arius pov
“I’m so happy you’re not rejecting your mate, my king! Truly! I was starting to think you were heartless enough not to care if that poor girl died from the rejection. But who knew, you’re secretly a nice person!” Cassian exclaimed in surprise, clapping his hands as he stared at me in awe.
My expression didn’t change. I simply stared coldly at the idiot in front of me.
Drake stood beside him. Though he didn’t openly show his excitement like Cassian, the glint in his eyes was proof enough that he, too, was pleased the girl wouldn’t be dying tomorrow.
“You know,” Cassian continued, “I think the miss is really happy and relieved. That must be why she’s not coming out of her room. I can just imagine her crying on her bed, so overwhelmed that everything’s going to be okay now!”
At his words, the image of the girl glaring at me with nothing short of murderous intent flashed through my mind and I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at the corner of my lips.
That girl? Happy? I doubted it. She looked like she’d rather gut me than be my mate. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, it seemed like she actually wanted me to reject her.
“Would you blame her?” Silas chimed in, as usual. “Since you got here, you’ve done nothing but torment our mate, talking about rejecting her, making her drink poison. And let’s not forget today, you slung her over your shoulder like she was some kind of doll. Why wouldn’t she want to kill you?”
I didn’t respond.
Choosing to ignore Silas entirely, I was just about to order Drake to bring me a glass so I could pour a drink, when my brows furrowed and my eyes narrowed.
I caught a whiff of something, foul and distinct. The scent of a rogue.
And from the way the conversation had died down and both Cassian and Drake fell silent, their expressions now serious, it was clear I wasn’t the only one who had caught the scent.
“My king, they’ve followed us here,” Cassian said grimly.
I nodded, my expression cold and unreadable as I tapped my finger against the armrest, deep in thought.
“Go and inform the Alpha of the pack. Help them fend off the rogues without causing any casualties to the pack,” I ordered.
Without hesitation, both Cassian and Drake dropped to their knees, lowering their heads in a respectful bow.
“We understand, my king. We will carry out your orders,” they said in unison before rising and exiting the study.
Once they left, silence filled the room, broken only by the steady ticking of the clock.
At this point, the rogues had become more of a nuisance than a threat. They were annoying- not in a way that demanded my full attention, but in their repeated, desperate attempts to take my life.
By now, it was no secret that I couldn’t die. No matter how many times I was stabbed, slashed, or even drowned, death would not come for me. The goddess’s curse wouldn’t allow it.
I had even tried beheading myself once, thinking that without a head, there was no way I could survive. But some invisible force had intervened, nearly killing one of Cassian’s ancestors in the process. I had jumped off a cliff, hoping that my body
1/3
Chapter 58
would be too broken to recover but once again, I was saved before hitting the ground.
So yes, it was more of a curse than a blessing, I could never die no matter how hard I crave for death.
It was a lesson to teach me to value life but instead it made my hatred for it grow more and the pests of the rogues didn’t seem to make it better either.
I leaned against the couch, my eyes fluttering shut as I tried to block out the rest of the world around me. Maybe I should really start investigating the leader of the rogues to stop this afterall.
Nyssa pov
“I thought you said we deserved to starve for not killing Kiera and Aria. So why are you sneaking to the kitchen now?” Sheila said, her tone dripping with mockery as I scanned the area, making sure there were no maids, Calen, Benjamin, the king’s beta, Gemma, or most importantly, father nearby.
I didn’t respond, not because I didn’t want to, but because I was embarrassed. Yes, I had said we deserved to starve for failing our plan, but my stomach felt like it was about to rip apart. The pain was so intense it had woken me from sleep, leaving me whimpering in agony.
I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and the trauma Darius had put me through was probably why I was this hungry. So I told myself it wasn’t my fault and placed all the blame on him, that explained why I was sneaking to the kitchen now.
I exhaled deeply when I saw the coast was clear, gripping the slippers tighter in my hands as I sneaked inside. My eyes fixed on the cabinet where the instant ramen was, easy and quick to make.
Just as I drew closer and was about to move the little table toward the cabinet to climb up, Sheila’s panicked voice made me freeze.
“Nyssa… Something’s wrong.”
I blinked in confusion. I had never heard Sheila sound like this before, not with rage, but with tension. It was unlike the way the king had found out about my identity, but this time, it felt more serious.
At that exact moment, I couldn’t help but tense up as a shiver ran down my spine.
T–this was the feeling of being watched. Of knowing someone was right behind you. Of feeling a pair of eyes locked on you. Like a predator watching its prey.
“Nyssa, you need to run. They smell like rogues, and there seem to be many of them right now. I’m not strong enough yet to take them, so… run.”
She said urgently, not the proud wolf I knew. Without thinking, I heeded her words, exhaling deeply before slowly turning around and dashing toward the kitchen exit, wanting to run to my room.
But before I could react, a gasp escaped me as a hand shot out and grabbed my neck, slamming me against the wall. Pain shot through me, making me whine and close my eyes.
“You smell fucking delicious,” a rough voice growled in front of me. The grip on my neck tightened, forcing me to open my eyes and when I stared into the red eyes of the man before me, I knew I was a goner.
2/3
