by KC Kellersen
“It’s alright Kitten, we knew there was some big if’s to our theories. We will figure this out.”
“How can we figure it out? We can’t just take them there and test the theory. If it doesn’t work, they would run right back to Lillian and Sarina. Telling them everything.”
“You’re right. We can’t risk Ruby, Liam, or your mom in that scenario. We will figure this out. We have time, right? You said two weeks, but exactly how much longer are you going to be here?”
“Exactly 12 days from today I will be leaving. My birth year celebration falls on the full moon of this cycle.”
“Okay so we have 12 days to figure this out. If we can’t I will take over sending you information, via Zev. If the Queen was willing to bring in Ruby. Maybe she knows something we don’t…” He paused and looked at me, making direct eye contact for the first time. I could see indecision in his face. “Maybe… Maybe you should leave now. Forget risking getting caught and you can try and find the information you need to break the spell.”
“If you had suggested that when I first got here, I would have jumped at it. But no, I am here for a month. I have gained information you couldn’t, since I don’t have the restrictions you do. I have to try and find out about the missing wolves before I can go.” He seemed relieved by that and I felt my stomach drop. The words of our conversation didn’t quite match the tone sparking between us. I knew I needed to break the spell weaving, so I looked towards the shelves and said, “Maybe we can find something in here about powers and spells.”
“Why didn’t I think of that? Before I had you to talk to, if I didn’t know something, I searched through the many different libraries to find information. Let’s look around. Maybe we should ask Liam to do the same, being out of the castle, he may have access to information that we don’t have.”
It was a good plan. I felt the anger finally fade completely from me. It was nice to have some semblance of hope. I took out the letter that Liam wrote to me and turned it over.
I need Hermione on this to gather any information you can
I handed the letter to Oliver and laughed at his scrunched-up face. “What? He likes Harry potter as much as I do. He will get the reference.”
Oliver left and I started skimming the titles in the shelves. There was a book here for almost anything you could imagine. I found a section on the royal power and pulled the five books on the subject. I kept looking and found a few on specialty wolves. Nothing on witches or anything but hopefully what I did find was enough.
He sat on the sofa and picked up a book and I followed suit. We read for what seemed like hours. Information on the Royal Power, on the dreamers, the healers, those who could manipulate water and earth, mind reading, and more. There was a lot of information, but nothing on spells or the binding of wolves.
When I was about to call it a night, Oliver jumped up. “Kitten, did you know that you aren’t the first one to get your royal power early?”
“What?”
“According to this the first Princess, daughter to Fenrir, had two daughters Acantha and Katryn... The oldest, Acantha, became the next Queen of Ayorlyn. Katryn, just like your mom, was the second princess. She was the first to actually possess any magical ability aside from the Royal and Alpha command. It says here that right after the crown was past to Acantha, one of the True Protectors was dying and she healed him. Completely. She was still 2 years away from gaining her wolf-spirit!”
“Well that’s something! What was he dying from? I thought we were in peace at that time?”
“It just says an unknown illness. Nothing more. I want to do some more research on Katryn and how her life played out.”
“This is exciting news. We will have to hit it again tomorrow though. It is getting really late.”
He looked up from the book to the clock and sighed. “Okay, but I’m not letting this go. I think this is a good trail to start with.”
“You could be right.”
***
The next day I worked, Irene was busy, and I retrieved a letter from Liam. But I didn’t get bad news like I was expecting.
On it Ron. Send him back in 5 days.
Oliver went straight for the books when he finally joined me. He was researching Katryn and I was still looking for anything regarding a spell. Neither of us had much luck.
For three more days we followed pretty much the same routine. I woke up from the same dream, worked and avoided Irene when possible, and headed for the training center. Sometimes we swam and talked about our findings, sometimes we sat reading over books. Each day we talked about the Queens movements, the alphas, Liam, my home, Iona and just reminisced with stories.
He told me stories from when they were kids together, and what his life has been like here at the castle. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed the evenings together. He felt like a good friend by the time we went our separate ways. But more than that, I was definitely in love with him. Like a complete idiot.
I woke on the fourth morning without remembering my dream. I felt hollow inside. I realized that the past couple days with Oliver were a product of my dream. I woke up from a dream where I was happy, so I projected it on to my day. I didn’t have that today.
Instead I felt fear prickling my neck and a sense of dread balling my stomach. As soon as I got to the kitchen, I had my answer.
Instead of giving out orders for the day, Irene started out with a little speech. “The market has been opened up for servants again. As of now you all have been cleared of being a spy.” It should have made me feel excited but instead, fear. I knew I would have to spend the day with her.
My body was still covered in bruises, but they were yellow now, almost gone completely. I was bound to receive a few new ones. When she sent the other workers off to clean, she hovered over me.
“You think because I wasn’t here, that I didn’t know you were leaving early each day? That is not how I trained you to work here?” her tone was menacing.
“No Ma’am. I finished my work, that was all.” Fucking hag, it was more like beating me into submission, not training. I wanted nothing more than to strike back at her, but it wasn’t time yet. Soon though. Soon.
I spent the entire day cleaning on my hands and knees getting kicked and punched. It was the worst she had treated me thus far, and I was drawing near the end of my rope. When she finally got bored with me, I couldn’t find the energy to get to the training center. So, I went to my room and crawled into bed. It was still early, maybe I would just rest for a while before I left. Oliver might worry, but I couldn’t manage anything else at the moment.
When my door opened a few hours later, I flinched against the wall. I relaxed when I saw it was just Oliver.
“Hey Kitten. Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t meet you. Irene was back on duty today and I had a rough day.” My words were sluggish, but my mind was alert. My heart still beating too fast, causing my head to throb.
“I’m so sorry. I wish I could have kept the charade up a little longer, but Lillian released the lockdown before I could prod for more time. She has me still searching for the spy, but she wants the servants to move freely, thinking we might have a better chance to catch them.” I rolled my eyes; she really hated the thought of a spy being in the castle. I finally pushed past the pain and fear enough to take in Oliver. He was dressed in travel clothes and had his sword belted.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked.
“Yes. I delivered a message today to my contact and someone saw them leave the castle, on the road to Ironridge. It drew too much attention, since that was the roads first activity since our mission there. Word got back to Lillian and I have been sent to go find out what’s going on.”
“What?” That’s almost too ridiculously ironic to be true.
“Yup. So, I have to leave for Ironridge right now. I will probably be gone for about four days. I think you should leave too. You’re almost out of time here anyways and I won’t be here to help y
ou if you get in to trouble.”
“I am not going anywhere until you get back. That still gives me four days to find any information on the spell and the missing wolves. Are the alphas going with you?”
“No, they are staying here. Please Kitten, just go. You can join Liam and continue your research there.”
“Go, before someone see’s you in here.”
He walked towards me and cupped my face in his big hands. I wanted to lean into him, but I didn’t dare. I couldn’t. No matter how much I loved him. He left the room without a word.
I decided right then and there, I needed to know more about the mate bond before I lost my sanity. Is it possible to feel the bond while human? Could his wolf recognize me? Or was I just lost in my human emotions for a man that is lending me courage?
Chapter 15
Alina’s POV
I got dressed in my plain grey dress with zero enthusiasm and threw my hair up in a ponytail. I reluctantly walked towards the kitchen and another day in hell with Irene, as regret and shame battled through me. I had found nothing on human and wolf interactions before the mating bond kicked in. For two days, I searched through every page in the six books regarding the mate bond. Nothing promising.
As soon as I entered the kitchen, I saw Irene was waiting for me. The anger rolling off of her was palpable. She charged towards me and grabbed me by my ponytail. I knew better than to give her a handle for my head. Panic rose in me, as I fought to understand what had set her off.
She pulled me up, so my feet barely touched the ground. “Where the hell were you yesterday?” she asked in a scathing tone.
“I was here in the castle,” I said, my voice shaking a bit from shock. She shook me by my hair, and I cried out in pain.
“I checked your room yesterday evening and it was empty, where were you?” When I took a moment to answer she backhanded me across the face, my head whipped sideways, and blood flew from my mouth. This was the hardest she had hit me.
“I was here on castle property; I just went for a walk to get some fresh air,” I choked out.
“The Queen is searching for a spy. You showed up and things started going wrong around here, and you were conveniently missing last night. Now you are going to tell me, or I will have you thrown in the dungeons.” She threw me to the ground and kicked me over and over again.
I felt a couple cracks as I screamed out, but she just kept kicking. I tried to curl myself in a ball, but pain was radiating in my entire body. She was convinced I was the spy, for whatever fucked up reason in her mind. She was right, but I hadn’t given her any real reason to believe that whole heartedly.
When I still didn’t respond she called out loudly, “GUARDS!!”
But it wasn’t a guard that entered the room first, it was Dale. “What’s going on in here?” I heard him ask with a shaking voice. I felt relief at his words when Irene stopped kicking me, but I was gasping for breath.
“I found your spy!” Irene called proudly. Like she had caught me for him and not for the Queen.
“What proof do you have that she is the spy?” he asked, and I could feel the anger radiating off of him. I wanted to look up at his face, but I knew that would be a mistake. Instead I took the chance to curl myself a little closer together, incase Irene started kicking again.
“She was missing all day yesterday and didn’t show up for her work.” I could hear the smirk with the lie coming out of her mouth, even without looking. Well fuck, I really should have listened to Oliver when he told me to leave.
“I will take her to the dungeon,” he said flatly. I felt the blood seep out of my face. I wished that Oliver was here, but what could he do? Irene would do anything to get me into the dungeons. For whatever reason, she wanted me there. Even without proof of me being a spy.
“I would like to question her with you,” she said sweetly; A tone she never used with the servants.
“You will have your chance, but I need answers not a corpse.” Anger was rising in his tone, he needed to cool it before he made her suspicious. I felt my body being lifted into strong arms, I whimpered in pain, no acting needed.
“Hang on little Kitten, I will get you out of this,” he whispered as we walked. Four sentries met us in the hall. Whatever plan he had for getting me out of there, wasn’t going to be until after I was taken to the dungeons. I wanted to go there to scope out for the missing wolves, but I intended to be a visitor… not a staying guest.
Once we entered the dungeons we were alone once more. I couldn’t even lift my head and look around. My head was resting on Dale’s chest and I felt safe for just a moment. I focused on him as my breathing leveled off some. When I felt my body being laid down, I finally looked around and instantly wished I hadn’t.
The cell was nothing but stone on three sides with metal bars on the front. It was small and dirty. On one of the stone walls many different tools hanging from hooks. Tools for torture. There was also a pretty gnarly handcuff contraption that was connected with chains to a pully system. Dale didn’t bother with it. He kneeled between me and the door, looking uncertain.
“Tell me, what hurts?” I choked a laugh out at his ridiculous question.
“Everything. But I think my leg is dislocated. I need you to straighten it.” I bit back a scream as he quickly straightened my leg into place. The blackness around my vision was closing in, I fought to stay awake. “You could… have warned me,” the words whispered out on ragged breaths.
He rubbed my calf gently as I calmed my breathing. “I’m sorry I didn’t want you to tense up your muscles and make it even more painful. I’m so sorry Kitten. I am so sorry.”
“Shhh… I’ll be okay,” I tried soothing him, but I had to struggled to get the words out over the pain in my leg. I didn’t want him blaming himself for Irene’s fucking dirty work.
“Come on Kitten stay with me...” I tried to find his face through the haze, but the pain was ebbing with every heartbeat, stealing my concentration. I tried harder to focus, I refused to go out like this. And I needed to get Dale out of here, he could ruin everything by trying to release me. I could handle this; I would be strong enough.
“I’m okay,” I whispered but my voice was stronger.
“Are you sure? What even happened?”
“Irene freaked out on me, saying she figured out I was the spy. She decided to beat me to a pulp, before you walked in.”
“That woman is a menace! You’re not a spy, she is just jealous that you are sleeping with Oliver. Why would she even think that?” he asked.
I realized then that Oliver didn’t tell them everything. And for good reason. I couldn’t answer him, but I also remember Oliver saying he had some kind of insight. I needed to answer truthfully and avoid answering directly.
“She is just a masochistic hag who likes to beat on me,” I grumbled.
The sound of the bottom cellar door opening startled both of us. One of the sentries walked in, stopping at the door and said mildly, “The Queen wishes to see you.”
Dale nodded at me and left the cell. When the sentry left behind him without another word, I decided now was the time for a plan. I needed to get out of here. I wasn’t going to do anyone any good dead. But how? Oliver wasn’t due back for another two days. Could I stand two days of torture? What if Lillian came down here, would I be able to ignore her commands? Or would I tell her everything? The fear was trying to claw its way out of my chest. I tamped it down and took control of my breathing.
It would do no good for me to have a heart attack before the torture even started. Plus, I could always use the royal power to keep her from killing me. Or maybe even have her release me. If Irene was the one to let me go, then the alphas would remain uninjured and Oliver would be safe.
I pushed my back against the cell wall with a groan and closed my eyes. I hadn’t intended on falling asleep, but sleep claimed me releasing me from the pain.
I opened my eyes when I heard the cell door opening once more. I knew it was Dale, so
I stayed where I was.
“Hey Kitten,” he said softly, as he kneeled in front of me.
“Hey Dale.”
His eyes shifted around the cell; he was trying not to look at me. I could see the war raging in his eyes when he finally met my gaze.
I sighed. “Are you going to torture me Dale?” Surprisingly the fear was mostly gone, only a trace could be heard in my words. I had to know if I would receive my ‘payment’ from a man I was trying to save.
“No. Irene has been put in charge of you until you are ready to talk.”
“When is she supposed to come?” My heart was racing, and my stomach had dropped to my feet. I could force her to release me, but that didn’t lessen the fear of her.
“I am supposed to be chaining you up for her now.”
“Well let’s get to it then.” I stood and held my good hand out for him. He grabbed it and pulled himself up off the floor.
He looked down at me and frowned. “I don’t want to do this Kitten,” he whispered so low I almost didn’t hear him.
“I know you don’t.”
“You don’t understand…” he struggled to finish whatever he was trying to say. And I realized what he meant when he grabbed the wolfsbane cuffs from the wall behind me and showed it to me. This was a cell meant for wolf-shifters. The wolfsbane would bind my power, if it came from my wolf-spirit. I would be at the mercy of Irene completely with no hope. Fuck, that’s worse! Dale would do the minimum, if he was commanded to torture me. Irene would openly enjoy torturing me, no spell required.
How did make any difference to him though? Did he know of my power? Did he know I was a wolf-shifter? He shouldn’t know any of this. Then I realized, it didn’t matter. I was going to be chained and tortured with no way out.
I briefly though of using the power on Dale to get me out. But I was afraid if I did, he would be caught. I wouldn’t risk his life for mine. The fear roiled through me, but I breathed through it. I just had to wait for Oliver. Two days. I could make it through two days.
