~Emily~

'What do you think you are doing?" Rowan's voice came again, this time laced with anger and venom.


'Today is your lucky day," Luther whispered, an evil smile on his face as he released me. 'See you some other time," he added, walking away with both hands in his pocket.

Rowan immediately rushed towards me. 'Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

'I-i'm fin….." I couldn't complete my words before losing consciousness.


__________

'Look, it's a boat," I squealed, running towards the beach. 'Steph, look."


Steph was behind me, playing with the beach sand as she struggled to make a sand castle.

'Come on, Steph," I called, grinning from ear to ear as I got on the boat.

'Steph," I called, turning back but she was nowhere to be found. 'Steph!" I muttered, my eyes darting back and forth.

'Die!" She suddenly yelled, pushing me off the boat before I jerked up.

'Huh!" I groaned, flickering my eyes open. 'Where am I?" I asked, my eyes darting back and forth.

'Goodness, you are awake," Rowan said, rushing towards me on the bed. 'You are up," he sighed, touching my forehead.

'Where am I?" I asked, my voice barely audible as I tried to sit upright. 'You're at the royal inn," He replied, his eyes drooped.

'Inn?" I asked, my eyes widened in shock. Then it dawned on me, the blue coated bed, the antiseptic smell that filled the air and the serene atmosphere, it was definitely the inn.

'Emily," Rowan called, his gaze fixed on me with a look of concern etched on his face. 'I'm sorry about what happened," he added, biting his lip nervously.

'What happened?" I asked, my brows furrowed. Suddenly it came rushing back, the event with Luther.

'See you some other time," his voice echoed in my head, his evil smile lingering in my memories.

'Did you tell Zayne?" I asked, my gaze fixed on him. 'Not yet, should I tell him?" He answered.

'No, I will tell him myself, when the time is right."

'Alright, but you need to be careful, Luther is a crazy bunch," he said, squeezing my palms gently.

After about an hour or two, I was discharged by the royal physician and allowed to go home.

Rowan had stayed back to ensure that everything went smoothly. He even helped me get back to my room.

'We are here," I muttered. 'My room is just around the corner."

'Alright, please take your drugs and stay out of Luther's reach," he said. 'Don't hesitate to alert me if you need anything," he added as he shot me a reassuring smile before walking away.

________

'It's morning, sleeping beauty," Steph mocked, tapping me gently. I could hear her properly even though my eyes were closed. She probably thought I was deep asleep but contrary to her belief, I wasn't.

'Thank you, you acted like my sister for once," I replied before jumping out of bed.

'I acted like your sister? You ungrateful human," she retorted, imitating Crystal's voice.

'Shh, she might hear you," I replied, giggling slightly.

'To hell with her, I can't wait to attend her funeral, I pray she chokes on garlic powder or something," Steph snapped, her face twisted in a frown.

Her reaction made me chuckle, she definitely despises Crystal. Well, who doesn't?

'How about you, personal maid to the king," she teased, smiling sheepishly as she leaned closer. 'Tell me, what's it like, serving the king."

'Get lost," I snapped, before dashing into the bathroom, in a bid to hide my flushed cheeks.

'I bet you can't take your eyes off him," she shouted, laughing hysterically. 'You are crazy, you know," I replied, chuckling slightly.

'See you later sis," she shouted, still laughing as she went out. The room fell silent immediately followed by a loud creak.

Now that Steph mentioned him, I couldn't help but ponder on our last meeting. 'What was that about?" I wondered.

'Is the king falling for me? Or was it the alcohol?".

These questions kept my mind occupied but I had no answers to them.

Zayne didn't strike me as someone that would easily get drunk, so it definitely wasn't the alcohol.

Suddenly I heard a knock on the door, jolting me out of my thoughts. 'Huh! Who could that be?" I wondered.

The maidens room was off limits, so it felt strange hearing someone knock at this hour.

'Who's there?" I asked, my voice firm and even but no one answered. My heart skipped a beat as I thought about the possibilities of Crystal being out there.

After a series of back and forth, I walked up to the door, turning the knob slowly, the figure in front made my jaw drop.

'Surprised?" Zayne asked, his brows creased as he stared at me with a small smile on his face.

'Uhm, n-not really," I stuttered, avoiding his intimidating gaze.

The king being at the maidens quarters was never heard of, it could increase the hatred the other maidens already harbored against me.

'Come, I want to show you something," he said, holding my hand as he dragged me out.

'My lord, I………"

'Shhh," he whispered, cutting me off. 'Just come with me," he added, smiling sheepishly as I followed him.

__________


Scrrrrrrr

The car made a screeching sound as Rowan drove recklessly, it was my first time in a vehicle.

Unlike my village, the lycans used both horses and vehicles, an act I found confusing at first.

'We are here," Zayne said, jolting me out of my thoughts.

'Oh! Uhm…."

'Follow me, but don't say a word," he whispered, opening the door for me.

We walked hand in hand, deeper into what seemed like a decorated ground for dead people. Our lips were shut but I'm sure he could hear the pounding in my chest.

'Where is this place?" I asked, looking up at his towering figure.

He stared at me for a while, a small smile on his face but his eyes said otherwise, it was filled with pain.

'This is where Maya was buried, my first love," he replied, his voice low and even.

'Oh!" I cooed, biting my lower lip nervously. The fact that he had a first love pierced through my heart, tears welled up in my eyes.

'Hey, relax," he whispered, cleaning the tears that had gathered in my eyes. 'No one else knows about this place, just you," he added, as though it was meant to pacify me.

'Why did you bring me here?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

He remained mute, his hands folded behind his back. 'Let's go back," he said, heading back to the car.

All through our journey back, I remained mute, deep in thoughts. My relationship with Zayne was growing but I knew better than to rejoice, I was no match for the king.

Finally, after a while of deafening silence, we were finally back to the castle. 'Thank you," I whispered, before dashing out of the car.

As I walked through the corridor, back to my room, I couldn't shake off the odd feeling that clouded my mind.

'Why was he showing me affection all of a sudden?" I wondered, deep in thoughts.

'Stop right there," someone barked from behind me. 'You filthy human."