There was even a large claw-foot tub in the center of the room, and I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing it.

“At least I can bathe.”

I turned on the water, peeling off my salt-covered clothes and tossing them in a nearby hamper. They were ruined by now, fully crusted by the salt of the ocean and the day’s dirt. It was an expensive outfit, too…

Sighing, I returned to the tub and stuck my hand inside. I yelped and pulled it out again.

No hot water.

“Great,” I muttered, feeling hot tears beginning to prick my eyes again. As if things weren’t already bad enough, I had to bathe in icy water, too?

Still, I needed to clean myself. So I took a deep breath and plunged into the cold water, coming up cursing and shivering.

Not wanting to stay in the water longer than I needed to, I quickly set to work scrubbing myself with the prepared sponge and soap—which didn’t smell like anything, in typical Lycan fashion. Once I was finished, I hopped out and grabbed a towel, my teeth chattering as I wrapped it around myself.

After that, I put on the nightgown and climbed into bed, nuzzling down beneath the thick blankets. As I shut my eyes, which were still burning with tears, I hoped that I would wake up and all of this would have been a dream…

…

The sound of the shutters banging against the stone walls, accompanied by a loud gust of wind, woke me from a dreamless sleep.

Fear took hold of me as I jolted awake and found myself suddenly cast in darkness, wind howling through the room. Where was I… And why was it so dark?

My half-asleep mind took hold in that instant. Darkness. Howling wind. It sounds so much like the crash all over again—

I screamed and bolted out of bed before I could think better of it.

Suddenly, the door flung open and without thinking, I half-leaped into a pair of warm arms, still screaming.

I didn’t wake up fully until a warm hand clapped over my mouth and a gruff voice snarled in my ear, “Have you gone mad?”