The absurdity of it hits me, and I sink onto the now-pillowless bed. A hysterical laugh bubbles up in my throat. Of all the scenarios I imagined when I woke up, the Lycan King becoming a pillow thief wasn’t one of them.
“I wish he’d just kill me and get it over with,”
I mumble, staring out the window. At the sky, so I don’t focus on the bodies.
It’s blue. Fluffy clouds pass by, indifferent to the suffering below, and I wonder-again-what he’s going to do with me.
The rest of the morning passes without incident.
Or food.
My stomach growls. The clock on the wall ticks past noon, and each second is another twist of my belly. It’s been over a day since I’ve eaten, but at least I have free access to water now.
Small mercies.
But I can’t stay in this room forever, can I?
My fingers tap against my lower lip as I stare at the door. It’s a standard wood-grain door, probably hollow, with a simple knob. Nothing extravagant or strange, and yet my heart stutters at the thought of what lies beyond it.
Life isn’t the same anymore. Alpha’s dead, and I’ve lost all protection. What do Lycans do with humans? Alpha never let me see them before, saying it was dangerous. It’s clear that’s one thing he didn’t lie about. Honestly, the fact I’m even alive when so many are dead…
“This is ridiculous.”
My voice is soft in the silence, but speaking at all seems to build my courage to push off the bed and ignore how my legs shake as I take one step, then another.
The brass doorknob is cool under my palm. I curl my fingers around it, but my grip trembles.
My stomach growls again, loud enough to echo off the walls. The sound startles me out of my frozen state, and I open the door. Just a tiny inch of space, not really enough to peek through.
I press my ear to the gap but hear only silence. No footsteps. No voices. No breathing.
The door opens wider under my palm. I peek through the crack, scanning the hallway beyond. Carpeted floor. Framed landscapes along the wall. Bright light overhead.
A massive figure looms in the hallway. Dark eyes lock onto mine, set in a face carved from granite. The Lycan’s lip curls, revealing the edge of a fang, and I swear I can hear a growl rumbling my way.
?? Casual Date is just a click away!
I slam the door shut and scurry back to my bed, breathing hard.
Dangerous. That was dangerous.
He was not happy to see me. I’m definitely a prisoner, not that I had much doubt over the situation. I may not understand why, but at least I know what I am.
Goosebumps race up my arms and I rub them hard, wishing I was braver. Stronger. A lot sneakier, too. It would be nice if I could just disappear. In fact, if that damn wolf-Fenris-hadn’t come around in the forest, I’d be in the city by now.
Stupid, oversized, disloyal dog.
Three sharp knocks crack against the door and I jump as the red-haired Lycan walks inside, not waiting for me to answer.
His eyes flicker to the bed in a moment so brief, I’m not sure I actually see it happen.
“Miss Harper,”
he says, sounding indifferent to my fate,
“You will come with me now.”
Not please follow me. No information on where I’m going, or why. Just a flat order, with no emotion on his face.
My throat closes up, making it hard to breathe. After witnessing what happened to my former pack, the last thing I want is to follow any Lycan anywhere.
“Miss Harper.”
Steel threads through his tone.
“Now.”
Everything’s different.
The event hall has been scrubbed clean, all the decorations gone. Days of preparation have disappeared overnight and no hint of the bloodbath remains. Vaguely, I recall a pile of stuff from my window. It didn’t seem very important while a pile of dead bodies took center stage, but it makes sense now. Everything was tossed.
It’s as somber as a funeral in here. Pack members shuffle past with downcast eyes, their shoulders slumped. No greetings exchanged, no morning pleasantries-just the soft scuffle of footsteps against the floor.
A pack without an Alpha is a dead pack, and that’s exactly how they’re acting. I wonder what our fate is now. I’ve heard stories about the Lycan King, to some extent, but not enough to give me any information. Do packs like this disintegrate after the Alpha is murdered?
And how much do I really care? But it’s hard not to care, after seeing… everything. It isn’t like I’m loyal to the same people who turned their backs on me. I want nothing to do with them!
But… a massacre is extreme.
Though, I guess it makes sense why all wolf packs would be subordinate under the Lycan King. They’re probably all scared of having their throats cut out, just like Alpha. As far as I’ve ever understood, the Blue Mountain Pack isn’t weak, and yet they stood no chance against a mere handful of Lycans.
Somber thoughts are doing nothing for the uneasiness crawling all over my skin, but I can’t push them away.
My escort’s red hair gleams under the chandelier lights as he strides forward. His presence is enough to clear his path, it doesn’t matter what anyone is doing, they scurry back ten feet to avoid contact. They don’t seem to notice I’m following behind, their fearful glances focused on the Lycan. He doesn’t have the terrifying presence of the Lycan King, and yet they can’t even lift their heads as he passes by.
A woman drops her cleaning supplies, the clatter echoing through the silence. She scrambles to pick them off the floor, her hands shaking. The Lycan doesn’t break stride, though everyone else turns to look. In fact, he’s not even glancing back to make sure I’m following.
Then again, why would he? It’s not like I can go anywhere else, I guess.
My stomach growls as I walk behind, watching the space between us grow. It isn’t an intentional defiance, but a side effect of his pacing. He doesn’t seem to realize I can’t keep up yet.
Maybe I should jog to catch up-
Fingers clamp around my wrist, yanking me backward.
I spin around and freeze. Ellie’s perfect features twist into something monstrous, her teeth bared. Her manicured nails dig crescents into my skin as her nostrils flare. Her green eyes are so much more vibrant than mine, hard and cold as emeralds, and they’re currently flashing with gold.
“You,”
she hisses, the venom in her voice palpable as I cringe against her grip.
“Why are you still here?”
“Let me go!”
Tugging my wrist back just causes more pain, I’ll never get away by relying on strength. I wouldn’t win against even the weakest wolf, and Ellie is not weak. But I can’t just sit there and do nothing, so I keep trying.
“This is all because of you,”
she snaps, her fingers tightening to the point it feels my bones are being crushed.
“Coming in here and causing a misunderstanding between our pack and the Lycans.”
Our pack, she says, as if she’s already Luna or something.
Not that I’m competing, or even want to, but don’t I have a little more claim to this pack than she does? Even if I’ve become an abandoned human, I at least lived among these people for six years.
There’s no point in arguing semantics, though. I don’t want this pack anymore, I want to leave.
“Let me go,”
I say again, trying to pry her fingers off with my other hand. They don’t budge, and she snatches my other wrist as if I’m a child, with the same bone-crushing grasp.
The pain’s enough to send me to my knees, but I don’t want to go down in a pathetic heap in front of her, of all people.
“Is there a problem here?”
The Lycan’s finally noticed I’m no longer behind him, striding toward Ellie from across the room.
Relief floods through me as he approaches, but it evaporates just as quickly. His expression remains neutral as he watches Ellie crush my wrists, not a flicker of concern crossing his features.
“Lycan Beta.”
Ellie’s voice drips honey, her grip never loosening.
“I was just having some words with the disgrace.”
A chill runs through me at his words. The way he says it-like I’m property.
Ellie’s perfect posture falters.
“I apologize, Lycan Beta. I acted rashly.”
Her voice drips with rehearsed contrition.
“You see, this human has been the source of much discord between our pack and yours. I only wish to understand why.”
My throat tightens as she continues, each word precise and calculated.
“I will personally investigate her situation. After all, we want nothing but peace between our packs now.”
The Beta’s attention hasn’t left my wrists. Something in his stance shifts, a predatory stillness that makes my skin crawl.
“Will you now?”
“Of course. It’s clear she’s caused enough trouble already.”
The Lycan Beta’s lips curl into something between a sneer and a smile.
“Your loyalty is commendable. Your intelligence, however, seems to be lacking.”
Ellie’s perfect posture crumbles. The change in her demeanor is so sudden, it’s like watching a flower wilt in fast motion. Gone is the self-assured female who crushed my wrists moments ago.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.