CHAPTER 3: Escape

Aurielle's POV

“Aurielle, what’s the matter?” my father asked.

His voice cut through my thoughts before I even lifted my spoon. I must’ve looked terrible because even Lord Varyn paused mid-chew to look at me over the breakfast table.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly.

I was not fine. Not even close.

We were all seated in the royal dining hall... me, my father, my uncle Lord Varyn and my cousin Seraxa. Everyone was eating while the palace staff moved quietly around us… and meanwhile I was dying inside because apparently the Moon Goddess thought it would be funny to throw three mates at me at once.

Seraxa shifted beside me and I knew instantly... instantly... she was about to open her big mouth.

“Well actually...”

I stomped her foot under the table hard.

She yelped, choked on her juice and glared at me like I’d stabbed her.

I put on my sweetest and fakest smile.

“It’s nothing really.”

My father frowned.

“You seem down this morning.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, stuffing bread in my mouth as evidence.

Lord Varyn narrowed his eyes at Seraxa.

“You know something, don’t you?”

Seraxa sat up straight like she’d been caught stealing a wolf pup.

“Me? No! Nothing! Everything is… normal.”

She looked absolutely guilty. I kicked her again. This time she kicked me back.

The men exchanged suspicious glances but thankfully they didn’t push. My father only sighed.

“If there is anything you want to talk about,” he said gently, “I’m here.”

Which made me want to scream actually Father, I might have three mates somewhere in the world please help me. But I didn’t. I nodded and shoved more food into my mouth until breakfast ended.

The moment the men left the room, I grabbed Seraxa by the arm and dragged her into the nearest corridor.

“What were you doing?” I hissed. “You were about to tell them!”

She rubbed her foot where I had stomped her.

“I was trying to help! You looked like you were about to cry into your eggs.”

“I wasn’t!”

“You were.”

I groaned.

“You can’t just blurt things out like that!”

Seraxa folded her arms.

“Aurielle, what difference does it make? They’ll find out eventually.”

“Exactly why I don’t want them to know yet!”

She raised a brow.

“So you’re just going to hide the fact that you have three mates?”

“Yes!” I whispered loudly. “Because it makes no sense! The Moon Goddess must be laughing at me. No one gets three mates. No one!”

“Auri,” Seraxa sighed, “you’re eighteen. You’re too young for one mate anyway, let alone three.”

“That’s what I said!” I threw my hands up. “I’m too small and I’m not ready for any of this!”

She softened.

“Then don’t be. Suppress it. Maybe the link will weaken.”

I blinked.

“Wait… I can do that?”

“You can try,” she said knowingly. Seraxa always read all the books I avoided. “Just… don’t think about them. Don’t reach out through the bond. Pretend it’s not there.”

“That sounds impossible.”

“It’s better than letting three men walk into your life and ruin everything,” she muttered. “You’re the princess and the heir. Any man who gets close now will only bring chaos and three? Absolutely not.”

I couldn’t help it... I laughed and hugged her tight.

“It’s good to have a cousin like you.”

“I know,” she said smugly.

We walked through the corridor, and I kept staring at her and chewing my lips nervously. She noticed instantly.

“Oh no,” she groaned. “What now?”

“I want to sneak out again.”

“Aurielle!”

“Please?”

“You JUST told me you have three mates and your first idea is to sneak out of the pack?”

“Well… yes.”

She covered her face with both hands.

“Auri, you’ve been sneaking out too much already.”

“That’s why I’m good at it,” I said proudly.

“No. No. Absolutely not.”

“Seraxaaaa,” I whined. “I need to clear my head and the village always helps.”

She winced, knowing I wasn’t going to back off.

“Your father is going to kill both of us one day.”

“Then he’ll need to revive us so he can kill us again.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Please cover for me,” I begged. “Just this once.”

She gave me a deadpan look.

“You said that the last twenty times.”

“And I meant it every time.”

Seraxa stared at me for a long moment before letting out a dramatic, suffering sigh.

“Fine. But if anything happens...”

“Nothing will happen,” I said immediately.

Which, in hindsight, was extremely stupid of me to say.

***

A little later, I walked through the village fields, finally... finally... free. I wore my usual disguise.. a simple brown dress, a scarf over my hair and a smudge of mud on my cheek for realism.

Today’s identity? A wandering healer.

I even carried a fake pouch of herbs. Last time, someone actually asked me to treat a goat and I almost fainted.

The warm breeze felt good on my face. Villagers greeted me kindly and unaware they were talking to the future queen.

I smiled at everyone, helping a woman pick up spilled grain, suggesting tea for an old man’s cough (I had no idea if it would help), and letting children point at my pouch like it held treasure.

For a little while, I forgot the palace.. forgot responsibility and forgot the three mysterious pulls in my chest.

I was just… Aurielle.

Near the edge of the fields, I spotted a group of traders sitting beside a wagon. Colorful cloth hung from the side and fruits piled in their baskets. Their clothes were worn and their faces rough but they looked harmless enough.

“Hello,” I said cheerfully as I approached. “Do you have any more of the red fruits? The sweet ones?”

One of the traders stepped forward with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Of course, young miss. Come closer.”

My wolf stirred suddenly within me. Something’s wrong!

As the man reached into the basket. My wolf growled low in my mind and I stepped back.

The trader’s smile twitched. I opened my mouth to excuse myself... and suddenly everything exploded into motion.

Weapons flashed out... small blow darts with long needles smeared with something shiny and worst of all, silver daggers.

My breath hitched as I stepped back with claws threatening to break through my fingers.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

Their eyes darkened and I realized they were not villagers and most certainly not traders. There were Rogues!

One lifted the dart pipe and I moved.. or tried to.

The dart hit before I could dodge, with a sharp sting at my neck.

My vision blurred instantly.

“No...” I gasped, staggering. “Not… now…”

The world tilted.. the sky spun and my legs refused to hold me. I dropped to my knees and another trader leaned over me with his face twisted into a cruel smirk.

“Got her.”

I tried to lift my hand.. tried to shift.. tried to scream but nothing worked as darkness started closing in, swallowing everything.

My last thought was a desperate one. Father would kill me for this. Then everything went black…