Chapter 3: The Fawn

Aurora's POV

"We need to talk", Trent growled, grabbing me by the arm. I tried not to show how much pain I was actually in. My fingers were going numb from his grip, as he escorted me from the dining hall. He drug me down the hall. "Please let me go", I finally whimpered. 

He rounded a corner and slammed me against the wall. He placed both of his hands on either side of my head, caging me in. "Care to explain what that was about?", he bit out, pushing his nose in the side of my face. 

"I have no idea. Why don't you ask him?", I uttered daringly. One of his hands left the wall to wrap around my throat. "Because I am asking you, bitch", he squeezed my throat tighter cutting off my air flow. "Did you put a fucking spell on him?", his voice grew louder. 

I shook my head vigorously. "I can't do spells", I pleaded, my voice broken. A large hand reached around the corner and grabbed Trent's wrist. "Let her go", Prince Liam came into view. "No offense, your highness. But, this is a private matter", Trent growled.

"Not anymore. You're in my home. Let her go", the Prince growled, squeezing Trent's wrist until he yielded. When his fingers released, the air burned my neck and lungs as I gasped and coughed. Trent gritted his teeth as he rubbed his wrist.

"I'll deal with you later", Trent hissed at me, before walking away. 

"Are you okay?", his voice was gentle, as he reached up to touch my throat. I flinched away from him, holding my hand up to stop his. He paused his movements. I mustered up the courage to look him in the eyes. Rocky gray mountains. 

"You're going to get me killed", I breathed, taking a step away. I walked past him, going to the opposite direction of Trent. I wanted to get outside. Go for a walk. I wasn't ready to face the mass amount of people in the dining hall. 

I found sunlight peeking through a door, giving me a sense of relief. The sun beat down on my face, calming me down. I found my way to the edge of the tree line behind the castle. 

Liam's POV

I watched her from a distance as she walked the tree line. She touched each tree that she passed, murmuring to herself. I'm too far away to hear what she whispers. 

'She's ours', Zeus, my wolf, growled. 'Yes. But we want her to realize that on her own', I reminded him. She's in a situation that I need to understand before crashing into it. 

I'm stunned in place when I see a fawn emerge from the woods. It slowly approaches Aurora, who gently drops to her knees and starts talking to it. "Oh, hey baby. It's okay. Are you lost?", she asked in a gentle tone that wrapped around my soul. 

It got close enough for her to pet. She gently ran her fingers over it's snout and head. "Where's your mommy?", she whispered softly, as she petted the spotted fawn. 

"Aurora!", Trent Venny's voice pierced my ears, and destroyed my mate's moment. "Run, little one. Run. He will kill you if he sees you. Run. Go find mommy", Aurora's panicked voice had my hackles risen. "What the fuck are you doing?", he yelled at her. "Nothing", Aurora's voice was shaky. 

Trent approached, catching sight of the fawn in the trees. He transformed to his wolf on sight and started running into the woods towards it. Aurora jumped in the way. "No! Trent! It's just a baby!", she cried out. He jumped over her to continue his chase. She dropped to her knees sobbing into her hands. 

"It's just a baby", her voice was tiny.