Claiming my rogue princess

Chapter 14

The secret spy

The doors of Bloodbone Hall creaked open just as the first rays of dawn brushed the horizon. Hugo sat at the long table, with a goblet of dark wine in his hand though the night had not yet faded from the sky. His eyes, sharp as iron, lifted when the spy strode in.

The man fell to one knee, with his head bowed low. “My Alpha. I bring news.”

“Speak,” Hugo commanded, his voice echoing through the hall.

The spy lifted his head. “The Shadow Princess… She has built herself a cabin in the mountains. I followed her brother last night and found it. She goes there often, and I think that's where she hides.”

Hugo leaned forward, lips curving. “A cabin… the daughter of Draco slipping away from her palace bed like a thief? How delicious. I said it, her father was protecting her.”

“She met her brother there,” the spy continued. “They argued, but she begged him not to reveal the place to their father. And he swore silence.”

A low chuckle escaped Hugo’s throat. He swirled the wine, watching the liquid twist like blood. “Secrets, Shadow pack always keep secrets. And secrets make chains stronger than steel.”

The spy bowed again. “What shall I do, my Alpha?”

“Watch her,” Hugo ordered. “Do not touch her, at least not yet. And I want proof, not some uncertain whispers. If she hides more than herself, I will tear her apart at the perfect moment. And when I reveal it, her father will have no choice but to place her in my hands.”

His eyes gleamed, with cruelty and brightness. “Draco will also be stripped of his position and a participant in treason and the entire pack will be forced to bow under my rule as a result of the shame their Alpha carries.”

Back in the Shadow Palace, morning spilled through tall windows of the council chamber. Alpha Draco sat at the head of the carved stone table, his face looking pale with sleeplessness. His hand tapped against the armrest as if every beat counted the weight of his worries.

Karen stood before him, head bowed.

“Your sister troubles me,” Draco said. “She just disappeared like smoke. I understand it is too much to handle but we were left with no other choice. And who knows where she is hiding again?”

Karen’s face frowned. “She needs space, Father. You know she was never like this. And I'm very sure she will come around when things softens.”

Draco’s eyes narrowed. “Freedom is a word for fools. A daughter of Shadow Pack cannot vanish into the night like a common rogue. She carries my blood, my name. If she dares dishonor me…”

“She would never,” Karen cut in, his tone firm though his heart pounded. “Aria is loyal, and you've raised her to be strong. Do not question what you taught her.”

The Alpha’s stare burned into him, long and heavy. “You defend her too quickly.”

Karen forced a steady breath. “Because she is my sister, and also without her, this house would have fallen long ago.”

Draco leaned back, in silence. For a moment, the hall seemed to tremble with unspoken truths. Then he waved his hand. “Go. But watch her. If she strays, or brings ruin upon us, you will answer for her.”

Karen bowed and left, his stomach twisted. He had sworn to Aria he would protect her secret, yet now his father’s suspicions grew sharper each day. How much longer could he shield her?

Deep in the mountains, Aria sat outside her cabin, the morning chill biting her skin. She wrapped her coat around her, but the cold was not what made her shiver.

Her wolf stirred uneasily. Every rustle in the branches, every shift of wind carried a warning. She lifted her gaze to the treeline, and to be certain she was not alone.

“Who is there?” she whispered, though no voice answered.

Her hand brushed the dagger at her side. She stood quietly for a minute and nothing moved.

Her chest rose and fell in quick breaths. She shook her head “It is nothing, just fear.”

But her wolf declined. It clawed at her insides, terrified, and snarling.

Back in Bloodbone Hall, Hugo rose from his chair and stepped onto the balcony that overlooked his land. Warriors trained below, their cries were intense, as their blades flashed in the sun. He lifted his arms wide, drinking in the sight of his empire.

One day soon, Shadow Pack would kneel under the same sun.

He turned to the spy at his side. “Spread word to the council that I will demand an audience with Draco. Tell them I bring proof that his daughter dishonors her pack. When I reveal it, he will have no choice but to yield her.”

The spy bowed low. “As you command.”

Hugo smiled to himself, his teeth glinted. “Let the girl hide, and let her dream she is free. But soon the cage will close around her, and she will learn that every step she took in secret was only leading her closer to me.”

In her cabin, Aria whispered into the still air, as if the trees themselves might hear. “I cannot run forever. If they discover me… what then?”

Her wolf pressed against her chest, and for a brief moment she felt it again…the faint pull, the bond that stretched toward the one she longed for but could not have.

Her eyes closed, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

Far above, hidden in the branches, the spy crouched in silence, watching her every move. His smile was cold as stone.

That night, Hugo stood in his hall once more, a map of the Shadow lands spread before him. He traced his finger along the border, his eyes narrowing.

“Soon,” he murmured. “Soon the little princess will be mine, and her father will thank me for it.”