Chapter 05

AVERY

I hurry back to my room so I don’t stumble across her. At this time, the worst thing will be a confrontation.

Renee is running behind me as we both abandon our usual composed demeanor. She is the only person who knows why I am so out of breath.

When I finally enter my room, a sigh of relief escapes my mouth. She is not here. Renee enters behind me and closes the door.

“ You should take a bath, Princess. It’s— ”

“ I know. ” I snap, rushing towards the attached bathroom.

She closes her mouth and doesn’t stop me. I discard my clothes once I am inside and turn on the shower. Water rains on my body, wetting my hair instantly.

The wall-length mirror in front of me reflects my body. My drenched blonde hair clings to my back and shoulders. Unconsciously, my gaze rests on the exposed black half-moon and a star on my neck.

Numb—That’s all I feel when I see the mark.

Why did a stranger feel the need to mark me?

The longer I stare at the mark, the worse the fear becomes.

Once people find out, everything will be over. For me, and our Kingdom. Dustin has already promised me to Aleister. If he sends me there, the King of South will know about the mark and my wild night and if he doesn’t, it will mean breaking a deal.

In both conditions, Aleister will be coming here to do what he wants from the beginning—starting a war that will destroy both our Kingdoms and many will lose their lives for something that is not even their fault.

A chill crawls down my spine as I drop to my knees in the middle of the shower room. Pain reverberates through my legs, but it’s not enough to divert my attention.

I was always careful. I had never caused trouble for anyone. Even last night…I wanted to retaliate against my brother’s decision by running away from home and getting drunk. I thought, Dustin would be worried when he found me missing, he would come looking for me, and he might regret imposing this difficult situation on me. That’s all I wanted.

That’s all I have ever wanted—for others to choose me or show me that they at least regret not doing it. I can’t be so worthless that they don’t even feel guilty over abandoning me, right?

How did this small retaliation turn into this life-threatening situation?

“ What were you thinking, Avery Landric? ” I murmur, closing my eyes.

Why couldn’t I resist this man? Was I so drunk that my mind shut off completely?

But that…never happened before. I never blacked out like this.

Maybe, he is my mate. My mind suggests, but if he is my mate…I could have felt it, right? Other than the attraction to him, I felt nothing out of the ordinary.

My body becomes cold and numb under the freezing water as I sit there for a long time. Eventually, a loud knock on the bathroom door pulls me out of my daze.

I jump to my feet, startled out of my mind.

What am I doing?

I need to find a solution quickly.

I can’t let Dustin know and Aleister can’t know about this either. The night must remain a secret and somehow, this mark needs to be hidden.

Another knock on the door and I am turning off the shower. My hand reaches for the bathrobe to wrap it around my body before I step out of the bathroom.

My nerves become tense as my eyes first fall on Renee and then on the woman standing in the doorway. Her docile posture makes me shiver instead of putting me at ease.

Instantly, I brush my wet hair and strategically cover the mate mark with them. To my relief, the bathrobe’s neckline covers the spot.

“ Renee, step out of the room for a moment girl. I need to talk to my daughter alone. ” She clasps her hands together and throws a smile in the direction of my friend.

Renee’s hesitant gaze lifts to my face. I nod subtly, silently telling her to leave and not make it worse.

“ Where were you, Avery Sweetheart? ” Mom walks inside the room leisurely. Her golden hair and blue eyes resemble mine so much that I don’t have to wonder what I will look like when I am older.

“ I—I didn’t go far. ” I swallow the lump forming in my throat and utter.

Renee lowers her head and walks out of the room. On the way, she closes the door and immediately, Mom’s polite smile becomes a vicious glare.

“ You just had to make your stupid existence known, didn’t you? You had to cause trouble and let the whole castle know that you are a slut who runs away from home every other day to whore around. ” She closes in on me and without my control, my heartbeat speeds up.

“ Mom, I—I can explain. I didn’t— ”

“ What do you think your fiancé will do once he realizes you are not a pure girl but a common whore who throws herself at every man she sees. If your history with Tyson was not enough, you had to open your legs to other men too. ” She stops in front of me.

I take a step back to put distance between us. Every time I ran away and was brought back…this was what she said. Her daughter had always been a whore to her. I could deny her accusations before…but how do I do that now?

“ Look at you. ” Her hand shoots out and grips my jaw so tight that I instinctively flinch. “ with an ugly face like this, you should be happy a King is ready to take you in but you have to keep decreasing your value. ”

My eyes sting as I lower my gaze. I ball my hands into fists, keeping my lips tightly pressed together to not give in to her.

One day, I will be out of her clutches and free, I tell myself. My day will come.

“ This is exactly why Tyson chose a bitch over you, daughter. You never acted like a Princess. More like a cheap slut. And you keep doing it. Eventually, Aleister will throw you out. No one will ever choose you, slut! Is that what you want? To always be a burden over us? ” Mom leaves my jaw with a harsh jerk.

My head turns to the side as I find myself unable to bear the disgust in her eyes. My cold fists tremble no matter how tight I keep them closed.

She takes a step back, and sneers. “ Listen to me now. ”

I gulp, keeping my gaze low.

She reaches out and fists my hair roughly. I bite my lower lip to drown the hiss threatening to escape.

“ If you give your brother any more trouble, I will make sure he throws a bitch like you to the commoners. You will wish you were never born, Avery Landric! ” Her shrill voice is deranged and filled with malice.

“ I won’t. ” I reply quietly.

“ In a week, you will go to the South and deal with your mess! Even if Aleister throws you to every soldier of his Kingdom, you will never set foot here again, or else, your brother will find out what you did, Avery. Do you get me? ” Her voice is like a screech that unsettles every fiber of my being.

My whole life she kept holding a secret over my head and it seems like…I will never truly be free even if I escape from her clutches.

My eyes sting worse than before but tears refuse to fall.

“ Do you understand?! ” She screams in my face.

“ Yes. ” I nod quickly, my scalp beginning to burn. “ Yes, Mom. ”

She tugs at my hair forcefully and then lets me go. A few wet strands cling to her fingers that she shakes off while hate shines in her eyes.

I don’t dare move from my spot as long as she stays there and throws me one hateful glare after another. When she finally leaves, I grab the wall behind me to steady myself.

My chest tightens as it becomes hard to breathe. She didn’t know about the mark—I try to highlight the good point to myself but in the end, I am still on the floor, gasping for air and reaching out to any support I can find.

But in reality…

There is none.

No matter where I look, I will find no support.