Loving The Wrong Alpha.

Taboo.

“Nope!” I shook my head.

He smiled.

“You are pretty handsome, Griffith.” I love teasing him with his cheeks being so red; it’s adorable.

“And you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Rowena,” he uttered lovingly with a smile.

I grinned happily and rested my forehead on his. “Thank you, Griffith.” I murmured as my heart swelled with so much excitement and pride.

A couple of minutes of lying down in the grass and cuddling with each other in our warmth passed.

I lifted my head, took hold of his face, parted my lips, and kissed him like the guard was doing with a maid in the kitchen, and it felt pleasant.

I knew it would feel good. His lips were so soft and warm, I couldn’t stop sucking on them.

For the next few minutes, it was what we were both doing.

I then raised one of my legs up and wrapped it around his waist. It felt like paradise to kiss my brother on the grass inside the garden.

He hugged me and rubbed my neck with his hand as he laid me down on the fluffy grass and pulled away from me.

“Rowena. Who taught you how to kiss?”

He looked surprised with his flushed cheeks which were bright red like tomatoes.

I bit my lower lip playfully and covered my face with both hands out of embarrassment.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

My mother's furious voice rang through the garden, causing both Griffith and me to jerk apart in shock.

“What on earth are you doing with Princess Rowena?” she screamed, the veins in her neck bulging with rage.

Before I could answer, she stormed toward me and struck me hard across the face. The force of the slap sent a sharp sting through my cheek.

“Do you have any idea what atrocity you've committed?”

“Mom…” I cried, tears filling my eyes.

Ignoring me, she turned to Griffith and slapped him just as harshly.

“I never want to see you near my daughter again, you monster!” she shouted.

Without giving either of us a chance to explain, she grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the garden.

“Griffith!” I screamed through my tears. “Help me!”

Griffith immediately ran after us, demanding that our mother let me go. But before he could reach me, the guards stepped in and restrained him.

“Rowena!” he shouted, struggling against their hold.

My mother's grip tightened as she pulled me farther away. Instead of taking me back to my chambers, she led me deep into the palace and toward one of its ancient towers.

Everyone knew the stories surrounding the towers. The maids often whispered frightening tales about them, stories of restless spirits, strange noises in the darkness, and ghosts that wandered the halls at night.

My mother shoved open the door and threw me onto the cold stone floor.

The moment I landed, terror washed over me. I knew exactly where I was.

The tower. The place I feared most.

“Mom, no!” I cried, shaking my head as panic seized me.

I rushed toward her, but she stepped outside and slammed the door shut before I could reach her.

“Mom, let me out!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, pounding my fists against the heavy wooden door.

No one answered.

I knew the guards were outside. I knew my maids were there too. They had to be. Yet no matter how hard I cried or begged, they ignored me and left me alone.

Tears streamed down my face as terror tightened around my chest.

“Mom, I won't do it again!” I sobbed. “I'm sorry! Please let me out of here!”

My voice trembled as I pressed my hands against the door.

“There are ghosts in here. I don't want to die. I promise I won't kiss Griffith again. It was just a mistake. Please, Mom, I'm begging you. Let me go.”

Dread crawled down my spine.

I was too frightened to look behind me. Every shadow seemed alive, and I feared that if I turned around, I would see one of the ghosts the maids always talked about.

“Please, Mom,” I whispered between sobs. “Please let me out.”

My entire body shook uncontrollably.

More than anything, I wanted to wake up and discover that this was all a horrible nightmare. I wanted to be back in the garden, laughing with Griffith as though none of this had happened.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be alone.

Most of all, I didn't want to be without Griffith.

I was going to die.

My mother should never have left me in this place. I didn’t even know how to defend myself. Why would she abandon me here?

I cried until I had no strength left. Exhausted from grief, I collapsed onto the cold floor and curled into a tight ball, my face swollen from endless tears.

I was only a child. I knew nothing about kisses. I shouldn’t have kissed Griffith. I didn’t know what had come over me, nor could I explain the strange feelings I had felt. I had simply been affected by his pheromones and didn’t understand what was happening.

A week earlier, I had seen a guard kiss a maid in the kitchen. I thought it was something good, something normal. I never knew it was wrong.

Please, Mom, let me out. I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll never kiss Griffith again. Eventually, I cried myself to sleep. The moment I woke up, reality came crashing back. I remembered where I was and rushed to the door in my red gown, pounding against it with all my strength.

“Let me out!”

Desperate, I shifted my hands into claws and scratched at the door. When that failed, I roared and searched the room for another way to escape.

There was none.

I hurried to the window and looked outside, hoping to see Griffith. He wasn’t there.

Taking a deep breath, I screamed his name. What I didn’t realize was that the door behind me had opened.

“Rowena!”

Griffith suddenly burst into the garden below, and our eyes met. For a brief moment, hope filled my heart.

Then someone violently yanked me away from the window as if I were a dog on a leash.

“ROWENA!” Griffith shouted in panic.

I couldn’t answer.