Chapter 55

Celia

Shock has frozen my body. I am unable to speak or move, my eyes trained on the bloodied words of the page that has been removed from my hands. Soren places his hands on my waist and moves me to the side, his touch bringing me a small amount of comfort.

“Tell the officers who are in charge of finding Bianca that their time table has just been cut in half,” Soren’s voice changes from the soft and patient tone he once used with me and it has contorted into something that fits an Alpha King. “If they do not find her within the week, it will be their heads that will pay for it.”

“Yes, sir,” his Beta immediately responds. His eyes flicker to wards me before moving back to Soren. “Shall we move forward with the plan?”

“Yes, but bring in an additional four or five cars that are identical to ours. If someone was here watching, then they know that we are about to make a move,” Soren begins to walk out of the bedroom with his Beta and I instantly follow.

They turn to me in the hallway and Soren lets out a quiet sigh. He snaps his fingers at a nearby guard on the floor and they come running, ready to be of service to him.

“Keep your eye on her and protect her at all costs,” Soren gestures to me.

I let out a quiet gasp and watch as the guard nods. He moves and takes his place at my side, his eyes already scanning the hallway.

“Soren,” my voice cuts through the chaotic and tense silence of the hallway, my mind running a mile a minute, “you can’t just leave me here! Take me with you!”

“I can’t do that Celia and you know it,” he replies back to me, seriousness laced throughout his tone, “I can’t risk you getting hurt. I would not be able to live with myself. Just…stay in your room. Continue packing, okay?”

Before I can even respond to him, Soren and his Beta turn on their heels and quickly make their way down the hallway, disappearing down the stairs and towards the direction of the chaos that unfolds below.

The guard guides me back inside the bedroom against my wishes. I try to use my new power and influence as the Lycan princess to get him to leave me alone but it is of no use. I suppose a Lycan princess has no power where the Werewolves reign, especially since the Alpha King was the one to give the order.

An hour passes and I am still stuck in my bedroom. The guard stands by the door, his eyes looking everywhere but at me as I finish packing my bags and belongings. I suck in a breath, trying to formulate a plan to evade the guard and to find Soren.

I refuse to be left in the dark. This is my life on the line alongside his. It is nor fair that he gets to make all of the decisions while I am stuck and locked away in a bedroom that is beginning to feel like a jail cell.

What happened to the Soren that asked for my opinion not too long ago? He was so keen on allowing me to be a part of the planning but now I have been fully iced out.

Little does Soren know that I am the one who was the person who left the envelope, not him or anyone else that works here at his mansion.

I know that my presence here is the root of all of the chaos. My new identity as the Lycan princess is what set Bianca on this rampage and I have to be the one who helps clean up the mess that she has so recklessly made.

“Pardon me,” I speak to the guard. He looks down at me with a perked up eyebrow, shifting his weight to his back foot. “I need to grab something from the other room. It’s just down the hall,” I gesture to the door.

“You know I can’t let you out, princess,” the guard responds, his voice is gravelly as if he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day.

“Please? I will only be a few minutes, I swear,” I hold my hand up and the other one goes over my heart.

The guard remains quiet but he eventually lets out a huff of air, stepping to the side and opening up the door.

“You have three minutes,” he says.

I nod and slip out into the hallway, finding myself briskly walking down the hall, taking a quick turn down the stairs before he can even notice that I have vanished.

The first floor of Soren’s home is nothing short of chaotic. I bob and weave between the soldiers and crowds. I navigate my way to one of the many rooms of the first floor, one that Soren stands inside while he talks with one of the werewolf soldiers.

As soon as I enter the room, his head perks up, eyes widening before his body relaxes.

“Celia? What are you doing here?” Soren asks and watches as I cross the room, people bowing their heads as soon as I pass.

“Do you even know who you are looking for, Soren?” I ask, my voice sharp and impatient. “Because I do.”

“You do? How do you know this, Celia? Tell me,” Soren waves away the soldier and I take his place at his side, tilting my head to look up at him.

“I saw a man with long black hair and dark clothing minutes before the envelope was found,” I instantly inform him, placing my hands on my hips.

Soren looks down at me and crosses his arms over his chest, one eyebrow perked up as he listens to me.

“He was running fast…he was in and out in a matter of seconds, really. He definitely did not look like a Lycan but he did look like a werewolf,” I continue, my voice never faltering despite the nervousness that buds on the inside of my stomach.

If I never revealed myself to the missing Lycan princess, Soren could have been happy. I would have been out of his life like planned and the two of us would not have been stuck in this mess that Bianca has created.

The guilt is beginning to eat me alive but if I can make up for it now, then I can rest easy if anything bad were to happen to me.

After a moment of silence, Soren nods and turns to the men in the room. they give him their undivided attention and straighten their backs, clicking their heels together.

“You heard her description,” he says, waving them away, “go find him. Now! I want him alive, not dead. When you find him, interrogate him and figure out where Bianca’s location is.”

“Yes, sir!” the group of men yell in response. They salute Soren before turning around and leaving the room, leaving Soren and I alone inside his office.

“I don’t appreciate being iced out,” I say just as the door closes. “Stop pushing me away and let me help you. I created this mess—”

“You didn’t. Bianca did,” Soren turns to look at me. “None of this is your fault, Celia. Remember it.”