Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Alice
They shoved me hard into the cell. My body slammed against the freezing stone wall, and the sharp pain forced a groan from my throat.
"Careful!" A witch in black robes snapped. "Don't damage her. Serena said the offering has to be intact."
"Once the full moon rises, we sacrifice her and gain the Moon Goddess's power." Another witch stared at me with hungry, crazed eyes. "They say it's strong enough to break any seal. We'll be the most powerful witches—"
"Enough." The lead witch cut her off. "We need to prepare the ritual. The moon's rising soon."
The two witches threw me one last reluctant look before turning away. The cell door slammed shut in my face.
The lock scraped with a harsh metallic screech.
I leaned against the wall, my hands instinctively protecting my stomach.
Thank Goddess. The baby was still there.
I could feel that fragile little life pulsing, clinging stubbornly to existence.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I've put you in danger again..."
I took a deep breath and forced myself to think. I needed an escape plan.
Stone walls surrounded me on all sides. One iron-barred door. Witches guarding outside. A maze of tunnels underground...
No.
I couldn't be reckless. If I tried to run and failed, they might start the ritual early. Or hurt my baby while chasing me down.
I had to wait. Wait for the right moment—
"Alice."
Cedric's voice suddenly filled my mind. The mate bond. He was calling me through the bond!
My heart lurched. Hope surged through me so powerfully I nearly wept.
"Wait for me. I'm coming for you." Every word rang with certainty.
"Okay," I answered silently. "I'll wait."
Those few simple words eased the tension knotted in my chest. A strange sense of conviction settled over me. He wasn't lying.
He was really coming.
I took another deep breath and sat down to rest, hoping to recover my strength faster.
My mind drifted back to everything that happened before they took me.
I'd been walking in the garden, trying to get some air. Pregnancy made me constantly exhausted. The healer said movement would help.
"Alice." A familiar voice called out.
I looked up to see Adrian walking toward me.
He smiled, warm as always. "Father asked me to take you somewhere. He says it's important."
I didn't question it. The person had Adrian's face, his scent. I followed "him" through the garden, down the corridor, into a secluded corner.
Everything was quiet. Too quiet.
"Is this it?" I asked, confused, looking around. No sign of Father.
"Yeah." He turned around. His smile twisted into something grotesque. "Right here."
The next second, his face began melting, shifting into an ancient, vicious visage—wrinkled, eyes blazing with madness.
"Serena!" I gasped and tried to scream.
But black magic had already struck me. Violent pain tore through my body. I couldn't even cry out before my vision went dark...
I thought the news hadn't spread yet. I thought with so many people in the palace, it would take time before anyone noticed I was missing.
But Cedric found out so fast.
My hand moved to my chest. That sense of security smoothed away all my fear, as if with him here, I had nothing to worry about.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, light and quick, snapping me from my thoughts.
I looked up to see a familiar figure at the cell door.
Victoria.
She wore an elaborate black gown trimmed with delicate lace at the collar and sleeves. Her hair was pinned up perfectly, her makeup flawless. She stood outside my cell, looking down at me with a vicious smile.
"Look who we have here." Her voice dripped with schadenfreude. When she saw my face clearly, jealousy contorted her features. "The noble princess, locked up like a prisoner. How ironic."
I raised my head and met her gaze coldly.
"Victoria." My voice carried mockery. "You've sunk this low."
"Sunk low?" She laughed, her voice slithering like a snake. "I'm just taking what should've been mine. Why the hell should a little bitch like you get everything?"
She stepped closer, fingers gripping the iron bars.
"My whole life, everyone said I was beautiful, elegant, perfect—the pride of the family!" She glared at me viciously. "You were just an ugly freak with a cursed birthmark!"
"Why does a lowborn whore like you get to be Cedric's mate?" Victoria's eyes burned with jealousy. "You should've spent your whole life under my heel! Who cares if you're a princess? You still ended up in my hands! You got away last time, but you won't be so lucky again!"
She slammed her fist against the bars with a dull clang. "I should've killed you when you were still that unwanted ugly duckling. Would've saved me all this trouble!"
I watched her quietly, a sardonic smile playing on my lips. "Even if you kill me, Cedric will never love you. You'll never be queen."
Victoria's face changed instantly. "What did you say? You bitch!"
I saw her rage clearly. "You worked so hard to frame me, desperate to become Luna, playing the pitiful victim in front of him. But in the end, he still chose me."
"That's only because of the mate bond!" Victoria roared. "If it wasn't for that damned bond, I would've been his queen ages ago!"
I cut her off, my eyes full of scorn. "That's fate, Victoria. The Moon Goddess chose me as his mate, not you. No matter what you do, you'll never have his heart."
"And you know what's most ironic?" I leaned forward, my voice dropping low. "Even if I die, he still won't love you. He'll hate you. Despise you. Kill you in the most brutal way to avenge me. Because I'm carrying his child. And you—"
I paused, my smile growing more cutting. "You're just the snake who hurt his mate."
"I'll kill you!" Victoria completely lost it. She fumbled for the key, her fingers trembling as she went for the lock. "I'll kill you, you bitch! I'll tear that face to shreds! Make you regret saying that!"
"No!" A witch in black robes grabbed her from behind. "Serena said she can't die. Not before the ritual starts."
"Get off me!" Victoria shoved the witch aside, eyes bloodshot. "I'm just teaching her a lesson. I won't kill her! I just want her to know what happens when you cross me!"
"Lady Victoria—"
"I said get off!" Victoria kicked the witch away viciously.
The cell door swung open.
Victoria charged in, hand raised to strike. "Bitch! I'll tear that mouth off your face!"
The instant her hand was about to reach me, I moved.
Bones cracked and shifted. Fur erupted from my skin. I shifted into wolf form in a heartbeat, snapping the chains. I bolted toward the cell door at full speed, slamming into the witch blocking my way.
"Stop her!" Victoria's scream echoed behind me.
I ran without looking back. The underground tunnels were a maze, darkness so thick I could barely see.
My claws scraped against stone, creating sharp, grating sounds. Behind me—curses, footsteps, magic blasts exploding against walls.
My heart pounded wildly. My lungs burned. But I clenched my jaw and pushed forward.
For my child. To survive.
Light ahead! I saw the exit!
Moonlight spilled in, illuminating the path. I accelerated, almost at the entrance of the cave when a black-robed figure suddenly blocked the opening. An older witch. She raised her hand, black magic gathering in her palm.
I didn't slow down. I ran faster, jaws wide, going for her throat. The witch dodged. The magic beam grazed my fur, searing pain flaring up, but I ignored it.
I swiped at her face with my claws. She retreated again. But I was already through the opening.
A black magic beam struck me from the side.
"Ahhh—!"
Violent pain tore through my entire body, like countless needles piercing my skin, bones, organs all at once. I screamed and was forced back into human form, hitting the ground hard.
The cold, hard earth dug into my aching body. I struggled to get up, but my limbs wouldn't respond.
"Trying to run?" The witch approached with a cold laugh, looking down at me. "How naive. You think we'd let you escape that easily?"
She raised her hand. Black magic coalesced in her palm, growing larger, radiating the stench of death.
"Serena wants you alive. But she didn't say you had to be in one piece." The witch's icy voice made my heart skip. "I'll cripple your legs first. Save us the trouble of chasing you again."
The magic orb grew brighter. I bit down hard, trying desperately to move, but my body refused to obey.
Just as the magic was about to hit me, a furious howl tore through the night sky, shaking the entire forest.
The next second, a massive shape leapt from the trees like lightning, instantly blocking me.
The black magic orb slammed into his back. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air.