Page 99 of Craved By a Wolf

No.

She was someone else.

Ethyrian had effectively altered her into an entirely different person by using nothing more than a change of outfit and a pair of silver cuffs.

All these years of fighting against people who wanted to change her, clinging to what made her who she was, and now her worst fears had come true. She was no longer Hella. She clenched her fists. No. She was Hella. She was just Hella having a really bad day, one she was going to change as soon as she was able and then she would be back to her old self.

Although she wasn’t sure how to escape this realm, even if she did manage to escape Ethyrian.

If he had kept his promise, he had sealed the borders to MacKinnon and she suspected he had sealed them to her too. She mentally shrugged that off. One step at a time. She would deal with the problem of leaving this realm once she had dealt with Ethyrian.

“There. You are ready.” The mistress stepped back and all three of the women ran envious gazes over her.

Hella rotated left and then right, relieved to see that there were enough layers at the front of her dress to conceal the fact she was sans panties.

The youngest woman bent and slipped highly impractical shoes on Hella’s feet. The flat soles would have been fine if not for the fact the shoes were made of crystal and were cold as ice, and pinched like hell.

“Who am I, Cinderella?” She hitched her skirt and glared at the shoes, and realised something.

They probably weren’t glass.

They shone in the same way her diamond necklace did.

Mother earth, if she did manage to escape, she was taking all of this with her. She could pawn it off and be rich beyond her imagination.

“Come.” The mistress took hold of her arm and led her out of the room, through the palace and down to the ground floor.

Hella swallowed when she saw the towering gold doors ahead of her and tried to settle her racing heart. She checked her cuff again, making sure her hidden dagger was still in place. Sickness brewed in her stomach, but she had to do this.

Ethyrian would keep his word.

She hoped.

The doors opened, the classical music growing louder as they parted, and she fought the momentary urge to turn and bolt as fast as she could in the other direction as she stared at Ethyrian where he waited at the end of the aisle.

He stood in the middle of the dais, cutting a fine figure in a white tunic jacket that reached mid-thigh and had turquoise detailing on it, and matching dark teal trousers that hugged his legs, together with polished black and gold knee-high riding boots. His long blond hair had been drawn back behind his shoulders, and his crown was in place, the knotted band of gold bright in the candlelight.

He was handsome, but he was no MacKinnon.

Those striking blue eyes she had once admired were nothing compared to her wolf’s silver ones that told her everything he was feeling. Had he really betrayed her? Or had Godiva somehow worked a spell on him that she hadn’t been able to detect? It wasn’t like her to miss something like that, not when she had worked to be the best witch there was, one not easily fooled by a spell, but then she had been an emotional wreck. Focusing through the pain had been difficult and there was a chance, albeit a slight one since shewasthe best witch out there, that she had failed to detect a concealment spell.

She sighed and told herself that there was little point regretting her actions now.

Her future stood before her and she had made her decision, one that would hopefully keep MacKinnon safe.

Heads turned towards her, murmured comments lost on her as she gathered her courage.

And took her first step forwards.

Towards her doom.

The harem left her at the doors and as little as she liked them, being left to walk the entire length of the aisle alone was so daunting that she wished at least one of them had stayed with her. Everyone gawped at her as she passed them and she tilted her head up, squared her shoulders and clung to the tattered shreds of her courage.

Trying to look like a queen.

Failing dismally judging by a few looks she received from finely dressed women.

An electric shiver chased down her spine, lighting her up inside.

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