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Chapter 8 - Hello, little human

EMMA

The central stairway is made of white marble and stands out against the rest of the palace.

“The palace is truly magnificent since there used to be a river flowing right where the palace stands. It flows from up the mountain down to Sanguinem.” Camilla says.

At the top of the stairs are two massive golden doors. They must reach over fifteen feet tall.

“What’s there?” I ask.

“Those are the doors to the throne room. It is a magnificent piece of art. Provided by King Magnus when he ascended the throne.”

Camilla leans forward and cups her hand around her mouth. “The King is there right now in an important meeting with some of his highest generals. Under whom Prince Hadrian and Princess Morana.” Her eyes glisten with excitement about this piece of gossip.

I don’t care about the king or prince being in that room. I do care about the fact that Princess Morana is there. The princess can get me my necklace back.

I try to remember the path we walk through. Left, third right, second left. Camilla doesn’t leave my side for a second. I want to run back to the throne room and wait for the princess, so I can beg for my necklace back. Yes, I’m willing to beg.

Camilla leads me into a room with a three-seat sofa of green velvet, a desk and a long white table. “Please wait here and the healer will be with you shortly.”

Camilla gestures to the green sofa and she waits until I take a seat. “I’ll let the kitchen know you’ll be ready for dinner in an hour.” She sends me a creepy smile and leaves the room. I’m alone for the first time since she knocked on the door this morning.

I’m actually alone. I digest the opportunity and wait a few seconds.

I get up from the sofa and move towards the door. Something inside me expects the door to be closed, but it isn’t. The door unlocks and the sound seems to echo through the room. There is nobody there in the hallway, not even a guard.

I guess nobody cares about a human.

I try to retrace my steps and avoid the guards patrolling around. I walk further to another staircase, where I see one of the maids go up with bed linen.

I take it to the third floor.

The halls are eerily quiet, no lights are burning and the curtains are closed. There blows a cold breeze that gives me goosebumps in my short-sleeved dress. The palace is cold and it has slowly been chilling me to the bone.

The only light comes from the room at the end of the hall. It illuminates enough to create a path from the entrance to where I'm standing. I’m drawn to the warm yellow light, like a moth to a flame.

I walk through the open archway of the bright room. The warmth in the room immediately tingles on my skin. The smell of old books and dried sunflowers emanates from the area.

Two high walls span from floor to ceiling with books. In the middle of the room are two long cream-colored sofas and a white marble coffee table. The ceiling is made of stained glass and shaped like a dome.

I walk into the room and run my fingers over the books. They’re dusty. It seems like not a lot of people come here. There are a variety of book genres, but one shelf has a couple of black leather-bound notebooks. There’s a name embossed on the leather.

Oriane.

I walk further to the back wall. It is made completely out of glass and overlooks the forest. I reach until I can touch the window. It feels smooth and cold beneath my fingertips.

The tree tops are starting to change color, from green to yellow and red in the late summer. The sun has started setting and the sky mirrors the colors of the forest. The endless sea of trees in all different shades creates a beautiful horizon that has me under a spell. The room is so calm and serene and for a moment I feel peace.

A shadow casts over me, enclosing me in its darkness and I know I’m not alone anymore. The warmth I felt seconds ago is gone in a split moment. I don’t hear a sound, not even a breath.

I freeze and a very large male arm wraps around my waist. The arm is like a metal cord around me. Steady and unmovable. He pulls me toward him until I collide with the obstruction of his chest. His torso is hard against my shoulder blades.

The heat radiating from him seeps into my bones. My eyes flutter for a second and lean into the heat. His warmth is tempting and dispels the cold that has been slowly numbing my body.

I gasp when I realize what I’m doing. I straighten my back and try to pull away from his chest. He wraps his other arm around my hip bones and lower stomach. He pulls me flush against him. Both my arms are trapped to my sides.

He’s so close that I can smell the rich woody scent emanating from him. Ceder, sandalwood and bergamot. The scent is warm and appealing. It tempts and seduces me to come closer and I want to press my nose into his skin.

Holy shit. What was that?

Through the window, I can see the faint reflection of an enormous man. His shoulders stretch wide and he towers over me. It is the frame of Prince Hadrian and I grit my teeth.

He leans his head down next to mine and runs his nose from my neck to my shoulder. I spite the fact that it leaves tingles on my skin. I hate that his crushing warmth gives me a sense of security. And I mostly despise the hot feeling in my lower stomach when he runs his thumb over my hip bone.

“Hello, little human.” Prince Hadrian says. His voice is low and rough and I gulp when his lips brush along the shell of my ear when he talks. The deep rasp of his voice travels all the way to my lower stomach and I don’t know why.

I swallow and he allows me to slowly turn to face him. I have to arch my neck to look at the face of the crown prince and into his black eyes. They are black as night and filled with hatred. I gulp and take what I assume is my last breath.

His eyes turn from black to light amber. Swirling around until the last trace of darkness is gone. He is so close that I can see the pattern in his eyes and the start of the stubble on his chin and jaw. I try to pull myself free from his grip, but his arms are like a metal cage around me.

“Going somewhere? Sweetheart.”

I struggle harder. “Please, let me go.”

His arms loosen around me and he turns me with ease. I lose my balance, but the prince catches me and lays me down on one of the sofas. I gasp when he lies down on top of me. The air leaves my lungs as his heavy weight presses down on my chest. He completely overpowers me and dominates my view. The only thing I can see is him and how he hovers above me. That warm manly scent completely envelops me.

“What are you doing?” I squeak.

He holds himself up on one arm beside my head. He settles his hips between my legs and lowers his face an inch from mine. His warm breath fawns over my face. “Are you not willing, little human?”

He gives me a smirk and starts to unbutton his jacket.

Is this not what I pretend to be? What Justin said I should do? Make him lower his guard.

His chiseled chest comes into view and I can’t tear my eyes away. I mean I’ve seen male chests before and never really thought much of it. They never held my gaze trapped to their physique.

His muscles are large with sharp definition. He’s twice the size of any regular man. Every cord of muscle is shaped with precision and I can tell he works hard for his body.

"We can't," I tell him. Pushing my hands against his shoulders. His skin is scorching. I push as hard as I can, but he won’t budge. My efforts only make him press further onto me.

“I won’t tell anyone.” He whispers and his lips are so close. I can feel them grazing my cupid’s bow. I turn my head away from him with a grimace. The only thing I see now are the veins and muscles of his forearm.

He captures my wrists in one hand and stretches them over my head. His lips brush against my ear. “Isn’t this what you want? Hmm? To fuck a beast?” He hisses.

I gasp when his hardness presses against the apex of my thighs.

“Is this why you do it?” His hand moves to my thigh and his fingers dig hard into my flesh. “You want to tell your human friends just how raw the brutal werewolf fucked you?” He pressing harder onto me when my legs spread wider.

“Please, don't—“

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