Chapter $7


    “A queen offers her hand to be k*ssed, and can form it into a fist while smiling the whole damn time.”


    Elizabeth Acevedo The next three days passed in the same mindless blur.


    Griffin would leave early in the mornings to handle some sort of kingly business and I’d upy myself around the


    bedroom. Sometimes with one of the books already in the room or with a movie on the big, tscreen in Griffin’s suite.


    Some servant who couldn’t make eye contact with me would bring me breakfast and lunch. .*)


    Then, once evening came around, Mary or another castle girl woulde to help me get dressed for dinner.


    I’d dine with Griffin for dinner, usually in one of the manyvish dining rooms throughout the castle.


    After dinner, Griffin would return to more of his kingly duties. It wasn’t untilte at night that he’d sl*p back into the room


    with me, cradling me close in b*d. I was usually still awake when he wandered in, so there’d be enough time for touching


    or making out ~ but that was about as far as it went. I had a feeling he was just too tired from his long days to go much


    farther. Chapter 57


    Inever thought living in a castle would be boring, but in reality, this new routine felt like a snooze fest. And this was


    coming from someb*dy who lovedzy days. But there were only so many movies I could binge- watch on Netflix, only


    so many books on the shelf in Griffin’s room.


    So, by day four, I was determined to do something that wasn’t counting the marble flecks on the b*droom floor. Part of me was nervous about venturing outside. Griffin hadn’t forbidden me from leaving the bedroom, but he also hadn’t


    encouraged it either. Besides the one I shared with him, my meals were brought to me. He’d told me that if I needed


    anything, I could just ask the guards stationed outside the door or talk to Mary.


    Considering how territorial he was, it all felt like another subtle way for Griffin to show his possessiveness. Keeping me


    stuck in here, hardly interacting with anyone but him.


    But if I spend another day stuck in this room, I’m going to go stir-crazy.


    I decided to explore the castle. .\)


    After a hearty breakfast, I dressed in somefortable sweatpants and a long-sleeved zip-up shirt. It would protect me


    from the chilly Canadian breeze, even if it did hide the iming bite.


    Oh, well. Griffin isn’t here to be mad about it.


    It’s not my fault that he lives in Canada, thend of long sleeves and turtlen*ecks. Chapter 57 Just as I was feeling


    caffeinated and ready to take on the day, I met my first obstacle standing outside the bedroom door: two guards.


    I forgot about them!


    How could I forget that there are always guards out here?


    I tried to mask the surprise on my face when I came face to face with the tworge, burly men. They both had stony


    expressions, some of the broadest shoulders I’d ever seen, and stood nearly as tall as Griffin.


    “Your Majesty,” the guard on the left greeted me, “Is there something you need?”


    Okay, you’ve got to y this right, rk. Say the wrong thing and they’ll just contact Griffin again.)


    I tried not to falter as I met the left guard’s piercing stare. “No, just a little fresh air,” I said.


    The guards exchanged nces with each other, like they were trying to piece together how to handle this. For all I knew,


    they were even mind linking each other.


    “Perhaps…you would like to wait for the King to escort you for some fresh air, Your Highness?” The guard on the left


    asked, sounding


    uncertain.


    “Lm sure the King is very busy,” I replied, “I don’t want to pull him Chapter 57


    away from his work. Maybe one of you wouldn’t minding with me?” The idea of lugging around a burly b*dybuilder


    all day wasn’t the most appealing thought, but if I had topromise to get out of the bedroom, I’d do it.


    Another uncertain look passed between the two.


    “We have strict orders not to leave our posts, Your Majesty,” the guard on the right chimed in. “We could contact the


    King and see if he could


    send someone else to escort you.” Geez, does every decision have to go through Griffin around here?


    Ican’t me them for not wanting to get in trouble, but thest thing I want is to wait all day just for a supervised walk


    with Griffin.


    “You know what?” I said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve already talked to the King myself, and he’s fine with me wandering


    on my own. No need for an escort or to even contact him at all.” >)


    Neither of the guards looked the least bit convinced that I was telling the truth. I didn’t know if that was because I was a


    terrible liar or if they just knew Griffin too well.


    “seriously,” I continued, “It’s all good. You guys don’t need to worry. Pll be back in less than an hour. If anyone questions


    you about it, you


    can just me it on me.”


    Not that anyone will be. I’ll be back here before anyone, including Griffin, r Chapter 57


    ealizes I went wandering alone.


    The guards still didn’t lookfortable about the exchange, but after another beat of silence, they finally nodded.


    “If you’re sure the King won’t mind,” the one on the left said, and he let me pass by. I almost felt bad for deceiving them,


    but once again – I’d be back before anyone even found out.


    No harm, no foul, right? “He won’t,” I called onest time, leaving the guards in the dust. .’)


    Griffin would most definitely mind, but you know what? It’s perfectly reasonable not to be locked up in a bedroom all


    day. I’m not a pet that’s content to sit at home and wait for him all day. Even a fox, which he’s so fond of calling me, would need more stimtion than this.


    I dashed down the hallway before the guards could change their minds and decide they did need to check in with Griffin


    before letting me leave.


    After passing through two separate hallways, I’d finally begun to rx. The hallways were almostpletely empty, save


    for the asional servant or guard. Some of the servants would ask me if I needed something as I passed by, but most of


    the guards just eyed me warily.


    Even in casual clothes that hid my iming bite from sight, most of them seemed to recognize me immediately. | wasn’t


    sure if that had to Chapter 57


    do with the red hair or their wolf-y senses picking up on the fact that I


    was human. And they all knew who the only human in the castle was. )


    Still, none of the guards came to take me back to the room – so I counted that as a win. It meant that none of them were mind linking Griffin about my presence in the castle.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    As I rounded another corner of the castle,motion reached my ears. It sounded like urgent voices and scuffling, and it


    bounced off the wide,rge walls of the stone hallways.


    I debated turning back for a moment, but curiosity won out.


    I could tell the noise wasing from an open door, and with quiet footsteps, I peeked my head in just enough to see.


    “Again! Correct your form!”


    I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting to see, but it hadn’t been this. Standing inside a massive room that looked to be


    some sort of mini- gym was a man and several young boys. The bald man was middle-aged with the frame of a


    b*dybuilder and a sharp, angled face. He was standing off to the side with crossed arms and periodically yelling at the


    young boys.


    The teenage boys were performing push-ups at a supernatural rate while the middle-aged man watched on, looking


    thoroughly


    unimpressed. The scene resembled some of the warrior sses I’d had to participate in back home — but much more


    intense. The instructor Chapter 57


    looked like he was training them for battle and the boys looked like they were preparing for it.


    Geez, they’re fast.


    I’d seen werewolves in action countless times, but it still took me by surprise to see just how fast they moved ~ even


    young boys like this. None of them looked older than fifteen.


    “You! You there!” The ented voice of the middle-aged man broke me


    out of my stupor and I nced over at him.


    He was bald but he had some of the bushiest eyebrows I’d ever seen, and his re looked like it could kill. Unfortunately,


    that re was also currently fixated on me.


    Well, that’s just great. Guess I’m not as quiet as I thought.


    “You’re interrupting a private training session!” The middle-aged man snapped, pointing his finger at me. His yelling had


    drawn the attention of the boys, who had stopped their push-ups to stare at me.


    “Lm sorry,” I said sheepishly, shuffling my feet in the doorway, “I didn’t mean to interrupt. The door was open and I just


    happened to be walking by. Sorry again.” I could feel the heat of embarrassment on my cheeks. All I’d wanted was a little


    fresh air, and I’d somehow managed to be the center of attention. Chapter 57


    Just as I was about to scurry away and pretend the entire exchange never happened, the man called out to me again.


    “Wait! You are human?” he gasped, disbelief coloring his voice. His


    nostrils were red and his eyes narrowed — he must’ve sniffed me out. )


    Is this the part where he realizes who’s human I am and calls Griffin to collect me?)


    My stomach sunk at the thought. I could only imagine Griffin would be even less happy about this than a quick stroll in


    the hallway.


    There was no point lying to the man or any of the boys who were watching me with eager eyes. So, I just nodded my


    head.


    The man just scoffed, muttering something under his breath. “To think they’d just let humans wander around here on


    their own,” he rolled his eyes. I couldn’t identify his ent but it was definitely European. “Let me guess. You’re the mate


    of some low-ranking guard and you’ve got nothing better to do than twiddle your thumbs all day…so you’re going to


    come here and interrupt my training session.” ( )


    Now I was just confused. I didn’t expect the entire werewolf world to recognize me, but I thought that word had spread


    to the entire castle by now. Most servants and guards seemed to recognize me on sight. Either this guy hadn’t gotten the


    memo or he wasn’t tuned into the gossip.


    Before I could even refute his statement, he continued talking. “This is just my luck! I’m in the midst of training this


    castle’s next generation of Chapter 57


    warriors and guards. And now, not only have you interrupted my training session, but I’ve wasted even more time trying


    to exin this to auseless human.” There were chuckles and gasps from the ss of boys as the instructor’s loud voice


    echoed throughout the room. If my cheeks weren’t red before, they certainly were now.


    The instructor’s words sparked rage in my stomach.


    Auseless human ~ that’s what he’d called me. He probably had no idea what kind of old, festering wound he’d just poked


    but I did. How many times had I heard that over the years, felt that same superior attitude from my dad’s pack members?


    (°


    A year ago, I probably would’ve shrugged his words off and sulked about it in private. But right now, staring at his smug


    face, all I wanted to do was prove him wrong. I wasn’t sure how, but I wanted to. I wanted to


    wipe that smug superiority right off his face.


    So, instead of shrinking into myself, I did the opposite. I squared my , “You’re the


    shoulders and met his re head-on. “For the record,” I sa one who wasted your time talking, not me. And just because


    I’m human doesn’t mean I’m useless.”


    I could see surprise flit across his face, but when a couple of the boys began chuckling, the instructor’s re returned.


    “Actually, it does. If you’re human, you’re useless.” (“)


    That flicker of rage that he’d lit in my stomach became an entire forest fire. Chapter 57


    “Sounds like you haven’t spent a lot of time around humans,” I snapped back. “We’re more durable than you think.”


    “Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, ncing over at the group of boys. The entire ss looked like they’d scored front row


    seats to a boxing match. They were eating up every bit of our argument. “If you’re so convinced, why don’t we put it to


    the test?”


    I faltered momentarily.


    He grinned at me, sharp teeth gleaming in the light. “Spar with me — we’ll see how useful you are ina fight.” 2