Chapter 73 I Need To Leave
Kira’s POV
The headline stared back at me like a slap in the face: "Summer's Group Mourns Tragic Loss: CEO Kira Summers Killed Dies Tragically on Her Birthday – Remains to Be Laid to Rest on July 21st."
Tragically? My ass. They killed me. Straight-up murdered me and think they can just sweep it under the rug with some fake story and a pretty obituary. I could picture it…the boardroom vultures toasting with champagne, dividing up my mother’s empire like it was cake at a party.
My hands shook as I scrolled down, and there it was…my picture, smiling confidently in a power suit from last year's gala, right next to the article.
Tears welled up hot and fast, blurring the screen. They killed my mother years ago, made it look like an overdose or whatever bullshit they spun, and now they've done the same to me. Do they really think they can get away with it that easily? Erase us like we were nothing?
I slammed my fist against my thigh, the phone nearly slipping from my grip. And it's all because of that spineless biological father of mine…whoever the hell he is. If he hadn't abandoned my mom while she was pregnant with me, she never would've married that wicked man, the one who destroyed everything. The one who orchestrated all of this from the shadows with his beautiful family.
But I'll get my revenge. Oh, I'll make them pay…every last one of them. They'll regret the day they thought they could bury Kira Summers and walk away clean.
"Why are you crying, Your Highness?" Victoria's voice piped up from the corner, still on all fours like I'd ordered.
I sniffed, wiping my eyes roughly with the back of my hand. "Like you care."
She didn't move, but her shoulders started shaking, and then the sobs came…real, ugly ones. "I'm sorry," she choked out, tears splashing onto the floor. "I didn't want to do it. I've been bullying the princess for so long... I thought it was okay. You always yielded, always backed down. But seeing you act so confident, so different...it pushed me to the edge. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to send you to the Dark Zone. I thought you already knew how dangerous that place was. Please..."
I laughed, sharp and bitter, cutting her off. "Oh, please. The only reason you're acting all humble and broken now is because it hurts your precious pride to be my maid, right? Too bad. You're staying right where you are until I'm good and satisfied."
Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with that familiar venom, her true colors bleeding through the fake remorse. "You think because you have the king's favor now, you'll get away with this? Treating me like dirt? I'll make you pay for this, you little—"
"Crawl closer," I said, my voice ice-cold.
She hesitated, glaring up at me like she might actually refuse. That was her mistake. I stood up, crossed the room in two strides, and slapped her…hard…across the face, pouring all the anger from the headline into her cheek. The crack echoed off the walls, and her head jerked to the side.
"This is just the beginning," I hissed, towering over her. "For all the humiliation you put Abby through…all those years of torment, making her life hell at the Academy…you're going to go through worse. I'll humiliate you in the best way possible, break you down until you beg for mercy."
I yanked her up by the hair, forcing her to look me in the eyes. She whimpered, but I didn't care. "You just made the worst enemy of your life, Victoria. I hope you’re ready to serve me."
Then I shoved her hard, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap, gasping.
I paused, breathing heavy, the anger still buzzing in my veins like electricity. Wait...what date is it today?
She pushed up on her elbows, cheek already swelling, and spat the answer like it burned her tongue. “July 19th.”
July 19th.
Two days.
My funeral is in two days.
I have forty-eight hours to get from this werewolf kingdom in the middle of nowhere to Los Angeles.
My funeral's on the 21st…just two days away. I have to get to LA before then, show up like a ghost at my own damn burial, watch their faces crumble when they realize they failed. But how? I'm stuck in this werewolf nightmare and a new body. No plane ticket, no clue how to jump worlds. If I don't figure it out fast...
I have to be there.
I need to.
But how the hell do I get home when I don’t even know how I got here in the first place?
The phone felt heavy in my hand, like it was mocking me.
Two days.
Two days to cross worlds.
Or Kira Summers stays dead forever.
I can’t let that happen.
I paced the room like a caged animal, the phone clutched in my white-knuckled grip, the headline still mocking me from the screen.
I need to get to LA…crash that farce of a burial, rise from the ashes right in front of their lying eyes. Watch my fake father and his family choke on their eulogy, see the board scatter like roaches when the lights flip on.
But how? This isn't some quick Uber ride. I'm in a freaking alternate werewolf world, snowbound and surrounded by guards who probably sniff out intruders for fun.
Even if I sneak out of the palace, what then? No passport, no ID, no cash…hell, I don't even have a change of clothes that isn't some princess gown.
And sneaking? Please. Adrian's got eyes everywhere…that possessive freak would track me down in minutes. The pack's too loyal, too nosy. One wrong move, and I'm back over his shoulder like a damn prize.
My mind raced, grasping at straws. Dominic. Yeah, that could be it. He and Abby had those elopement plans…running off to LA together, starting fresh in the human world. He must know a way through, some portal or border crossing the wolves use.
But is he even ready to bolt? Probably not…guy's too cautious, too tied to his academy job to leave abruptly. And even if he was, how do I get to him?
Adrian's not letting me out of his sight long enough to breathe, let alone scheme. I don't even know where the hell Dominic lives—
I spun on my heel, whipping toward Victoria so fast she flinched back hard, still sprawled on the floor from my shove.
"Where does Mr Dominic live?" I demanded, voice like a whip crack.
Her eyes widened, then a slow, teasing grin spread across her face, despite the red mark blooming on her cheek. "Oh? Is the king not enough for you still? Does His Majesty know you have a soft spot for the academy teacher? Bet that'd make for some juicy pack gossip."
"Talk," I snarled, stepping closer, towering over her. "Or I promise you, you'll lose two fingers right here, right now."
She cradled her hand to her chest immediately, flinching back like I'd already swung. "Okay, okay! He lives in the neighboring town…not far from the pack borders. It's where some human delegates we've partnered with are staying. They call it the Human Camp. Safe zone for outsiders doing business with us."
Human Camp. That sounded promising…closer to the real world, maybe even a gateway. "Can you take me there?"
She barked out a laugh, sharp and disbelieving, then her face turned dead serious. "No way. We're forbidden from going in there…to protect the humans from us, mostly. The king would never allow it. You'd need special clearance, and even then—"
"I didn't ask you to announce it with a parade," I cut her off, leaning down until our faces were inches apart. "Find a way to sneak me in there. Today. I have something very important to do."
Her eyes darted to the door, then back to me, fear mixing with that lingering defiance. "What if we get caught?"
I straightened up, a cold smile pulling at my lips as I stared her down. "Then I'll make sure Adrian knows it was all your idea…and watch while he rips you apart piece by piece."