2__Making a run for it
Natalia was peeking out of the thick curtains that covered the windows of Raiden’s chambers, her brows drawn together in irritation.
She’d accidentally dozed off in bed beside him and now it was light outside! Why hadn’t she woken up earlier?! With growing anxiety, she watched as people moved about on the ground far below, doing early morning labour.
The sun was barely on the horizon, it was quite literally the butt crack of dawn, but it was a time far too dangerous for her to still be in the castle. She had to get out of here.
The wedding preparations were underway, Natalia could bet there was a shipload of servants running all over the place downstairs.
The Alpha king was still asleep in his bed, but Natalia had a feeling he’d be up before the sun even fully rose.
She had to make a run for it.
Hurrying back into the room, she spared a glance at his face before slowly making her way to the door.
If he woke up now, she was toast. He was a Werewolf, his hearing was goddamn stellar, he’d open those eyes the moment she made a noise and then he’d calmly rip her to pieces for tricking him.
Natalia had to be careful.
Her bare feet crept over the cool wooden floor until she was outside the room, looking in both directions of the hallway. There was no one.
Quickly, she turned around to pull the doors closed. Natalia’s gaze rose briefly as the doors came together, her eyes only briefly catching his as Raiden woke up and looked right at her face.
The doors shut with a dull thud and she stared at them in horror, her face contorted. He’d woken up! He’d seen her, hadn’t he? He’d woken up and looked at her!
Muttering curses that a princess really shouldn’t know, Natalia took off running to the far end of the castle, planning to take the long, dark staircase that spiralled down to the servant’s quarters.
That way, she wouldn’t be seen. A gnome-like smirk curved her lips as the taste of success began to form in her mouth.
The sudden sound of footsteps ripped that taste right off her tongue.
Natalia stopped in her tracks, the smirk freezing on her face. Flustered for a moment, she looked around in panic before quickly composing herself just as someone appeared.
At the sight of the girl, Natalia felt dread grip her throat. Shit. She’d thought it would be a servant! Not a whole Princess!
The face before her tilted, the short, sleek bob of blonde hair swaying with the movement. “Who are you?” questioned the girl, blinking her blue eyes.
“Nobody,” Natalia instantly replied with a smile and a nod.
She dashed past the girl, only to get pulled back by a grip on her wrist.
Blue eyes studied her appearance before shock filled the orbs and their gaze rose to Natalia’s face. “You… did you… did you come out of the Alpha King’s chambers?!”
With the girl’s rising voice, Natalia looked around in panic. “Look, keep your voice down—”
“Who are you?!” the girl demanded with shock and desperation. “What were you doing in my husband-to-be’s chambers?! On the day of our wedding!”
The sharp clanging of doors broke the silence and Natalia looked above the girl’s head to see the doors to Raiden’s room opening.
Oh, God no. She couldn’t get questioned by them yet, it wasn’t time!
With a harsh curse, she yanked her wrist out of the blonde girl’s grip and made a run for it.
Natalia raced through the castle, heading down any flight of stairs she saw. She had to get downstairs and out of here as soon as possible.
She no longer cared who saw her. She’d just gotten caught by the King’s future wife, nobody else mattered, at this point.
Natalia was certain the Alpha king didn’t remember what happened last night, but even if he did, it didn’t matter.
A smile curved her lips as she ducked into the kitchen and, running through a throng of confused servants, slipped out through the back doors and made her escape.
No matter what Raiden did or didn’t remember about last night, he’d still spent a night with her in the same room.
That, alone, was enough for Natalia to get started on her plans.
Whether her father liked it or not, she would not get married on his terms and to whomever he pleased. She would not give her hand to the snake of man that was the Vampire king of a neighbouring kingdom, just because her father said so.
Natalia would get married to whomever she wanted, however she wanted and whenever she decided.
Even if it meant she’d have to trick an unsuspecting Werewolf Alpha king into marrying her.
“What?!” roared the King of Gadon.
The girls who stood at his sides, fanning him jerked with fright, startled by his sudden yell.
Barely blinking, Prince Aspen stood before the throne of Natalia’s father, inwardly sighing.
Being Natalia’s best friend meant you got to experience the best adventures there were, but it also meant you were always the accomplice in her insane mastermind ideas.
“What did you just say, Aspen?!” King Kendrick demanded, his cheeks shaking with rage as he shot to his feet.
Aspen sighed. “As we speak, your Majesty, Princess Natalia is in the arms of the King of Zaïre, disgracing your throne and tainting the reputation of Gadon.”
“Balderdash!” screamed the king. “Natalia is hard-headed and idiotic and frustrating to death, but she wouldn’t dare go so far as to—"
“She’s dared, your Majesty,” Aspen said flatly.
The king of Gadon was practically shaking with rage. “Arthur!” he screamed. “Arthur!”
Aspen watched as a man hurried into the throne room and bowed before the king, his curly black hair falling over his face. “Yes, my King!”
“We’re leaving for Zaïre! Immediately!!”
Without another word, the king stormed away, his poor servant Arthur, rushing off to do his bidding.
Aspen watched them leave, the impassive expression on his handsome, pale-skinned face never revealing his thoughts.
With arms held behind his back and his hair long and running down his back, he was the perfect Watson to Natalia’s Sherlock. It was also great that the long black coat over his black outfit always seemed to match her black leather jackets, pants and boots.
They really looked like the perfect assassin duo. Less and less could you tell they were really the children of Vampire Kings, much to their fathers’ mortification.
With a sigh, he raised his hand, looking at the bracelet on his wrist which connected him to Natalia wherever she was.
Exactly when, since their childhood till now, had he stopped trying to hinder her dangerous ideas and had started helping her instead?
Before, it could be excused by their youth and wanting to explore the world, but now? They were adults. Did she absolutely have to go and marry some stranger? Did she really have to do this?
She absolutely had to do this! Natalia bit her lip as she waited, her presence hidden in a shed on the far end of the royal property of Zaïre.
She walked aimlessly around the little shed, hands nervously brushing her hair back despite the fact that it was already all pulled into a tight high ponytail that swayed down her back.
The heels of her black boots had left deep impressions in the sand near the shed door so, hurrying to the opening, Natalia erased the prints, using the end of her long black leather coat to brush sand over the prints.
Satisfied at her destruction of the evidence, she hurried to a little wooden stool and sat down, legs apart and elbows on her knees. A pose her father hated.
Oh, how uneasy her heart was in her chest. Aspen would have told her father about it long ago. Soon King Kendrick would arrive in Zaïre and throw a huge tantrum.
Nodding, Natalia hoped he’d come quickly. The ceremony happening inside was progressing very quickly.
She figured blondie had quickly forgiven her Alpha for sleeping with someone else before his wedding ceremony since many of the Alpha kings before him had made it a tradition. Then again, the girl was marrying the Alpha king. Natalia figured the amount of power that would come with being Raiden’s wife was far too great to let the blonde girl call off the wedding.
She seemed like a feisty one to Natalia. The moment their wedding was broken up, Natalia just knew that girl would get her revenge.
Luckily for her, Natalia had no interest whatsoever in her precious little Alpha king. She didn’t even want to marry him, she needed to! Once she had successfully avoided marrying the old Vampire king, who also happened to be Aspen’s father— disgusting —and she also got what she’d come to Zaïre for, Natalia would easily pack her things and get the hell out, leaving the Alpha king and the blondie to marry each other hundreds of times if they wanted.
Sighing restlessly, she turned to glance at a corner of the shed when a loud commotion in the distance made her look sharply at the shed doors.
Chills ran over her arms as she slowly rose to her feet, hearing the shouting and roaring in the distance.
It was happening. The King of Gadon was here to wreak havoc.