Chapter Twelve
1149 Words
"The dance is over," Ronan whispered, but the warmth in his eyes instantly left and replaced with a dead serious look.
His eyes scanning toward the side exits.
"Aldric is moving. You need to vanish, now."
"Corvin is shaken up and confused," i said as my heart was pounding against my ribs. "He’s going to do something reckless."
"Let him," Ronan said. His hand lingered on mine for a heartbeat showing he care, before he pushed me hard toward the service corridor.
"Go back to the quarters. Lock the door. I will handle the mess. Whatever comes next will be settled, just be safe for me."
I didn't argue. I simply blended into the crowd of servants the moment Aldric stepped down from the dais, his deep, roaring voice echoing over the fading music.
I slipped through the heavy door, the chill of the dim stone hallways hitting me the moment I reached the servant's quarters.
The silence here was heavy, completely different compared to the roar and loud noise of the Great Hall.
I tore the suffocating veil from my face, gasping for the cool, damp air.
I satisfyingly breathed deep, i had done it. I had turned their own greed against them.
But as I rushed down the hallway toward safety, a sudden grip clamped over my mouth from behind. Before I could breathe, I was slammed hard against the stone wall.
All I could perceive was the scent of cheap wine and expensive cologne.
"I knew that voice sounded familiar," Corvin hissed into my ear, his eyes was wild with a mixture of terror and realization as he stared at my exposed face. "Devlin!"
Corvin’s grip was so desperate, his fingers were literally sweating as he gripped my jaw so hard, his fingers dug into my skin with a strength born entirely of panic.
He was breathing heavily, the scent of stale wine rolling off him and hitting me in waves.
In the dim light of the servant's corridor, his eyes were wide, bloodshot, and fractured with terror.
"Devlin," he breathed again angrily, the name a jagged hiss between his clenched teeth. "You're supposed to be dead. I saw the auction ledger. I saw—"
"You saw what you wanted to see, Corvin," I mumbled against his palm, My voice was muffled against his hand, but I packed it with as much pure venom as i could.
He didn't let go. Instead, he slammed me harder against the stone wall, the rough stone digging through the fabric of my gown and into my skin.
"You played me in the hall just now. It was actually you under the veil. You are the one who told me the Thorneclaws were giving away the Edevane borders!"
"I told you the truth about what kind of monsters you're dealing with, I just wanted you to be careful," I lied smoothly, forcing my breathing to slow down.
Panic would get me killed; I have to focus on what would keep me alive.
"Wren and Aldric are just using you. The moment your father signs that treaty, the human chiefdoms will become nothing more than a buffet line for the northern packs, very low that they will automatically become their prey. You know I'm right. Didn't you see her face when you confronted her."
Hesitation flashed across his face instantly, A flash of doubt made him shink back to how I've always known him to be insecure.
Corvin was a boy playing at a man's game, completely outmatched by the wolves surrounding him.
"It doesn't matter," he snarled, his arrogance returning like a shield.
"You’re a runaway slave, Devlin. If I scream right now, Alpha Aldric will have your head on a spike before the music even stops. Or maybe I'll just even hand you over to Wren myself, Imagine what the Alpha's daughter will do to the little human maid who tried to ruin her marriage alliance."
He leaned in closer, whispering in my ear with a sick, dirty possessive whisper.
"Unless you make this right. Since you're close to Ronan—I've seen the way that rogue Alpha looks at you. You have to bring me those border deeds, or I give you to them."
I looked into the eyes of the boy who had sold me into chains for a crown he hadn't even inherited yet.
For months, the pain of his betrayal had been in my memory, hurting my heart for months.
But looking at him now, right here under the shadow of Vael Keep, he didn't even look like a future Chief at all.
He looked so pathetic.
"You really haven't learned anything, have you?" I whispered.
"I didn't wait for my words to sink in. I just moved, making no effort to break free from his hold."
He didn't have time to process my words before I moved, making no effort to break free from his grip.
Instead, I leaned into it, reaching up with my right hand as if to claw at his face.
But my fingers didn't target his eyes.
They slid straight into the thick curls of my hair, tangling in the cold, sharp steel of the heavy hairpin Ronan had given me weeks ago.
I suddenly, swung the metal violently and slammed it straight into the arm of Corvin.
He screamed in agony and pain and then let go of my mouth, stumbling backward. He began to bleed black blood, staining his expensive sleeve.
He held his arm, staring at me, completely in shock.
"You savage little—"
"You better be quiet, future Chief," I cut in, stepping closer to press the b****y pin against his throat.
I spoke without a trace of fear, my voice was pure ice, cutting straight through the space between us.
"You think you're safe because you're a diplomat? Look around you. This is a fortress of wolves. If Aldric finds out you're bringing human drama into his Great Hall, he won't stop at killing me. He'll rip you apart just to keep the peace."
Corvin flattened himself against the opposite wall, his skin turning a stark, bloodless white, very pale.
He looked down at his bleeding arm, then up at me, finally seeing the truth: the girl he had sold to the auction block was long gone, and never coming back.
"You're insane," he stammered, his voice trembling. "They're going to kill you anyway."
"Then fine, I have absolutely nothing to lose," I said, taking another step closer, With the steel pin just resting inches from his jugular, he didn't dare breathe.
"Get out of this corridor, Corvin. Wash your arm, and go back to the banquet, but pray I don't decide to tell Ronan exactly who put me in those chains, rubbish!"
- Writer
