My heart wouldn't stop racing at the possible things that Holland might say to me as we approached his room, which was on the other side of the castle. The more steps I took on the black shiny tiles, the more I tried to push away the negative thoughts in my head, hoping that meeting Holland would result in a positive outcome, but I knew that was a fairy tale and that I wasn't wrong to have negative thoughts about meeting Holland.
I was sure the rumours had reached him by now, and I doubted he would take it lightly, but I could only try to hope for the best. We had finally started to get closer to each other and build our trust in each other. I was sure he would feel betrayed.
Knock knock
Simon hesitantly knocked on the tough wooden doors of Holland's chambers after letting go of his grip on my hands. I could also see that he wasn't sure of what we were doing but just wanted to help out. I had not noticed how far Holland's chambers were until I realized that we were in the more lively part of the castle, which was very far from mine. Different wolves and she-wolves were passing by, and I could feel their eyes on me, probably judging me for the rumours that were spreading.
"Is he the father?" I could hear a noble she-wolf saying to her friends as they walked past us.
"Probably. I heard they are very close. He's a shame to his brother," her friend responded, causing my heart to ache for Simon, but I tried my best to act like I didn't hear it, even though I was very sure Simon heard it, and probably Holland too, but I don't care about their gossip. The air would be cleared as soon as Holland claimed the child, but I can only hope that he helps me out.
With every footsteps that followed, my heart raced faster, and I was sure Simon could very well hear them race. Holland was taking his time to respond, even though I could very well smell him in his room, but on hearing his voice responding to us, my heart skipped a beat.
"What do you want?" He asked. His voice was fierce and cold. He knew that we were both waiting at the door; he would have smelled us coming.
"Can we come in?" Simon asked but was interrupted by Holland's voice almost immediately.
"So it's true?" He scoffed.
"Can I explain myself, please?" I begged, but his response proved that he didn't want to have anything to do with it.
"I don't want to see either of you near my chambers anymore. Leave, "he commanded, his anger seeping through the door. He had definitely heard of the rumours, and we might have just confirmed it for him. From the way he sounded, I could tell that he was feeling both anger and betrayal.
Perhaps this was the wrong time to meet him. I doubt that he would want to hear us out, but I had to meet with the king and queen in only a few minutes. I needed help urgently.
"Holland please, hear me out..." I tried to say but was shunned by the tone of his voice, which I had never heard before. It wasn't him speaking anymore but his wolf, and he was more than angry.
"I said leave!" He growled as the walls shook. The wolves passing by also heard his roar and were startled as they all walked faster than they were. There and then, everything ended. There was no hope of talking to him. Holland is very stubborn and rarely changes his mind. It was clear that his mind was already made up and he wasn't going to help me out.
With tears building up in my eyes, I lifted my head to look at Simon, who didn't say a word all this time but was quiet like he was only here to observe. He didn't look like he was going to help me out anymore, and I was right. He turned his back on me and walked away without saying anything, without glancing at me.
I felt hurt. It felt like I had just lost something important to me. The more I stood there and watched him walk away, the more my chest ached. Simon was no longer on my side, nor was he going to help me out anymore.
Holland feels betrayed by me, and Skye hates me because she thinks I want Simon to myself. I was alone in this castle, and I was alone to deal with my situation. My wolf hasn't spoken to me in a long time, and I am not used to doing things alone like this.
I used to have Ariel, Alaric, and Lora with me all this time, but I lost them all the same way I lost the new friends I had made in this place. I can't stay here any longer. I'm not wanted here. I need to leave.
Rushing to my bedroom with burning tears falling down my cheeks, I rushed up to the closet to take anything that I would be needing, but I stopped halfway. If I had to run away from this place, then I couldn't afford to take anything with me, as it would only stir up suspicions that I was going to escape. I just had to go alone.
Miriam's voice called my name, "Princess Addison," and there was a knock on the door. They would have also been bothered about what could be going on with me.
I was a mess, and I couldn't afford to let them see me this way with dried tears on my face and my mascara being smudged all around my eyes, so I entered the bathroom and cleaned my face with warm water before wiping it dry with a towel before walking up to the huge doors and opening them to see their worried faces.
"We heard of what the King was planning for you, your highness," Evelyn said. It was then that I noticed how red her face was and how swollen her eyes were.
They had been crying because of me but didn't bother to question me about the child, yet they're here to warn me of the dangers that were coming to me helplessly.
"You need to leave here, your highness; it's not going to be safe for you to return to Edessa under the king's supervision. I heard that a lot of people would want you dead to prevent the alliance. She cried. She had been trying to hold her tears in, but she couldn't. They're both willing for me to escape, which means that there won't be any alliance for their kingdom anymore, yet they still cared for me and called me their princess. Not only do they call me their princess, but they treat me like one and like a friend.
Knowing that people still cared about me made me feel a bit of hope. I wasn't even sure if Alaric still remembered me. If he truly cared and remembered me, then why hasn't he found me yet? It's been months. At this point, I could say that I only had Miriam and Evelyn with me.
"Don't cry," I said to the girls, my voice cracking amidst my words as my tears streamed themselves out of my eyes.
Bringing them closer to me, I wrapped my arms around them to savour every bit of their smell before I left. I will definitely miss them and hope to see them again in the future. Hopefully they won't hate me after knowing that I was the mate of the person who caused the misery in their kingdom.
"We'll leave with you," Miriam said, clenching her nails at the fabrics of my gown. It's my burden to carry, and it would be more selfish of me to want them to tag along in my misery.
"No, you can't," I replied, pulling myself away from the hug.
"We want to, please," she replied, while Evelyn urged by taking my hands into hers.
"Okay" I accepted. I had a bad feeling about this, but perhaps it was just my guilt eating me up.
Luckily, the girls happened to know of a passageway that was rarely used by people, and it could lead us outside the castle. From there, I could meet with a royal driver and be taken away.
After minutes of walking in the dusty passageway, we finally came out to the back of the castle, which was barely crowded and filled with only servants.
"Your highness, what brings you here?" A male guard asked, giving us a quick bow before turning his face back to us. I couldn't tell if he knew of the rumours yet, but the fact that he didn't mention that the king was calling for me meant that he knew nothing yet.
"We'd like to take a quick look at the beauty of Latvera in this fine weather," Miriam answered for me. We anxiously awaited his response, but he was being too quiet.
"Where exactly do you want to go?" He asked,
"Jade Lake," Miriam responded, making me heave a quiet sigh of relief. I had not been allowed to leave the castle since I arrived here and didn't know a single place in this area, but I was glad that Miriam at least knew these places.
"It has a very fine view," the guard responded with a smile.
"I'll call a driver for you, your highness," he added before walking away to find a driver.
"Thank you," I muttered to Miriam. Without them being here, I would have lost my way. I could only pray that we leave Latvera before anyone declares us missing.
Soon enough, a white car parked right in front of us as we all entered the backseat. I was leaving Latvera with no clue on how to get back to the Serene pack, and I could only pray that I wouldn't experience another hardship on my journey, but just as the car moved outside the back gates of the castle, a familiar voice stopped us.
My heart skipped a beat as I brought my head to my palm in frustration and defeat and agony. It was Simon and he had caught us. There was no way that we were going to leave Latvera now.
I was convinced that he had come to turn me in to the king, and that I would be branded a traitor for becoming pregnant by an outsider and attempting to flee; I would not only be sent to Edessa, but would also be disgraced in Latvera and imprisoned before being returned to Edessa.
"Simon, please just hear me out," I helplessly begged.
"Let's go," he said to the driver as he entered the front seat and tucked his seatbelt in.
I was confused as to why he was entering the car with me rather than taking me back into the castle. After all, he made it clear that he hated me, so why was he not turning me in?
"I'm here to make sure you make it to the devil's son in one piece, with his child," he said, but on hearing that name, both Evelyn and Miriam turned to look at me with their foreheads creasing and a perplexed look on their faces.
Dang it.