AYLA
I began to recoil, my eyes widening with fright as I shook my head repeatedly in dread.
He blew out another puff of smoke, and as it settled, he used the skin of his forearm to crush the cigarette before tossing the butt aside. Crazy.
"Calista. The Gemini wolf," he said with a smirk as he flicked his dark, intimidating gaze at me.
"Please..." I breathed, shaking my head repeatedly. "Please do not stop me. I know you hate your brother. Think of it like this, this would be a win for you. We have mutual enemies, so we should be friends."
He stopped in his tracks, his lips pursing in amusement as he stared at me. "Interesting. Who would’ve thought that Ezra’s mate would be abandoning him while he entertained guests at the ball? And... Calista, that’s where you got it wrong. I do not hate my brother."
He walked briskly towards me, closing the distance between us in just three steps. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, and pulling me closer, he whispered into my ear, "See, I cannot let you go, or I would be an accomplice to treason against the crown. So you have to return to that party. I am sorry, but..."
"Please." My eyes widened as I jerked away from his arm, bewildered that I had to go back to living like a prisoner when I had almost escaped. Ezra’s brother just had to be at the wrong place at the wrong fucking time. A fucking termite in my plan.
"Cooperate, so we won’t have to drag this out, and..." He pulled away, extending a hand for a handshake. "It’s nice to meet you again, Calista. My name is Lucius. Ezra’s illegitimate older brother."
Oh. It made sense now. He was an illegitimate son, and that was why he couldn’t inherit the throne. But that was their family business, not mine. Right now, I desperately needed to escape, and I’d be delusional if I thought I could outrun him. He might not be the Lycan King, but he was of royal Lycan blood, legitimate or not, and he would catch me faster than a cat would catch a mouse right under its nose.
I stared at his extended hand, rage boiling within me. I never shook hands with my enemies.
When I didn’t accept his handshake, he pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket, a smirk on his face as he pressed it into my hand. "Take this. Trust me. You’ll need it."
Although confused as to why he had suddenly given me a white handkerchief, I took it.
Letting out an exasperated breath, I grimaced as he lifted me through the window, sending me back to my suffering.
"Don’t worry. I won’t snitch," was the last thing I heard him say before I lost my balance and fell into the restroom, face-first onto the cold floor.
Mora!
Just then, the door broke open, ripped from its hinges before crashing into the restroom.
The Lycan King appeared before me, his golden eyes blazing like an inferno capable of swallowing me alive and burning me to a crisp.
His eyes darted between me and the open window, dangerous suspicion flashing in them.
"What were you trying to do?"
I quickly stood up, my fingers trembling with nervousness, hoping he wouldn’t figure it out, or I’d be done for. I might never get another opportunity to escape. And oh, Lord, please let Lucius keep his word.
"Nothing," I blurted, massaging the part of my face that hurt from the impact of the fall.
His eyes raged like a storm as he stalked towards me. Fear lodged in my throat, and I recoiled, my back hitting the wall.
"I wasn’t trying to do anything. I swear," I blurted desperately.
My breath caught when he came so close that I could smell his intoxicating scent in full force. My pussy contracted in response, and I bit my inner cheek to scold myself.
He poked his head through the window, and when he pulled back, the fury raging in his eyes was terrifyingly chilling. He leaned towards my neck, taking a long drag of air, and as he pulled away, his boots hit the floor heavily as he began opening the restroom stalls, his rage palpable in the way he slammed and banged the doors until he had checked every single one.
"Where is he?" he growled when he didn’t find anyone, his eyes turning from their natural gold to Lycan red as he stormed back towards me, and wrapped his large palm around my neck, pressing me further against the wall.
"Where is who?" I asked, confused.
"You reek of him!" he glowered, his nose wrinkling as he leaned in to take another sniff. "Lucius."
It immediately clicked. That was what Lucius meant when he said I would need the white handkerchief. It was to deflect Ezra’s thoughts from the possibility that Lucius and I had been in close proximity. Had he truly helped me without any intention of ratting me out?
My breath escaped in strained gasps as I tapped his hand repeatedly, desperate to break free before he snuffed the life out of me.
"The handkerchief on the floor," I choked, pointing towards it. It had slipped out of my hand when I fell. "I picked it up from the sink. I wanted to use it to clean the wine stain on my dress. I don’t know. Maybe that’s how his scent got on me. Perhaps it’s Lucius’ scent...."
Something flickered in his eyes, and he hesitated before releasing his grip. When he finally did, I let out rapid gasps of breath to clear my clogged throat. Then I watched him lean forward and pick up the white handkerchief, taking a drag of air. His face twisted in disgust, rage blazing in his eyes as he flicked his gaze back to me.
"You expect me to believe this?" he growled as he crushed the handkerchief in his fist.
"How else would I have gotten his scent on me? I haven’t seen him since that day. You warned me to stay away from him." My voice dropped lower, hoping I sounded convincing enough, because I sure as hell believed I was a pretty bad liar. "There’s no way I would have encountered him when I was locked in that room all this time anyway."
His eyes lingered on me for several seconds, suspicion still burning behind them. Then he tossed the handkerchief into the nearby dustbin before sharply turning around, his rage palpable in the way he walked towards the ripped door. "You’ll be escorted back to the pack house to get changed."
All of a sudden, he stopped again and flicked his gaze at me, realization flashing in his eyes.
"I never mentioned his name the other day." His eyes narrowed. "How do you know his name is Lucius?"
My heart thundered rapidly against my chest. Just when I thought I had gotten away with it.