Chapter 2: Was That Him?
1417 Words
“What? The prince’s Luna?!”
“Prince Theo is the King’s favorite son, and it’s most likely he’ll be the next king.”
“Then that makes his wife….”
The crowd buzzed with excitement at Beta Xavier’s words. The girls seemed overjoyed to think of themselves living in the palace as nobles, maybe even as a Luna Queen someday.
Some of them were so excited that they started clapping their hands.
Sophia glanced at them and sneered. “Foolish! They think they even have a chance!”
“Of course not! Miss Chambers, they are nothing compared to you!” Sophia’s followers flattered her, which brought a proud smile to her face.
“What if the prince doesn’t need our… our service?” one of the more composed voices asked Beta Xavier.
“Oh, yes, an important question,” he said, raising a finger in the air. Everyone quieted to hear him. “Those of you who are not successful in securing the prince’s favor will return to your packs after three years, with your payment of riches beyond measure.”
As he clapped his hands together, the girls cheered once again.
Doubt rolled over me as I looked at Beta Xavier’s face. I didn’t believe him. People couldn’t just come and go from the royal palace. In fact, many rumors had arisen over the years regarding the disappearance of palace visitors… or their untimely deaths.
I was sure the truth wasn’t as glamorous as he was trying to make it sound.
As expected, he added, “However, His Majesty, our King Sebastian, would love to see you all try your very best, or–” He smirked, and the glee in his tone suddenly was replaced by an ominous warning. “Not only will you be thrown in prison for your negligence, but also you’ll bring shame and disgrace to your pack!”
My eyes widened. Beta Xavier was threatening us with our own packs! He was implying that if we failed to please the royals, we would bring destruction to our packs!
Yet most of the girls didn’t seem to be bothered by his latest comment and were simply glad that they weren’t sent to the palace to work on their hands and knees as servants.
I kept my reaction locked inside. Brook did the same.
“Now come with me!” Beta Xavier declared. “Let us go meet the man himself, Prince Theo!”
A ripple of delighted laughter went through the crowd as we all began to move again. I exchanged a look with Brook. We had no choice but to follow along.
As we moved through an exterior door, we were greeted with the fragrance of flowers. Oohs and aahs serenaded me as we took in the beautiful roses, gardenias, lilacs, hibiscus, and many other blooms I knew well from tending my own garden back home.
Large marble fountains and ponds lined the walkway. Elegant sculptures decorated every few steps of the royal garden. It truly was a gorgeous outdoor space.
Ever since Beta Xavier’s announcement, the crowd had been much more lighthearted. Being away from that intimidating room and getting into the beautiful courtyard certainly eased most of the girls’ worries.
People around me started to chat about how grand it would be to stay here, and their conversations carried onto the subject of Prince Theo. His ruthless reputation somehow seemed to be forgotten, and all of a sudden, he turned from a monster to a prince charming.
I heard Sophia behind me declaring herself the winner again. “No one else is nearly as qualified as I am. Especially not that mouthy little b***h in front of me.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know she was talking about me, but I’d decided that she was the least of my concern at that moment.
The morning sunshine coated the royal garden in gold, which made the palace seem warm and welcoming, but I just knew that was only an illusion.
No matter how glorious the Beta had made it sound, the palace was nothing more than a prison to me. Being trapped here was absolutely the last thing I wanted to do with my life.
Not only that–but now we were required to get intimate with the most terrifying man in the country?!
No way! I had to come up with a way out.
“What are you looking at? You’ve been so quiet.” Brook caught up to me and asked, “What do you think about the news? What do you think about… Prince Theo?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, Brook,” was all that I could say.
I just had this knot in my stomach, a feeling like something was going to happen, but I wasn’t sure whether it would be good or bad. I didn’t want to make my already worried friend even more concerned, so I kept it to myself.
Beta Xavier stopped in front of us and reminded the crowd, “We’re about to enter the courtyard next to the living quarters. Make sure you are on your best behavior. From this point on, no noise, no mistakes. Understand?”
He gave us a stern look, and we all nodded in unison. At this point, I was used to this Beta’s quickly changing mood.
The low murmuring died down as we stepped into a smaller garden. It was even more luxuriously decorated, and the flowers were more brilliant.
While the others were quietly admiring the variety of rare and expensive plants, I was paying attention to the layout of my surroundings. The importance of knowing all of my options–where I was, and what obstacles I might confront–was ingrained in my mind as a small child by my adventurous yet cautious father.
When we went around the corner, my eyes were on the tall walls in the distance, and I tried to see if there was a gate nearby. At that moment, I felt a sharp shove in my back, and the next thing I knew, I lost my balance and flew forward.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a vicious smirk on Sophia’s face. She’d pushed me! For Goddess's sake, why couldn’t she just leave me alone?!
My face was about to collide with the pavement, and I anticipated the sharp pain I’d feel hitting my nose on the ground. However, that wasn’t my worst problem. My biggest fear was that… hadn’t Beta Xavier just said no noise, no mistakes?
My brain had already started to come up with a plan to explain myself to Beta Xavier.
But… the pain I’d expected never came.
Strong arms came around my waist as my face brushed soft velvet; the scent of pine and morning grass filled my lungs.
Come on, really? Was this some sort of corny romance story where the beautiful heroine bumped into the handsome hero, and he fell in love with her at first sight?
I knew myself well enough. I liked who I was, but I wasn’t that arrogant to think all men would desire me as soon as they saw me. So that kind of old-fashioned trope couldn’t possibly happen to me, right?
“What are you doing?!” the loud voice of Beta Xavier growled at me from behind. He was furious. “How dare you touch him!”
Gasps filled the air and murmuring spread quickly. I heard bits and pieces of words. “She offended… last person I heard… sentenced to death…”
My heart sank. Who on earth was this guy?!
I lifted my gaze. Then I found myself locking eyes with a pair of dark, familiar orbs.
A shudder went through me. That was the same pair of eyes I’d seen so many times in my dreams!
I felt my heart catch in my throat as loud beats pounded against my eardrums.
It was… him!
“Guards!” Xavier yelled, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Take her! Beg your pardon, Your Highness!”
I caught my breath.
Your Highness?
My eyes widened in disbelief.
His strong hand grabbed my upper arm to set me back on my feet. It took all of my strength to rip my gaze away from his eyes.
But how could it be possible? The person who had just helped me, the mysterious young man from my youth… was really Prince Theo?!
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- Writer
