The Rejected Werewolf Princess

CAMILLA'S POV

“Let's go over this one more time, please,” I announced and if Ryker wasn't as stressed as I was, he would have rollec his eyes. “I need to be sure that we are all on the same page.”

“Camilla,” Ryker somehow managed to sound exhausted and patient at the same time. “You know the plan, everyone knows the plan. We are fine, I can assure you of that.”

“What if we mess up.”

“We won't,” he assured me before looking up at Juan. It was only the three of us leaving. It was a stupid idea but it was also the safest way to ensure that no one else got hurt.

The plan was simple, we were going to pretend to hide the dagger somewhere in the hopes that she would follow us. Ryker had demanded to hold the dagger because he believed she would go after whomever was holding it first. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn’t believe she would. I had a gut feeling about the way things were going to go but I couldnt be sure and I didn’t want to jinx it

“We will be fine,” Ryker assured me and although I didn’t quite believe him, I nodded. “The horses are poised and ready. Are you sure you want to do this?’

“I have to be there if we want to make this more believable,” I shrugged but that wasn't the answer he wanted. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to turn to him.

“Do you want to do this?” he punctuated each word slowly and I sighed before nodding. It was better me than anyone else and somehow, I just knew that I had to be there. “Good, let us go and kill a witch.”

We walked out hand in hand and he helped me onto my horse. Things seemed to be going smoothly and we were prepared to leave when I saw Damien rushing out of the palace. He was heading straight for us and I glanced over at Ryker uneasily. He stayed next to me because neither of us knew what Damien wanted. We also weren't sure whethel Reina still had her claws in him or not.

“Thank the goddess I managed to catch you,” he managed out as he tried to even his breathing. “I just wanted to apologize for what happened before. I-"

“Damien,” I cut him off. “We are on a very time sensitive quest. If you want to apologize then you don’t need to, you are forgiven. If that will be all then-"

“No, I wanted to tell you that I felt her in my head,” he dropped his voice to a whisper before adding. “The witch. I don’t know how to explain it, it was like someone else was digging into my mind and controlling my movements. I was almost watching myself move.”

“What did she make you do?” I asked slowly and he looked around to ensure that no one was listening before stepping closer to us.

“She was looking at the entrances and exits as well as how many people were guarding them. It seemed like she was taking notes. I can't explain it. I wish I could. Thankfully, she didn’t go near the children but she seemed very interested with the lower parts of the palace- where the vaults are”

“The vaults are heavily guarded,” Ryker said simply but Damien just shrugged.

“I just thought you should know.”

Ryker turned to me in a silent question and I switched to our mind link. “If he is telling the truth then she might attack today. This whole dagger thing could be a distraction.”

“Or, she could have sent him to distract us so we can leave all our protection in the palace and she will attack us when we are out.”

Both seemed like very plausible options. After a long minute of deliberation, I opened a link between myself and Juan. “I need you to stay back.”

He had his hand on a horse ready to mount and he stilled. “Is there a reason for that?”

“We have reason to believe that she might attack the palace and I need you to be here just in case that happens. We need someone who can rally the guards and keep her at bay until we return.”

“What if she attacks you?”

“Ryker and I are more than capable of defending ourselves.”

“She is a powerful witch.”

“I have powers of my own,” I said simply. “I don’t want to fight with you on this, Juan. You are the only one I trust to do it. We don’t know what she will do and we need to be prepared for every circumstance.”

“I don't like this,” he said finally. “You will be out there and undefended. You could get hurt. You will get hurt. There i no debating that”

“As long as we keep the palace safe”

“I'll stay but if you need help, call for it immediately.”

“Iwill”

He broke off the mind link and I watched Juan undo the saddle of his horse and retreat into the palace leaving just Ryker and I. I was even more terrified than earlier because our initial plan involved Juan. We were walking out blind and hoping that things would sort themselves out. It was insane and some would call it a suicide mission.

Ryker and I rode side by side. Neither of us said a word as we rode through the empty forest. So far, there was no sign of Reina but I still had that gut feeling, like there was something I was missing. I looked around trying to see if someone was following us but the path was empty- it was just us.

“Everything will be fine,” Ryker whispered and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to assure me or himself. “Reina will take the bait”

“Somehow, that is what I am worried about,” I admitted. “What happens if we have grossly underestimated her and we are unable to beat her? We are banking on the fact that she lost something as well in that river but what if she didn’t lose much? What if she is more powerful than the both of us?”

“We defeated her once, we will defeat her again. We just have to-"

His words died off when both of our horses skidded to a stop. I turned to him with confusion in my brows but even he looked as confused as I felt. I tried to get my horse to move but she stubbornly remained in place. There was something ahead that scared her, something that they could sense.

“Should we turn back or go the rest of the way on foot?” I asked.

Instead of responding, Ryker got off his horse, tied it to a tree and helped me off mine. Once both horses were safe, we headed forward. I kept my hand intertwined with his. Some paragraphs are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jo b nib.com. It was the only thing that kept me sane and kept my feet moving forward despite the growing ache in my belly. It seemed to be getting worse the further we went until it was almost unbearable and I cursed. “Something is wrong,” I whispered. “We have to go back now. I don’t know what it is but we need to leave.” “Camille-" he began but I cut him off.

“Ryker, I know this. You need to trust me.”

He didn't even hesitate before nodding. We rushed back towards where we had kept the horses but when we got there, I was shocked by who I saw standing. Reina was standing there, she still possessed Peggy's body but she was dressed like herself. It felt weird to see the woman I had looked up to like a mother figure and know that she was probably my worst enemy.

“Well, seeing as you are here now, I suppose we can skip the introductions and unnecessary small talk,” she drawled “For someone so powerful, Camilla, it sure took you long enough to realize something was wrong. I thought for sure that you would notice it when your horses stopped.”

“You had been following us,” I deduced and she shrugged. “How didn’t we notice you?”

“Magic,” she said simply. “You know, Camilla, if we were not enemies, we would have been very good friends.”

“You don’t know the meaning of that word. You burned your entire coven to the ground because they wouldn't join you to practice dark magic.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “You know nothing about what I did. You don’t know what it is like to live and be manipulated by the goddess. I suppose you do considering your daughter is a seer.”

I stilled. “How do you know that?”

I should have probably called her bluff and denied it but when it came to my child, I didn’t play around. Reina had no need to lie to me, she had no need to try to draw things out. If she said that Audrey was a seer, it was because she knew.

“I have been among many seers in my lifetime, it was not hard to figure out,” she shrugged. “Your daughter will be manipulated by the goddess all her life. She will be cursed to see things and be unable to change them. Have you ever wondered why the goddess gave her the powers so early? Has she yet told you that the goddess asked her not to tell you things.”

I remained silent.

“I know she has. She is trying to brain wash your child. I was lucky enough to break free of her control. I was lucky enough to see the truth. Dark magic gave me my freedom back. I can give Audrey hers too. Just give me the dagger and we can work together”

I glanced over at Ryker but he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at me. He was letting me make the choice. I thought about it for a second before turning to Reina.

“Go to hell,” I spat and her smile fell instantly.

“Very well then, as brave as that was, it was also very stupid. I don’t want to fight you, I just want the dagger.”

“We have backup on the way,” I lied and she snorted.

“Believe me, I have kept your palace very busy,” she pulled out two dolls from her pockets. “I will save you the trouble of having to guess who these are. One is Damien and the other is Juan. Now, you have two options: you can give me the dagger or I will make them burn that palace to the ground with everyone in it. The choice is yours and you have five seconds.”