**3rd Person POV**
His question had been answered when Irvette herself asked. Lady Tristan's response surprised him a bit. She had said, “He told me you were his prisoner. I came to see if you were suffering but you are not suffering enough.”
“Lady Tri…”
“Do not address me with those filthy lips of yours, goodbye. I hope you rot here for the rest of your miserable life.”
She signalled that she was done talking with Irvette and Ashton had to blindfold her and walk her out of his prison hold. There were things in there that he could not allow Lady Tristan's eyes to see.
“I have nothing to trade for that dump,” said Lady Tristan once his servant, Rosaline, had taken off her blindfold.
“You do realise that I can…”
“You idiot, if you attempt to do anything silly to me I will ensure you never use those things in between your legs again. I hear you have quite the reputation among women,” Lady Tristan’s tone had been firm and had managed to send a chill over his body.
“You can do nothing you old woman, nobody even knows you're here,” Ashton had responded to her threat.
She said nothing but smiled at him and in that very moment he felt a limpness he had never felt before. Without being told, he knew he had lost sensation there.
“You will be able to use it once I am safe in my bed at home and if you decide it's not that useful, you've got four limbs, I'll decide which one to take away next,” she had said.
Ashton understood the threat. He had not known that Lady Tristan was one to dabble in magic or had magical powers. He was not willing to test the limit of her strength so he had let her go.
However, this was another opportunity and Irvette's value had grown.
Already, without saying what he had in mind to propose, the other werewolves looked tense.
He saw that Charlotte was about to say something but her mother stopped her by holding her hand. He stood there patiently waiting for someone to say something.
“Prince Harlin, how would you like to have a…”
“What could you possibly offer my godson? He has everything already,” replied Queen Emily.
“He doesn't have his aunt Irene, oops! I believe that was meant to remain a secret,” said Ashton as he watched the reaction on Harlin's face.
There was nothing. It was as though he knew this already.
“Aunt Irene was very ill when I left the pack. I knew she did not have much time left,” replied Prince Harlin.
Emily and Regina looked at him with sad eyes. Irene had died so young.
“Honey, we did not mean to hide this from you, we…”
“It's alright, mother. I know you were only trying to protect me,” Harlin had an understanding smile on his lips.
“You've done enough, Prince Ashton. I kindly ask that you leave my palace at once,” King Armand was doing his best to rein in his anger but it was becoming an increasingly difficult thing to do.
“Mother? Is that what you call Emily?” Ashton continued to ignore King Armand.
“What my godson calls me is none of your business. King Armand, may I suggest that you call your guards to take this nuisance away? I believe I speak for everyone when I say, we just want to enjoy our meal in peace,” said Emily.
“I will leave after I ask Harlin this, how about your real mother in exchange for my servant who you are keeping from me.”
****
Rosaline shook in fear.
She could not get over Ashton's cynical smile and blood-red eyes when he caught her in Charlotte's room. It so happened that although Charlotte had agreed to help her in exchange for information, she'd had nowhere safe to keep her. The only place they had concluded was safe was Charlotte's personal room.
So Charlotte had agreed to let her stay there. She had opened up to the she-wolf about the reason she was no longer with Ashton. Charlotte believed her only because she had agreed to a blood oath to say only the truth. If she lied about any matter to Charlotte, she would lose her sanity.
But who knew that Ashton had no respect for anyone's privacy? He had gone about sniffing the long corridor, looking for what guest room had her scent and he had found Charlotte's room.
He had knocked the guard in front of the room unconscious and had opened the door without even so much as a knock. She had been beyond surprise to see him standing in the middle of the room.
“Hide and seek is over,” his voice had sounded scratchy, adding to the overall unpleasantness of her former master.
It was a miracle that she had been able to leave the room at all. She could not remember how she had done it, all she knew was that she bolted, she ran for her dear life.
Ashton had been confident that he would catch her, so he had not followed after her at once. By the time he'd left Charlotte's room, he could not see her in the corridor.
Now, Rosaline sat across from this big werewolf who called himself Alpha Dagen and assured her that she was safe but she had to provide them with some information. Only she knew that she wasn't safe. She knew too many of Ashton's secrets and was certain that until Ashton had ensured he had snuffed the life out of her, he was not going to give up looking for her. She knew that by now, he would have figured out that she had escaped and he would be desperately looking for her now.
“Your safety was exchanged for good information,” the werewolf said to her.
She would have smiled but the terror that enveloped her body would not permit her to. She had known all along that her safety had been conditional and it seemed like the werewolves were wasting no time to call in their favours.