Betrayed Heiress: My Second Chance Mate is A Lycan King

Aira’s POV

“Say something to me, Aira,” Alex pleads.

I hate hearing him sound so distraught, but unfortunately I felt the same way as well.

As soon as Alex was able to revive the guards, at least the ones that were still alive, and thankfully Arnold was one of them, he moved us to another one of his properties. It was about an hour away from the former palace.

Alex helped me into our new room, and I personally requested that Carla be moved to the room right next to mine. I can still hear her crying. It broke my heart even more.

It has been exactly ten hours since the explosion, but the wound was still fresh. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything since we got here. What was there to say?

Alex’s eyes bore holes into my skin, but I still couldn’t look at him. I was so mad at him, but deep down I knew it wasn’t his fault. He left us behind to keep us safe, but Jared was one step ahead. He knew that was exactly what he would do and used it to his advantage. Instead of keeping us safe, we were only putting ourselves in more danger.

“I am so sorry I keep failing you. I didn’t know this would happen. I-”

“I want his remains,” I cut him off, meeting his eyes for the first time since we arrived here. He looked so sad; it tore me in ways I couldn’t explain.

“The guards are already on it. It will be here by this evening,” he says. That is right, it was already a new day. Alex’s eyes remain on me when he asks, “Should I make preparations for a burial?”

“Yes, please, I want it done this evening,” I croak out, and he nods slowly.

His hand meets my clenched ones on the bed. He squeezes them softly, and I knew he did that as a silent reassurance. He places a soft kiss on my forehead, and for a moment, it brought so much consolation and warmth to my soul.

But like I said, it was for only a moment.

He pulls away from me and rises to his feet. I watch him walk out of the room, and the second he shuts the door, the dam I didn’t even realize had several cracks broke. Bringing my knees to my chest, I cried until I could no longer breathe.

Suddenly the guilt catches up to me. From the very first day I had set my eyes on Uncle Richard, I always knew he was different from the others. He kept to himself; he loved to read, and he wished to see the world.

And he was going to, but he just had to come back because he was worried about me. And then he met Carla, and he fell in love. Love was what made him stay. And love was what killed him.

I can’t believe I ever doubted him.

I am so sorry, Uncle Richard. I promise to avenge you.

I have no idea at what point I had fallen asleep, but I sure as hell felt strange when I woke up. It felt like I wasn’t even in my own body.

A groan leaves my lips as my lungs scream for water. Where is the damn kitchen in this place?

My legs felt wobbly as I got off the bed. I make my way out of the room. It is now that I notice how incredibly eerie this new palace is. The walls were bloody red, and the halls were dimly lit. And for God’s sake, isn’t there a heater in here? Why is it so cold?

“Alex?” I call out, but I am met with a deathly silence. This hallway felt incredibly long… and why was everywhere so quiet? Where was everyone?

My feet come to a halt in front of Carla’s room. My knuckles meet the hardwood softly in a knock. “Carla? May I come in?” I ask, but there is no response.

Quietly, I open the bed to find her sleeping on the bed. My heart broke at the sight of her swollen eyes and dried tears. It is quite relieving to see her sleep. At least now she may be granted some peace, even if it was just for a little while.

I make sure to shut the door as quietly as possible. When I do, I clear my throat. Damn, I am so thirsty. I have to find this damn kitchen on my own.

As I make my way down the incredibly long hall, I stop when the lights begin to flicker. Wow, so now the lighting is faulty? I need to speak to Alex about this. Honestly, I shouldn’t be telling him about things like this. I am surprised he hasn’t noticed; I thought he was the perfectionist among us.

But then again, he has had quite a lot on his plate recently.

I continue to head down the hallway when the hair on my neck suddenly stands. I do not know why, but it feels as though I was being watched. Slowly, I turn on my heel.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I call out, but I am met with no response. There is no one behind me either. I think I may need more sleep. I try to move, but for some reason I am frozen to the spot.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I could actually feel someone breathing down my neck.

My blood freezes in my veins, and my heart stops its beat. Summoning every ounce of courage in me, I spin around as fast as I can and raise my fist to strike whoever thought they could sneak up on me. But my hand freezes midair when I see who it is.

It was at that moment that the whole world had come to a stop.

The face in front of me was none other than my own. But at the same time, it wasn’t.

No.

It can’t be.

“Ana?”

Her name left my lips like a whisper.

My deceased sister had blood dripping down her face with a devilish smile stretching her lips.

“No, no, no!” I scream as I take a step back. My back meets something hard, and a pair of arms wrap around my body. I instantly recognized who they belonged to.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

“Aira! Aira, can you hear me?” I am spun around, and my eyes lock with Alex’s. His eyes search mine frantically as my chest heaves up and down. “Listen to me; whatever you are seeing isn’t real. Do you understand me?”

I try to look back, but he grabs my face, forcing me to focus my attention solely on him. His thumb caresses my cheek softly, calming the raging storm within me. “You are safe, okay?”

I swallowed the bile that had risen in my throat but somehow managed to nod. He takes me into his arms, and I sink into his warm embrace.

My eyes travel back to the spot where Ana once stood. She was gone.

I know I have felt fear before, but never like that.