Chapter 25

I had thought it was Leo that had come to my rescue when I heard the door kicked open, only to move my eyes to the door and see it was Zena.

"Wait, guys!" Her voice echoed, filled with amusement, as she twirled the bunch of keys in her finger and sauntered into the room with a sly smile on her face.

It seemed she had a spare key with her and already knew I was in here with these men. She knew it all.

Wait, could it be her that paid them to r*pe me?

The men released me, and I quickly sat up, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms tightly around my bare body, trembling in panic.

I looked at Zena with a pleading expression. “Please, save me. They… they want to rape me,” I whimpered. She had the power to stop them, to make them leave—but I knew she wouldn't.

She turned to them with a fake angry expression. "Why would you all do that to her? Can't you see she is our princess?"

The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable, and the men burst into laughter too.

Tears streamed down my face as I glanced at the door again, silently begging for Leo to appear. He was the only one who could save me now.

Zena stepped closer and squatted in front of me, her eyes blazing with hatred. “I thought you’d have killed yourself by now. What are you still doing alive?”

I remained silent, unsure if she expected a response.

“Answer me!” she shouted, grabbing my face. Her fingers dug into my cheeks until I groaned in pain, then she shoved my face away.

“Do you really think I’d let you give Leo a child? I’d rather die than watch that happen! Leo is mine—my future husband—and he’ll have no children with anyone else but me!”

I nodded helplessly, too afraid to speak.

Her gaze dropped to my stomach, her face contorted with rage. “For the first time ever, Leo laid hands on me—and it was because of you, you filthy werewolf.” She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head.

"I know what that means! Leo is in love with you. He may deceive everyone else with pretense but not me because I can read through him. I can see through his eyes, and I know exactly what he feels!"

"No." I whispered. "Leo doesn't love me. He only cares about the baby." I sighed, hoping she would believe me and leave me be.

“The only reason he planted his seed in you and let you carry it this long is because he loves you!” she hissed. “He wants you to be the mother of his child! That thought alone drives me insane! I want to kill you so badly!” She clenched her fists, eyes burning with pure indignation.

"It was a mistake. He never meant to impregnate me, and..."

"Why hasn't he ordered you to get rid of the baby, huh?" She snapped.

"Because he doesn’t believe in killing babies. That’s all. Leo doesn’t love me. Stop tormenting me and just find your way into his heart. Maybe then he’ll love you… maybe you’ll bear his children.” I sighed, staring back at her in defiance.

She scoffed in annoyance. "You are either going to abort that baby or have these men take turns in raping you! That is the deal I am bringing to you here. Make your choice!" She hissed, standing up and moving back from me.

"I don't understand."

She brought out a small bottle from her inner pocket and handed it to me. "Drink this, and the pregnancy will end within days. The baby will flush away like a normal miscarriage."

"No, I won't!" I shook my head and tossed the bottle away.

"Okay, I can see you've made your choice. Guys, continue!" She spat and gestured at them, making me recoil in fear.

"No please. You can't do this to me." I sobbed as the men moved towards me.

"Then you don't know who I am. Nobody will take Leo from me. Nobody in this kingdom, not to mention a weak, wolfless she-wolf like you!" She spat with disgust and made her way out, leaving me to this cruel fate.

“Just lie down and be a good girl,” one of the men jeered, stepping closer, but I maintained my position, hugging myself tighter.

“No! Don’t touch me!” I screamed, but was met with a slap so hard it made my head spin.

A hand gripped my hair, yanking it back. Another kick landed on my face, splitting my lips. In seconds, I lay crumpled on the floor, helpless, as the sound of unbuckling belts echoed around me.

The one I had previously blinded hissed, speaking to the others. “Let me unleash my rage on her. I’m not interested in sex—I just want to beat her.”

His voice was filled with venom as he looked down on me like a demon, the empty socket in his face making him monstrous.

"Okay, go ahead." The other two said to him, and that was all it took before I faced hell.

He sat on my stomach and began to unleash blows on my face, turning it into a bloody mess. Then he stood and kicked my abdomen so hard I couldn’t breathe.

My mind was blurred, and everything became distant and disoriented. "You will die today!" I heard him snarl as he stomped my stomach with his boot again.

Blood poured from my mouth.

"My baby..." I whispered with trembling lips, clutching my stomach in agony.

"You will both die a miserable death, bitch!" he growled, but his voice grew faint. Even as he struck me again, I no longer felt pain.

Something was happening inside me—something I couldn’t explain, but I knew there was a strange reaction in my body.

A searing heat erupted in my core, spreading like wildfire through my veins, and my vision, which was once blurred from the darkness and pain, suddenly snapped into sharp focus.

Every detail of the dimly lit room became clear as day, and I could also hear every sound—the cracks in the pavement, the heavy breaths of the three men and even the pulse of their muscles all louder as my hearing ability peaked.

My heart pounded, not with fear, but with something primal, and something like a powerful beast was clawing its way to the surface. I felt my bones cracking and reforming as though I was shifting, but to what?

I don't even have a wolf anymore.

My eyes were hot, and I could feel fangs growing long and sharp inside my mouth. My skin became pale and dead, with my veins pulsing and turning black as they ran through my arms and neck region.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream as I completed my transformation, and instead of a wolf scent, I was emitting a potent vampire scent.

A low growl rumbled in my throat, and my fingers curled into the ground, nails lengthening, sharpening, and digging into the tiles as a savage hunger for blood hit me.

The one-eyed guard froze above me, his eyes widened as he paused with confusion flickering in his eyes, and his boot was still hovering to stomp again.

"She is shifting like a royal vampire... What the—" he couldn't finish his words as I surged upward, faster than I’d ever moved, my body boiling with raw, untamed power.

I caught his leg just as he was about to kick me again, sweeping him off his feet and, before he could do anything, I snapped him like a twig. The sickening crack of his bones echoed through the room as he screamed in agony, collapsing.