From Pack Slave to Lycan Princess のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

JULIAN'S POV I make my way back to her place just after midnight. Can't sleep, and I can't stay away either. I sense no one else is home. She looks wide awake when she opens the door for me. I take her hand, and she leads me silently into her room. Two beds in here. The other one's empty. Her bed is small, but we don't need much space between us. We lie there facing each other. I trace the back of my knuckles along her skin, let her hair slip through my fingers. Content, just watching her, touching her like this. Before long, her eyes start to flutter closed. I pull myself away from the warmth of Freya's body and her bed before dawn breaks. I sit on the edge of her bed, reluctant to leave. Everything else stops mattering when I'm near her. I find peace in her scent, I could listen to it endlessly. She looks so beautiful lying on her side, dark hair loose and silky, long lashes fanned out over pale pink cheekbones, her lips soft and inviting, though I don't want to disturb her res

"Hello, my sleeping beauty. Welcome home," he says. "You've been away far too long, my dear girl." A shudder of revulsion runs through me. Old Mr. Thorne. He pushes the door wider, and a small woman shuffles in timidly, carrying a tray of food. "Even more beautiful than I remember," he says, stepping toward the bed, eyes crawling over my face and body. "Or maybe you've simply grown more beautiful since I last saw you." The woman keeps her head bowed, setting the tray on the nightstand, movements stiff and nervous. She lifts the cover off a plate, and the smell of food drifts through the room. I can't shake the fog clouding my head, but I manage to crack one eye open toward the tray. Meatloaf, potatoes, vegetables. My stomach growls loudly. Last thing I ate was a handful of Cheetos those men tossed me somewhere during the drive. Old Mr. Thorne laughs. "You must be starving," he says. "Famished," I tell him, my voice coming out way too loud and inexplicably cheerful, despite the

It seems like the whole house has erupted into chaos. The old man's at my feet, writhing, screaming in agony. Blood froths from his mouth, pours from his nose and ears. Every so often the screaming cuts into violent coughing, more blood sputtering out.Outside, footsteps pound, frantic voices demanding the door open, fists hammering against it relentlessly.The bleeding from my neck has stopped, but my white gown is soaked crimson now. I look like I just walked straight out of a horror movie.Honestly, I don't fully get it. One second I was screaming in agony because the old fool was tearing into my neck trying to mark me, hurt so badly I saw pure red. The next, he's the one on the floor, bringing the house down with his own screaming. Shouldn't I be the one doing that? Such a diva.Outside, the pounding intensifies, the yelling growing louder, demanding entry. Yeah, no thanks. I'd much rather keep watching him thrash and claw at his own throat like he's trying to rip it open himself.

"Owww, watch the hand, buddy!" I complain as the guard hauls me roughly by the upper arm, up the squeaky steps out of the dungeon, er, holding cell, I mean. "You really need to learn to keep your hands to yourself," I tell him. I swear I felt his hand on my ass at some point back there. "Jerk!" I mutter. Corbin's shaking his head at me. I notice his guard isn't having nearly as rough a time as mine.Sure, I'm cranky, starving honestly, but that doesn't mean they need to manhandle me like this. "Trust me, I don't want to be down here either," I grumble. Really, all they'd need to do is unlock the doors, look away for two seconds, and I'd be gone before anyone noticed. Win-win, easiest job in the world.The guard pretends he can't hear me, still dragging me toward the basement door leading out to the pack house's massive backyard.He throws the door open with a loud bang, and suddenly everything's too much. Too much light, sound, smell, everything all at once, almost painful. My knees b

"Where are the men?" I ask them. I've been wondering where Julian disappeared to. "They're with Lord Grayson in the conference room. Your cousins are in there too," Aurelia answers. "My cousins? You mean..." "Yeah, Corbin and Caleb are here," Livana says. "Caleb came with us from California. Corbin came back to the hotel with us last night. They were both worried about you." Worried about me? I was worried about them. I haven't seen Caleb in ages, and I'm glad both brothers made it here. "So what's happening today?" I ask. "Today we're heading back to Night Shade Pack," Aurelia answers grimly, and the other two nod along. "You don't have to go back there if you don't want to. We'd understand," Serena says, resting her hand over mine. "It must be hard for you." "No, I want to be there," I tell her. "Then we'll go as soon as the men are ready and we finish breakfast," Aurelia says, stealing yet more fries off my plate. "Are you okay?" Livana asks after a while. That'