Chapter 100

[ 1,032 words ]

Arabella Toussaint:

The strange feeling stayed beneath my skin for almost a minute, those faint little sparks crawling over me like invisible insects. I hadn’t felt anything like it in three years, and now it refused to go away.

Lucien was saying something to Jasmine, and strangely, I could hear every word despite the distance between us. Even her quieter reply reached my ears clearly. “That’s so nice of you, Lucien…”

What the hell is wrong with my hearing?

It wasn’t only that. The scent of damp soil from the gardens suddenly seemed stronger, mingling with the sweetness of nearby flowers. I could separate one smell from another without even trying.

Before I could make sense of it, Lucien slipped an arm around Jasmine and pulled her closer to his side. Then he turned toward me with a small smirk.

“Miss Toussaint, if you need anything, Bradley will be there to assist you.”

I nodded. “Okay. Thank—” He didn’t even wait for me to finish. With his arm still around Jasmine, he turned and walked away with her.

I stared after them for a second before looking at Bradley. He was still watching Lucien’s back, his brows pulled together as though he’d just witnessed something that made absolutely no sense.

I followed his gaze and looked back at him. “Is there a problem?” I asked him.

Bradley seemed to snap out of his thoughts. “N… nothing.”

Something about Lucien’s behavior had clearly caught Bradley off guard too.

***

I settled comfortably into the back seat of the car with Bradley beside me and watched the palace disappear through the window.

I had known Lucien would send someone with me. A guard, maybe. An assistant who could help me get whatever information I needed. I hadn’t expected him to send his royal Beta.

Bradley didn’t seem bothered by it, though. He sat quietly beside me, occasionally checking something on his phone while I should have been thinking about Blackthorn Pack.

Instead, my stupid mind kept replaying the same image. Lucien kissing back Jasmine. I shifted in my seat and turned toward the window. Why did that bother me so much?

I already knew they were together. Jasmine had told me three years ago that Lucien had marked her. I’d spent the last two years seeing little pieces of him on her social media. His hand. His watch. And only a few days ago, I’d watched their unfinished engagement ceremony on television.

So why had seeing them kiss felt different? Maybe I should’ve listened to my friends and vanished quietly.

I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. Those strange tingles had stayed beneath my skin for a while before eventually disappearing. That was another thing bothering me.

The same sensation used to appear three years ago whenever I was stressed or agitated. It felt like tiny sparks beneath my skin. But during the three years I’d lived in the human city, nothing of that sort ever happened. Not even once.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Maybe I was overthinking it.

Could my period have something to do with it? Hormones? The mark suddenly came back, and along with it, all the sensations too.

“Do you want me to stop somewhere? Coffee, maybe? Or do you need a heating pad?” Bradley’s voice cut through my thoughts, making my head whip toward him.

“Excuse me?”

Bradley looked up from his phone as if he’d asked me the most ordinary question in the world. Goddess. How did he…

Heat rushed to my face. Had that Omega been advertising my period around the entire palace? “No, thank you.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “And why are you asking me that? You’re not supposed to …” I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Bradley merely shrugged and turned his attention toward the window. “His Highness asked me to make sure you have everything you need.” My embarrassment doubled.

“Eh? His Highness?” I stared at him. “He knows too?”

“Of course he did. Everything regarding your needs requires His Highness’s approval.”

What was going on in that palace? I had thought that Omega was bluffing. Pads are a basic thing. How could she possibly need the king’s approval for something like that?

“Do all of you keep records of every woman’s period, or am I getting some special royal treatment?” That finally got a reaction out of him.

He turned his head and stared at me for a few seconds. The corner of his mouth twitched before a quiet chuckle escaped him.

“What?” I demanded.

“You know nothing, Arabella.” He shook his head, still looking amused, and returned his attention to the window. “Just let me know if you need anything.”

I sank a little deeper into my seat. I know nothing? What did he mean by that?

After about an hour, I straightened in my seat when the scenery outside the window began to look familiar.

The narrow road winding between the trees and the old wooden signs. I was coming back after three years.

I leaned slightly toward the window, taking everything in as the car moved deeper into pack territory. Strangely, not much seemed to have changed. The same houses stood along the familiar streets; the training grounds were still visible in the distance. Then the packhouse appeared ahead, making my stomach tighten.

When our car slowed near the gates, a thought suddenly occurred to me. “Beta Bradley,” I turned toward him. “We came without an appointment. We didn’t even call to let them know we were coming. What if they don’t let us in?”

Bradley slowly turned his head and looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Oh, they’ll let us in, Arabella.”

I frowned. “How are you so sure?”

“We’re Lycans.” He gave me an amused look. “We’re royals, remember?”

We? I almost laughed. I was not a royal.

I was still Beta Rick’s daughter—the girl her own family had discarded when they needed someone to pay for their son’s crime. And now, for the first time in three years, that same girl was coming back.

Only this time I was no longer the frightened girl they knew.

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