Chapter 7: Five Million Reasons
1090 Words
By evening, the price on my head had quintupled.
I sat on the edge of the massive king-sized bed, the silk duvet bunching under my gripping fingers. The room was dark, save for the blue light emitting from the phone Valerius had left me.
It vibrated again. A harsh, buzzing sound that made me flinch. Another notification from the underground network app—a "dark web" for the supernatural world.
[UPDATE: BOUNTY INCREASED]
[TARGET: THE ROGUE WITCH]
[REWARD: $5,000,000]
[ISSUED BY: ALPHA MARCUS THORNE]
[STATUS: DEAD OR ALIVE]
Five million.
I stared at the zeros until they blurred. Five million dollars. For that amount of money, mercenaries would burn down a city. For that amount, a brother would betray a brother.
And here I was, sitting in the heart of a Lycan’s territory, believing I was safe.
“He's desperate,” I whispered to the empty, cold room.
Marcus wasn't just angry. He was terrified. He had felt the power I unleashed when the bond broke—that shockwave that brought him to his knees. He knew I wasn't just a weak Omega anymore.
And an Alpha like Marcus, with an ego made of glass, couldn't tolerate a threat to his authority existing in the world. He would bankrupt his pack to see my head on a spike.
“Stop looking at it.”
I jumped, dropping the phone on the mattress.
Valerius stood in the doorway. I hadn't heard him approach. I never heard him. He moved like smoke.
He was leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his broad chest. He was impeccably dressed in a tuxedo that fit his shoulders like a second skin—black velvet, satin lapels, screaming of old money and lethal elegance.
He looked like the devil on his way to a wedding.
“He raised the price,” I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound brave. “Five million, Valerius. That’s... that’s life-changing money. Your own staff might look at me and see a winning lottery ticket.”
“My staff are paid in blood oaths and fear,” Valerius said, pushing off the doorframe and walking into the room. The air temperature seemed to drop a few degrees with his presence. “Money is just paper to them. But you are right about one thing.”
He reached out and picked up the phone. His long, pale fingers curled around the device.
CRACK.
With a casual squeeze, he crushed the metal and glass. He tossed the ruined debris into the trash can like it was nothing.
“The city is crawling with rats tonight,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Hunters. Mercenaries. Low-level witches who can smell the silver magic on you from a mile away. They are all looking for the 'Rogue Witch'.”
“I need to hide,” I said, standing up. My legs felt shaky. “There has to be a safe house. A basement. Something deep underground where they can't find me.”
“Hiding makes you prey,” Valerius corrected me calmly.
He stopped in front of me, forcing me to look up at him.
“Prey runs. Prey hides in the dark. And eventually, prey gets caught and eaten.”
He clapped his hands once. Sharp. Authoritative.
Two maids entered the room instantly. They were Betas, judging by their scent—neutral, submissive. They didn't look at me. They kept their heads bowed low, trembling slightly as they pushed a rolling rack of clothes into the room.
But these weren't simple clothes. Gowns. Silk, velvet, chiffon. Colors of the night sky—deep indigo, obsidian black, starlight silver.
And beside them, a velvet tray of jewelry—diamonds, sapphires, uncut obsidian—that glittered like cold stars under the chandelier.
“What is this?” I asked, backing away.
“Tonight is the Solstice Gala,” Valerius stated, as if discussing a business merger. “It is the one night of the year where the territory lines are dissolved. It is neutral ground. Every Alpha, dignitary, and crime lord in the city will be there.”
I stared at him like he had grown a second head.
“You want to take me to a party?” I let out a laugh, a hysterical, jagged sound that hurt my throat. “I have a five-million-dollar target on my back! Half the city is hunting me, and you want to serve me up on a silver platter in a ballroom filled with wolves?”
“Exactly.”
Valerius walked over to the rack. He ignored the trembling maids. His long fingers brushed over the fabrics, rejecting one after another, before settling on a gown of midnight-blue silk.
He pulled it out. It was backless. Daring. A weapon disguised as a dress.
He turned and held it against my body. The dark blue silk made my skin look porcelain pale. It made the new, strange silver in my eyes pop.
“We don't hide, Elena,” he said, his voice dropping to a seductive purr that vibrated in my chest. “We advertise.”
“They will kill me,” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. “Marcus will be there.”
“Let him be there,” Valerius said.
He tossed the dress onto the bed. He stepped closer, invading my personal space until I was backed against the vanity. He placed his hands on the counter on either side of me, trapping me. He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine.
“If you are running in the woods, looking like a victim, they will kill you,” he whispered. “But if you walk through the front door...”
He turned me around to face the mirror. I saw myself. Small. Frightened. Wearing a bathrobe that was too big.
Then I saw him standing behind me. A dark, looming shadow of protection. His violet eyes met mine in the reflection.
“...if you walk in on the arm of the Lycan King,” he finished. “You become untouchable.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. His grip was heavy, possessive.
“Wear the blue one. It matches your new eyes. And wear the obsidian choker. It signals that you are under my protection.”
He turned to leave, his cape swirling behind him.
“Be ready in an hour, Elena. Tonight, we don't just survive. We introduce the world to the new Queen.”
- Writer
