CHAPTER 5 #3
He could have picked it up. Ended it instantly. Yet when I told him to shoot, I saw reluctance on his face. The kind that doesn’t belong to a man capable of killing a wild animal with his bare hands.
So why didn’t he pick up the gun?
RAGHAV
I stare at the lifeless body of the wolf, my muscles still humming with the aftershock of the fight. I’ve fought men in darker circumstances than this, but taking on a predator with nothing but instinct and bone-deep reflexes is something I’ve never experienced before.
As Haider moves to take care of the dead wolf, I don’t wait.
I reach for Siya’s wrist before she can say a word and pull her firmly towards the direction of the estate.
The only thing I care about right now is getting her back across that barricade, which she should never have crossed in the first place.
She stumbles slightly behind me as I drag her through the trees without softening my grip. When the metal fence finally comes into view, I guide her through the opening and step across after her, back into the estate. The moment we are inside the safe zone, I release her wrist.
The anger that has been simmering beneath my ribs since I saw her standing alone in that forest finally rises to the surface.
“What exactly is it that you want, Siya Vardhaan?” I snap. “If your grand plan tonight was to leave the resort, you should have formally checked out with your guards instead of wandering into the forest like that. Or was this just another one of your escape attempts?”
“I wasn’t escaping. I came out for a walk.”
A walk. Really?
I take a step forward and grip her shoulders firmly, pulling her closer so she has no choice but to look directly into my face.
“You were seconds away from becoming that animal’s dinner,” I say with restrained fury. “If I hadn’t reached you in time, we would be having a very different conversation right now.”
Her breathing falters slightly, but she doesn’t step back.
“What is it with you?” I continue. “Why the hell do you always end up exactly where you are not supposed to be? My estate has rules for a reason. That forest area is restricted for a reason.”
She exhales sharply. “I didn’t see the board.”
“I don’t care.” I snap again. “This ends tonight. Ever since you arrived, you’ve been nothing but trouble. I always suspected you would be.”
Her eyes narrow.
“You’re supposed to be a headache for the men assigned to guard you,” I continue. “Not for me.”
I release her shoulders angrily and take a step back.
“Refusing your guards full access to the estate cameras was a mistake. I didn’t want any outsider to have complete security access to my property.”
My jaw tightens.
“But that ends now. Your guards will have full access to every camera feed on this property.”
She stares at me as my words sink in.
“So the next time you decide to slip away in the middle of the night,” I add coldly, “they will be the ones coming after you. Not me.”
With that I turn away. I barely take two steps before her hand catches my shirt sleeve.
“You will do no such thing, RK,” she says angrily.
I look down briefly at her fingers gripping the fabric before lifting my gaze back to her face. This is my place, my property. And I’m the one in command here. She’s no one to decide what I do. With a slight roll of my shoulder, I break her hold and continue walking.
Siya Vardhaan doesn’t deserve anything more than that. I’ve hardly taken three steps when her voice cuts through the night behind me.
“Fine. Go ahead then,” she calls out. “Do it.”
I don’t stop.
“If you do,” she continues, louder now, “then even I will not hesitate to tell everyone who you really are.”
Now I stop. Because there is something in her tone that sounds like a challenge.
“I’ll tell them that the Dark Prince, Raghav Khurana, is not dead. He is alive as Raghav Kundra and lives here in these hills as a vineyard owner.”
My body goes completely still as I process her words.
She’s blackmailing me?
Slowly, I turn around. When my gaze settles on her, Siya’s confidence falters for the briefest second.
Yet she does not retreat. Instead, she walks towards me with the same stubborn fire that led her into a forest full of predators tonight.
She stops barely two feet away, her chin lifting with quiet defiance.
“I haven’t told this to anyone yet,” she says. “But if you decide to disturb my peace,” she continues quietly, “I won’t hesitate to take yours.”
For several seconds, neither of us speaks. Then she turns and walks past me without another word, her long strides carrying her back towards her cottage.
I remain where I am, watching her disappear into the moonlit path.
Anyone who has ever spoken to me with this kind of defiance has never lived long enough to see the next sunrise.
Yet this princess, someone I don’t particularly enjoy dealing with, has not only challenged me but also has the audacity to warn me.
And still, she will live. Because I do not harm women. Siya Vardhaan, despite being the single greatest threat to the identity I have buried here, will not become my first exception.