Chapter 18: In the Dead of Night

Samantha's POV

I barely realized how far I'd drifted away from them. My feet stumbled, my chest ached. I had to lean against the walls to get back to my room.

So that's what it was all about? Maddox was only keeping me around because I was his soother? He didn't love me, he was still seeing Odette and they were both planning things behind my back.

I slid to the floor of my room, closing the door behind me, heavy tears blurring my vision. I curled up in the fetal position, feeling the intense pain of betrayal, even my soul wept.

It was all a lie, none of it was real.

I crawled to the bed, feeling my body heavy. Maddox was coming back; I could hear his footsteps approaching in the hallway. Then I climbed onto the bed and covered myself with the blankets, forcing myself to stop crying. I needed to pull myself together, pretend I was asleep; I wasn't going to let him see me like this.

Maddox entered the room without making unnecessary noise. I could feel him looking at me, trying to see if I was awake or not. I felt his side of the bed sink as he lay down, his large hand covering my waist and pulling his body closer to mine.

"Can't sleep? I can feel your restless breathing," he whispered in my ear. Sweet and loving, all an act.

"I'm just thinking about what the ceremony will be like tomorrow," I mumbled whatever came to mind.

He gave a nasal laugh. "I'm just as apprehensive as you are."

"Really?"

"It's in moments like these that I wish you had your wolf awakened, then you'd feel all my emotions too." He gently caressed my face. "But don't worry so much, everything will be alright tomorrow, we'll be connected forever." He kissed my forehead for a long time.

I closed my eyes, my heart in pieces. How could all of that be fake? How could he deceive me so well? How could he look me in the face and lie so much?

Maybe it was me who had deceived myself, maybe there wasn't a curse, maybe he was just a bad-hearted werewolf, bad from the inside out, and there was no good side to him.

Maybe killing, punishing, betraying, and using people was all he knew how to do, and I had been deceived by his handsome face and warm words. Maybe it wasn't even his fault, but mine, for not having learned enough from Finnick and Carmen that people don't deserve to be trusted so easily.

Maddox slept curled up next to me, his breathing normal and rhythmic, his arm still around my waist and his hand still caressing me, but little did he know that he had just lost me forever.

That same night, while he was in a deep sleep, I slowly got up and discreetly put a few belongings in a small bag so as not to wake him.

I looked at him one last time, my eyes filled with tears, thinking of all the things we could have lived but that I now saw had been nothing more than mere illusions. I wiped away the tears and left the room.

The hallways were dark, only weak torches illuminating here and there. I crossed them like a silent and hurried cat.

I went to Tori's room, since she was my personal maid, her room was next to mine. I entered the room and went to her bed where she was sleeping. I gently touched her shoulder to wake her. "Lady Samantha, what's wrong?" she asked, confused, her eyes tired from sleep.

"Shhh," I gestured, putting my finger to my lips. "Don't make a fuss. I just came to say goodbye, I'm leaving..." my voice broke at the end, bile forming in my throat.

"Leaving?" She spoke loudly, but then whispered when I asked for silence again. "What do you mean, lady...?" Confusion and anguish dominated her facial expressions.

"It was all a lie, Tori..." I cried. "The king never loved me, the marriage is a way to control me, to keep me here as a prisoner because of his illness."

Tori swallowed hard, heavy tears falling from her fierce eyes. She hugged me tightly, understanding me like no one else. She didn't need to ask any more questions; she supported my decision.

"It's not easy to enter this castle without permission, much less leave it. Especially at night. But there's a small loophole when the guards change shifts, and..." she looked out the window, the moon shining full and silvery, beautiful, as if the goddess were mocking me today.

"...and given the position of the shadows, I can tell the shift will happen soon. It's our only chance to leave unseen," she said, getting up and going to pack her things.

"Hey!" I shouted in a whisper, grabbing her arm and stopping her. "What are you doing? I don't want you to come with me."

The girl swallowed hard. "Please don't stop me, lady. Going with you is my deepest desire. It's too dangerous out there for you to survive alone, and I won't survive here without you."

"Oh, Goddess, Tori..." I hugged her emotionally, impacted by her words.

But the hug had to be quick because we didn't have time to lose. I went to help her pack her bag, and that's when we saw Ysabella sneaking in through the window.

The girl screamed when she saw us there. "By the Goddess, you scared me!"

"Calm down, don't make too much noise," I asked, gesturing, and pushed Tori's dresses back into her bag.

"Sorry my lady, but what are you doing?" Ysa asked, confused, but speaking more quietly now.

"It's clear we're running away, isn't it?" Tori was sarcastic as always.

I looked at Ysabella. "It was a lie with Maddox, Ysa. Getting out of here is my only chance."

Ysa covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes moved. "This is a nightmare."

"Unfortunately, this is real, Ysa," Tori sighed. "And look, you better hurry and pack your bag too because we don't have much time. The guards will be changing shifts soon."

It was reasonable to think of Ysabella going with us. She could be discarded without me there, or worse, punished for my escape, but she surprised us when she said, "I'm not going with you."

I looked at her, her face anguished. "Ysa, I'm so sorry about this situation, you must be scared, and it's understandable, but believe me, leaving here is better for all of us."

"But I don't need to..." she smiled while crying. "It's about Beta Emrich. King Maddox was mistaken. He had no one. In fact, I was bringing good news, the Moon Goddess chose me as his mate. He will protect me."

"Is that true?" I was touched for her, although I felt a pang of anguish, after all Maddox had lied to me even about that. I hugged Ysa. "I'm happy for you."

She hugged me back. "I'm going to miss you so much..." she cried.

"I'll miss you too, my dear." I looked at her, wiping her tears. "Take care, okay? And when they ask about me, you didn't see anything."

She nodded, still shaking. Tori hugged her too, tightly but quickly, then she and I left the room.

Just as Tori said, we stayed quietly until the guards left the side gate of the castle, and then she and I ran out discreetly. I looked one last time at the castle, at the window of the king's chambers where he still slept, sad eyes and a broken heart.

And then we blended into the shadows, making our way towards the forest.