Chapter Twenty
Laura sipped her drink. It was a beautiful shade of rose, no less exquisite than the banquet hall they’d moved to–to dine in.
Her eyes roved, choosing to avoid the hate-filled glares of the other candidates–who now viewed her as a threat thanks to a thick-skulled prince who couldn’t leave things alone..or read a room–given the burning gaze of amber on her person. How was she expected to act like a wallflower? He was ruining her night–*granted it was already shitty*.
She barely resisted hissing in his direction.
*Sigh.*
Her gums still itched. She raked her tongue over the throbbing areas while doing her best to divert her attention elsewhere.
The dining room was grand, though the number of bodies as current occupants made it cozy. The walls were a light hue and lined with a complementing array of flowering plants–serving to dull the heavy scent cloud of shifters. The giant long table was thick, laden with years of use yet obviously well cared for. The chairs they were seated in more so resembled small loveseats, the wooden frame coming just below Laura’s shoulder. Though the velvet material made her sweat with the effort to preserve its pure state, she didn’t have any other complaints…
“Oh my gosh! That is hilarious, your Highness!” Laura’s gaze slanted to the obnoxious sound coming from the center of the table, Sophia snorting loudly. *Corrected*.
The king and queen excused themselves just in time to miss it. Laura had intentions to follow, ready to bring her kidnapping case to their attention and push for a priority investigation..but watching Sophia shit herself was far more tantalizing at the moment.
She could waste another five minutes first.
Sophia cackled on like the airhead she was, each look of disgust and annoyance thrown at her by the other candidates was a satisfying sight for Laura. The glittering prince couldn’t even cover his disgust, though his reaction was a milder clenched jaw.
Laura sipped her drink, watching the beautiful chaos as Sophia commentated on her life at large, keeping Rowan’s attention due to her volume alone. Laura licked her gums.
*What a joke*.
She really worked the drunk angle. Considering a shifter’s metabolism burned eight times faster than a healthy adult human man, there was no way the whore was drunk after two glasses. It was still entertaining, nonetheless.
***
*Fucking hell*…
She was drunk after a glass and a half. Laura had a moment of clarity when she accidentally sliced her thumb on the knife that she was attempting to carefully cut a piece of cake. She looked around, realizing everyone else was just as fucked up.
She blinked. *Hard*.
It didn’t help. It only made the flowers in the room spin. The temperature seemed to rise as well.
She watched the blood drip from her finger, each splash forming a smiley face.
And they were *Laughing*.
She reached for her glass, opening her senses fully before taking a deep whiff.
It took all of her remaining brain power converging, to stifle the growl in her chest.
She *really* hated being drugged.
Her glare turned to Prince Rowan. But, her glare couldn’t be considered a glare anymore as she held her breath. A *golden* fucking *halo*, sat neatly perched over the prince, who was locked in mid-conversation with the egg beside him.
*Egg?* Laura’s face contorted as her eyes dilated.
Its shell cracked to reveal the overblown face of that flamboyant friend of the prince.
Laura shook her head, knowing it would only get worse before it got better.
She glanced back at Rowan, still speaking to his blonde friend, quickly regretting the fast action as things began to spin. Just the thought of him made her hotter, her breathing more labored.
Her gums *burned*.
She needed to leave. She didn’t bother excusing herself like the others before her.
Standing wasn’t too difficult, nor was running, as she barreled her way out of the room. Sprinting at a slightly inhuman pace, Laura dodged what was fast becoming a ticket to la la land.
She bit her hand, the pain bringing focus to her blind rampage.
Having lost her shoes somewhere along the way, her bare feet dug into the dirt as she came to an abrupt stop, nearly slamming into a tree at the edge of the forest.
Laura twisted around, seeing the lights of the castle in the near distance.
*Shit*.
She’d really run straight for the forest. It seemed her body was capable without her consciousness.
She panted, bending to catch her breath as she fought nausea, fire licking her organs from the inside. Not only did her gums tingle now, but her lips, with each stroke of her tongue, felt alive with greater sensitivity than she was ever used to.
She should give in to the change, and finally allow her other form to breathe.
But that would only solve half the problem now.
Laura leaned against a tree, her hair sticking with sweat to any exposed skin, as she delicately stripped her gown, moving a few meters into the tree line to stash it safely.
She flinched.
A distant howl pierced the night.
Panic forced her to bear the pain of a fast shift, her gums exploding as her body ripped apart only to come back together in a stronger form, before she flew through annoyingly thick foliage, praying the dark canopy was enough to shield the sight of purple fur.
She was in heat.
***
“Allowance suspended.”
He didn’t need to look at the culprit to see his grin. “And you’re grounded.”
“Isn’t this much funner, though? They’re sharing their true nature.”
Rowan slit his eyes then, to the blond male beside him, ready to slap his idiotic brain from the back of his head. Rowan’s world tilted a little instead, the red-headed woman beside him latching onto his forearm, and saving Finn from the immediate consequences of his actions.
She bubbled with laughter, her pupils dilating almost completely to the edge of her green irises.
“Your Highness, I–”
Her laugh turned liquid with the purge of her dinner.
“Fix your mess.” He turned to Finn, who stared in abject horror, rapidly taking an ill shade himself.
Rowan bared his teeth, inhaling to release a threatening growl–alternatively coming through with a confused yelp.
He inhaled again, the pit of his stomach stirring for a different reason.
He scented her. Much stronger than the first time as her fragrance wrapped around his senses, pulling him in its direction.
He rose abruptly, excusing himself, his pace resolute as he ignored the calls of Finn and the handful of women focused enough to notice. Her trail grew stronger the instant the door shut behind him.
He took off running. The path he followed through the castle seemed intentionally unpopulated. He realized why when he hit open air in the back garden, letting the change rip through him. His clothes shredded from his body as he landed on all fours, spraying dirt as he cleared the tall hedges.
He bolted into the tree line, a howl building deep in his chest.
She was in heat.
And she had a good mile or so as a head start.
He split through the forest, deterring only to dodge trees and leap over logs, her intoxicating scent guiding him.
*Why is she running into the forest?*
Her heat should be driving her toward him–not away.
It seemed his mate was hell-bent on hiding from him...
*Good*. He was just as determined to find her.