This is Not Happening!

Kira’s POV

I cleared my throat and turned to Liana. “Um… hey… so, I want to be sure about something,” I began, putting a little distance between us.

She paused, looking up from the bag she was packing. “What is it, Princess?”

I scratched my neck, feeling awkward about the question I was about to ask. “So… did we… are we… did we like…are we like a thing?”

The words came out in a messy panic. She froze for half a second, then burst into awkward, nervous laughter.

“Do I look like I have a death wish?! Of course not, Abby,” she said, shaking her head. “You treated me like a sister. You’re the only person who ever saw me as a human and not a slave.”

I let out a long breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Oh. Okay. Good.” My shoulders dropped in relief. Here I was mentally preparing for a dramatic palace romance and meanwhile…absolutely nothing. Great.

“Then why do you call me Abby?” I asked, raising a brow. “I thought I’m your boss.”

She immediately lowered her head. “I’m sorry, my Princess. You told me to call you Abby whenever we are alone.”

Right. That made sense. Still… I had to be careful. This girl might be my only ally in this world, but that didn’t mean I should let her get too close. Not with the secret I was hiding.

No one can find out.

If I told her to stop calling me Abby now, she might start suspecting that I’m not the real princess. And I couldn’t afford for things to get that complicated.

When a little silence settled over us, I exhaled sharply. I didn’t expect it…but what she said earlier hit something in me. Something deep. Something I could relate to.

“So I don’t have anywhere to go?” I breathed, disbelief twisting into anger in my chest. “I’m totally alone in this reality too?”

No answer. Just the same sad silence I was already sick of.

Think, Kira. Think fast. You don’t trust anyone. You can’t run blind. Start small. Gather information. Control the situation. Use them to get your revenge if possible.

I straightened and held out my hand. “Fine. First step…give me your cellphone, I need to check something.”

Liana blinked like I had glitched. “My…what?”

“Your phone.” I snapped. “You know…small rectangle, touch screen, used by humans with functioning brains?”

Please don’t tell me this universe is behind in technological advancement.

Her eyes filled…not with confusion…but with pain.

“Princess…” her voice wavered.

I exhaled sharply. “What now?”

She hesitated, then said quietly, “The King banned cellphones in the palace.”

My brows snapped together. “Banned… phones? Why the hell would he ban phones? Is he a fucking monster?”

Her jaw clenched. Her voice dropped bitterly. “Because you kept trying to call your brother, Prince Rowan, to come rescue you.”

I froze.

Does the so-called king hate Abby that much? Would he really be that heartless?

They’re all the same…monsters wearing faces. The king, my so-called family, Abby’s family… they can all rot in whatever hell they’ve earned.

But I’m not going to burn down the world in one blinding rage. I’ll make them pay. Quietly. Slowly. In ways that sting worse because they can’t prove it was me. Small, perfect cruelties that will leave them paranoid, furious, and alone. That will be my revenge.

Liana continued, eyes burning, voice trembling. “You wanted someone to save you from the torment the King and his mistress put you through. You tried over and over…and when His Majesty found out… he banned phones. No one is allowed to have one anymore, as long as they are within the palace. Pack members in the pack houses all have phones except the people in here. That’s why some of the servants hate you. They blame you for it.”

My stomach tightened.

“He threw every phone into the fire,” she whispered. “Anyone caught hiding one will be executed for treason.”

I stared at her.

Executed. For a phone?

My pulse throbbed in my ears.

Okay. So in this reality… my life is still a shitstorm.

Great!

So there’s no phone. No family. The servants hate me. My betrothed hates me. His mistress wants me dead. My new family hates me.

How the hell am I supposed to survive in this place long enough to get revenge on the people who killed me?

This isn’t Los Angeles anymore. This is Alaska. As in…far, freezing, nowhere Alaska. Even if I wanted to run, how? Liana is a servant…she probably earns like three coins and a bowl of sadness a day.

There’s no way she can afford plane tickets. And me? I don’t even know what’s going on, let alone escape.

Great. Amazing. Love that for me.

“Um, Liana?” I said finally, raising a brow at her.

She looked up. “Yes, princess?”

“What is the king?”

She blinked. “What?”

“What is the king?” I repeated seriously.

She stared at me like I just recited the alphabet backwards. “I don’t understand, Princess.”

I exhaled. “Earlier he said something about marking me. And then…” my fingers motioned near my mouth, “he had these vampire-looking teeth like he wanted to bite me.”

Liana covered her mouth, fighting a laugh. “You really did hit your head hard, my princess.” Then she lifted her lip and showed me…yep. Sharp fangs. Actual fangs.

I stumbled back so fast I nearly hit the floor. “WHAT THE?!”

She didn’t even flinch. Like this was normal. Like she didn’t just show me something straight out of Twilight. What even ARE these people? Are they even human? Why do they still have kings and castles like a bad Renaissance fair that refuses to end?

“Why are you so shocked?” she asked calmly. “You have one too. It’s called a fang.”

I scoffed. Me? Impossible. I go to the dentist every Thursday and Friday…my teeth are a tragedy so they can’t be vampire material,” and then it hit me.

Right.

This isn’t my body. I’m Abby now. Which means…

“Oh, hell no,” I whispered. Does that mean this body isn’t human either?

Liana tilted her head, as though she heard my thoughts. “We’re werewolves, princess.”

I stared. She continued like she was explaining the weather.

“We can transform, heal faster, hear from miles away, detect danger…” She was still talking when a scent suddenly drifted into the room.

A scent so good it made my head swim. Sweet, dark, addictive. I inhaled deeply, eyes closing.

“What is that?” I murmured, my tongue sliding over my lips. “It smells… incredible. I want to…” I lowered my voice, “devour it.”

Liana’s eyes widened. “Princess…no. You must not react to that scent.”

“Why? What is it?”

“It’s the king. He’s your mate.”

My eyes snapped to her. “What is a mate?”

“Your fated partner. But you must remember…he’s a bad man. He hates you,” she said quickly, already digging inside her duffel bag. “Which is why you’ve been taking these.” She dropped tiny black seeds into my palm.

“What is this?”

“It stops your wolf from going crazy whenever he’s around.”

“Wolf?” I repeated slowly.

She nodded. “Yes. But you’ve never transformed. Your father bound your wolf because of some stupid prophecy. But she’s still very much inside you.”

A prophecy. Of course. Because my life wasn’t already messed up enough. And a wolf?

Yup, it’s official. I’m probably in a coma and making up these movie scenes in my head!

“What prophecy?” I asked, popping the seeds into my mouth before I even thought about it.

Idiot. What if it was poison? But… I don’t know. Something about Liana felt real. Loyal.

“I don’t know, princess,” she said as I swallowed. “But can we go now?”

The scent was already fading, and the sudden heat that was rising inside me vanished. I nodded and she grabbed my hand. We slipped out of the room quietly, step by step. No noise. No trouble. No king. Perfect.

We made it halfway down the corridor before…

A deep, vicious growl ripped through the hallway.

My heart dropped.

One second the evil king was at the far end of the corridor. The next…he was right beside us.

Teleportation-style. Of course. Definitely in a coma.

His hand snapped around Liana’s throat and lifted her clean off the ground like she weighed nothing. She clawed at his grip, gasping, eyes bulging.

He didn’t even look at me. Like I was invisible.

Rage hit me fast…wild and hot. I didn’t think. I just acted on the first thing that came to mind.

I jumped.

I launched myself at him like a wild thing, fury burning behind my ribs. I bit into his neck…hard…teeth smashing into soft skin and hopefully bone. My whole body slammed into him with everything I had with the intention of hurting him.

Instead of a scream like I had expected, the fucking evil king moaned. A low, deep sound that vibrated throughout my body and made me tremble in a funny way.

He dropped Liana like she was nothing in seconds, and both his hands clamped on me…one at my waist, one at my shoulder…pulling me in as if daring me to sink deeper.

The audacity of this bastard. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of letting go. I dug in harder, teeth grazing, nails raking, hoping he’d choke, bleed out, or pick up some nasty infection from where I’d bitten. Make him pay. Make him die.

But guess what?