59. I am.

Ally couldn't find a place for herself, pacing back and forth in the room for hours. The young woman woke up alone- falling asleep, she rested on her mate's chest, yet his side of the bed was empty as she opened her eyes. At first, the Princess assumed that her mate might have left to get them something to eat or make a cup of coffee, but soon her idea faded. Darius didn't return for hours, leaving Ally alone with her thoughts. Of course, the thoughts that wouldn't seem to be anything close to appealing to any person. The young woman feared that her mate might have left- many had warned her about his intentions, and perhaps, as soon as he got what he wanted- Darius simply left.

*"Ally, stop overreacting; you will drive yourself crazy if you won't stop. Listen, our mate is a pretty big man, right? Perhaps he had important things to do, and he didn't want to wake you up? Not everyone who is said to be the bad guy actually is one. He had treated us with nothing but respect, love, and care; I don't believe that he could leave us. Give him a break and stop assuming shit!"* Seraphima growled from the back of her mind, alerting Ally that she had gone way too far. If the beast didn't speak up, the young Princess would come up with dozens of scenarios- sooner or later believing in one.

*"I know, but understand me as well. Maybe there is something important he has to do; it's not like I can demand Darius to stay around me nonstop; I get it. But think about this- everything was fine as we fell asleep, and as soon as we woke up, there isn't even a trace of him. Nothing- it feels as if Darius wasn't even here in the first place. Wouldn't he leave a note or something like that to calm us down? If we're pregnant, as he thinks, he should have thought of that much. I don't know, my mind is too full of everything, and I can't decide what to believe. I guess it's just me, being a damn coward and fearing that he might leave us."* Ally sat on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. It felt weird to be in the room alone, but the fact that no one came to check on her was suspicious. Servants would go and offer a clean set of clothes or some food, yet for all those hours, Ally didn't hear even footsteps close to the bedroom door. A wave of cold shivers ran down her spine. *"What if something terrible is happening right now, right here. I mean in the temple- it seems as if it's dead. We could always feel and hear someone rushing around for the past couple of days, but now it's only dead silence surrounding us. And don't try to say anything about servants being asleep- it's the middle of the day, nobody takes midday naps around here. Can you catch on any scent, or perhaps movements around the temple?"* Unknowingly, the Princess tiptoed to the bathroom, locking herself in. The young woman sat in the corner, pulling her knees closer to her chest, trying her best to be as quiet as she could be.

*"I don't like to admit it, but you're right. Give me a minute; I'll try to focus on them. Just don't freak out yet. We are going to be alright; there's no danger unless I say otherwise. Deal?"* Seraphima blocked Ally, avoiding unnecessary questions. The human side had grown way too nervous to keep quiet; even her thoughts became distracting.

The beast closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the living who served Selene. One by one, she caught heartbeat, body heat, and piles of something unrecognizable. Those heartbeats were way too fast for someone who could be calmly leading their day. Then, utterly vile energy appeared out of nowhere, next to one that seemed to belong to the servant. Seraphima noticed how worried the servant was, yet the energy and sound of her heart beating became louder- she was running towards the Princess.

*"Ally, act as if you're not here! Someone's coming here, and trust me when I say this- the innocent will lead you straight to your death!"* The beast growled, holding back from an accidental game of power. Seraphima might take over the control, forcing Ally's body to shift, but that was something she shouldn't do. Something she couldn't allow herself to do. If the Princess carried a child- the beast would put an innocent pup in danger, force shift would end up with miscarriage. If that happened, Seraphima could never find the strength to forgive herself for killing an unborn cub.

*"What is happening out there? Did you sense something? Damn it, I knew there must be something wrong and shady about this place- first, Darius disappeared, and now you don't seem very happy about whatever is out there. Should I mention the possibility of me dying?"* Ally didn't lose the usual hint of sarcasm in her voice. The Princess faced the fact that something vile was going on; there was no other explanation for her beast's behavior.

As Seraphima was about to admit her suspicions, the bedroom door opened, and someone rushed inside. That must be the person Seraphima warned her about. The gentle voice didn't seem innocent as its owner threw multiple objects against the wall, yelling out curses. She ran again; a sound of her opening the window filled Ally's ears. The young woman held her breath, pretending that she wasn't there. The intruder announced that the Princess had escaped, yet whoever was there for her didn't give up as easily.

"Did you check the bathroom? You stupid woman wouldn't think of her hiding there, would you?" A deep, terrifying voice spoke from what seemed to be distance. Of course, some people couldn't enter the temple; Ally nearly forgot the important bit of information.

*"Quick, unlock the door and hide behind the laundry basket!*" Seraphima urged her human side. The beast knew that a locked door would lead everyone to the Princess, and that was one thing they had to avoid. Ally followed the command, moving like a bullet.

"I will check now!" The same woman yelled out, running towards the tiny room where Ally hid from them.

The Princess closed her eyes and bit onto her lip, silently sending prayers to Selene- the Moon Goddess might save her. It didn't matter if the woman was real or not, at this point- Ally needed something to believe in more than ever. She heard how the door handle moved, and light steps echoed against the bathroom walls. The woman stood there for a while, probably scanning the room and checking if anything was out of place. She sighed, leaving the bathroom and walking to the window again.

"She escaped- I checked everything. The room, the closet, and the bathroom, I even checked under the damn bed! She's not here! I bet that her stupid mate took her with him. Where else should I check?" The woman sounded rather annoyed. It was weird how she approached the room and seemed scared, yet now, acted as if nothing had gone wrong. Perhaps it was part of her plan- pretending to be innocent, even though she worked with the evil man?

*"You probably are right. She's too laid back to be one of the imprisoned servants. For someone to know that you're here, let alone with Wrath- there had to be an inside job. I'm pretty sure this woman was a spy for someone. Do not trust anyone. Do not move, at least for now. Do not think about shifting; we don't want to hurt the baby if there is one."* Seraphima commanded. The beast grew just as nervous as her human side. Right now, all she could do was give commands and advice, nothing more or less. If there weren't a possible pregnancy- she would deal with the men outside on her own. Suddenly, the beast gasped, realization hitting her harder than a wall of bricks. *"They know."*

*"They know, what?"* Ally couldn't follow Seraphima's thoughts. Whatever she figured out had to be explained to the young woman.

*"They know that you can't shift, for fuck's sake! All of them know who you are and who your mate is! There isn't one sane being out there who would dare as much as approach you, but there's a whole group of fucking whatever beings looking for you now! They know that Darius isn't here; none would arrive if he was around us. Holy fucking mother of Selene, Ally, we're in deep, deep shit!"* Sedraphima snarled, bringing Ally back to her senses. The young woman instinctively grabbed on her belly, rubbing in gently. She whispered sweet nothings to the baby she would be carrying; it didn't matter how true it was anymore- the Princess would do anything to protect it.

*"Alright, let's come up with a plan then. We can try to mind-link Darius or Anto. Don't forget that we have an army of Watchers standing behind our backs."* Ally bit onto her lip, cautiously looking around the tiny room. First, she had to make sure that she was alone; only then would she try to contact anyone or act a certain way. Without a good plan, they wouldn't get out of there safe.

*"Dead deal- I can't reach Darius; he blocked us out, that's why I assumed that he might be busy with something meaningful. I don't know how to get to Anto or Baka; whenever I try to, something keeps blocking my attempts. Let me think a little; perhaps we can escape the temple or hide somewhere until Darius comes back. I know hiding is an action of a coward, but as soon as we leave these walls, there's a bigger risk of getting caught. They can't come inside, but out there- they're using their full potential. Let's think, Ally, no rushed decisions, please. For the safety of the cub."* The beast was genuinely concerned about their safety. It felt weird how, for the first time, when they needed someone- they couldn't reach them. Seraphima tried to call out for the King's and Queen's beasts, but even those were unreachable. Maybe, just maybe, her calls didn't work because of the temple.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," the sickeningly sweet voice echoed against the bathroom walls once again.

The woman didn't leave; all Ally could think of was how she knew that the young Princess hid there. Was there any point for her to hide anymore? If she tried to punch the woman, she might manage to get enough time to find a better hideout. Without thinking, Ally jumped on her feet and faced the mysterious woman. To say that the Princess paled and her jaw dropped as low as possible was an understatement.
Right there, in front of her, stood the woman she used to call her best friend.

"Sally?" The Princess gasped again, refusing to believe her eyes. One of the few persons she used to trust, her friend, betrayed her as no one did before. The young woman couldn't understand why and for what Sally would ever go for such a low step.

"Surprise?" The blonde grinned, showing off the extended canine teeth.

"What are you doing here? Why? You're supposed to be my friend, not someone who holds the knife against my back! How could you? I did nothing but supported and loved you! I was there for you when you needed someone, and others turned their back to you!" The Princess raised the tone of her voice, tears of regret and frustration escaping her eyes. Up until now, she was ready for anything, yet seeing her friend grinning at her tears was nothing Ally could ever prepare herself to see.

"Oh, this is nothing compared to what those men will do to you. I must admit, it was pretty hard to locate where that damned sin hid you, yet fun, for all of us. I don't think that you have any idea how miserable my life became after you befriended me. I wasn't a person anymore; I was that blonde chick who knew the Princess. The King's daughter's best friend. That ugly pup, who kept following a Royalty. You made my life miserable, even worse than it was before, and you will pay for every day I had to go through that bullshit! Should I mention more? I'm sure you wouldn't mind a couple more details that pushed me towards this decision. Don't forget that you made me do this! Everyone was obsessed with you, your beauty and strength. If I ever liked a guy, he would approach me only to find out if you were single. The first boy I fell in love with chose you over me without a second thought! I followed you to that fucking place, trying to be a good friend, and so did he! Do you have any idea how it broke me- to see how the one person I love keeps running after you like a lovesick puppy? You started dating, and I kept aside, sacrificing my happiness for him. Even when you didn't want him anymore, he still kept hoping. It didn't matter how hard I tried- all of them ran after you! The handsome teacher to start with, and then the fucking deadly sin! You don't deserve a mate; a whore such as you definitely should die alone! What makes you better than me to have all of them while I'm crying next to an empty cup? You ruined my fucking life, and I will destroy yours!" Sally broke down in tears as she screamed at Ally.

At first, the Princess sympathized with the young woman, but the more she spoke, the more Ally let go of any sympathy. None of her words made sense- Sally never spoke up about liking someone, nor did she ever show off the fact that she had feelings for a particular person. Ally wouldn't date anyone if she knew even a bit of how her friend truly felt.

"And here I was, feeling like shit because my friend betrayed me. But I shouldn't, it's not my friend talking- it's jealousy, envy. If you were my friend, you would know that I wouldn't go out with him if I knew about your feelings. How is it my fault when you were the one to keep a secret? I didn't know about your feelings; I didn't know about all those times when someone called you names. All I was trying to do was being your damn friend, and you couldn't even appreciate that much. How selfish are you? How delusional and blind have you become because of envy, Sally? My mate is my business; I never got to choose him, the Moon Goddess did, and you know that I can't change that! Did you waste all that time and effort to end up dead? Silly goose, I should pity you." Ally shook her head in disbelief. People do change, yet not for the best. She didn't want to accept that Sally was a lost case, but it was about time for her to do that. If the Princess kept hoping that her friend would regain her senses- she would lose the upcoming battle.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep on dreaming. I bet it feels pretty shitty to get knocked up before turning eighteen. I kept telling everyone that you were a slut, but nobody believed me. Soon enough, everyone will know your true face; I'll make sure they do. It's a beautiful day today- there's no one to stand by your side, no one to protect you, and to top it all off- you can't fight unless you want to lose that bastard you're carrying." Sally laughed, sounding like a madwoman. If Ally had known that her friend would turn out to be a complete psycho- she wouldn't approach the girl in the first place.

"I hope your friends know what they're doing." The Princess added her facial expression as serious as never. Perhaps Sally was crazy enough to risk her life, but if those men knew who they were messing with- she doubted that any money could buy their services.

"They're from the shadows; those men fear nothing, idiot!" Sally growled, grabbing Ally by her upper arm and dragging the Princess out of the temple. Seraphima howled from the back of her mind, displeased with her human side- the Princess didn't bother to resist.
"Here she is, gentlemen," Sally announced as soon as they stepped outside. A huge crowd of men watched them, one bigger than another. All of them had weird facial expressions, but none showed off joy for their accomplishment. Ally wondered how much money had Sally paid for them to join her vile plan, and what would happen to her.

"Doesn't look dangerous to me," one of the men spoke up; Ally assumed that he might be the leader since it was his voice she heard earlier.

"That's because we are lucky. The bitch is pregnant; she won't dare to fight back. If she shifts- bye, bye, baby." Sally didn't bother to hide the hatred and amusement she felt. The woman's claw extended, piecing Ally's delicate skin. The Princess hissed in pain but kept her mouth shut- she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of her screams. Sally caught on her doings- she slapped the Princess across her face, hoping to cause as much damage as she could. Even if their plan would fail- at least she hit the woman who took everything from her.

"You didn't mention anything about the pregnancy!" The same male yelled in Sally's face, obviously pissed off. "We agreed to scare her a little; you never said that we would risk the life of an unborn child! Fucking witch, we had a deal, and this is nothing alike one you paid for!"

Sally opened her mouth to keep on arguing, but Ally cut her off. "Wait till you find out who's the baby daddy," as the words left her lips, she laughed. All men suddenly shifted in their places, worried about the truth behind her words. Kidnapping a Royalty was a risky thing to do, but if her mate was someone powerful- they were fucked. Literally.

"Who?" This time the leader kept silent, observing the smiling Princess. There was a dark undertone in her voice, and the happy facial expression gave out how wicked the woman might be. However, one of his followers was more than eager to find out who might be the mysterious father of the Princesses' child.

"I am."