His Wolfless Bride

CHAPTER 14: Torn

My startled eyes meet his half-closed ones. I freeze for a moment, but the instant he blinks, I manage to swiftly toss the knife underneath the table. Then, I step back as panic threshes through me.

Did he see me holding the knife? Did he see me point the knife at his neck?

Prince Giannis rises into a sitting position. When he scratches his eyes, the realization taps him - his face is exposed. His eyes widen, then clench when he swings them towards me.

“You,” he utter with an accusative tone. “How dare you remove my mask?”

My heart continues to thud hard and doesn’t wanna be tamed. If I won’t lull its unruliness soon, it might burst my consciousness apart.

Should I act quickly - grab the knife and kill him? Or should I recalibrate - analyze the situation first, before killing him?

Prince Giannis steadily gets to his feet, prompting my legs to stagger while stepping back. His unswerving red and gold eyes are glued to my faltering blue ones as he ambles closer to me. Fear grips my neck, hampering me from breathing.

I’m so stupid! I should’ve killed him! Why did I let my fear dictate my actions?!

“You’re dead,” he says. “I won’t let a commoner like you spread my little, dark secret.”

My face crinkles at his threat.

What?! He’s more concerned about that than my attempt to kill him?!

His threat degenerates my fear and reduces my shakiness.

So, he didn’t see what I was about to do to him. That’s awesome!

A relieved grin crosses my face, which knits Prince Giannis’ brow and stifles his aggression.

“What’s amusing?”

“Nothing,” I lie. “I’m sorry that I felt the need to remove your mask. I thought you could sleep more comfortably without it. But don’t you worry. I won’t tell anyone about you. I won’t gain anything, but only lose my job if I’m to do that.”

His face twists in annoyance, but I press on veering his attention somewhere.

“You see, I left my pack since I have no future there. My feet just brought me to this brothel. I’m amazed that, out of all places, I saw you here! If you’re a regular, we’ll probably see each other more often.”

I rub my palm against my skirt, check if it’s clean, before extending it to him. “I’m Marguerite. I was an Omega of the Crimson Crystal Pack, but I’m now a rogue. But I don’t intend to become a rogue forever. If one of Xethen’s packs will…”

“Who gave you the permission to enter my chamber?” he interrupts, obviously uninterested in my unimportant life.

Though there’s still hostility in him, he’s not as scary anymore.

I bite my lip and think of another lie to tell him. Unintentionally, my eyes perch on the messy table on the side.

“I was just to clean your room. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“You’re only allowed to enter any chamber if the customer asks you to.” His voice, though controlled, has an underlying annoyance.

My hands knead my skirt, causing it to rumple a little. “I just started tonight and I missed that rule. I’ll do my best to be better.”

He stares and is silent, while I’m still battling with the idea of killing him at this very second or postponing and restrategizing my plan on how I will kill him.

He strides closer, triggering me to step back again. Not only that he moves faster than me, but his legs are longer than mine, so before I take another step back, he’s already standing an inch from me. I jolt when he grabs my arm. His touch, warm. His grip, tender. What’s even more surprising is that his once clenched eyes soften.

What now? Did my lie work?

I study him with a furrowed brow.

“Does it still hurt?” he asks.

My confused gaze slants to where his soft gaze is - my arm, my bruised arm.

When did he roll up my sleeve? Is that another kind of magic he can wield? Or is his touch just so light that I didn’t even notice him doing anything else other than staring at my bruise?

He gently nudges my bruise with his fingers. The sensation of his skin against mine is so addictive that I don’t want him to stop what he’s doing. But he does stop. Disappointment over disappointment gallops through me. Disappointment that he lets go of my hand and another disappointment that I’m feeling this way.

What’s with me all of a sudden? Why do his actions make me second-guess my own?

Prince Giannis picks up his mask, puts it on his face, then pulls his hoodie to his head.

“Wait here,” he says, before disappearing through the door.

Now, I’m not just hesitant, but I’m also confused.

I take a deep breath, allowing myself to refocus my thoughts to where they should be at.

Captain Haile must get his life back. Therefore, I must take Prince Giannis’.

I kneel down and grab the knife under the table and the napkin on the table. Following that, I coil the napkin around my right leg high enough that it won’t be visible underneath my skirt. Lastly, I tuck the knife in between the layers of the napkin with its handle positioned upward. With this, I can easily pull the knife and impale it on Prince Giannis’ heart if I get the chance to.

After a little over a minute, Prince Giannis comes back with a small vintage-looking jar in his hand. He removes his mask, tosses it on the table, then grabs my arm once again. I wanna shove him away, but I can’t. It’s like something is holding me back from pulling myself away from him. It irritates me that I keep permitting him to inadvertently rule my thoughts. Sure, I've always felt something weird about him since the first time we met, but what I’m feeling now is far from weird. It might be something more frightful that I refuse to think about.

He gently pulls me down to the soft-satin covered cushion on the floor, before sitting down on the other cushion beside me. A fresh aroma with a tiny hint of menthol swirls as Prince Giannis carefully rubs the ointment on my bruise.

My eyes squint, but he doesn’t notice coz his gaze is in the grip of my bruise.

I’ve said before that Prince Giannis, though always appears nonchalant and sometimes contemptuous, has a soft side. And he proves it again. What I’m not expecting is that he could be as caring as he is now.

“You don’t have to act nice. I promise, I won’t tell anyone about your secret.”

“I’m not acting,” he says.

“Then what are you doing?” I ask.

“Are you blind? I’m healing you.”

“But why?”

He stares at my eyes long enough that my heart thuds again. He doesn’t answer and just continues to rub the ointment on the scars on my face. I let him coz… I can’t ask him to stop. The unquiet silence lasts for minutes and when he finally speaks to answer my question, tears upset my eyes.

He says, “Lemme guess. You’re not treated well by your pack because you’re wolfless. You’re not fed regularly, but you’re beaten regularly. I feel the urge to heal you coz I don’t think that there’s anyone who will.”

Wrong! There’s someone who can always heal me and that someone will soon die if I let this man’s kindness swallow me.

The emergence of Captain Haile’s smile that becomes Umber’s suffering helps me regain my courage to do what I’m supposed to. I clutch Prince Giannis’ hand, forcing him to stop spreading the ointment on my face.

“Aren’t you here for entertainment? Where’s your p.rostitute?” I ask.

“I don’t have one tonight,” he responds.

That brings a seductive smirk on my face. He doesn’t show much of his emotions at the unexpected change of my demeanor. His expression is unconcerned while his body is relaxed. I crawl to him, then slowly sit on his lap with my b.reasts against his chest.

“I can be one,” I whisper.

He stares, but doesn’t move nor protest, which I assume is an acceptance of my offer.

I press my b.reasts more onto his chest. Gradually, his c.cok is starting to bump against my u.nderwear.

I wanna tap my back for successfully unraveling his weakness. Unfortunately for him, s**x isn’t what I want. I want his death!

I reduce the gap between his face and mine. When my lips are about to connect to his, I grip the handle of the knife beneath my skirt, then draw it from the coiled napkin on my leg. His full attention is on my face that he doesn’t notice me swinging the knife up. I position the knife’s tip on his back.

This is it! I won’t fail! The Prince Ultima is done for sure!

Hope, that I’ll succeed this time, floods me. However, that hope is quickly washed away. I accidentally drop the knife behind Prince Giannis when he imprisons my waist in his arms. Then, that hope finally dries up when he gently lays me on the mattress while he insinuates himself on top of me.

I suck up my breath. I’m too stunned to even get a grasp of what’s happening.

Prince Giannis brushes some of my hair away from my face, then says, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to confirm.”

I don’t understand what kind of confirmation that is. The next thing I know is that his lips are already pressed against mine. My heart plummets when bolts of electricity pickle every inch of my skin and flesh. That sensation transports me back to whenever Captain Haile kissed me.

No! This can’t be!

Prince Giannis is just the second man I kissed in my entire life, so I have no basis if what the elders said is true. Maybe those bolts of electric sensation is just normal whenever two individuals kiss, even if they’re nobody to each other?

Prince Giannis yanks his lips a few millimeters from mine, but that electric sensation remains in me.

He stares at my wide, blinking eyes and asks, “Did you feel that too?”

The meaning of his question frightens me. I can’t respond, let alone breathe properly. I squeeze my eyes and silently curse the Moon Goddess. Why does she always find a way to make fun of me? Is she enjoying everything I’m going through?

I gasp and jolt at the same time when Prince Giannis rams his lips on mine again, only this time, with more passion. I try to protest, but the electrifying sensation weakens me to the point that I can’t even lift my hands to push him away.

Why, out of all the werewolves in this unfair world - the man I need to kill to save my mate turns out to be my mate too. Why?!