{Third Person}
After leaving Amara’s bedroom, Alexander returned to his side of the residence without saying another word.
The servants who happened to cross his path imdiately sensed that sothing was wrong. His expression was colder than usual, and the oppressive aura around him made everyone instinctively lower their heads and step aside.
By the ti he entered his study, word had already spread among the servants that a commotion had occurred in the political bride’s bedroom.
Not the details. Only that a scream had been heard, and that the Alpha Prince had entered shortly afterwards.
Alexander summoned Jasper almost imdiately. The mont Jasper entered and bowed, Alexander spoke without preamble.
"Find out which servants heard what happened this morning."
Jasper’s expression beca serious at once. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Those who abandoned their duties to gather outside the residence are to be punished."
Jasper lowered his head further. "Yes, Your Highness."
Alexander’s gaze turned colder, but his voice remained calm. "And spread my order throughout the residence. No one is permitted to discuss what occurred this morning."
The room beca noticeably quieter.
"If I learn that anyone has carried rumours outside this residence..." He paused briefly before finishing, "They will be executed."
Jasper felt his heart tighten. "Understood, Your Highness."
Only then did Alexander dismiss him.
The order was delivered swiftly. Before noon, the servants throughout both sides of the residence had received the warning.
Fear spread imdiately because everyone understood what it ant. Most of them had not seen anything.
Apart from Mrs. Woods, none of them knew what had happened inside Amara’s bedroom.
They had only heard the scream, nothing more. Yet even that was enough for the Alpha Prince to silence the matter completely.
Soon afterwards, the entire residence fell unnaturally quiet.
No one dared speculate. No one dared gossip. And no one dared repeat what little they had heard.
---
anwhile, on Amara’s side of the residence, the atmosphere felt entirely different.
Mrs. Woods did her best to maintain a calm appearance, but her hands trembled slightly as she helped Amara prepare herself.
The marks on Amara’s neck remained impossible to miss. Angry red fingerprints stood out clearly against her pale skin.
Each ti the old woman caught sight of them, her heart ached, yet she deliberately avoided ntioning them.
What comfort could she possibly offer?
The wounds were visible, but the fear behind them was even more obvious.
Amara barely spoke while changing clothes. In fact, she seed to be moving through a fog. Everything felt distant and unreal.
She allowed Mrs. Woods to help her dress without protest.
A high-collared gown was chosen to completely conceal her neck. Long sleeves hid her arms. A shawl covered her shoulders.
Every visible inch of skin disappeared beneath layers of fabric. And this ti, it wasn’t because she felt cold, but rather because she felt exposed.
Mrs. Woods noticed that too.
The entire ti, Amara’s hands remained clenched tightly in her lap. And whenever she thought about being taken before Alexander again, her fingers tightened even more.
Eventually, the expected ssage arrived. His Highness was ready to see her.
The colour drained from Amara’s face imdiately. For a brief mont, she looked as though she might collapse.
Mrs. Woods quickly reached for her hand. "My Lady," she said softly.
Amara looked up.
Mrs. Woods forced a reassuring smile and said to her, "You must be brave."
Amara tried to return the smile and failed woefully.
---
The walk to Alexander’s side of the residence felt endless. Every step seed heavier than the last.
By the ti she finally reached the study, her heart was beating so violently that she wondered if everyone around her could hear it.
Mrs. Woods knocked, then pushed the door open gently and escorted her inside.
Alexander was already there, waiting. He sat behind his desk with several docunts spread before him, though it was obvious he was not reading any of them.
The mont Amara entered, his gaze lifted, and her entire body stiffened instantly. She lowered her eyes without thinking.
The mory of his hand around her throat remained far too fresh.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke. The silence stretched uncomfortably between them.
Finally, Alexander looked toward Mrs. Woods. "You may leave."
Mrs. Woods hesitated. The hesitation lasted only a heartbeat, but Alexander noticed. His expression did not change, nor did his voice.
"You may leave."
This ti, it sounded less like a request.
Mrs. Woods reluctantly bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."
A mont later, she withdrew from the room. The door closed behind her with a soft click. And suddenly, only Alexander and Amara remained.
The silence that followed felt even heavier.
Amara stood motionless near the centre of the room. She could not bring herself to look at him. Not after what had happened, and definitely not after the disappointnt in his eyes.
anwhile, Alexander simply watched her carefully and slowly. His gaze travelled over her appearance.
The high collar, the long sleeves, the shawl wrapped tightly around her body.
She had concealed herself completely as though she feared being seen. As though she feared him.
Alexander’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Just then, he heard her heart beating fast and uneven, racing so hard that it echoed clearly in his ears.
That was fear. Pure fear.
For the first ti since she entered, Alexander spoke. "Look at ."
The command was neither loud nor harsh, yet Amara visibly flinched. Her fingers tightened around the edges of the shawl.
For several seconds, she remained frozen. Then very slowly, she raised her head and t his eyes.
Alexander held her gaze for several long monts before finally speaking. "Sit."
The command was neither loud nor harsh, yet it carried enough authority for Amara to obey imdiately.
She crossed the room slowly and lowered herself into the chair opposite his desk. Her hands remained tightly clasped together in her lap, and despite her efforts to appear calm, the slight trembling in her fingers betrayed her fear.
Alexander watched the stiffness in her posture, the uncertainty in her eyes and the way she seed afraid to look at him for too long.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched uncomfortably between them until Alexander finally broke it.
"What exactly was your purpose?"
Amara looked up in confusion.
Alexander leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression cold and unreadable.
"What did you hope to gain by pretending to be soone you are not?" he asked. "What was your purpose in becoming a political bride under a false identity?"
The question imdiately caught Amara off guard. She parted her lips slightly but found herself unable to answer.
Alexander’s gaze hardened. "Do you have any idea what your actions could have caused?"
His voice remained controlled, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable. "You entered my kingdom under a false na. You deceived the royal family. You participated in a political marriage while concealing your true identity."
His eyes never left hers. "Do you understand that such actions could threaten relations between the two kingdoms?"
Amara lowered her gaze. "Yes." The answer was barely above a whisper.
Alexander’s jaw tightened. "Then explain yourself."
Amara swallowed hard. Her throat felt painfully dry. For a brief mont, she simply stared at her hands before finally speaking.
"I never intended for any of this to happen."
Alexander remained silent and just watched her continue.
"I did not co here with a plan," she continued quietly. "I was not sent here to deceive Your Highness."
"Then why did you?" His question ca imdiately, sharp and demanding.
Amara looked up again. There were already tears gathering in her eyes. "Because I didn’t know."
Alexander frowned. "Didn’t know what?"
Amara drew in a shaky breath. "I didn’t know I wasn’t a Caldwell."
For the first ti since she entered the study, genuine surprise crossed Alexander’s face. But it disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.
"You expect to believe that?"
"I am telling the truth." Her voice trembled despite her effort to remain composed.
Alexander stared at her for several seconds. "When did you learn the truth?"
The question brought back mories she wished she could forget. She rembered the ballroom, the guests, the humiliation, Torin’s betrayal and Lila’s smile.
Everything returned at once.
Amara lowered her eyes again. "The night before I was sent here."
Silence filled the room. Alexander watched every one of her expressions and hesitations carefully, every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.
Amara gathered her courage before continuing. "My father told that evening was ant to celebrate my engagent."
A faint, bitter smile appeared briefly on her lips before disappearing again. "I believed him."
Her fingers tightened together. "I thought it would be a happy occasion. I thought I was there to celebrate my future with the man I intended to marry."
Alexander said nothing and simply listened.
"My father invited many nobles," she continued softly. "At the ti, I thought he was simply making the event grander than expected."
Just then, her voice began to shake. "But it wasn’t an engagent celebration at all." She paused briefly before forcing herself to continue.
"In front of everyone, my father announced that my engagent had been cancelled."
The humiliation of that mont still felt fresh, as though it had happened yesterday.
Amara looked down at her lap and said, "He told everyone that I had been selected as the political bride of the Alpha Prince of the Werewolf Kingdom."
User Comments
0 comments from readers