The Amorous Mate

Chapter 37: Trapped

Chelsea woke up from the wild clattering sound erupting near her ears. She moaned and slightly opened her eyes to check what was the cause of it.

“Your Highness! Thank God, you are finally awake.”

Chelsea may still be disoriented for she has just come from her terrible sleep, but she instantly recognized the owner of the voice. It was Beatrix’s.

“Beatrix, is that you?” She asked, confirming her guess. Still, she had hazy and blurry vision, probably an after-effect caused by the chemicals which her abductor forced her to inhale.

“Indeed, your Highness, I am Beatrix,” Beatrix answered. “Stay still, I only need few more seconds to scourge this—” the sound of chains clamored— “there, you are now free, Princess.”

Chelsea could not quickly follow what was happening. Everything was in rush, everything was in haste. She looked at her arms and her body and noticed that the wrapping chains around her were now detached. It was not unlocked, instead, it was as if pulled apart, forced, breaking one part of the chained metal with only but sheer strength.

“D-Did you do this?” Chelsea asked, pointing to the wreckages of the chains.

Beatrix grabbed the Princess’ hand and she guided her to stand. “There is no enough time to ask questions, Princess Demeter. We have to get out from here soon as possible.”

From the outside, a loud banging sound erupted followed by long howling of wolves. Looking at its direction, Chelsea saw an unconscious man laying helpless on the floor, at the corner of the room. She immediately recognized it as that feminine man who have been letting her sniff the chemical that made her fell asleep. There were a pool of blood crawling on the floor, near the man. She was terrified, of course, but she did not bother asking Beatrix of what had happened, for she already had an idea why the man was lifeless.

“They are already here,” Beatrix said. She quickly roamed the room, thinking of something—perhaps a plan—that Chelsea could not follow as of now.

Hearing the howls of the wolves, Chelsea remembered something important. Her eyes widened. With panic, she gazed at Beatrix who are now busy stacking different things she can use in the room, just so she could reach the window above.

“Beatrix, Miss Kress is a wolf. There are wolves in the elite society, and one of it was Miss Kress. She was . . . she was . . . for no reason she wanted to kill me.”

“We know, Princess. That is why we are here, saving you.”

“We? What do you mean?” Chelsea again asked.

She was now thinking of herself as a fool, for she could not easily comprehend the situation that was happening. She could not get the hang of the event.

“Lord Matthew and the residents of Silver Feather Mansion,” Beatrix answered. She already managed to climbed at the top of the window.

“Matthew? Why was Matthew here? He should not be here, for this is a den of wolves. You guys shouldn’t be here!” Chelsea exclaimed, biting her lower lip because of fear. She was indeed frightened by the situation, but what she was frightened more was, if perhaps Lord Matthew’s life— or anyone from them—would be at risk just because of saving her mere life, she would forever bear the guilt and consequence. She does not want someone to put their lives at risk for her sake.

“Trust me, your Highness, everything is handled. Everyone will be okay,” said Beatrix. “Now come and climb up here, for we need to get you out of this room as quick as possible.”

“B-But, how about Matthew? He will be fighting a terrifying wolf!”

“Lord Matthew will be alright, trust me.”

Chelsea hesitated following Beatrix at the window, for she knew that outside the door of the room was Lord Matthew, fighting over a terrifying wolf. Or wolves.

“Lord Matthew wants to get you out of this place first. Once they were certain of you being safe, they will immediately retreat too.”

She looked at the door. She thought, if perhaps, she would not listen to Beatrix, and rush outside of the door, she will be able to see Lord Matthew. But then, the consequence was that she would be a burden.

If the reason why the lord came to this place was to save her, knowing the fact that the wolf who abducted her wanted to kill her, then he will have no choice but to protect her the moment she shows herself to the enemies. She will be a burden because Lord Matthew will need to fight, while at the same time, need to protect her too. It would be hard for Matthew, she could tell, that is why she chose to turn her back to the door and looked at Chelsea.

“Promise me he will be safe,” Chelsea asked to Beatrix.

“He will be, your Highness,” Beatrix assured.

Chelsea finally climbed up the window with the use of stacked things in the room, forming as if a ladder. Beatrix grabbed her hand and carefully pulled her upward. After reaching the window, they carefully landed outside of the mansion.

“We need to go,” Beatrix said.

With haste, they started running. As they kept their running pace, Chelsea was having a hard time because she could not clearly see the surrounding. It was dark; everything was black. But somehow, she could still have the privilege seeing things in its minimum bare. Beatrix was holding her hand, guiding her as they run.

“Can you see clearly from the dark, Beatrix?” Chelsea asked. “How can you run and guide me without getting tripped or something when everything was f*****g dark?”

Unfortunate, however, because Beatrix did not answer. Soon, they stopped, sat down. Beatrix guided her into a huge boulder where it seemed safe for them to hide.

Not far from them, Chelsea could still hear howls and growls of wolves. Different chaotic booming of sounds were also appearing, causing Chelsea shudder from shock.

“But how about Gio and Jullian? I am with Princess Demeter, and I could not left her here,” suddenly, Chelsea muttered.

“What do you mean, Beatrix? What about Jullian and Gio? Are they alright?” Chelsea asked, still holding her curiosity from the current happenings.

“Perhaps I must need to do it. Give me a minute, and I will quickly deal with it,” Beatrix again said, as if she was talking to someone which Chelsea could not see nor hear.

“Beatrix, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Princess,” Beatrix answered.

Chelsea felt Beatrix’s hand holding onto her. “I need you to listen, your Highness. You must hide here first and never show yourself to anyone unless it was me, or Lord Matthew. No matter what happens, do not leave this place. I will get back here as soon as possible, so please, you must stay calm and never attempt to leave.”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Lord Matthew needs my help,” Beatrix answered.

Chelsea could feel the paling of her lips and the chill that was starting to run on her spine. “What happened to Matthew?”

“Nothing, they are fine. They—”

“Then why do they need your help?”

“Please let me finish my words, your Highness. They are fine. They can handle their enemy, but they need my help to open the main door of the mansion, for that Miss Kress ordered her servants to lock the door from outside, so that they could not escape.”

“How about the one we used to escape?”

“They have already found that we have gone outside, so they sealed it too. The only way Lord Matthew and Aunt Gwyneth could get out from there was to open the door from outside.”

“But for sure there will be wolves who will guard the door.”

“Have you forgotten, your Highness, that I am your instructor?” Beatrix asked.

“No, I remember. But you are just my instructor in . . . dancing, and bringing myself back as a princess.”

“But you seem to forgot that a princess must learn the art of fighting too.”

“And then?”

“There is a reason why Lord Matthew picked me to teach you. Stay here, Princess Demeter. I will come back soon as possible.”

“W-Wait, Beatrix!”

Chelsea shuddered by the fact that she was left alone. She was crouching, hiding on the cover of a huge boulder, waiting for some help from the people of Silver Feather. Beatrix already left her, and who knows when will the woman will come back—or if she could come back. She felt more terrified, shaking.

*****

“Lord Matthew, you must let us pass through now. We don’t know what your connection to the princess was, but I will never let her be saved. She must die in our hands.” Miss Kress was hesitating her words and actions, that is what Lord Matthew knew.

Seen from her anxious face and her soft and fretting words, she wanted to get mad and ran towards the room where Princess Demeter was, but could not do it because of Lord Matthew.

Now that Miss Kress knew that Lord Matthew belongs to the races of werewolves too, she had nothing but hope to be with the lord’s pack—but in order to do that, she believe she has to kill the princess first. Because she hated her for a reason.

“I do not get why you have bad blood to the princess, Miss Kress. But forgive me, for I have already sworn the princess of my protection,” Lord Matthew replied.

“If you want to get the princess, you must deal with us first,” said Gwyneth. “That is, however, if you could.” She started to form her fighting stance, making the wolves behind Miss Kress growling.

Miss Kress was anxious to form her command, for she does not want to make the lord her enemy. Yet, in the end, her being the leader of the group won her decision over.

“Fight with them. Kill that measly woman, but make sure that Lord Matthew is still alive.”

The rogues started to attack the two figures in their front. They have the ability to swiftly wolf-shift, for as they ran, they managed to complete their transformation. Still, however, Lord Matthew and Gwyneth was not terrified from that fact. Their confidence comes at a good reason, for they knew very well of their strength and of their skills.

“Fools,” Gwyneth muttered. As she watched the wolves running towards them, she stepped forward, covering Lord Matthew. “You don’t need to dirty of your hands, Alpha,” she said.

One wolf lunged towards her, jumping in the air, widely opening its gross mouth. Before the wolf could bite her, she adjusted her position, ducked from the level of the attacking wolf, and effortlessly wrapped her hand to the wolf’s neck. She twisted it before the wolf could react, and smashed it down the ground—lifeless.

The wolves saw the skilled fighting of the woman. Somehow, they stopped their attacks. They stared at Gwyneth with obvious fear from their wolf-form eyes.

“Wh-What power was that?” asked one of the wolf.

“Sh-She is a skilled warrior.”

“There are only few she-wolf who could execute such kind of mastery in fighting. Most . . . most of them belongs to a highly powerful pack residing at a far kingdom from the North. The Moon Children Pack.”

“Ah, hearing our former pack’s name was nostalgic, isn’t it, Alpha?” Gwyneth looked at Lord Matthew and asked him.

Lord Matthew smiled. “Perhaps, I shall visit my mother and father soon.”

“A-A pack born from a powerful Moon Children Pack. P-Perhaps, y-you are the . . . Silver Feather Pack?”

“What if we are?” Gwyneth asked, feeling more confident after seeing the fears shown by the rogue wolves.

The wolf who was talking to Lord Matthew and Gwyneth looked at Miss Kress. “Leader,” it said. “We will be risking our very lives if we will continue to fight their force. They are . . . someone whom we should not think small of,” he suggested.

“Are you then disobeying your leader?! Was that what you want to say?!” Miss Kress, feeling mad from what she discovered, exploded.

Lord Matthew was entertained from the scene when a message through mind linking appeared in him. ‘Alpha, Aunt Gwyneth. The Princess is already safe. We are already outside, running away from the chaos. You must both get out from that place quickly and meet us. We will be waiting,' said Beatrix through mind-linking.

Now Lord Matthew looked at Gwyneth. They both nodded. Seemed that Gwyneth also received Beatrix’s message.

Gwyneth looked back at the group of rogue wolves. “It seemed our reason of this chaos was already met,” she started, “then that means we would need to go. It was fun having a little chat with you.”

“What do you mean accomplished? Never tell me . . . NO!” Miss Kress threw another tantrum. She glared at her servants. “Check the room quick! Bring me the princess back!”

Lord Matthew and Gwyneth started walking, going back to the place where they have entered a while. They let the rogue wolves pass through their way, for they knew that they would not see the princess in that room anymore.

They were about to pass through Miss Kress, but the Miss madly glared at them and blocked their path.

“Do you seriously think I will let you pass through?” she asked. “No, My Lord. You would not be able to get away from this place with the way you easily think.”

“What possible threat could you give us, young lady?” Gwyneth asked, smirking at the woman.

“Miss Kress. I am but showing you my benevolence despite what you have done to the princess. If my act of letting you live was not enough, then I must tell you this: The infamous Royal Werewolf Hunters of the Nightingale Kingdom was on its way to this place. If I am sparing your life, those specialized soldiers would not spare yours. Instead of wasting your time fighting against us, waste your time to think of how to escape this place instead. Or else, your death would be certain.”

Miss Kress smirked. “Was it, My Lord? Then it was perfect. We will all die here. We will all have vain death.”

Lord Matthew did not speak, but his sole, intent stare at her was already enough sending her a message to explain.

Miss Kress laughed. “I have ordered to lock all the possible doors and passages in this mansion. The lock was a seal made from sorcery, which has the ability to deflect wolf presences. Sadly, those seals were outside, therefore you will have no ability to ruin it. That Princess was so lucky. Have the seal was completed earlier than it was, she wouldn’t be able to escape.”

Lord Matthew smirked. “Indeed, the rumor was true. You are not just but a lowly rogue, but you do possess knowledge of witchcraft too.”

“Alpha, I will be mind-linking Gio and Jullian,” said Gwyneth.

“Oh, do not bother, lady whom I do not know the name, nor do not want to know.”

“It is Gwyneth.”

“You could not succeed in reaching through them for the seal would not allow anyone inside this place to reach through them.”

Gwyneth’s composition was somehow ruined.

“So I guess, the only option we have is to wait until the arrival of the Royal Werewolf Hunters. I left us no choice but to die in their hands.” Miss Kress laughed.

‘Lord Matthew? Aunt Gwyneth? Are you still inside the mansion?’

Lord Matthew and Gwyneth pretended in front of Miss Kress that there were none who was reaching through them by means of their pack’s mind-link.

‘Can you hear me, Beatrix?’ Gwyneth asked.

‘Indeed.’

‘Perhaps, we do not have the ability to reach outside, but once the communication was established from outside, we can reach through, Alpha,' Gwyneth said.

‘What must you be talking, Aunt? Is there anything wrong happening?’ Beatrix asked.

‘Listen Beatrix, I and the Alpha needs your help.’ Gwyneth continued explaining to Beatrix what she must do in order to help them. ‘We must hurry,' added Aunt Gwyneth, ‘Before Sir Cedric Valhaullster, the general of the Royal Army reaches us from this place.’