Chapter 75 - I always knew

EMMA

The palace is quiet today. Sure servants are mingling around. Some are cleaning the halls and other servants carry flower arrangements to the rooms. But there is no bustle of visitors, there are no degrading looks as I step into the grand hall. Our steps on the marble floor echo through the imposing space.

The scent of lilies, geraniums and carnations is fresh and brings life to the eerie halls. But even with all the flowers, there still hangs a lifeless chill in the air. It always makes me shiver and fear impending doom.

I fear the possibility that I could run into General Zeno or the Alpha King. Even though it hasn’t happened, I’m prepared for misery.

I take a breath to calm my nerves. I need Hadrian to see that this is for the greater good and convince him that marking Gaia would be best. He needs to believe that he’s strong enough to defeat his father. I need this war to end.

“Shortcake.”

I turn to Cecile who is walking next to me. Her brows are pulled in a frown.

“Yeah?”

“You know your mumbling is not really a mumble right?

I freeze. “What?” I try to think about what I just said, but I come up blank.

“It’s for the greater good?” She asks with a raised eyebrow. “What are you planning?”

“Me? Nothing.” My heartbeat picks up as I close my eyes. How can I be so stupid? This is a city full of werewolves that can hear every whisper. I’m surprised that they cannot read my mind.

Cecile shakes her head and I know she’s disappointed in me. “Don’t lie.”

I scratch at the burn on my wrists. “I’m here to talk to Hadrian like you asked,” I say as I try to salvage my slip.

Cecile is not one to be fooled. She crosses her arms and waits for me to spill the beans.

I bite my lip. I never told Cecile about my mother or about the prophecy. Cecile gave me a friendship that was about fun and going out of my comfort zone.

“I’ll tell you tonight.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Cecile has been there for me for the last two days. She didn’t hesitate to help a human. She didn’t hesitate to defy the rules. She helped me because she’s my friend.

I wrap my arms around the hard-headed chef and pull her in a hug.

“Wow, Shortcake, what’s this?” Her muscles are tense and she pushes me away, but I don’t give up so easily.

“Thank you for everything.” I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have the people around me who didn’t look at me with prejudice. They looked past the fact that I’m human.

Cecile waits for two seconds and then pushes me away completely. “Yeah, yeah, okay that’s enough.”

I chuckle and let her go.

“Don’t break his heart, okay Shortcake.” Cecile grimaces as she turns for the kitchen.

I’m pretty sure my heart is the one that’s going to be broken.

————————

Miles walks five feet behind me and I can still hear his stomach growling as we walk to the rooms. It has been rumbling since we left the third ring. He's alone since Callum guarded my room the whole night.

“You should get something to eat.”

Miles shakes his head. “I can’t leave.”

I roll my eyes and I can practically hear his brother. “I won’t tell Callum.”

Miles looks behind him in the direction of the kitchens. His stomach gives another attention-grabbing growl, but he shakes his head. “No, I really can’t.”

These wolves have some exaggerated sense of duty. They follow orders like their lives depend on it.

“I’m actually pretty hungry,” I say as I rub over my stomach. I don’t think I could get anything down my throat at the moment, but Miles can have my food.

Miles perks up. “Do you want me to get you something?” There is an edge of excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, sure.” We get to Hadrian’s rooms and I walk into the parlor.

Miles waits in the doorway. He looks around the room with unease and then at me. “*Don’t* leave the rooms.”

I lift my hands with a chuckle. “I won’t.”

Miles closes the door as if locking me in the rooms. The soles of my shoes squeak over the wooden floorboards as I turn.

The parlor is lifeless. There are no flowers and I wonder if Paulina has been placed somewhere else. I haven’t seen her since the day of the gala.

It feels like the rooms of the Dark Prince again. I look around the bedroom, but there is nobody there. I knock on the door of his office, but there is no response. The door is open and his office is empty.

Documents are spread everywhere. There are two empty bottles of whiskey holding together a stack of paper. I walk up to his desk and find the documents we found of Graciela.

Our search has left us at a dead end, but Hadrian isn’t giving up. He cares about the promise he made and it makes my heart swell.

“What are you doing here?” The shrill voice of Gaia makes me jump.

I quickly cover the information of Graciela with other documents and turn to face “Gaia.”

Her chocolate brown eyes are filled with fury and frenzy as she steps further into the room. “You still haven’t learned your lesson, little mouse?”

I hold up my hands. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

Gaia scoffs and crosses her arms. “As if you could fight me.”

I can’t, not physically at least. Gaia is taller and stronger. That's without calculating the fact that she can transform into a ferocious beast.

“I know, you win.”

There is something unpredictable about her today, less poised. There are faint purple marks around her neck and her hair has a wild twist to it.

Without the protection of others around me, I know better than to aggravate her. I just hope Miles will be back soon.

“And still you’re here.” Gaia spits out.

The office feels small as she charges toward me. I walk back until my back hits the window.

“It’s my right to be Luna.” She shouts and the frenzy overrules the fury now.

I flinch at the sheer velocity of her voice. Is this really what this is about? The right to call herself Queen one day?

“Do you even want to be with Hadrian?”

Gaia grimaces and the disgust pulls at her features. “Who wants to be with someone cursed?”

I do. I would prefer it if Hadrian didn’t have the title of prince. Everything would be so much easier if Hadrian was just a regular guy, but I don’t fear his darkness that comes with the curse.

“You don’t even love him,” I conclude. Here I thought that Gaia was a jealous ex-girlfriend and that she was angry that I stole away the love of her life.

“Of course I don’t love him.” She scoffs.

How can she not? Hadrian is caring even if he fears that it makes him look weak. Hadrian is hard-working and loves hard. He’s curious and open-minded. How can someone not fall in love with him? I certainly tried and I failed miserably.

“Then why?”

Why would Gaia be so adamant about having my place? Why would the Moon Goddess create their connection?

“You don’t know what it’s like. All my life people expected me to become Luna. Then a human comes in and takes away everything I’ve worked for.” Her eyes show her raw honesty and I’m surprised that she gives it so easily.

“My father wanted a son, a strong Alpha that can continue his legacy. Instead, he got a daughter, but I will show him exactly what I can do. And when I become Luna, he’ll regret everything.” Her voice shakes and her pain runs deep. Gaia balls her fists and the truth seems to burst from her without consent.

Her father is General Zeno. Her father killed countless blue-eyed girls. Her father is a monster. Can it be that Zeno is even a monster towards his own daughter?

I can’t help the sympathy building in my chest. “Maybe we can help each other.”

She blinks and the pain disappears, it is replaced by fury. “You cannot help me. You are the problem. You’re a little pest.” The shrill edge of her voice pierces through my eardrums. The color of her eyes swirls to black. Her dark eyes send a chill over my spine.

Maybe not.

I move away from her and walk back to the other side of the desk. I calculate the distance to the exit and wonder if I could be quick enough.

Gaia blocks my path. “Do you know what we do with little mouses like you?” Her words spell doom and her canines are bared. She’s out for blood.

“We eradicate them.”

Her movements are swift and effective. Her claws grow from her fingernails. They are sharp and lethal. She’s too quick for me to move away.

Her claws slash through my chest. It rips through the fabric of my sweater. It cuts through the silver chain of my necklace. It slices through my skin and the tissue covering my torso.

I gasp and instinctively grasp for my necklace. I catch the glass charm before it falls. Blood flows from the gashes and it covers my arm and hand. It soaks in the remnants of my sweater and into the wooden floorboards. I catch my reflection in the window. The gashes are horrific. Blood gushes out and floods everything in dark red liquid.

There is so much blood. Too much blood.

Tears brim my eyes. The girl in the window starts to blur. Her fate is set and there is no medicine healing her this time.

My only hope now is that I left my mark and it will make the world a better place, because…

I always knew I would die at the claws of a werewolf.