CHAPTER 9
1022 Words
9. Rachael ||
My breath was frozen in my lungs. Externally, I didn't exhibit any reaction to his words. I blinked instead and remained quiet.
Inside, not so much calm. All negative emotions threatened to surface. I felt like Ethan had used me as an object of comfort.
Edgar stared for a while longer and sat back with a look of satisfaction on his face. "He's to be engaged to Naomi Rutherford of the Riverdale pack."
"But he seems so young, to be betrothed." I managed to say after a while.
"Well, it doesn't matter. His marriage will make matters good between their pack and ours. There will be peace for a long time, even after I die." He smiled back at me.
I glanced at the coffee and cookies. I wished I didn't decline the offer for food.
"You seem lost in thought."
I shrugged. "No, I'm just a little overwhelmed. A normal person like me, can only wish to get this treatment. Werewolves treat humans like trash, but here I am talking to a Frost. I'm still trying to process it."
"Take your time, take your time. You will get used to it."
I couldn't read him at all. I thought I could get information about myself, or my parents but this man was spinning me away.
"Oh, and I have to warn you. Nathan has called for a council meeting. He wants to have you legally murdered because he views you as a threat."
I froze with shock and my mouth trembled. "Please help me sir," I croaked.
He glanced at his guard then back to me. "That won't happen, as long as you are here. Nathan knows it—consider it a childish tantrum. But he can seem relentless at times."
I didn't know if his last comment was supposed to make me feel better but I had to take his word for it. But still, it made me wonder why he would go through this trouble of saving a commoner like me.
"Why are you helping me? Why won't you let him kill me, since I'm dangerous like he said?" I looked down on the table.
"Are you suggesting I leave you to your fate?"
"Erh no! I—"
"I don't know how many times you have heard this, but you possess incredible power." He ended it there and got to his feet. "I will be taking my leave now. Steer clear of Nathan and get ready for tomorrow." He turned to leave.
I was almost tempted to say bye bye at him. Long after he left, I grabbed a lock of my hair and saw the white strands. They were clear as day, it made me wonder if I should dye my hair. I had long forgotten about the hunger I possessed and thought about my future.
The guards had left with their Alpha, leaving only Sarah there. Her incredible posture made me want to ask how she did it.
Sarah and I returned to the castle, my mind a whirlwind of Edgar's words on Ethan's mate. The thought gnawed at me, a bitter taste rising in my throat. How dare he? How dare he touch me with such intimacy when he was promised to someone else? Jealousy, sharp and hot, flared within me.
As we reached the castle entrance, a familiar presence washed over me, coming from the opposite direction. I lifted my head, and there he was. Ethan. My breath jumped.
My stomach clenched, not with the pleasant flutter of anticipation, but with a twist of something darker, something more turbulent. Edgar's words echoed in my ears, fueling the jealousy that already simmered within me. He had the audacity, the sheer gall, to touch me like that, to make me feel… something, when his future was already mapped out, his affections already decided.
I narrowed my eyes as he approached, trying to school my features into something neutral, something impassive. He’d just seen me, and a small, almost imperceptible smile played at the corner of his lips.
"Master Ethan," Sarah greeted and bowed. I continued walking in his direction with my eyes on his face.
Ethan. "Rachael, I had the maids prepare—"
I walked past him without turning back! Judging from the way the words hung in his throat, he was having a hard time believing it.
I stopped at the front and turned back to Sarah. "Aren't you coming?"
Her shock was temporary, and she was back to herself. "Coming, my lady. Later Master Ethan." She bowed and left him there.
I felt happy doing him dirty like that. It gave me a small sense of victory and I continued ahead. That feeling of triumph was temporary because I saw Nathan coming in my direction with the guards.
I turned back at Ethan and he was also glaring at his brother.
Nathan raised his brows as he saw me and grinned at me. "Well well, look who's walking freely?" The words were full of sarcasm.
I touched my neck, where he had bruised me. A reminder of how he wanted to crush my throat.
Nathan brushed past me, a casual dismissal that stung more than I cared to admit. He stopped between Ethan and me, a sudden, imposing figure, and then turned back, raising a finger in my direction.
"Father must have already told you," he began, a smirk twisting his lips, "but I will say it myself. I will deal with you tomorrow." The words hung in the air, a thinly veiled threat, heavy with implications and delivered with arrogance.
He turned away, his attention shifting to Ethan. "Hello, brother," he drawled and waved a lazy arm.
I spun around, my heart pounding in my chest like a trapped bird, and rushed down the corridor, my footsteps echoing against the stone floor. It was a retreat, a panicked flight, and I knew it. Sarah's footsteps echoed behind me.
I only stopped running when I arrived in my room. My chest rattled like an angry tiger kept in a cage.
I started to think coming here was a bad idea.
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