HELENA

“What—”

I didn’t gave the Beta a chance to recover from his shock. I made quick steps towards the woman while my hand was gripping on my metal pin so tight. I am filled with blinding anger. My body moves faster than my mind that I couldn’t control whatever I was doing. What I only have in my head was to stab that woman to death and the only word that screams in my head was ‘revenge’.

Helena! She has to die!

I feel like I am going insane. My eyes were menacingly wide but I feel so light, so calm on my chest. It feels like my whole body was moving on its own. Like something within me just overtook my body, wanting to spill blood in this garden and see Helena’s lifeless body down my feet. I should be terrified by what is happening with me right now but I can’t feel anything. I lifted my hand and swung it over her head, aiming for her long, small neck without any second thought of remorse.

But before my weapon reach her skin, a strong hand caught my wrist. The next thing I heard was a scream that echoed all over the place, alarming everyone around us.

I was stunned for seconds as Helena and I’s eyes met, making my whole body tremble in mixed grief and anger. I knew it… I knew she’s behind all of this! And father didn’t even listen to me! She betrayed father and the empire!

“LET GO OF ME!” I screamed. My lips pulled against my teeth and my whole body struggling to release myself from Alpha Aster’s tight grip. “Father gave you everything, Helena! You were his favorite among his concubines! Why did you do this to him?! Why did you betrayed us!?”

“Don’t get me wrong, princess…” Helena answered in slow, sultry tone as she opened her fan to hide half of her face while talking to me. She looked down on me condescendingly with her dark eyes which I always think suits her for it reflects how dark her soul is, “I just have to do what is needed. And I am tired and disgusted being with that old hag. You are just lucky my Alpha is a merciful Emperor that he let you live to pay for your father’s crimes.”

Helena was my father’s favorite among his imperial concubines and she lived like an Empress although she was never anointed as one—for my father still loved my mother and he couldn’t see anyone that could replace her which is one of the most thing I am thankful for.

At that time, imagining Helena as the Empress is like imagining my life being in total ruin. Helena already showed distaste on me the first time we were introduced with each other and even father was fully aware of that. Because he hates me as his daughter, he never believed me when I used to tell him about Helena’s horrible treatment on me and her bullying which turned into her hobby. It became the one of the reasons why I hated it whenever she’s around the palace. I could only sneak around when she and father used to visit the other parts of the empire which gave me a lot of freedom and access to library and the garden.

I should have known it’s all her work… that she was behind all of the horrible things happened in the palace. Her wicked grin and her mocking stares always gave me hint that we should never trust her. But my father got blinded with her beauty. And that lust shortened his stay in the world of the living.

Still struggling to reach Helena as I swung pathetically the pin on her direction, Alpha Aster pulled me against him forcibly and I landed on his chest, locking me in his arms to prevent me from making any more attempt to stab Helena once again. I screamed and thrashed my arms against his chest but his body was stone hard as well as the expression I saw on his face when I lifted my chin to look into his stoic eyes.

Aster… He’s protecting her…

“How did she get in here!” He yelled at the guards that marched towards us. I was expecting him to hand me quickly to the guards but he didn’t. I stayed in his strong arms while my mind was in full panic. My heart keeps on ramming against my chest and everything I see was in blurry. Bullets of sweat appeared on my forehead. I can’t stop myself from trembling though. All I could see was Helena’s face and the adrenaline pumped crazily all over me again after I saw she smirked at me tauntingly—-as if she’s enjoying how crazy I look in front of everyone, especially Alpha Aster.

She hid half of her face with the fan she was holding. But her eyes will never hide the treachery she did that cost so many lives when Aster and his men killed everyone at that Banquet… 

“You—You traitor! I will kill you!” I squealed at the top of my lungs, trying to get away from Alpha Aster. This time, he pulled me away from him and I landed with a thud on the hard, grassy ground of the garden, sobbing my anger out as my hair dark hair plastered on my face drenched with tears.

“Aster! Why did you do that?!” The blonde guy, his Beta yelled at him in disbelief and in my anger, I glared at Aster’s shocked face.

Everything happens so fast and I never even had enough time to think what is going on inside my brain. What I only know is I have to make all this pain and grief go away—-to free myself from the grasp of all these people in front of me. My eyes shoot daggers as I glared at Aster. I moved to face him as I lifted my arms while the metal pin was still on my hand facing against me. If they can’t give me the freedom I need, then I just have to end all of these sufferings the only way I know.

This won’t hurt… It just needs to be fast…

I am ready.

“Eodelle, NO!”

I have no idea who called my name but I closed my eyes tightly before I pulled my hands towards me, aiming to stab my heart with the metal pin. There was a second of hesitation in my head but before I could feel the sharp point of the weapon on my chest, there was a loud gasp that escaped from Helena’s lips. My eyes found her horrified face and then to my left, where I saw Aster’s face so close to me I could feel his breath on my lips.