| CHAPTER 15 : SOMEONE HAS A CRUSHHH |
He wasn't there at night. He wasn't there in the morning too. I fell into a sleep of paralysis. A deep, deep, sleep after a very long time.
When I woke up, he wasn't there again. A few maids came bustling in the room, startling me for a moment. They hurriedly cleaned the room around me while I stared at them still sitting on the bed with the blanket clutched close to my chest.
They looked like tiny robots moving at a fast pace as they cleaned everything up within seconds. Next, they moved towards me, and I almost yelled when they yanked the blanket from me and pulled me towards them.
They quickly yet gently, wiped a wet cloth at the mark near my shoulder. I expected it to sting or hurt badly, but when they touched it, I felt no pain. My eyes fell on the mirror, and I inspected the mark. My mouth fell open as I gaped at my perfectly and completely healed neck. It was clean and fresh as if King Alpha had never bitten it except for the two small dark circles which scared my skin of King Alpha's canines.
When the maids moved to lift up my clothes, I blushed and stopped their hands.
"I-I can change my own clothes."
They paused and stared at me as if I've threatened to strangle their cat. Wide eyes and ghostly. I wondered if they work here on their will or against their will.
"King Alpha has given strict orders to clean you up." One of the maids from the three spoke out.
"I-I can do it on my own."
They continued giving me strange looks.
"He doesn't need to know," I say hoping that will loosen them up a bit.
It did.
But only for a fraction, before they bustled in and out, placing a few items of clothing's on the now neat and tidied bed before leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind them.
I stared at the clothes on the bed and then at the clothes I'm wearing. I've been in King Alpha's clothes for more than a week.
After checking every corner of the bedroom and bathroom to make sure King Alpha wasn't hiding anywhere and wouldn't suddenly jump out, I stripped off the dirty, smelling clothes and drew a bath.
Scrubbing myself clean of the week's sickness, I got out, dried myself and put on the new fresh new clothes.
These weren't my clothes, but they fit perfectly as if someone had mapped out my body and stitched them up according to that size. A black lace blouse, black camisole with denim jeans. Along with them were a new pair of underwear and a black bra. I pulled the clothes on, feeling glad to be wearing girl's clothes after a very long time.
I discarded the old clothes on the edge of King Alpha's bed.
With last night's memories still fresh in my head, I looked around the room, the strange sense of strength or the poor weak state of my body, all gone, replaced with my normal body.
What am I supposed to do now?
The door wasn't locked.
I see no cuffs lying here or there.
Am I free?
A growl resounded in my stomach, and I remembered how it had been days since my body refused food because of the sickness.
I decided to head to the kitchen to get some food and then roam around the mansion.
Remembering where the kitchen was, I head straight over there and grabbed two slices of bread putting a slice of cheese that I found from the fridge. No one was there in the kitchen, leaving me alone to make myself a cheese sandwich.
I roamed the hallways of the huge mansion afterwards. Trying to observe every detail and trying to figure out how old was every artifact, showpiece, or painting. It was fun in a way, pretending to be a historian and observing every single thing whilst taking bites of the sandwich in my hand.
I stumbled upon a hallway and my eyes went wide with what lay ahead of me. Hundreds and thousands of photo frames embedded on either wall. This hallway seemed to be longer in particular as it stretched out far away ending in a dead-end with a huge portrait at the end of the hallway.
I warily stepped into the hallway, eyes roaming all over the unfamiliar faces and people in the photos and pictures in the hallway. Pictures and photos which looked like they were taken a long time ago. Black and white, blurry, vintage. All ranging from different timelines.
I stopped directly in front of the huge portrait at the end of the hallway, silently observing the two people gracefully standing together in the full-body portrait.
A woman with dark hair and lively green eyes stood so beautiful and alluring. Her features ranged till perfection with not even a single flaw. Her dark black hair curled into a delicate style with green eyes deep and serene. I stared with utter memorization at her beauty and delicate features. Her body was petite, thin yet elegant and sophisticated.
Beside her, a man stood. His hair was long and shaggy neatly styled till his shoulders. A mustache lined above his full lips. A sense of power and leadership radiated off him by the clothes he wore. A sort of uniform type. He stood three heads taller than the woman held calmly in his hands.
My mouth parted open as I took in the sight of the two people standing beside each other, looking powerful, graceful and refined. My eyes were glued to their portrait unable to look anywhere else.
The woman wore a long emerald gown that fitted perfectly, tracing her thin, slim waist. Her cheekbones were sharp and high with a certain kind of edge to her face.
My eyes followed up and I noticed the two glimmering crowns on their heads. The man having a dark sapphire blue gem engraved into his crown in the shape of a marquise. And the woman having an emerald gem engraved into her crown in the same shape.
They looked straight out of a storybook of royalty and-
"Interesting, isn't it?"
I screamed and whirled around launching my half-eaten sandwich at the ghost.
Drew momentarily disappeared and the poor sandwich leapt onto the red-carpeted ground, falling apart. He appeared right after, a calm and composed look etched on his face.
"Ma chérie." He greeted with a smile.
"Don't creep on me like that ever again." My hands were on my chest, my heart still racing.
"I see you've found the hallway of old les gens." He stated, clasping his broad arms behind his back and looking up at the portrait I had been so immersed in.
"Who are they?" I asked turning around and staring back at the elegant couple with fascination and curiosity.
A smile came on his lips as he gazed at the portrait, "Sanhandred Amoux Arnou with his Queen Lucretia."
My eyes widen slightly and I can almost hear the bells ringing in the background when something big is revealed- like in the movies
"They were the best of rulers." Drew raised his hand as if to touch Queen Lucretia's gown but paused and shook his head, putting his back behind his back.
"So Queen Lucretia is a pure witch?" I asked gazing at her deep green eyes.
He nodded, "Oui, she was the very best, finest and the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen."
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at Drew, opening my mouth. But closed it when I saw him intensely gazing at Lucretia. I looked back at Lucretia then back to Drew's lost eyes, doing this three more times.
"Someone has a crushhh." I muttered in a sing-song voice with a smirk on my face.
He snapped out of his trance and looked at me, "Oui?"
"You like her, don't you?" I asked, smiling wide.
His face turned red in the lightest way possible before he cleared his throat and looked away from my teasing gaze, "There was nothing to hate about her."
"She's dead, right?" I asked looking back up at Lucretia's face, her thin lips pulled up into a small smile.
A long sigh came out of Drew's mouth, "Oui. She wasn't immortal like us."
"You people can't die?" I asked, "Like at all?"
He shook his head, "Normal werewolves can die just as easily as beheading them or plucking out their heart. But Royals don't die. Even in fire, water, without a heart, without us needing to breathe, we cannot die whatsoever."
"That's so cool," I admitted.
He nodded.
"You were there when she was alive?" I asked, looking back at Lucretia.
"Oh yes, I was. I've seen her in person. Since I laid eyes on her, I haven't been able to forget her. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes. She was gorgeous in every way possible."
Drew's voice had a hidden dreamy voice as he gazed back at Lucretia's figure. I didn't know what to say to him about this. From the looks of it, he seems to be in love with her.
If I knew what love looks like, that is.
"What about Sahandred?" I ask after a moment.
His gaze flickered to the man beside her, and the smile grew, "He was known as 'The Amare King' - you would already know that if you've read the book properly. He loved and cared for all. His love for Queen Lucretia was higher than mountains, deeper than the sea and dense as a forest. No one could match the love he had for her."
"Were you ever jealous?"
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, giving a small breathy chuckle, "Maybe a little bit."
"Where's Sahandred?"
He shrugged, his expressions shifting in the slightest way, "Who knows? He might be lost somewhere still recovering after Queen Lucretia's death. Or he might be finding something to live for as strong as she made him live for."
"You knew him too? As in person?"
He nodded, "Oui. He was a great king." A small sly smile came on his lips which I chose to not question because he now turned towards me, grinning "You're alive."
"Tell me about it," I muttered, my fingers reaching up to brush the faint mark on my neck which looked like a mere faint scar now. My fingers brushed my lips. A slow blush crept up to my face when I remembered how I drank King Alpha's blood with his mouth on mine.
I haven't kissed many people before. I'm not sure if that was even a kiss or not.
Before going too red, I cleared my throat.
"So where's your portrait?" I asked looking around.
"King Alpha must have burnt it."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "Why does he hate you?"
"You don't?"
His question made me pause for a second, "I...I don't hate you," I said before quickly adding, "I don't like you either. You tried killing me when we first met."
"I was playing with you."
I gave a sour look.
He grinned, "I would have healed you if I accidentally clawed you."
"I feel so safe."
He smiled before speaking, "So now what? He healed you and you're still a prisoner here?"
"About that..." I rubbed the back of my neck.
I didn't know if I could trust Drew or not. Sure I find some reassurance now that I'm not wanting to be twenty feet apart from him or go in a different room, but I didn't know if he could keep my secrets or out me out to King Alpha.
I need to escape from here.
Collin is still missing, and my answers are still pending.
I have two tasks. 1) Find Collin. 2) Find out what I am and demand Collin of all answers. The only problem: King Alpha.
He's gonna keep me here as a prisoner and I can't live like that without knowing so much. If Katia is right and the witches are planning to kill all werewolves then I'll fail in both my tasks.
I looked back at Drew's strong features, not being able to spit out a lie so instead, I shrugged after a while.
"I think I'll like it here as long as I don't have to go to Mrs. Stick Up Her Ass's bakery."
He frowned in confusion, "Who?"
I shook my head letting a worried frown come over my face, "What do you think King Alpha will do to me?"
He pursed his lips, "He's been too...cruel for a few years now."
"Do you think I should try escaping?"
"He'll find you."
I deflated giving out a sigh.
"But I can help..." Drew drawled out with a small devilish smile, tilting his head to the side.
I furrowed my eyebrows, giving him a skeptical look, "Why?"
He shrugged, hiding a smile behind his devilish look, "If it'll rile King Alpha up then why not?"
I continued giving him my skeptical look, "How do I know if I can trust you?"
He smiled, "I'll let you stab me repeatedly in the heart if I break your trust."
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Would you want to have a portrait of your own?
Date: 19th July 2021