.Chapter 2-3
The words slam into me like physical blows. “What…?”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper only I could hear. “You’re really worthless,
aren’t you? You had one fucking job-smile, submit, stay silent. And you couldn’t even manage that, couldn’t keep your mouth shut and your legs open.” His sneer was pure venom. “And to think I was going to marry you. Touch you. Let your filthy null blood stain my bed.”
The humiliation burned through me like acid. My wolf snarled, ready to tear his throat out, and honestly, I was tempted to let her.
“Hey! What the fuck is this about?” Kenzi jumped to her feet, murder in her eyes.
Kellan raised his voice so the entire court could hear. “I, Kellan Vayne, reject you, Simone Ryker, as
leave!” my intended mate. Guards, seize her. The rest of you,
He shook his head at me with mock pity. “You better hope your parents value you the slightest. Otherwise you’ll be useless to me. And you won’t like what I do to useless people.”
My cheeks burned with fury and no small amount of shame. Tear’s pricked at my eyes, which only made me angrier. I was not going to cry in front of this asshole.
“Stop this!” I managed to get out. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“I’m doing exactly what needs to be done.” He smirked, and there was something predatory in his expression. “It was good while it lasted, null.”
The guards started moving toward me, but Kenzi and Irene immediately formed a protective circle around me. The first guard reached us, and Kenzi didn’t hesitate.
“Run!” she yelled, then shifted mid-leap and started tearing into the men like they were made of
tissue paper.
The court erupted into screams and chaos as people fled from the violence. I wanted to stay and help, but Irene grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the back exit.
“Go, now!” she shouted as more guards appeared in front of us.
I felt the familiar prickle of magic on my skin… Irene, getting ready to unleash hell.
“Now!” she yelled, and I dove forward just as the guards went flying through the air like they’d been swatted by an invisible giant hand.
“We’ll find you, Si!” Irene called out as she turned to face another wave of approaching men.
1.3
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Chapter 2 3
Cin
I gritted my teeth and ran, leaving my aunts behind to fight a battle I’d started. The hallways were eerily empty, everyone was either fleeing or fighting, and I sprinted through them like my life depended on it.
Which it probably did.
I reached a fork in the corridor and froze. Two identical hallways stretched before me, and I had no idea which way led to freedom. That’s when I heard footsteps behind me and spun around, ready
to fight.
It was Mal, and he looked terrible. His face was pale, his eyes wild with what looked like panic.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, breathing hard. “I never thought he’d…’
“Do not approach me,” I warned, backing away.
“I’m sorry, Simone. No one had a choice. I tried to tell you to escape.”
“You didn’t try hard enough!”
He grimaced, looking back over his shoulder like he expected someone to appear any second. “I couldn’t do more. You don’t understand. We don’t have a choice, Simone. When he orders, we
follow. We’re all his puppets.”
“Then run.”
“We swore we wouldn’t. But you can, you must!” He rushed closer, talking in a frantic whisper. “Go left, to the woods, find him. He’ll help you. Tell him what you’ve seen, tell him everything. He needs to come back, he must!”
“Who-”
“Go, left path, or we both will be doomed!”
I didn’t trust him, but my wolf had a feeling about Mal, like he wasn’t the enemy here. So I turned left and ran like hell.
Behind me, I could still hear the sounds of fighting echoing through the castle. My aunts were back there, probably outnumbered and surrounded, and I had no idea if I’d ever see them again.
But I kept running, deeper into the unknown, because sometimes survival means leaving the people you love behind.
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