Chapter 7: +Chapter 7+

The car went in through high intimidating gates to reveal a sprawling lawn that was spread over so many acres, a dominating mansion standing behind it, it’s large form blocking off the sunlight.

Mari had tried to calm herself down somewhat, replaying King Lucien’s words in her head over and over again helped more than anything else.

She came to the conclusion that she would bide her time and wait to see what would happen and the moment it was confirmed that she was in danger, she would immediately put all her energy into escaping. She had gone through so much for her to accept being labeled a witch and killed, she would flee the continent if she had to.

King Kade was already out of the car the moment it rolled to a stop, Lucien doing the same but at least having the presence of mind to hold open the door for Mari, a polite smile on his face.

Mari stepped out of the car, very self-conscious. She had only seen the palace in newspapers and on the internet, and those pictures she had seen could not completely encompass the magnificence of the building in person.

She clutched King Lucien’s coat tighter around her although it was already well into the afternoon and it wasn’t at all cold. She was just very intimidated, aware that every guard on the property was boring holes into her from how hard they were staring.

She was also overwhelmed. From the moment she had woken up, she had been surrounded by people without being given even a moment to take a deep breath. She couldn’t wait for the questioning to be over so she could leave.

King Lucien led the way into the palace, King Kade coming behind Mari while keeping a reasonable distance between them. Mari kept her eyes down, hoping that her awful day would come to an end very soon.

The beautifully decorated marble floors of the wide foyer kept her attention as they walked over it to walk up the stairs. Mari had never been in a place such as this before so she couldn’t help but sneak glances at the expensive interior decor.

Just as they were about to start up the stairs, a sharp voice from the top of the stairs cut through the airy room, seeming to rebound off the high arched ceilings.

“I didn’t know we were having guests, Lucien,” A cold calculating voice came from the beautiful werewolf standing at the top of the stairs.

She was a gorgeous blonde dressed in an elegant black dress that was reserved for celebrities who had their perfect faces covering magazines and media tabloids. She directed a disdainful look at Mari while she spoke, her beautiful features unwelcoming.

Lady Aubrey Lister was a childhood friend of Lucien, she came from a prominent old family which dated back to when packs were still prevalent and the Kingdoms weren’t created yet.

Lucien didn’t slow down, “There’s no we, and I’m currently busy so leave.” He said coldly brushing past her.

Mari felt a shiver permeate through her when the lady turned her cruel gray eyes on her, although she had no idea what was going on, she felt very guilty.

Aubrey on the other hand felt jealousy spike in her veins, she had always prided herself in being the only lady that Lucien had brought back to his palace, she wasn’t impressed by that lowlife that dragged the position with her.

Not to mention, Lucien hadn’t spoken to her that coldly before and she knew it was all because of the filthy commoner that had the audacity to wear Lucien’s clothes. Aubrey knew when to back away though, King Lucien wasn’t someone you could use force on, she had to bide her time and make plans, and most importantly, get more information on the strange werewolf.

She was jolted out of her scheming thoughts by King Kade staring her down as he walked past her on the stairs. Aubrey’s eyes went wide with guilt, she didn’t know why but it felt like the King of the North could see right through to her thoughts.

Lucien led the way to the south wing of the palace where his rooms were located, he had no idea why he had been so abrasive towards Aubrey, she was always like that, clingy and obsessive although there was nothing in between them.

Lucien usually had no issues with that but today, he had felt the need to clarify that there was nothing between them, it was very out of character for him.

He stopped in front of a door at the start of a hallway with high arched ceilings and gold-trimmed red carpets on the floor, pushing open the door.

“I understand that you need to freshen up and eat something before you can answer my questions, maids will be by to attend to you.” He said with a polite smile on his handsome face gesturing Mari forward.

Mari’s eyes went wide, she wasn’t expecting to be treated like an actual guest, and without thinking her actions through, she took off the coat that King Lucien had given to her to offer it back to him. “T-Thank you, Your Highness.”

Lucien’s gaze dropped to the witch’s slender waist and curved hips barely covered by the sheer nightdress she had on, his jaw hardening. He silently took back his coat and walked off, half wishing that the witch had decided to keep his clothes on.

His gaze darkened when he noticed King Kade trailing after him, the sound of a door shutting right behind them. “Don’t you have better things to do?” He asked coldly.

Kade didn’t humor him with a response, Lucien couldn’t kick him out and unless another witch popped up, he wasn’t leaving so soon.

Lucien relented, knowing that if he were in Kade’s shoes, he would do the exact same thing, perhaps worse. He stopped at another guest room right beside his, “You can stay here for as long as you like,” He offered with a grimace, clearly unhappy about the other King’s presence.