Chapter 5: An heated moment 

Tiara twisted hard, trying to wrench free, but the spy’s grip only tightened.

"Let go!" she hissed, her voice low and desperate.

He laughed, dragging her deeper into the corridor. "The Beta will be so pleased to see that I caught a nosy little rat who deserves special punishment."

" Think, Tiara, think!" She urged herself.

The pendant pressed warm against her ribs, but she didn’t dare reveal it yet. Not unless she had no other choice.

Her elbow shot back, catching the spy in the ribs. He grunted but didn’t let go.

Before he could recover, Tiara slammed her foot down hard on his instep.

He yelped, and loosened his hold just enough.

She tore away, sprinting down the hall, heart hammering.

"Run now. Survive now, only then can you find Edwin later." Her unconscious mind said.

Shouts erupted behind her. Heavy boots thundered in pursuit, she was being chased by more people than she had thought.

"This is really bad, Tiara......." she panted.

Quickly,she observed and scanned her environment, looking for the nearest safe place to hide and suddenly, an idea struck her mind.

She ducked into the side passage that was closest to her, narrowly missing a hand that was meant to grab her hair. The mansion's twisting halls blurred past her, together with the beads of sweat that threatened to enter her eyes.

 She could not stop for even a second, not now, she needed to find an exit—fast.

A door ahead was opened ajar: the old servant’s quarters.

Without hesitating, Tiara ran through it, slamming the door shut behind her and barring it with a fallen broomstick.

Bang, bang.

They were already pounding on the other side.

She did not stop.

The stairs spiraled downward, narrow and had this stale and dusty smell, it had not been used in a while..

"Do not think that you can run away from me, Tiara," a voice cackled. She recognized it immediately, it was no other person than Vanessa.

"I love the way you fell right into my trap, it was easier than I had expected, you know?" She laughed, flipping her hair backwards.

"A trap?" Tiara thought to herself.

"Even if you manage to escape here, you will not last outside because the whole pack is now against you, darling." 

"Someone happened to have spread rumors about you wanting to force your way with the alpha, so you can be Luna," Vanessa exhaled before resuming her laugh.

"I never did that!" Tiara screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks freely.

"Only you and I know about that, no one would believe you," Vanessa replied.

"I mean, how could a poor and weak rat like you be fated to Edwin, the alpha?" Vanessa scoffed.

"Alpha.....Edwin Stone is my fated mate?" She touched her chest, feeling her heart that pounded wildly.

"......do you not feel it?" 

"....the bond." 

These words echoed in her head and only then did she fully understand what was going on.

"But why didn't I feel the bond, back then?"

"What if Vanessa is lying to me?"

Different thoughts and questions ran through her head.

"Let me share a little secret with you, dear," Vanessa said, followed by loud bangs on the door, it was about to be broken down.

"You cannot feel your bond because it has been masked by my father who is beyond doubts a genius!" She bragged, mocking Tiara.

Tiara fearfully stumbled into the dusty kitchens, she could not believe all that she had heard.

Right there, the words on the necklace came back to her—

".......do not trust even family." 

Alas, her mother was right, the only family she had was slowly killing her.

"Bang, bang." The door would soon be ripped apart.

Her eyes that darted around fell on a hooded cloak from a peg by the door, it appeared dirty and old but she cared less. She yanked it over her head before jumping into a cart placed right outside Garrett's house, loaded with sacks.

Blending into a group of departing merchants, she slipped out into the cold night.

Only once she reached the treeline did she allow herself to stop, chest heaving.

She had escaped, for now.

But the knowledge she carried: the plan to murder Edwin burned hotter than fire inside her.

And the clock was ticking.