Chapter 55

~Christopher~

He was going to come here, I knew it.

I paced the floor of my room quickly, sweat running down my temple. I could still see his hulking figure in my doorway, that night he came to get Grace.

I knew he could snap me like a twig.

I’d seen his claws, even in his non-shifted form. And his teeth.

I shivered. The Lycan King really wasn’t somebody to mess with, and yet here I was, poking the bear.

I laughed out loud to myself. Was I crazy or stupid? Probably both. No one in their right mind pissed off the Lycan King.

But here I was, doing it over and over, testing his patience and wits to see how far I could go until he snapped.

But, I was afraid that I pushed it too far.

Launching attacks on his land was one thing, we both knew I was no serious threat to him or his clan. I didn’t have the manpower. I was more like an annoying fly that kept coming back to pester him.

But now I’d taken his girl, twice, and now his dignity.

I laughed again, feeling a rush from the nervous adrenaline that pumped through my veins. The hair on my arms and neck were standing on end. I expected him to burst through my door at any moment and slit my throat.

But I couldn’t help but feel giddy that I’d been able to push him that far. That I was the one to get under his skin and turn his world inside out.

Me. The little ol’ Rogue King that no one took seriously.

Well people had to listen to me, now.

If I could ruin the most powerful creature’s life in just one day, I knew the others were just thinking about what I could do to them.

It had to scare them.

I laughed again, shivering.

But my success wouldn’t last long unless I secure my victory. My prize.

Grace.

She was the key to all of this.

If I lost her, I lost my hand in everything. I had to hold onto her.

But I knew Alex would be coming in soon, there was no way he’d just let this go.

What was my game plan?

I stopped in the middle of the floor, bringing my hand up to my lips, and chewed on my nails as I subconsciously tapped my foot quickly, the noise echoing around the mostly empty room.

I hadn’t thought about the aftermath of everything that went down. It was such a big gamble that it would even work, I guess I hadn’t thought this far ahead.

Absentmindedly looking around the room, my eyes fell on a painting of a boat crossing blue seas, seagulls flying pleasantly alongside the rocking ship.

I froze, staring at it.

That was it.

A man I had helped years ago owed me a favor. He was the captain of a cruise ship, and I really hadn’t needed to call in his favor until now.

Rushing to the phone, I quickly dialed his number.

~Grace~

“I’ve booked a cruise for the two of us. I thought… it would help get your mind off things,” Christopher said, a nervous smile on his face.

What?

I stared blankly at Christopher, not believing that he was being serious. He had to have noticed that all of the boxes he sent me were still sitting in the same place they’d been brought in, right?

This was just another expensive gift I didn’t want or care about.

I crossed my legs, turning away from him, a dull expression on my face. I didn’t feel like going on vacation, I just wanted to lay in bed and rot here forever.

What would boarding a smelly boat do anyway? I’d just get seasick.

Christopher knelt down in front of me and placed his hands on my knees. He looked up at me with large, pleading eyes.

“Grace… I know that going out probably feels like the last thing you want to do right now. But… I’m concerned about you,” he began, his voice soft.

I stayed still. I didn’t have to listen to him. He wasn’t really concerned about me, anyway. He just wanted me to like him, since he knew I hated his guts.

Didn’t he understand that giving me things wasn’t going to change that?

I heard him sigh.

“If you stay locked up in this room all day, every day, you’re only going to dwell in your own thoughts, and you’ll never feel any better,” he continued.

I stiffened.

For the first time, I was actually listening.

I knew instantly that he was right, but the thought of dressing up and going out sounded miserable.

It was far more comfortable to lay in bed and wallow in my own misery.

“At the very least, the cruise could be a distraction to everything that’s happened,” Christopher said slowly. “Doesn’t that sound nice? To take your mind off things for a while?”

My breathing shallowed. I knew he was right. I did want that. Anything to forget what happened. To take the pain away.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I told myself that I would go with the flow of whatever life threw at me. That I wouldn’t fight back. If this was where life was taking me… who was I to fight against it?

Opening my eyes, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll go.”

I guess it was a good thing Christopher had gifted me all of that stuff. I now had endless luxurious gowns and jewellery packed away in my many suitcases. I would look like a queen here.

Holding onto the railing, I breathed in deeply, cool air blowing my hair back. I had never smelled the ocean before, living next to the forest my entire life.

Honestly, I think wolves weren’t meant to be near the sea. Looking out into the vast grey waters, I felt a little anxious at the endless view. Not a piece of land in sight.

But maybe that was a good thing. I was out here, far off from anything that could hurt me. No Alex, no Liam, no packs, no media… For the first time, I felt… free.

I thought I had been free once I removed Liam’s mark from my neck, but I had been deceived.

This was real freedom. No attachments to anyone, no expectations from the world.

Maybe Christopher was right after all. This might be good for my health. I mean, it couldn’t make things worse, could it?

Christopher stepped up beside me, wearing a nice tan suit. I eyed it out of the corner of my eye. Really, where was he getting all of this money from?

If he was as rich as he made it out to be, he wouldn’t be living in a makeshift treehouse apartment with the rest of the Rogues. He’d own a nice car and a castle, like Alex.

I sighed at the thought.

No, I wouldn’t think of him. Not here. This was my time to get my mind off of him, not mope about him.

I shoved any and all thoughts of Alex to the back of my mind, where I swore I would keep locked away until I got off of this boat.