Chapter 62

Celia

I patiently wait for Soren to come back from speaking with his Beta. During that time, I have taken a shower and have changed into new and fresh pajamas, desperately needing to feel the comfort of something that isn’t a constant reminder of what happened in the grocery store.

It has left me feeling so…unnerved. Like they were able to see past the facade I put up and see who I really am at the core of my being.

To them, Bianca and the other Lycans, they must see me as some kind of placeholder for the real princess. I am definitely not what they imagined when their princess had been revealed and it only makes me feel like an imposter who is sitting in that role.

Soren comes back to me a few minutes later. He has changed out of his clothes and into something more comfortable as well. He even brought in a few of the games we got from the store.

“I would not have taken you for a girl who likes strategy games,” Soren comments with an emotionless expression on his face.

I roll my eyes and watch as he sets up one of the games on the bed with the two of us sitting on either side of the bed. I take one of the colored pieces and bring it up to my face, inspecting it with a close eye.

“I thought you would like them,” I murmur, “we can’t have our Alpha King getting rusty when he returns back to his normal life.”

The corners of Soren’s lips tug upwards, a semblance of a full belly laugh coming from him. He relaxes into his spot on the bed and narrows his eyes at me in a teasing manner, taking his time to respond.

“Is that…you making a joke, Celia?” he asks and tilts his head to the side.

“It can be if you want it to be a joke,” I simply shrug in response and place the small game piece back onto the board. Soren nods and turns his attention back to the game, his shoulders slightly shaking as if he is holding back a laugh.

We spend the next couple of hours playing the games that I bought from the store. We complete the escape room in the box, even though it takes the longest and we may or may not have bickered the entire time since Soren wanted to cheat. Soren also taught me a few good moves to start off with in chess.

I have only played chess a few times before. I played it with my father when I was a little girl. He always let me play with the white pieces and always told me that I got to go first since it was a chess rule.

I never really believed him. I thought that it was a silly rule that he made up just so he can see the smile on my face, so imagine my surprise when Soren says that white goes first.

Moments like these help me take my mind off of what happened earlier in the day. I am no longer afraid and feel like I have to go on the run just to feel safe in my own body. There are no dark figures watching me, lurking in the corners of the world and my mind.

With Soren, I am able to let go off my anxiety and allow myself to be…me.

With him, I do not have to pretend to be someone that I am not nor do I have to pretend like I know everything and know what I am doing. This is my first life, after all, and mistakes are bound to happen.

The sun hangs low and we have to draw the curtains so the light doesn’t pierce our eyes anymore. The bedroom’s light is bright enough for us to continue playing but I don’t think either of our minds can handle any more kinds of strategy.

So, we opt to watch a movie instead. I went to the kitchen and gathered some snacks while Soren set up the movie, promising me that he will find something good for us to watch. I allowed this, like the idiot that I am knowing that he will choose some long movie about the complexities of life or one that involves constant killing and insane plots where it is one person against the world.

When I come back to the room, I find that my guess was correct. I roll my eyes and place the bowls of snacks in front of us, climbing into the bed next to him. I pluck one of the pillows and place it against us, using it as a barrier to show that this is not anything more than friends watching a movie…and so I can lean on it.

“Another war movie?” I ask as soon as I get comfortable. Soren hums in response. “Would it kill you to find something, oh I don’t know, fun? Like a romantic comedy or…well either of those genres?”

“It would kill me, yes,” Soren’s petty comment earns him another eye roll from me but I pay no more attention to it as he begins the film.

It is as boring as ever, just like many of the other ones that he made me watch with him when we were contracted lovers.

My eyes begin to feel droopy and I do not fight it, allowing myself to get comfortable under the sheets of the bed. The sounds of explosions and men yelling about honor fill my ears but I am able to drown it out as best as I can. Sleep quickly pulls me under.

I do not dream this night. Instead, I wake up at the crack of dawn, yawning as I slowly sit up in bed. I look around and see that the snacks have been cleaned up. Soren silently sleeps beside me, his back turned to me.

I try to be as slow and still as possible as I leave the bed, creeping away and into the hallway of the home.

The house is still, silent. It is both peaceful and unsettling.

I silently move to the kitchen and look around. Neither of the guard, James or Bradley, are here. They must be outside or switching posts. I hope they’re able to find some time today to rest.

I begin to make a fresh pot of coffee, the machine quietly whirring and crushing the coffee beans inside its bodice. Soon enough, the fresh smell of brewing coffee beans fills the area. It wraps its arms around me like a gentle hug, a comfortable and recognizable scent that makes me feel safe.

I pass by the front door of the home and an unusual speck of orange catches my eye. Creeping towards the door, I notice a big, orange envelope sits on the welcome mat.

Is…is this something from Bianca? Is it just like what happened at Soren’s mansion just two weeks ago?

I look around. Neither Soren or the guards are around. I silently open up the door and reach down, picking up the envelope into my hands.

#Chapter