Page 39 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
Regan growls, his aura slipping out and challenging his father.I suddenly feel lightheaded under the oppressiveness of them.The room spins, and my vision blurs.What’s happening to me?
“You don’t know, do you?You went against your brother because instinct told you to.Maybe instead of questioning my choices, question your own and the meaning behind them.”
Regan shakes his head, and I suddenly see two of them across from me.My breathing grows harsher, and I barely catch myself before headbutting the table.
“Zirah!”Shelley shrieks, and her panicked voice brings everyone’s attention to me.Their auras drop, along with the sickening feeling inside me.The runes on my arms and spine burn fiercely, and then it stops.
Hands clutch my arms, and as I shake the feeling off, Regan and Lyon suddenly stand.
Their father purses his lips.“Interesting,” he says, then turns to walk out of the room, leaving us staring after him.
“You didn’t eat last night or this morning.When was your last meal?”Shelley gushes, waving down another servant.
“I’m fine.”I shrug her off.
“When did you last eat?”Regan demands, and I lift my gaze to him.
“Why do you care?”I snap.
“Because I am not carrying you home if you faint in town, now answer the question!”he bellows.I roll my eyes and try to think.I know it was before I came here.
Granny and I hadn’t done much hunting as she was unwell from casting, so maybe a couple of days before that.So I can’t be sure.
“I can’t remember.”
“Feed her.We leave in an hour.”King Regan stalks out of the room with Lyon jogging to catch up.
One of the servants quickly serves me juice and eggs on toast.Shelley hovers, refusing to let me leave until she has watched me eat every crumb.
“I’m fine!”I assure her as she hands me an apple.I still take it, tapping my leg.Hunter slowly gets to his feet and stretches.I watch him.He’s been off since he woke up, almost depressed.“Hunter, come on, boy.”He wags his tail, moving to keep up as Shelley leads me back to my room.Once we are inside, she locks the door and turns to me.Reaching into the pockets of her apron, she pulls out a key.
Grabbing some decent clothes and removing the robe, I pull on a long sleeve blouse and one of the skirts.I have to roll it to keep it on my hips.This one is a lot lighter than the others.
“This key is to the back entrance behind the stables.It is heavily guarded, but shifts change at midnight, and it is left unmanned for approximately ten minutes, but there are still cameras and alarms,” she tells me.Walking over to the bed, she grabs the corner of the mattress by the bedside table and slips it on the bed base before dropping the mattress and tucking in the bed linen.
“So I have not only ten minutes to escape, but have to somehow hide from the cameras and not trip any alarms?”
“No, before I leave, I plan on getting into the surveillance room.I will set them on a timer and shut them off for twenty minutes.But listen to me, Zirah, this is vital.Head west, follow the path, and don’t stray from it!Do not run into the North Forest, that will lead you into enemy territory.”
“Follow a path, wouldn’t it be under surveillance?”
Shelley nods.“Yes, but you have ten minutes, follow it to the drains.They will lead you outside the kingdom borders back toward the mountains.If you can get to those mountains and to the neighboring towns, you’ll get out unnoticed,” she tells me.
I chew my lip and nod before looking down at Hunter, knowing I can’t take him.“When?”I ask her.
“In two nights from now, Zeke is your best shot.He’s a terrible alcoholic and is usually passed out by then.”
“Why not tonight?”
“Because tonight the king leaves, and the king is ordering someone to be stationed at your door until you are under one of his sons’ care.”I sigh.This is a mess, and I am not looking forward to spending a night with Regan tomorrow.
“Here, the king told me to give you this,” she tells me, reaching into her pocket and pulling a plastic card out.She hands it to me and then gives me a small purse full of gold coins.I hold the card up, having never seen it before.Turning it over, it has a stripe along the back and numbers on the front.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
Shelley purses her lips.“Maybe just use the coins,” she says, taking it and tucking it inside the purse.
“There is enough gold in there that you could buy whatever you want anyway, and I don’t have enough time to teach you how to use it.Maybe ask King Regan,” she suggests.I raise an eyebrow at her.
