The Rejected Werewolf Princess

CAMILLA'S POV

Marie was seated in the cells and if I were being honest, it made me a little uncomfortable to see her that way. I knew it wasn't her, I knew everything I previously knew was a lie but that didn’t mean that it was easy. I had a bond with Marie, I had seen her like a sister and finding out that everything I knew was a perfectly orchestrated plan was not easy to come to terms with.

We stood in front of the cells and my steps faltered. She had her back to us but it was clearly her. I didn't even know how to start, I didn’t know what to call her. I turned to Ryker and he gave me shoulder a comforting squeeze. I had asked to be here, I didn't have to be and that meant that I needed to get my head in the game and keep my emotion in check.

“Why Marie?” was my first question because I honestly wanted to know. “Why did you choose her? Why did you pretend to be her? Why did you stay?”

She just shrugged and didn’t turn to face me but I wasn't willing to let it slide.

“You could have pretended to be her and left. You could have let the entire town live with the knowledge that she was dead. Why did you stay? Why did you make everyone believe you were her? How were you even able to do that?" “If you came here simply to ask questions then unfortunately I think I should tell you that you are undoubtedly wasting your time,” she looked over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were dull and lifeless and I couldn't help but wonder if they had always been like that and I hadn't noticed or if it was a new development. “I don’t particularly feel like being interrogated right now.”

“I don't want to interrogate you either. I just need answers.”

The corner of her lips tipped up into a smile. “If it is answers that you want then you will have to find them elsewher because I guarantee that you will not get them from me. Did you really think you would just walk in here and I would start singing like a bird?”

“Honestly, no,” I admitted and her brows furrowed in confusion. I took a slow step forward until I was standing in front of the cell but not quite touching it. “But you will soon, do you want to know why?”

“I presume you will tell me either way.”

“This cell is specially designed to hold witches. It slowly bleeds out every trace of magic until all that is left is nothing. The bars are silver so you cannot touch them. Even if you are not a werewolf, you are in the body of one. By this time tomorrow, you will be almost human. I am sure you will have more answers for us then.”

She was stoic and expressionless for a full minute and then, to my surprise, she burst out laughing. It was a shrill and high pitched sound, one that grated on my nerves.If you are not reading this novel on Job(ni) b.com, some sentences are incomplete. The sound was filled with sick amusement and something about it felt eerie and I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand on edge. Even Ryker who was beside me subtly pulled me closer to him, almost as if he could feel it the same way I could.

It took her a while to calm down, and when she did, she had a dark look in her eye. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. You might be surprised by what you find”

It sounded more like a threat than anything but I wasn't going to stay to find out what. As soon as we left the cells, Ryker turned to the guards. “I need twenty-four-hour surveillance on her. Do not ever take your eyes off her. I want two pairs of eyes. She is planning something”

The guards seemed surprised by the request but they nodded and rushed to do as he had asked. Ryker pulled me out because it felt like I was unable to move of my own accord and the moment we returned to the main floor of the palace, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

“That was not creepy at all,” Ryker's voice was dripping with sarcasm and I couldnt help but burst into laughter. He was smiling beside me and I let out a heavy exhale once I managed to calm down. “All I want is one peaceful week. Is that too much to ask for?”

“I have been asking myself the same question every day for years,” I told him leaning my head against his shoulder. Once the laughter had died down, I was forced to face the reality of the situation. “It feels weird, you know? Seeing her there like that, it felt very uncomfortable, I didn’t think I could handle it.”

“I knew you could,” he shot back and I snorted.

“You were asking me to stay back. You didn't even want me there.”

“I did want you there, I just wanted you to do it on your own terms. You are stronger than you think, Camilla and I wanted you to realize that on your own,” I lifted my eyes to him suddenly feeling overwhelmed by his words. He cracked a small smile before kissing my lips softly. “Do you want to go and see Peggy? She might need some company.”

I shook my head. “What she needs right now is space. This would be too much on even the strongest person in the world.”

While I wanted to go to her, I knew I wouldn't be wanted at the moment. Instead of leaving the door open for any potential questions, I intertwined my fingers with Ryker and pulled him in the direction of our offices. What I needed right now was work to get my mind off things and he seemed to realize that too because he didn’t protest.

I spent majority of the day locked in my office with my face buried into mountains of paperwork. I didn’t even realize how much time had gone by until there was a knock on my door and Ryker made his way in with a plate of food that smelled so good that my stomach rumbled.

“I'm thinking Peggy wasn’t the only one who needed space,” he mused and my cheeks heated. He placed the food in front of me and pulled me into his lap. I couldn't even protest. “How do you feel? I didn’t know how much time was deemed appropriate but I figured you would need something to eat.”

“This is perfect,” I whispered trying to make sure my voice didn't crack due to emotions. “Thank you. Are the girls-"

“l already put them both in bed. I told Audrey that you weren't feeling too good and you just wanted to take a break. She didn’t understand and she asked that I give you one of her toys to make you feel better”

The corner of my lips tipped up. I wouldn't put it past Audrey to say something like that. She was such a kind heartec little girl. She was the one thing that let me know I was doing a good job because if we could raise someone as amazing as her, then I could handle being Queen.

“Did Peggy come out for dinner?” I asked and he shook his head making me curse. “I should go check on her. She is probably all alone.”

I started to rise but he kept his hand firmly around my waist and pulled me back into a sitting position. “I already did, she said she wanted to be alone. I left some dinner for her at the door and she said to tell you that she is fine and she doesn’t need guards watching her”

I raised a brow. “You put guards to watch her?”

“I had to. I didn’t know what she would do.”

My throat welled with emotion and I threw my hands around his shoulders. I couldn't function properly and he had gone out of his way to make sure that everything was properly handled. I didn’t know how my mother managed to rule for years without a mate. If I didn’t have Ryker, I was positive that I would have lost my mind by now. He was so helpful and he knew just where and how to meet up where I fell short.

“I love you," I whispered and his response was to press a lingering kiss to my temple. “I should say it more.” “Whether you say it or you don't, I know it,” he responded against my skin. “And I love you too, more than you know.” We spent the next few minutes in silence. He stole a few spoons from my food and it felt like utter bliss to just be alone with him like that but like every other good thing, it came to an end when the door to my office slammed oper I was stunned by the action and even more stunned when I realized that it was a guard. No matter how urgent and panicked they were, they never stormed into my office.

“You better have a damn good reason for that,” Ryker drawled and from the fear in the guard's eyes, we could both see that he did. “What happened? Is she gone?”

“Not exactly.”

I realized I didn’t like that answer so I rushed to my feet and followed after him. He led us down into the dungeons and the first thing that greeted me was the smell of rotten flesh. It was so strong that I did a double take and nearly doubled over.

“What the hell?” I asked as I was handed a rag to put over my mouth so as to try to stifle to smell. “Where is this coming from?”

“The prisoner's cell,” the guard explained and as I stood in front of Marie's cell, I understood because instead of Marie, there was a rotten corpse. “We were watching like you ordered. She was quiet and then she just fell to the ground. Her body started to rot in seconds. I have never seen anything like it.”

Before I could respond, I heard my name being screamed and I saw Christine running down the stairs. In her hands, she had a tightly wrapped rag. Once she saw us, she sighed in relief and tossed the rag on the ground.

“You have to see that.”