Nova’s pov
“Don’t fail me!” Tamsyn gave me a sly smile, her hand leaving my cheek as she dropped down to retrieve the dagger from the floor.
“Keep this with you,” she said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “I’ll take it back when the time comes,” she added, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
I swallowed hard, my hand trembling as I took the dagger from her. I gazed at the blade, the sharpness of it making my heart race. I wasn’t sure if I could handle such a responsibility, but I nodded nonetheless. Unable to utter a word.
“We will kill him,” she said, her voice full of determination. “You will be free of him, and I will avenge the death of my mate.” With that, she turned and left the room, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
I stood frozen in place, the full weight of her words sinking in. Could I really do what she was asking? Was I capable of taking a life, even for the sake of revenge? My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I didn’t know what to do.
My hands shook, and I fumbled, the dagger slipping from my grasp. It clattered to the floor, the sound echoed in the quiet room.
I dropped to my knees, my head spinning as her words replayed in my head.
“You’re wrong,” I sobbed, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I never intended to kill him to get away from him,” I shook my head, my voice breaking into a million pieces. “I never meant to kill anyone!” I cried, my body shaking with emotion.
“I don’t know how to do this, I don’t want to do this at all.” My words tumbled out in a rush, and I felt as though my world was falling apart around me.
Just then, the door creaked open and Shayna rushed into the room. She hurried to my side, dropping to her knees beside me.
“Princess,” Shayna gasped, “are you okay, my Princess?” she panicked, terror was clearly shown on her face.
“Please, just leave,” I gasped, struggling to catch my breath. “I need to be alone.” I could feel the panic rising in my chest, my heart racing as I tried to steady my breathing.
I needed space, I needed time to process what was happening. I couldn’t think clearly, my thoughts swirling around in my head like a storm.
“But…”
“You stay here!” I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. I rushed to the door, but Shayna was already on her feet, about to follow me.
I raised my palm, stopping her from following me out. “Don’t come after me, I want to be alone for a while.”
I ran down the hallway, bursting through the door and into the darkness. I sprinted, not stopping until I reached the hidden alcove at the back of our building grounds. I collapsed onto the bench, my body shaking as I tried to regain control of my breathing.
‘We would kill him, and you’d be free from him,’ Tamsyn’s words to me kept replaying in my head, I gripped my head in my hands and burst into tears.
“I can’t do it,” I sobbed, my voice reverberating in the quiet of the night. I felt helpless like I was trapped with no way out.
“I don’t want her to do it either,” I wailed, the reality of the situation hit me hard. I slumped forward, my hands covering my face as I wept. My tears were hot and salty, but I couldn’t stop them from falling.
I was still there, crying my eyes out when I felt a pair of hands gripping my shoulders, I moved my face up, looking up to meet whoever had come to console me but I was stunned to see his Majesty, staring at me with that pitiful look on his face.
My heart clenched at the sight of him, and a wave of nausea washed over me. Why was he here, now of all times, when everything was falling apart?
“Your Majesty?” I called, and my voice came out in a whisper.
Tears began to spill down my cheeks once again. Why did he have to come to me when I was scheming against him?
The Lycan King sat there, his expression full of sympathy. But I didn’t want his pity, I didn’t need him feeling sorry for me. I didn’t want anyone’s pity, I just wanted to be left alone. Alone in this darkness of the night, to recollect my thoughts.
“What… what are you doing here, your Majesty?” I questioned, my voice trembling.
Prescott opened his mouth to talk but closed it right back almost immediately.
“Your Majesty…”
“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered, pulling me to his body, “You don’t have to say a word, just let me hold you like this until you feel better.” He whispered into my ear, with his hands moving up and down on my back.
I felt my body trembling, the unexpected kindness of the Lycan King catching me off guard. Was I that pitiful, that he felt the need to act out of character? Or was he just being kind because he knew how badly I needed it?
I wasn’t sure which was worse, the thought that I was so pathetic, or the thought that someone like the ruthless Lycan King felt sorry for me. Either way, I felt a deep sense of shame, knowing that I had put him in that position to feel sorry for me when he never wanted to.
“You should go back inside, your Majesty!” I disengaged from the hug, got up from the bench, wiped my tears, and gave him a curt bow before walking out of him.
Even though I didn’t know why he did that, I needed to show my gratitude. So, I stopped on my track and turned to see him staring at me with that look.
“Thank you for the hug,” I mumbled before walking away from the backyard.
Walking back to my room to meet Shayna standing by the door with the dagger in her hands. I stared at her in horror, wondering how she got to see it, but then again, I had never taken it off the floor.
“What is this, my Princess?” she questioned, waving the dagger in front of my eyes, “I know this is a dagger, but why do you have it? And… There’s blood on it, is the floor yours?” she asked, her eyes widening as she ran her eyes on me, checking to see if I have any wounds.
Her eyes softened when she realized I was with no blade cut.
“That dagger,” I gulped, entering fully into my room, closing the door behind me, “that belongs to Tamsyn.” I chuckled, tears shimmered in my eyes as I remembered the shit I had gotten myself into.
“She wants to use it on his Majesty!” I sniffed, wiping my tears with my palms.
“Really?” Shayna beamed, her face lit up in a murky smile. “Someone is finally going to take down that beast!” she chuckled darkly, staring at the dagger with a sense of hope in her eyes.
I stared at her, my mouth agape, my mind reeling. Why did everyone have the same opinion of the Lycan King, that he was nothing but a beast?
It seemed like no one else could see past his title, could see the man beneath the crown. And I found myself wondering if anyone else saw the good in him, saw the kindness and compassion that I had seen. It seemed like the answer was no, that I was the only one who could see beyond the surface.
The Lycan King was a man my people wanted dead, and I was caught in the middle of it all. On the one hand, my sister had been hurt by him, and I wanted to help her in any way I could.
But on the other hand, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the man I had gotten to know was not the same man that everyone else saw. I was torn between my people and my conscience, between what I knew and what I believed.
I was at a crossroads, and I didn’t know which path to take. Who Should I betray and whose side should I take?