Sneaking out đ„đ„đ„âWhat?â I spat, my voice rising despite myself. âYouâre insane if you think Iâm coming anywhere near you!ââThen I suppose I should start forwarding this video to some of my contacts. You know, just to see how quickly it can spreadâŠââNo! Wait!â I blurted out, hating myself for the panic in my voice. âDonât do that. Just⊠donât. Where do you want to meet?âHis laugh was slow and satisfied. âThatâs better. Iâll text you the location. Be there at midnight. And princessâdonât even think about bringing anyone with you. You wouldnât want me to think youâre setting a trap, now would you?âThe line went dead before I could respond. I stared at the phone, my hands trembling. How could I possibly get out of this? As I stood there, paralyzed by the looming threat, the door creaked open slightly, and Amira peeked her head in.âMy lady, is everything alright? I heard you shoutingâŠââGet out!â I snapped, my nerves frayed. Amira flinched, but didnât retreat right away. Instead,
Flushed đ„đ„đ„đ„He tilted his head slightly, studying me with those cold, calculating eyes. âStraight to the point, I see. Very well. Youâre smart, Veronica, and youâve been keeping some interesting company. The kind of company thatâs involved in things far above your pay grade. What I want is simple: information.âI frowned. âInformation about what?âHe leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. âAbout Simon and Lucas. About the crown. About the power struggles within the lycanthrope hierarchy. You know more than you let on, and Iâm going to find out everything youâre hiding.âA shiver ran down my spine at the mention of the crown. It was clear this man wasnât just an ordinary blackmailer. He knew things, dangerous things, and he was intent on using me to get whatever he wanted.âI donât know what youâre talking about,â I said, trying to sound convincing.His laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls in a way that made my skin crawl. âOh, Veronica, donât insult my intelligence. We bo
Exhausted đ„đ„đ„The next morning, I woke up very early to leave. Despite struggling to fall asleep and barely getting any rest, I managed to rouse myself and be ready by 5:30 a.m. The bed was empty beside me, which made me wonder where he had gone. Wait a minuteâwhat was his name again? The realization struck me like a cold wave."You're really going to lose your mind soon," I muttered to myself, frustration bubbling up as I pondered how I had allowed this to happen. He knew everything about me, yet I knew nothing about him. Shaking off the unsettling thought, I continued getting ready, brushing my hair, and trying to look as fresh as possible before heading out the door. It was ironicâafter sneaking in like a shadow in the night, I found myself foolishly hoping there might be a car waiting to whisk me away when I reached the gates. But reality hit me hard; I had come here on foot, and now I had to make my way back the same way."Annoying, freaking scumbag!" I cursed under my breath,
Suspicious đ„đ„đ„**Lucas' POV**âYour Highness,â a voice called from the door, pulling me from the maze of papers that had held me captive for hours. I looked up to see Damien, my beta, standing there with a troubled expression etched on his face. His demeanor alone told me that whatever he had to say wasnât trivial.âWhatâs wrong?â I asked, my voice cutting through the heavy silence of the room. Damienâs response was steady, but the concern was unmistakable. âIâve been informed of unusual activity near the outskirts of the mansion. There are reports of unknown figures moving through the forest. It might be prudent to investigate.âI nodded, feeling the weight of his words settle over me like a dark cloud. âPrepare a team, Damien. We need to know who these figures are and whether they pose a threat to the mansion. Double our patrols. We cannot afford any surprises.âDamien bowed and exited swiftly, leaving me alone with the oppressive silence once more. I returned to my studies, each
Intrigued đ„đ„đ„âItâs Ashley, Your Highness,â he stammered. âSheâs⊠sheâs been found outside the mansion. Sheâs unconscious, and there are⊠strange markings on her body.âMy blood ran cold. âWhere is she now?â I asked, my voice hard as steel.âWeâve brought her to the infirmary,â he replied quickly. âThe healers are attending to her, but theyâve never seen anything like this before.âWithout another word, I pushed past the guard, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way to the infirmary. The corridors seemed to stretch on endlessly, each step echoing loudly in the silence. My mind raced with possibilities, each one darker than the last.When I finally reached the infirmary, the scent of antiseptics and herbs filled the air. Ashley lay on a bed, her skin pale, her breathing shallow. The strange markings the guard had mentioned were visible on her arms and neckâdark, twisted symbols that seemed to pulse with a faint, malevolent energy. The sight of them made my wolf stir uneasily
Why ?đ„đ„đ„**Ashleyâs POV**As soon as I woke up, I felt extremely weak, and my bones were sore. I couldn't fully recall everything that had happened, but I did remember feeling a hefty hand cover my mouth as a sedated handkerchief was placed over my nose.Although I fought to stay awake long enough to understand what was happening to me, it wasn't much longer before these mysterious people had me tied down, their claws out, and I finally gave up and passed out. Due to how faint everything was around me, I wasn't able to hear their conversation clearly. The only words I could pick up were "child," "strategy," and "defeat." No matter how much I tried to piece these words together to make sense of what they were talking about, I just couldn't. Too much was missing to add everything up, so I really wasn't able to figure out what they meant.As soon as I regained consciousness, I instantly panicked as flashes from the kidnapping remained very fresh in my mind. I didn't recognize where I
Finally! đ„đ„đ„"Do you remember anything at all about what happened?" Lucas asked, his tone now more urgent.I furrowed my brow, trying to recall any details that might shed light on the incident. But the memories were hazy, fragmented, like pieces of a puzzle that didnât quite fit together."I remember... a struggle," I began slowly, trying to piece together the disjointed images in my mind. "There were people, or maybe creaturesâIâm not sure. They restrained me, and I think I heard them talking, but the words were unclear. Something about a âchild,â âstrategy,â and âdefeat.â But thatâs all I can remember."Lucas frowned, clearly not satisfied with the limited information. "Those words... they donât make much sense on their own. But they could be clues to something bigger."He began to pace the room, his mind clearly working through the possibilities. I watched him, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Despite our recent conflicts, there was something comforting about having him here,
Anxiety creeping inđ„đ„đ„Although I ate a very filling and comforting meal, I still ended up feeling quite hungry about 30 minutes later. I decided to make my way to the kitchen to get something to eat, so I grabbed the tray that contained the empty bowl and platter used to bring my food.I still wasn't strong enough to walk around easily, so I carefully made my way out as I approached the stairs. I went to the kitchen and dropped the dirty dishes in the sink. After scanning the place to ensure I was still the only one there, I checked inside the fridge. I looked around to see what I could have, but I couldn't find anything I really wanted at that moment. I eventually opted for a large apple, which I cut into thin slices and ate with some peanut butter. The snack was very filling, so after finishing it, I drank some water and started back to my room.On my way, I overheard Simon and Lucas having a discussion. Even though I didn't want to eavesdrop, I somehow managed to hear and under