Chapter 22
ADELINE
My eyes flew open as the memories slammed into me, and I let out a gasp, trying to escape even though I didn’t know where I was. The room was dimly lit, and the air was thick with tension. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to move, to run, but the sharp pain shooting through me made even breathing a challenge.
“You’re awake.”
My entire being froze. That voice. Cold, commanding, and void of any trace of humanity. My gaze snapped instantly to the corner of the room where Nicholas stood by the window, a glass in his hand. He was staring at me, unblinking, like a predator watching its wounded prey.
I tried to move, instinct urging me to put as much distance between us as possible, but the action sent a fresh wave of pain exploding through my body. I winced, biting back a groan. Nicholas set the glass down on the windowsill with deliberate slowness and turned toward me, his movements eerily calm.
“I would really like to know,” he said, his voice soft yet menacing, “what was the plan?”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry and scratchy. My hands trembled, and I clenched them into fists to hide the shaking. “Please…” I croaked, though! wasn’t sure what I was pleading for. Mercy? Forgiveness?
His expression darkened. “I asked you a question, Adeline. Answer it.”
I flinched at his tone, sharp as a blade, and forced the words out. “I was going to try to find a way out of the contract…in another country. I didn’t know if it would work, I just-”
“And was that your idea, or Nicole’s?”
The mention of her name sent a chill down my spine. My mind raced. If I said it was her idea, he would hurt her. But if I lied, it would make things worse for me.
“It was mine,” I said quickly, my voice shaking. “It was all mine.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy and oppressive. His dark eyes bore into mine, unreadable but terrifyingly focused. I stayed perfectly still, bracing myself for whatever was coming. After what he’d already done to me, I couldn’t imagine it getting worse. But then he spoke, and his words were the last thing I expected.
“I am willing to come to a compromise to make this work.”
I blinked, taken aback. “What?”
He took another step closer, the shadows of the room clinging to him like a second skin. “We cannot continue this cycle,” he said, his tone surprisingly even. “You constantly trying to escape, and me…responding to your defiance. It’s a waste of my time and energy.”
His gaze flicked over me, and I shivered under its weight. “I have more important matters to attend to–threats to neutralize, a kingdom to rule. I cannot have your tantrums and your annoying habits distracting me.” He paused, his lips curling into a faint, humorless smile. “So, from now on, if you stop them, I’ll make you the only exception to my usual methods of punishment.”
I stared at him, the words echoing in my mind. What?
That was all I could think. After everything–after sending his men after me with arrows that tore through my flesh, leaving me in unimaginable pain–he was offering me a deal?
“Did you lose your ability to speak?” he snapped, his sharp tone pulling me back to reality.”
My lips parted, but no words came out. I was too stunned, too unsure of what game he was playing.
He sighed, exasperation evident in his posture. “I take your silence to mean you do not agree. Very well, then->
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“Why?” The question tore from my lips before I could stop it. “Why are you offering me this? After…” My voice broke as I swallowed, trying to push past the lump in my throat. “After what you had those men do to me?”
His expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked bored. “Because you need to understand that there is no escape. I am capable of causing you far more pain than you can imagine, Adeline. I could end your life with a single command.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, but he wasn’t done.
“However, the consequences of doing so would be far more troublesome than I care to deal with. You are valuable, in ways you can’t yet comprehend. So, this is your opportunity to avoid unnecessary suffering. You stop trying to escape, you obey me, and in return, I will no longer threaten or harm you?
I stared at him, searching for any sign of deceit. But Nicholas’s face was a mask, impenetrable and unfeeling.
“So, I stop trying to escape, I obey you, and you won’t hurt or threaten me anymore?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“That was what I said, wasn’t it?”
I flinched at his tone, but I nodded. “Okay. I… I won’t try to run. I won’t involve anyone else in this. I’ll do as you say.”
For a moment, he said nothing, and I held my breath, waiting. Finally, he spoke, his voice colder than before. “Good.”
But before he could turn away, I blurted out, “But you have to allow me to stay friends with Nicole.”
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought I’d overstepped. I braced myself for his rejection, for the cold fury I knew he was capable of. But then, to my surprise, he nodded.
“We have an understanding, then,” he said. “The moment you are healed, the wedding will happen.”
His words hit me like a blow, and I felt the air leave my lungs. The wedding. He turned and left the room without another word, leaving me alone with the weight of his ultimatum.
“I don’t want your mark on me either,” I whispered, though he was already gone. Yet, deep down, I felt certain he had heard me. The echo of my own voice was almost mocking, a whisper of rebellion swallowed by the suffocating silence he left in his wake. I closed my eyes, forcing back the tears that
burned at the corners.
In that moment, reality crashed over me like a relentless tide, pulling me under. I was stuck with a man who was a monster–a creature who reveled in his cruelty and wielded his power like a weapon. He wouldn’t change. Not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t want to.
And from that moment….Time became a meaningless blur.
Days bled into nights as I remained confined to my bed, the wounds his men had inflicted healing far slower than I would have liked. Pain clung to me like a second skin, a relentless reminder of my failure, my defiance, and his retribution. Each ache, each sting, whispered the same harsh truth: I had no
way out.
Nicole visited when she could, though her appearances were always brief. Nicholas’s guards watched her like hawks, ensuring every step she took, every word she spoke, was scrutinized
Over the next few days, I fell into a routine–a rhythm of survival. Speak only when spoken to. Obey every command. Never, ever push back. My spirit felt caged, my wolf restless, growling in frustration at the boundaries I dared not cross.
Tonight was no different.
Dinner was a strained affair, as always. I sat silently at the long dining table, the food on my plate barely touched. Conversations floated around me, the words blurring together like a meaningless hump. I shoved another forkful into my mouth, though the taste was a ghost, utterly absent. The tension in the air was suffocating, made worse by the weight of Nicholas’s presence.
“You can leave.”
His voice cut through the din like a blade, sharp and commanding.
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Chapter 22
I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his, my stomach twisting at the sight of his narrowed eyes.
“What?” I stammered.
“You’re clearly not interested in eating,” he said coldly. “Get up and leave.”
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The room fell silent. Everyone was watching. I could feel the weight of their stares, their amusement, their pity, their indifference. My wolf growled in protest, but I forced her down, gritting my teeth against the humiliation that burned like fire in my veins.
My lips parted, the temptation to argue sparking briefly. But I bit it back. Speaking out wouldn’t end well for me, and we both knew it. With a slow, deliberate breath, I pushed myself out of my chair, keeping my head bowed. Each step away from the table felt like a retreat, each movement dragging my pride behind me like a chain.
When I reached my room, all I wanted was to collapse onto my bed, to bury myself beneath the covers and block out the world.
But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.
My wolf stirred immediately, her growl low and wary, echoing in the back of my mind. My eyes darted to the window, my heart stuttering at the sight before me.
Blood.
It streaked down the glass in thick, jagged lines, the crimson trail catching the faint glow of the moonlight. The metallic scent of it hit me seconds later, sharp and nauseating. My breath hitched as my gaze followed the dripping red, up, up to the words scrawled across the window in bold, menacing strokes:
Count your days, Adeline.
