Chapter 150 Danger or Not?
Kira's POV
I didn’t know whether to feel excited or straight-up terrified about being in this room with Adrian.
The massive four-poster bed, the heavy velvet curtains, the faint scent of pine and something warmer that was definitely him…it all screamed “eternal love” in a way that made my stomach flip.
But calm? Nah. Not even a little…more like anticipating what could come next. His words from earlier still hung in the air like a warning: “What could happen tonight…”
I swallowed hard and tried to push the thought away.
Victoria had helped me settle in just minutes ago.
She’d fluffed the pillows, unpacked our bag with way more care than I deserved, and kept chatting the whole time like we were old friends instead of… well, whatever we used to be.
When she finished, she’d hugged me quick and tight.
“Your highness, I can’t thank you enough for dragging me on this trip,” she’d said, eyes shining. “If it wasn’t for you, I never would’ve found my mate. Never.”
Her voice had cracked a bit. “I pledge my loyalty to you. For real this time. Not because I have to…because I want to.”
I’d just nodded, feeling a weird warmth spread through my chest.
It felt… nice. Really nice. But the truth sat heavy in my gut… I’d made her my personal maid back then as payback for all the years she and her crew had bullied Abby.
Who knew that punishment would turn into actual friendship? Life was weird like that.
She’d rushed out right after, practically bouncing on her toes. “I have to introduce my mate to my father before he explodes out of curiosity. See you later, princess.”
And just like that, she was gone, leaving me alone in the quiet.
I let out a long breath and walked over to the tall window.
The glass was cool under my fingers as I pushed it open. Fresh night air rushed in, carrying the smell of the forest and distant rain. It should’ve calmed me. Instead, my mind drifted straight to Adrian.
He’d changed on this trip. Not in some big, obvious way, but little things. The way he looked at me now…like he was actually seeing me. The protectiveness that flared up whenever anyone got too close. Even the way he smiled sometimes, small and real, not the confused alpha mask he used to wear and definitely not the scheming vibe I felt from him before the trip.
The whole switch… It messed with my head.
Should I let him in fully? Should I not?
I leaned against the windowsill, staring out at the dark trees. Should I still stick to my plan? Leave someday, disappear once everything’s settled? Or… just let things be?
The question made my chest tighten. Because letting things be meant staying. Meant accepting whatever this pull between us was turning into. And that scared me more than any fight ever had.
Then my thoughts slid to Abby, and guilt hit like a punch.
Would she be happy seeing how things were between Adrian and me right now? He was supposed to be hers.
Rightfully hers. The bond, the title, the electric feeling, everything. I was just… the stand-in. The revenge tool that had gotten way too close to the fire.
Will she be in support of this? That I was giving her body to the same man that bullied her in the past?
I rubbed my temples. My original mission had been simple…make every single one of Abby’s bullies pay. Slowly. Painfully.
I’d barely scratched the surface. And her parents…those cowards had slipped out of the palace without me even noticing.
The assholes who sold their own daughter, abandoned her, never truly accepted her because she was more beautiful than her mother.
The rage simmered low in my belly just thinking about it. I’d drag them back. I’d make sure they regretted every single day they’d left her behind and treated her like trash.
But first, I had my mother’s company secured. That victory still tasted sweet. Those vipers who’d tried to bleed it dry were scrambling now, and I planned to finish what I started. Destroy them the way they’d destroyed my mom and I.
A soft voice cut through the chaos in my head… Leah. She sounded calmer than I felt.
‘Take it easy on yourself,’ Kira. ‘You still have time. Abby won’t mind. She’d want you to be happy too. It's your life after all now. That was her fate to make way for you.’
I almost smiled. Leah had been my steady rock through everything since she showed up…the quiet bestie inside me that kept me from spiraling completely.
‘Easy for you to say,’ I thought back. ‘You’re not the one tangled up with a king who’s probably downstairs plotting something intense right now. Have you forgotten that I told you he has a mistress and a child?!’
She huffed, amused. ‘He’s our mate. Stop fighting it so hard. And for the mistress? We could send her away and raise the child as ours.’
Sometimes, Leah scares me. How can you separate a mother from her child?
I shook my head and pushed off the window. Enough overthinking. My skin felt too tight and I felt uneasy. I need to do something to set my mind off.
Suddenly I remembered Liana. How was she doing after everything? The poor girl must have been through hell, and I hadn’t checked on her since we arrived. I needed to know she was okay.
I crossed the room in quick strides, my hand closing around the cool metal of the doorknob.
Adrian had told me to stay put until he got back, but he was taking forever. What if something had gone wrong? What if Liana needed someone?
“Screw it,” I muttered. “I’m not a prisoner.”
I pulled the door open and slipped out into the corridor. The wing was quiet, fancy wall sconces casting long shadows on the stone floors. My footsteps echoed softly as I made my way down, past closed doors and heavy tapestries.
I left our wing behind and headed toward the main staircase, aiming for the floor where I thought the servant quarters were.
But after a couple of turns, the hallway started looking…wrong. The paintings on the walls weren’t the same ones I’d passed earlier. The carpet felt thicker under my crocs. I frowned and doubled back, retracing my steps exactly.
I ended up in the same wide hall again. Same tall windows. Same faint draft that smelled like old wood and something metallic.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered, heart picking up speed.
I turned in a slow circle. Every direction looked familiar now, but none of it led where I wanted. It was like the palace itself was shifting, playing tricks.
And suddenly, it felt like I was in a maze or something.
My pulse thrummed in my ears. I closed my eyes and concentrated to mind-link Victoria…she’d know the layout…when the air changed.
A sound drifted down the corridor. Very soft and mild.
The faint noise hung there, pulling at every instinct I had, leaving my skin prickling with sudden, unexplained dread.
What was that?