The Cursed Kingdom

FIFTEEN

My eyes fluttered open and I yawned towards the ceiling, squinting at the unforgiving lights.

"I'll hold you accountable to that," I responded jokingly, my words slurred with sleep. Without meaning to, they held a bitter undertone that wasn't directed at him in the slightest. But it was so meager that there was a large chance Jerium hadn't heard it, so I acted as if it never happened and continued on.

I slowly lifted my temple from his shoulder, my head feeling like it'd gained fifty pounds, and straightened my posture before making my way forward to walk the other half of the hallway by myself. As always, the doors were opened for me by a uniformed guard but this time he had a friend who stood against the other side of the doorframe, both bowing and greeting me with their polite 'Good morning, Madam'''s in such perfect sync that it sounded rehearsed.

I paused briefly when I caught sight of all the males inside, all at once feeling very, very awake.

I turned back around to catch Jerium's friendly, familiar face for some reassurance for whatever was about to unfold. But he had already fled and I found myself to be disappointed and highly frustrated, cursing silently at the spot the hybrid had been standing in a few seconds ago.

"Raena."

I rolled my eyes at the sound of his voice, feeling annoyance slither around in my stomach until it found my heart and wrapped its body around the vital organ and claimed it as its home. I wished I had enough courage to walk away right then and there, or to stride up to Henrik, look him in the eyes, and tell him all the hurtful thoughts that were brewing in the dark corners of my mind. But I reminded myself that being compliant to his wishes was in the end going to be most beneficial to myself. I just wished the benefits would hurry so I could escape.

Walking into the room with long strides, I tried to hide my apprehension and fear hidden behind a mask of disinterest. My hands, however, which were clasped together so hard that they were white, gave away my true emotions. I only hoped by some miracle that these males couldn't hear my racing heartbeat or smell the saltiness of the sweat slowly but surely forming on the skin of my palms and underarms.

Almost two dozen pairs of strange yellow eyes turned to look at me—No, to judge me. Every single one of them belonged to males of towering sizes that all Lycans possessed, who were standing in front of Henrik's desk and conveniently blocking it so I couldn't see the king that I knew resided on the other side.

"She's so small," one in the front commented, sniffing the air in my direction and making me self conscious. His long black hair was kept in a messy bun with strands caressing the strong high cheek bones of his rather long face. Tattoos ran up his neck and slightly into the sides of his jaw, ending just below his ears. Most of the males had tattoos, which I was beginning to see were very popular in the Cursed Kingdom. But he was definitely the most covered out of all of them.

Some males nodded at his remark, agreeing. Others were too uncaring to reply at all, looking critically at my figure past their noses.

One male whispered to another, who then laughed at whatever he'd told him. Somehow, I just knew they were talking about me and I regretted not brushing my hair. Had I known it wasn't just Henrik who I'd be confronting, I definitely would've tried harder to look presentable and at least worn a dress.

"She may be small but she has strength," came Henrik's voice. I heard his chair screech against the floor as he pushed it back to stand, suddenly the top of his head coming into view over the wall of Lycans. He walked around and instantly his eyes landed on me. He looked at my hair and smiled lazily in amusement, carving my humiliation in stone. "Raena, these are lords from a couple of the packs nearby." He listed all seventeen of their names and where their packs (or provinces, as they were called in the Human Kingdom) were located. I tried to follow along, but by the time he was finished, I'd forgotten most of their names and their locations were all mixed up in my lethargic brain. And then there was only one left who had yet to be introduced or to bow his heads. "And this is my Duke, Evander, who is in charge of training every single one of my guards that keep these lands safe."