Chapter 17

"Today is your lucky day, I'm going to spare your life." Maris seethed, slowly calming down and losing energy. "But sleep tight, maniac."

She waved her hands and a stool flew from the corner of the room, hitting Richard at the back of his head and sending him to the ground.

Her vision was blurry for a few seconds before it went back to normal. She staggered to his unconscious body on the floor and gave him a kick to his stomach.

"And stay away from me!" She exclaimed and stormed out of the cave.

Once she was pretty far from the cave, she walked to a tall tree and plastered her back on it, sliding to the floor with her knees drawn to her chest.

"Did I really do that?" She questioned herself and opened both her palms to stare at them. "Am I really a witch?"

Questions spluttered around in her head as she tried to figure who she was and why she was that strong. She knew she was born with an enchanting voice, but she had never used her hands to control anyone before.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled, looking around the place. It was dark and scary, she had no torch or anything of that sort. Her palms were now flat on the ground as she pushed herself up and got to her feet. Hopefully, she'd find Logan.

Slowly, she walked deeper into the forest, glancing over her shoulders non-stop. The cold breeze caressed her skin and she shivered, rubbing her hands to stay warm. The moon brightened the place a little and she was grateful for that.

From far away, she heard thumping of feet. It sounded like something huge and she scrunched up her face, a tear staining her eye lids as she raked her fingers through her hair. She was doomed! Could that be a dogman coming for her? Her knees shook and her throat felt dry instantly.

"I just want to go home," Whispered Maris as she took shelter behind a bush, taking a peek from a small hole.

A big hairy monster stopped, backing the bush as he sniffed the ground and howled at the moon. Other beasts howled too and Maris closed her eyes, taking her face away from the hole.

"Mother..." She whispered, clasping her fingers to her chest.

In that moment, she wished her mother had given her a bigger jewel she could hold on to when in danger instead of-

"Maris?" The voice was familiar. Worry mixed with fear was laced to his voice as his footsteps drew closer to her. "Maris!"

She snapped her eyes open and said, "Logan?"

But her voice was not loud enough. The word was caught up in her throat as she struggled to swallow the fat frog that had sat in her throat.

"We have to find her, I can't-I can't-"

"Calm down, we'll find her." A feminine voice that Maris had recognized to be Sanna's tried to calm him down. "I'll follow this path and you follow that."

With that, Maris heard her running into the path she had chosen. Temporary paralysis was what had struck her down, but she was trying to fight it.

"Maris!" He called out again.

"Logan," she whispered then swallowed to put in more effort. "Logan!"

"Maris?" He called back, rushing behind the bush and squatting beside her. "What happened to you?"

He cupped her cheeks and she leaned in so she could feel his palm even more with her eyes closed.

"I thought I lost you." He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

Oh, how she had missed his body warmth. Her heart fluttered and heat rushed through her veins. The cold she had been feeling was long gone.

She pulled out of the hug and he helped her get to her feet.

"Let's go clean you up." He attempted to pick her up, but she slapped his hands away and walked out from behind the bush. "Hey," he furrowed his brows and scratched his hair. "What'd I miss?"

"A lot. So if I wasn't saved and was waiting for you to come rescue me, I would have died?" She spun to meet his gaze and folded her arms against her chest. "Do you know I was rough handled today?"

"What?!" Logan's eyes turned pitch black–his fangs elongated as his chest heaved. Quickly, he rushed to where she was and inspected her body. "Who touched you?!"

Anger flared out of his nose and Maris tried to push him away from searching her body for bruises.

"I'm going to kill that bastard! Just tell me a name." He kicked the grass and growled, his body visibly shaking out of anger.

"He didn't. Calm down. I saved myself."

His expression softened and he froze, taking his time to take deep breaths.

"How?"

"Same thing I did when the werehynas attacked us."

**************

Maris finally had a proper bath and was now seated on Sanna's bed, watching as the sister to the alpha rummaged through her closet for a ball dress.

"Must I attend this ball?" Maris asked, chewing her bottom lip and surveying the princess's room.

It was big and painted in purple. Her eyes fell on a mirror that was in front of a table and chair–Maris had noticed she was looking scattered like a patient from a mental hospital.

"Yes!" She jumped out of the closet with beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Logan would love to have you there. You'd get to meet our mother too."

She held up a black dress with spaghetti hands and grinned saying, "You'd look drop dead gorgeous in this!"

She helped Maris into the dress and did her hair in curls that was sent down her shoulders.

"My brother picked the right consort." A small smile formed on her lips and Maris mirrored it. "What's this?"

Sanna pointed to a mark on Maris' wrist and squinted at it.

"Oh, I was born with it." Maris pulled her wrist away and covered it with her other hand.

Sanna, not seeing the need to go deep into the mark on her wrist shrugged and got dressed into an over the knee nude dress that fitted like it was a second skin. Quickly, they made it to the palace.

Maris was nervous, her heart had drummed like that of jumanji as she approached the palace.

People were everywhere, dressed in the fanciest ball gowns she had ever seen. Just like the one Sanna gave her, it swept the floor and made her feel like a new bride.

"There he is." Sanna whispered to Maris and she automatically knew who she was talking about. "To the left."

Maris followed her instructions and her heart skipped a beat.

Maris stopped breathing for a minute. He was looking breath taking. Dressed up in a suit and a neatly done haircut graced his head. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he conversed with his friend, Melvin. His ears twitched and he caught Maris staring.

She broke the eye contact and gulped, tapping her fingers on her laps as she watched Sanna waltz away with a handsome young lad.

Betrayer.

Her subconscious said as she stood uncomfortably in the midst of the crowd.

"Hey." A firm hand gripped her shoulder.