AYLA
It was a struggle against all five of them as they stripped me naked, dragged me into the bath, and washed me clean. I mean, I was willing to go to the stupid ball anyway, so why couldn’t I just take my bath myself? Anyway, I wasn’t pissed for long, thinking of the bigger picture ahead.
My escape plan wrapped in a beautiful hall for a ball party.
Two hours later, I was unrecognisable even to myself. My hair was packed into a big bun, shimmering accessories decorating it. They had dressed me in a sky-blue gown, adorning me with silver jewellery.
I turned around, barely seeing myself in the broken floor-length mirror. Of course, the damage was my handiwork from when I was trying to get the Lycan King’s attention and vindicate myself. That didn’t end well, and I ended up being thrown into the dungeon.
The maids handed me over to the guards, who all surrounded me like I was a hardened criminal being walked to a highly secured cell where I’d never see the light of day again.
We arrived at a glowing hall, beautifully decorated and shining with highly dressed people in their extravagant outfits.
The moment I entered, everyone’s eagle gaze fixed on me, staring as though they had seen an object of amusement. Nervousness seeped into me, evident in the way the tips of my fingers tingled. I clutched my dress to control and conceal the nervous feeling.
My eyes darted around the room, and I found Ezra seated on a couch at one end of the hall, his terrifying gaze pinned on me. I darted my gaze away immediately. I knew I was supposed to go to him since he had brought me here to be his date, but the defiant spirit within me said, Spite him.
So, I strolled towards the other wing of the hall, keeping my gaze down to avoid eye contact with anyone, when a tall, broad figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I paused, my heart pounding in my chest as I slowly looked up to see a Lycan with blue eyes and blond hair standing before me.
His ripped muscles were visible through his tight, translucent white shirt. He had the kind of face every girl would chase after. But as beautiful as his face was, Ezra was definitely finer.
A pang of self-loathing built in my chest when I caught myself praising Ezra. He was ugly. The ugliest being alive, with a cursed beast inside him. I exhaled in frustration when even I didn’t believe that.
"Nice to meet you, Gemini wolf," the man grinned as he stretched out his hand to shake mine, but another hand grabbed it, a guttural sound echoing as his hand was yanked away.
My eyes flicked to Ezra, whose gaze was pinned on the man before us, his voice dripping with venom as he growled, "Leave. Now!"
The authority and rage seeping through his voice were unmistakable. Everyone’s gazes were on us, whispers echoing throughout the hall.
The Lycan King wrapped his arms around me possessively, pulling me into a tight embrace. Tingles rippled through my entire being, my stomach tightening at the wave of desire that slammed into me.
He leaned so close to my ear that I could feel his warm breath against my skin. Slow, steady, and intoxicating.
"Disrespect me like that again, and I might change my mind about keeping you alive long enough to attempt using you as my breeding vessel," he whispered so lowly that only I could hear him.
Everyone around us would think that holding me like this and whispering into my ear was him being affectionate. But instead, it was a death threat, a reminder of why I was alive in the first place. To breed his children until my death.
His aura was suffocating, forcing me to submit to him and promise I would never disrespect him again so I could keep my life. That was what he wanted, but the strong will within me blurted out something different.
"You always assume the worst of me. That man came to me, not the other way around. And besides, you cannot kill me, Lycan King. You need me alive to prevent your beast from losing control."
"You knew what you were doing all along and had it all planned out. You knew I couldn’t kill you once we were bound together. Something you didn’t know is that there are worse punishments than death. I could strip away everything that makes you a person. I could break you, ruin you, while keeping you alive to bear my pup. I could, and I would!" His declaration held a determination that sent my heart spiralling against my chest.
He wasn’t bluffing. He would carry out every single one of those threats, and I had to leave this place tonight. This could be my only opportunity.
"Your majesty," Beta Sam suddenly called, and Ezra finally pulled away from me, looking at his Beta. "It’s ready," he continued.
"Stay put and don’t do anything stupid," he growled lowly before following his Beta.
A breath I hadn’t realised I was holding escaped me. I looked around to see everyone’s creepy gazes still fixed on me, whispers continuing to echo around me.
"Her hair. It’s different," I fished out one of the comments from the multiple voices.
Everything was overwhelming. I hated crowds, and I wanted nothing more than to get out of here. My fingers clutched my dress as I continued walking, my gaze fixed on the ground. I hadn’t even covered up to ten steps when a small figure suddenly bumped into me, spilling her red wine all over me.
"Oops," Sabrina gasped, but the ghost of a smile that appeared on her lips, one I had almost missed, was really telling. She had done this intentionally.
I glared at her, my nostrils flaring with restrained rage.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You never deserved to wear that dress anyway," she sneered, and the two minions standing behind her laughed.
My blood fizzed with rage, boiling beneath my skin, and an intense urge to release that anger consumed me. But I controlled myself. My top priority now was to escape this place, and entertaining this bitch could only hinder that.
Rather, I’d make good use of the opportunity she had just given me.
Without saying a single word to her as she had expected, I sidestepped her, and I couldn’t miss the mortified look on her face as I walked away.
I gracefully walked towards a passage that looked like it led to the restroom, but one of the guards following me stepped in front of me before I could turn the corner.
"I am sorry, but you cannot leave the hall," he said.
"Do you expect me to keep walking around like this? With a map of red wine on my dress? God, it looks like blood!" I blurted, gnashing my teeth. "I need to go wash it off in the restroom."
His eyes glazed over, and I could tell he was mind-linking the Lycan King to ask for permission.
After his eyes returned to normal, he stepped aside, allowing me to continue while they followed behind me.
The moment I stepped into the restroom, I locked the door and hurried towards the window. This was my chance to escape, and I must not miss it.
My chest thundered with anxiety, the sound blasting through my ears. I peeped through the window to see the distance I had to jump. We were only on the first floor. It wasn’t so bad, but Lord help me not to break my legs and instantly mess up my escape plan. I couldn’t run with a broken leg.
Without thinking twice, I climbed over the window and jumped, my legs wobbling as I landed on the ground. My feet hurt from the impact, but this wasn’t the time to tend to the pain.
I picked myself up immediately and made to run away when—
"That’s quite impressive," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.
I whipped my head around to see the Lycan King’s brother leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette, the smoke partially obscuring his face.
My stomach curdled as my entire life came crashing down before me.
Oh, no.