Before I can react, My foot is already clasped tightly by a trap that is fixed there. I whimper in pain and shift back into her human form. The trap has a strong grip on my ankle and with every pull I make, causes the iron to dig more deeply into it. I strive to stand to get my sword from my horse not too far from me, but the pain is too excruciating. When I realize I don't have any possibility of getting out, I scream out in outrage and anguish.
The seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours and I still don't have any hope of getting out. My ankle bled profusely as a result of how deep the iron clamped it. The fear of losing my leg to this shoots through me and I can't help but panic.
At a point when I assume all hope is lost, I glimpse a young, tall, slightly sturdy man, by my horse, ransacking through my things. He is probably a thief, but I don't care. The only thing I worry about is a way to get the angry metal away from my ankle.
"Hey!" I call out, but the brunette man doesn't turn to look at me. This pisses me off as I groan in frustration.
"What are you doing with my stuff?" I yell at him. He finally turns to look at me with a smirk on his face.
His green eyes grin at me, watching me for a while before finally speaking. "Forgive me milady, just going through some stuff to aid my journey," he says and returns to rummaging through My bag. He picks up the wrapped arrow and slowly undoes the clothes, revealing the silver arrow Alpha Armani gave to me as a present. It is the weapon I plan to kill the king with
I grit my teeth in anger. "Don't you dare" I speak in a deadly tone. If only I wasn't stuck in the trap, he wouldn't be standing.
"You would kill your kind?" He furrows his eyebrow at me.
"That's none of your business and my stuff is also not your business" I shout at him, but he doesn't look affected.
"I'm taking this. Just this. Assassins will kill for this" he wiggles the arrow at me and I can't help but boil in anger.
"Can you at least let me out of here?"
"Not a chance"
"Damn you!" I curse at him as the pain adds to my anger. "Who even puts a trap in such a place?"
"Only the royals do that. It's a measure to prevent people from getting into the kingdom unapproved. An approved traveler wouldn't pass this route. Except" he walks towards me and slopes to my level."You are an imposter"
I spit on his face in annoyance and watch as he groans in revulsion. "You see I was just considering releasing you from there, but you ruined your chance with your bratty attitude" he walks back to my horse and hops on it. "Maybe the Royal will be the one taking those irons off" he shrugs at her.
"What are you doing? Get down from there," I warn him.
"Save your strength darling. You'll be here for a long time. The lavender herbs around you might knock you out, so try not to breathe in too often" he chuckles at his own words. " Goodbye princess" he gives a dramatic bow and kicks the horse to start.
I can't do anything. I only gawk from where I lay, trapped. My lips come off as too heavy to scream. However, the need to cry shoots through me, but I subdue it.
Just as he said, the lavender herbs around me begin to get to me and I slowly drift into a deep sleep.
****
The pain in my legs is what wakes me up. Moaning in pain, I flick my eyes open with the hope of still being in the woods, but that isn't the case. Instead, I am situated on a bed, and not just any sort of bed, but a queen-sized exquisite bed. Even my clothes are changed into a silk dress that screams wealth. I rapidly sit up despite the pain, gazing around at the room I am in. The room is just too elegant to belong to any regular personnel.
What if? I gasp as the thought comes to me. What if the royal caught me and brought me here? If this is the case, I need to get out as quickly as possible. I slip out of the bed and take a look at my leg. Surprisingly, it is bandaged. The moment it makes contact with the hard floor, it stings in pain. The pain is unbearable, but I am willing to dismiss it as long as I can get out of this place successfully.
The room is quite enormous and it takes multiple painful strides for me to get to the door. Before I can twist the knob, someone twists it from outside and I stiffen with widened eyes, scampering away from the door to prepare for anything. My eyes dart around and I grab a rod that lay on the floor.
The door opens and before the man can get in fully, I charge for him, but he is swifter than me. He snatches the rod and yanks it away from my hold. After the failed attempt, I calm down a bit and take a look at him. My mouth dropped.
It is Lucan. The fierceness in his brown eyes didn't change a bit. He looked manlier now and gravely stunning. His well-sculpted nose and chiseled jawline all scream perfection, but I don't get lost in his intense gaze for long. Although he appears stronger than me, that doesn't stop me from slapping him across the face in bitterness.
"Why did you bring me here, Lucan?" I snap at him through gritted teeth.
Lucan doesn't react or try to attack me back. Instead, he rubs his cheeks which I slapped. A confusing smirk emerges on his face which only pisses me off. "You still remember me?"
"That's not the point. Get me out of here now " I demand, still in a rage.
"I'm sorry, but I can't, dear mate" he speaks calmly and I gasp. What nonsense did he just utter?