5: A Threat

 

ARABELLA

“What... what are you doing?” I stammered, gazing at him in utter confusion as he leaned dangerously close to me.

“You smell like someone I used to know. Chocolate. Cranberry,” he murmured.

For some reason, his scent also seemed strangely familiar, but before I could say anything, the elevator finally stopped, and its doors slid open, revealing a couple waiting to get inside.

Alpha Kyle pulled away from me and, without another word, marched out of the elevator. I hurried after him like a puppy following its mother in the rain.

I didn't miss the strange looks we received from the couple who had been waiting for the elevator.

I followed him down the hallway to one of the suites, and the moment we entered, I glanced around.

It was enormous and beautifully furnished, with an impressive view of the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Knowing I had very little time to complete this mission and return to the Pack, I walked over to one of the couches and made myself comfortable, crossing my legs.

“Please, have a seat. I don't have much time,” I said, gesturing toward the couch opposite me.

“Neither do I. So you'd better have something worthwhile to tell me.”

“Like I said, I'm not afraid of you, Alpha King.”

“You should be,” he replied as he settled into the seat opposite me. He leaned back, studying me with those intimidating eyes. “So, what do you have for me, Luna Queen?”

I straightened in my seat. “What's today's date?”

“The twenty-fourth.”

“In six days, your Pack will be attacked by rogues.”

His expression darkened immediately. “Are you planning an attack on my Pack?”

“If I were, I wouldn't be sitting here telling you about it.”

“Then how do you know my Pack is going to be attacked?”

“Because I know what's going to happen.”

“And how exactly do you know that?”

I hesitated.

How was I supposed to explain that I had already lived through everything that was about to happen? That I had died and somehow returned to the past?

Even I could barely comprehend it.

“Luna Queen, have you come here to seduce me?”

I blinked, completely thrown off by his sudden question. “What?”

“Look at you. Your dress, your curves, the way you keep looking at me. Why else would you come all the way to my hotel and insist on having a private moment with me?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Because there's usually only one reason a woman insists on being alone with a man in his room. If you're asking me to commit adultery with you on the second night of your wedding, then I'm not interested.”

He leaned back in his chair. “You can leave. I'm not ruining my reputation for a midnight fuck.”

“You have to listen to me!” I exclaimed, leaning forward. “I know you might not believe me, but I'm telling you the truth because I desperately need your help.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I came here because I need to get out of my marriage. It's not benefiting me, and I need your help.”

“Oh, so you rejected my marriage proposal, and now you're here asking me to help you escape the man you chose instead?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but we'll be helping each other. I won't be the only one benefiting from this arrangement.”

“And what exactly do you have to offer me? Information you supposedly saw in your dreamland?”

“No! I'm telling you the truth.”

“Then prove it to me, because I'm not some dumb king who believes everything a woman tells him simply because she has a pretty face.”

I swallowed hard. “Aren't you curious to know how I knew about your sister? She's neurodivergent, and that's why your family has kept her existence hidden from the world. But you love her dearly, don't you?”

I sighed heavily before continuing.

“Your sister is going to die a month from now, and her death will be a result of the rogue attack on your Pack. Her existence has remained a secret all these years, but today, she wandered away from the pack house and was found roaming the streets. She told people she was the Northern Princess, and they believed her because she possessed the Alpha aura. That happened today.”

I glanced at my wristwatch, noticing how quickly time was slipping away. My anxiety grew as I thought about Sandra, who had taken my place back at the pack house.

The Alpha King's green eyes darkened frighteningly. He leaned forward, a low growl rumbling from his chest.

“And what are you? A seer?”

“You can call me that. But please, you have to believe me and help me.”

“I'm disappointed that the Southern Luna Queen would come all the way here to play cheap shaman tricks on me. I'm not interested.” He dropped his voice to a low tone as he leapt to his feet and strode toward the door, pulling it open for me. “I'd advise you to leave, please.”

Dread washed over me as I watched my only hope of fighting for myself slip through my fingers, all because he refused to believe me. But everything I had told him had happened in my previous life. The news had been everywhere, and I remembered it vividly.

No matter how hard I tried to convince him, he wouldn't believe me. Eventually, I had no choice but to leave and return to the pack house. That wasn’t the end for me though. I wouldn’t give up until i found a way to take my revenge on my worst nemesis’

On my way back, I tried calling Sandra repeatedly, but she wasn't picking up. The terrifying suspicion that something terrible had happened slammed into me, but I quickly pushed it away.

No. I was just being paranoid.

She was probably asleep, and I would find her lying peacefully in bed when I arrived at the pack house.

But upon reaching the pack house, I discovered that it had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

Sandra had been tied upside down to a tree while the guards whipped her mercilessly and poured water over her, demanding that she confess where I had gone.

“Stop!” I screamed, my feet carrying me as fast as they could toward them. And everyone whipped their attention towards me. 

“Good thing you're finally here. Grab her!” Martha ordered the guards, pure hatred burning in her eyes. “Tie her to the tree and prepare some hot water. You will tell me exactly where you escaped on your wedding night!”

My eyes widened in absolute terror.

I didn't have a wolf, which meant my injuries would take forever to heal.

The guards grabbed my arms and began dragging me toward the tree to tie me up.

“I am your Luna Queen! Release me this instant!” I growled, struggling against their grip, but they didn't listen.

My stepmother still held more authority over me because of the will my father had left behind, and the wills of preceding Alpha Kings were always respected.

I looked toward Adrian and Sharon, who stood in one corner, simply watching everything unfold. The moment our eyes met, they both looked away.

My heart twisted with disgust.

Just as the guards lifted me off the ground, preparing to hang me upside down, a loud, terrifying growl suddenly echoed through the air.

“The Southern Luna Queen! I need to see her. Now!”

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

Alpha King Kyle.