Chapter 14
ADELINE
The air bit into my
my skin, making n
| me flinch as 1 hesitated on the leilge. My heart thundered in my chest, the sound so loud in my cars that I half- expected it to burst through my ribcage. Tears burned down my checks, mixing with the dried blood on my face and my legs shook violently, but I forced them to move, lifting one over the edge, then the other, until I sat precariously on the precipice.
Behind me. Nicholas watched in icy silence, his expression unreadable but utterly devoid of sympathy. My gaze darted back to him, a silent pies shining in my eyes. “Please,” I wanted to scream, but I knew better. He would only revel in any desperation.
His voice broke the silence, lose and cutting. You’re wasting my time.
1 named back to the drop below, staring at the ground so far down. My stomach lurched. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining the impact–the bone–crushing pain before my healing kicked in. The thought alone made bike rise in my throat
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed myself off the edge
The rush of air I anticipated never came. Instead, I felt a violent yank, my body snapping backward like a ragdoll before I hit the cold, hard floor of the balcony with a painful thad. Gasping, I looked up, my vision swimming. Nicholas loomed over me, his eyes dark and cold, his jaw set in cruel satisfaction.
“Next time. I’ll let you jump,” he said his tone devoid of any trace of warmth. His lip curled slightly, the hint of a sneer. “Understand this, Adeline The monsters you were told to fear? I’m worse than all of them combined. I need you–for now, Hut cross me again, and I’ll make sure you beg for death long before 1 grant it.
Tears spilled over before I could stop them, spilling hot and fast as my chest beaved, I hated the weakness that consumed me, the way my wolf whimpered in the back of my mind. But I was petrihed, more afraid than I had ever been in my life.
Nicholas stepped back, entirely unbothered by my tears. If anything, he seemed bored by them. “Tomorrow, I announce our official engagement to the pack at precisely 10:00 am. A week from now, we’ll be married.” He cast one last disdainful glance at me. “You’d better put on a better performance than you did with Luther.”
With that, he turned and strode out, his footsteps echoing coldly against the stone floor. The door slammed behind him, the sound like the final rail in the collin.
I didn’t know how long I sat there, hugging my knees to my chest as I cried. The tears kept coming, seemingly endless, until exhaustion finally daimed the
When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was already streaming through the windows, harsh and unforgiving. My body ached from sleeping on the floor, and I winced as I shifted to sit up, the events of the night before crashing over me like a tidal wave.
A sharp knock on the door Martled me. I scrambled to my feet, still shaky, and shuffled to open it.
The woman from the night before stood there, her crisp black uniform immaculate. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me, and I realized how disheveled I must look–tear–streaked, bloodied, my hair a tangled mess. She quickly composed herself, bowing her head slightly.
“His H
Highness sent me to ensure you are presentable for the meeting with the pack,” she said, her tone formal but not unkind.
I blinked, caught off guard by her words. My gaze darted around the room, catching sight of a loose clock on the far wall. My stomach dropped when I realized the time. “What time is it?” I croaked, my voice boane.
“9:45 am, miss,” she replied.
“Sha! Shit? Shut!” Panit flooded through me as I turned back into the room, running a hand through my hair. My mind raced. Nicholas was going to kill me. OrwGIME.
y tongue as the
1 whirled back to the woman, desperation clear in my voice. “Please, help me get ready. He’s going to “The words faltered on my i memory of his cold, cruel gaze flashed in my mind. I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
She nodded imediately, stepping into the room. “Of course, miss. Let me assist you.”
1 gestured helplessly toward the small wardrobe that had been stocked with clothes I didn’t recognize. “Go through my things Just—just pick something. I’ll grab a quick shower.”
The woman moved with swift efficiency, rifling through the wardrobe as I stumbled toward the bathroom. The hot water stung as it hit my skin, bur Iscrubbed furiously, trying to erase the grime, the blood, and the lingering feeling of Nicholas’s eyes boring into me.
When I emerged, a towel wrapped tightly around me, the woman had laid out an outfit on the bed–a simple but elegant dress in a soft cream color. It looked formal but not ostentatious, perfect for the occasion.
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Chapter 14
“Thank you” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.
She gave a small nod and gestured for me to sit. “Let me help with your hair.”
sat on the edge of the bed as she worked quickly, brushing and twisting my hair into a sleek, polished style. Her hands were steady, her movements precise, and I couldn’t help but feel a small pang of gratitude.
“What’s your name?” I asked softly, surprising even myself.
She hesitated for a moment before replying, “Cecilia, mins.“
“Thank you, Cecilia,” I said again, meaning it,
She offered a faint smile, her eyes flickering with something I couldn’t quite place–pity, maybe, or perhaps understanding
By the time she finished, it was 9:57 am. My heart raced as I stood, smoothing down the dress with trembling hands.
“Miss” Cecilia said, her voice gentle but form. “You’ll be fine. Just remember to breathe.”
I nodded, swallowing hand. Fine wasn’t exactly how I’d describe it, but I didn’t have a choice.
With one last glance at the mirror, I steeled myself and stepped out of the room, bracing for whatever nightmare awaited me next.
Cecilia’s words echoed faintly in my mind as I made my way to the grand hall, “You’ll be fine. But the moment I pushed open the towering double doors. I knew she had been wrong
A sea of faces turned toward me, a thousand pairs of eyes instantly locking onto my figure. The murmur of conversations died like a candle snuffed out in the wind, leaving behind a suffocating silence. My chest tightened, and I froze in place, my feet refusing to take another step,
I scanned the room instinctively, and like some cruel magnet, my gaze was pulled to him. Nicholas stood at the far end of the hull, a commanding figure in front of the pack he led with an iron fist. His sharp eyes found mine instantly, narrowing in displeasure.
The lump in my throat threatened to choke me, but I forced my legs to move, each step feeling like I was walking through quicksand. My hands trembled at my sides as I reached him, my gaze fixed firmly on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my ears. “Loverslept.”
For a brief, agonizing moment, he said nothing. Then, with a dismissive flick of his gaze, he turned back to the crowd, addressing them once more.
“As I was saying,” his voice booned, smooth and commanding, “the official mating ceremony will take place in one week. From this day forward. Adeline will be afforded the same respect that you extend to me. She will stand as my equil, and anyone who—”
“Even if she’s just a werewo][?”
The words came from somewhere in the middle of the crowd, sharp and loud enough to cut through Nicholas’s speech. The air in the hall shified instantly, turning cold and heavy with tension.
All eyes turned to a boy who couldn’t have been older than fourteen, his wide, panicked eyes betraying the fact that he hadn’t meant to speak aloud. The crowd murmured uncasily, and the woman next to him–likely his mother–clamped a hand over his arm as if to shield him from the storti that was about to break.
At the corner of my eye, I caught the faint curve of Nicholas’s lips–a smile, cold and devoid of humor,
“Jeremy, is is?” he drawled, lais voice deceptively calm. “Step forward, please?”
“No, Your Highness, please!? The woman sprang to her feet, pulling Jeremy behind her. Her voice trembled as she begged. “He’s just a child. Sometimes he speaks out of turn, but he doesn’t mean any harm. I beg of you, forgive him?
Nicholas didn’t even blink. His gaze remained fixed on the boy. “Jeremy, he said again, his tone harder now. “Step forward.”
The boy’s small frame shook visibly, but he obeyed, pulling free from his mother’s grasp and stepping forward. He walked slowly, each step hesitant, until he stood just a few feet away from Nicholas. He bowed his head, lth hands clenched lata trembling fists at his sides.
I could feel the tension crackling in the air like an impending storm, Nicholas’s power was suffocating, pressing down on everyone in the room. I could see it in the way the boy’s knees threatened to backie and the way his mother trembled, her face pale with fear
Nutbolas opened his mouth to speak, and I knew exactly where this was going. He was going to make an example out of this boy, crush him beneath the weight of his authority. The thought sent a surge of panic through me.
Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward, positioning myself between Nicholas and the boy
The air seemed to still further as every eye in the room shifted to me. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst, but I forced myself to
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Chapter 14
look up and meet Nicholas’s cold, calculating gaze
the
storm raging inside me. “I will call off the mating cen
ceremony
“If you touch him.” I said, my voice steady despite
The room held is collective breath as Nicholas tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
And then–silence.
