Nova’s pov
“My Queen?” Prescott called, stretching forth his hand that was covered in blood, stretching it out for me to take.
I looked away from his outstretched hand, my gaze falling to the floor at my feet. There, I was met with a sight even worse than the one before, the head of the man he had just killed, staring up at me with glassy, unseeing eyes.
I felt bile rise in my throat, my stomach churning at the gruesome sight. The smell of his blood filled my nostrils, and I had to fight to keep from retching.
I turned my gaze away, unable to bear the horror of what I had seen. My gaze landed on Prescott, who was smiling at me with an infuriating receptive expression. His hand was still outstretched, urging me with his eyes to take his hand.
“Don’t you dare offer me your blood-soaked hand!” I growled, my eyes blazing with fury.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the hand outstretched towards me.
Prescott stumbled back, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with bewilderment. He seemed to have no idea what to make of my outburst, his expression one of utter confusion.
“Huh?” his brows furrowed as he stared down at me.
“You’re a monster!” I shrieked, tears running down my face as I struggled to my feet. My hand was pressed to my chest as if I could hold my heart together through sheer force of will. I wanted to run, to put as much distance between us as possible.
My eyes darted around the store, taking in the shocked faces of the watchers. Everyone had stopped what they were doing, their hands covering their mouths in horror. They were frozen in place, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
Not like I could believe what I was seeing either.
“Nova!” Prescott howled out my name, the sound reverberating off the walls. The force of his voice sent a shiver down my spine, and I watched the crowd around us drop to their knees.
Their hands were clasped over their hearts as if they were saying a word of prayer to the goddess. And I realized that they were not just watching us, they were witnessing something greater than themselves. The Lycan King was in front of their eyes.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!” they chanted in unison, their voices shaking the entire foundations of the store.
In a flash, they stood up to their feet, their faces pale and their eyes remained wide open. They looked at each other as if seeking confirmation that what they had just witnessed was real. Finding none, they turned on their heels and fled the store, their steps echoing in the silence that followed.
They were gone in a split second as if they had never been there at all.
I stood there with a disappointed smile plastered on my face. “That’s it, right? That’s what it feels like to be the Lycan King?” I sniffed, wiping off my tears with my palms.
“Nova?” Prescott called me by my name for the second time, his voice penetrating my ears. At the sound of my name, I could no longer hold back the tears. They fell, hot and silent, down my cheeks. I raised my gaze, looking up to the ceiling, trying to stop my tears from falling.
“You just killed an innocent man, you tore his head off his body and the only thing you could do is announce yourself to the people, letting them worship you even after what you did.” I shook my head, more tears dropped down from my eyes as I moved my gaze from the ceiling, staring right into his eyes.
Prescott pulled a confused look as he tried to take a step closer to me, I raised my hand in the air before taking a step backwards.
“Don’t you dare move closer to me!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the now-empty store.
Prescott scoffed, I watched as his once smoky eyes turned black in a split second. He brushed his bloodied hand through his hair and I watched his black hair turn wine.
“What the hell are you saying, huh!” he groaned, anger was clearly shown on his face but I didn’t care to know what was making him get angry when he was the one who had just killed an innocent man.
“I am saying that you’re a ruthless bastard who does as he pleases!” I yelled back at him, giving him back the same cold glare he was giving me.
“Is this all I got for trying to save you?” he grumbled, his lips trembling as he stared at me with those hurtful eyes.
“Huh,” I chuckled darkly, staring down at the lifeless body on the floor, “save me? Are you saying you saved me by killing this one?” I raised my brows, unable to believe he had just blamed me.
“Yes, by killing him,” he turned away, slamming his palm on his forehead. “He was fucking going to kill you if I hadn’t interfered!” he barked, his hands trembling as he clenched his fist at his sides.
I nodded my head, there was no point in trying to argue with him, he was the King and a Lycan after all, we werewolves were nothing to his likes after all.
“Suit yourself right. You can kill more if you like, after all, that’s what you are; a ruthless cold-hearted beast!” I spat, my voice thick with tears. I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer, so I turned on my heel and fled the store. I could feel his eyes on my back, but I didn’t turn to face him.
Getting outside, I saw his car moving toward me from the opposite direction and I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands.
The car pulled up beside me, the sleek black door swinging open as if on its own. I reached out, my hand shaking as I gripped the handle and pulled myself inside.
I sank back into the seat, and the door closed with a gentle thud. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes as the darkness enveloped me. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, seconds later, the door to the other side of the car pulled open, and Prescott got in, panting heavily as he had just run a marathon race.
He didn’t say anything to me, and I was grateful for that. Just then, the engine roared to life and the driver drove out of the store.
The drive back to the palace was slow, making me want to jump out of the car and sprint back to the palace on my paws.
I shifted in my seat, and accidentally bumped my shoulder against Prescotts’, he let out a low groan and I hastily sat up straight. I tried to make myself as small as possible, huddling up against the window and pressing my cheek against the cool glass. Silently praying for the drive to be over so I could be as far away from him, as possible.
The air inside the car felt stifling, and I struggled to breathe. It was as if the walls were closing in on me, the heat making me dizzy and lightheaded. I considered rolling down the window, but I was afraid of making too much noise. I didn’t want to attract the attention of Prescott who sat next to me. I was trapped, trapped in a cage of my own making. I need fresh air, but I didn’t know how to get it while I was still in the car.
I turned my head away from the window, desperate for some relief from the heat. I used my hand to fan myself, trying to catch my breath. But then, I felt a hand brushing against my chest.
I flung my eyes opened only to see Prescott’s hand on the button of the car door, turning the AC on.
Despite being mad at him, I felt my heart softened at his kind gesture. I relaxed back in the seat, watching the car move at a slow pace as the AC of the car cool down the heat.
I couldn’t resist taking a glance at Prescott, and what I saw made my heart stop beating for a moment. His eyes were dark and intense, his chest heaving with each breath. He was staring at the driver, his gaze focused and deadly. I could almost feel the heat of his anger radiating off of him, like waves of scorching heat.
I sighed, moving my gaze to the window. I was feeling guilty for all that I said to him, but I felt angrier that he couldn’t think of a better way to help me than to kill off the guy.
Whatever his reasons were, he has no right to kill for my sake. It made me feel like a criminal.
The car drove into the palace and it stopped right in front of our building. I heaved a sigh of relief and grabbed the handle, pushing the door open.
I stepped down from the car, ready to sprint towards the building and perhaps cuddle my pillow to relieve my mind from the horrible incident.
“My Queen?” Prescott called out to me, the moment I wanted to pick a race.
I halted on my track and didn’t turn because I didn’t want to stare at his face.
He rushed up to me, gripped my arm and turned me around to face him. His eyes were back to normal and I watched him gulp hard like he was fighting the urge to say whatever he wanted to say to me.
Slowly, I watched his mouth move and he parted his lips, whispering those words that made my heart skip a beat.
“I’m sorry, my Queen,” he murmured, his voice low and husky. He pulled me close, his large arms wrapping around me in a tight embrace. His hands moved slowly up and down my back, a soothing gesture that eased the tension between the two of us.
I could feel his heart beating against my chest, could hear his breath ragged in my ear. And despite everything, despite the anger, I felt a wave of comfort washed over me. I felt safe in his arms, even if only for a moment.
“I am very sorry for letting you see that.” he put his nose on my hair, sniffing my flora scents shampoo.
I sniffed back my tears, resting my head on his hard chest, wrecking his shirt with my tears.