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Chapter 5

I glanced over at the nurse with tears welling up in my eyes. She smiled at me sadly before pulling a small purple bottle out of her apron and walked toward me.

"Please, Miss, Nurse or whoever you are," I begged loudly while grabbing onto her wrists. "You can't send me to that man! He is a monster, and so is that vile brother of his! I need to go home! I have an elderly grandmother who needs me. Please, you can't let him do that to me!"

"I'm sorry, Miss, but it's out of my control," the nurse replied softly. "If I disobeyed the Prince's orders, they will surely have my head. All I can advise is do not piss the Alpha Prince off. Do as he says and what he wants at all times with no questions asked, and you will be fine."

"I'm not being sent to a brothel! Over my dead body!" I argued back tearfully. "I won't allow it! I'll kick off and cause a scene!"

"There's no point in causing a scene, little Miss." the nurse replied sternly. "There's no one to hear you scream inside of these walls. With an attitude like that, you will surely end up dead before the night is out! Now, hush yourself and drink this bottle."

"What is it?" I replied sullenly while glaring at the nurse angrily. "The pain is beginning to fade. I don't need whatever poison that is!"

"It's not poison," chuckled the nurse gently, while unscrewing the lid of the bottle. "It's a miracle grow for broken bones. Your wolf has healed the bruising and the cuts and scrapes and stopped the bleeding, but this stuff will help your bones heal faster."

Sighing, I gently took the bottle and quickly tipped the contents into my mouth and swallowed it. The liquid was freezing cold as if it had just come out of the ice room, and weirdly, it tasted like peppermint. However, my throat and belly felt like I now had a raging inferno building inside of me. As if the nurse had read my mind, she nodded approvingly.

"Yes, that's just the potion working its magic. Now, let's not waste any more time or beat around the bush any longer," she sighed loudly before turning towards Ser Criston, then back at me. "Please escort the young lady to his Highness's apartments. Good luck my dear and please stay safe."

Nodding, I slowly swung my legs off of the bed and followed Ser Criston back towards the exit. The pain in my body had all but gone, and the bruises had faded to nothing. I desperately needed a bath to wash off all the congealed blood from my skin and some clean clothes to change into, seeing as I arrived at the castle with nothing. Silently I made my way back down the empty corridor and followed Ser Criston up two more flights of fancy staircases, which led to a beautiful stone archway leading out onto a stone bridge. Looking across the bridge, I spied another part of the castle at the other end.

Slowly, I began making my way across the bridge, and as I quickly looked down, I saw a beautiful, vast, green garden. It was filled with the most beautiful ornate granite benches, colourful rose bushes, and decorative water fountains. Ser Criston silently stood by another stone archway and pointed inside with his finger.

"Come on. The Prince is just through here. This is the north tower," he explained after seeing my puzzled expression. "The Alpha Prince resides in the Northern tower, while the Shadow prince resides in the south. The rest of the castle is used by the Prince's privy council members and ministers and for public events and parties. I expect you'll be spending most of your time up here."

Nodding, I followed Ser Criston through the archway and across a large stone hallway towards two ornate golden doors. Loudly, Ser Criston knocked twice, to which the golden doors slowly swung open, revealing a large but sparsely furnished living area. Glancing back, I shyly waved goodbye to Ser Criston before walking in, feeling the fear rise through me like a phoenix. Large stained glass windows overlooked a crystal blue lake, while floor-length, red velvet drapes hung elegantly at each side. Two large, comfy-looking red sofas sat in front of a huge, stone fireplace, home to a roaring log fire, while a large fur rug lay in front of the marble hearth. It was too dim in the room to make out what sort of animal it had come from, but as I glanced around the rest of the room, I noticed a large bookcase filled with dusty tomes with a squishy armchair next to it. Suddenly a door creaked noisily open, and as I looked up, a tall, slender blonde-haired girl came walking towards me, smiling gently.

"Hi, I am Davina," she cooed softly, placing one hand elegantly on her hip. "I'm one of his Highness's new bedmaidens. The rest are upstairs in their living quarters, but I can already tell that I will be his favourite. That’s why I am here on my own! He chose me see? Anyway, he asked me to come to fetch you! I can't see why he would want something like you. Look at the state of you! But anyway, come on. He is waiting and it’s rude to keep a Prince waiting!"

Scowling behind Davina's back, I followed her silently towards the door she had just come through and followed after her. What a stuck-up cow! How dare she judge me! Just as I was about to argue back, my eyes snapped instantly towards a huge four-poster bed, complete with white drapes, sat atop some steps in a quiet nook of the room. Lying down comfortably, half-naked, was the Alpha Prince himself! Gulping nervously, I stopped abruptly in the middle of the room. I quickly averted my eyes, feeling the familiar red flush creeping over my face and the longing burning radiating through my body.

"Davina, bring her over to me, please," the Prince ordered lazily while staring intently at Davina. “Stop scowling. Just do as I say before I send you back upstairs!”

Glaring at me sneakily, Davina grabbed one of my hands and pulled me to the end of the bed. Holding my breath, I continued to look at the floor. Inside my head, I could hear Samba howling desperately at the sight of the Prince, and all I could think about was this man making me his. But how absurd? That would never happen! But why was Samba so interested in this man when he probably didn't even know my name?

"Hmm? I sense that you are all healed. Right, I'll deal with you in a minute," the Prince declared loudly, swinging his legs off the bed and walking towards me slowly. "But first, I need a bath. Davina, run me a bath. You can come and assist me too!"

Davina quickly walked out of the bedroom and out of our sight, grinning broadly. As I glanced up quickly, I saw a stone archway leading out onto a balcony and a large cluttered desk filled with all sorts of paperwork, books, and maps. The heat from another stone fireplace behind me was gently warming my skin. I was vaguely aware that it wasn't helping my current stench of mud and dried blood. Before I could stop him, the Alpha Prince came behind me. He buried his nose into my neck before inhaling deeply, then stepped back abruptly as if my skin had burnt him.

"Do you know how awful you smell right now!" the Alpha Prince growled in disgust. "No wonder no man wanted you for his bedmaiden. You should be ashamed of yourself! Call yourself a woman!"

And just like that, the Prince stormed off, slamming the bathroom door behind him, leaving me all alone in his bedroom. I felt tears spill out over my cheeks as I limply sat on the floor. Not caring who would see me, I wept as all my emotions of the day came flooding out of me. How dare he speak to me like that! I’m not normally caked in mud and grime and blood! How dare he be so rude! Feeling my anger reach new heights, I was contemplating marching into the bathroom and giving the Prince a piece of mind but his angry voice echoed once more around the room, making me quiver in fear.

"GET OUT!! I DON'T WANT YOU! DO NOT TOUCH ME!" his angry voice roared suddenly, making me jump in shock.

I hadn’t known the Prince long but I hadn’t heard his voice like this before. He sounded furious but also as if he was in immense amounts of pain. Quickly, I stood up just in time before the bathroom door swung open, and a pale-faced, tear-stained Davina came running in looking panicked. It wasn't until I took a second look at her that I finally realised she was in a state of half undress.

"The Alpha Prince has kicked me out!" Davina mumbled quietly, tears running down her stricken face. "He only wants you in there with him!"

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