32

"So you dare growl at the prince?!", the brunette turned to me. If looks could kill... "It's okay Camilla," Damien said calmly, putting his hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"What a ridiculous name," Sapphire laughed in my head. I was so infinitely grateful that my wild she-wolf was finally with me again, making me stronger, but unfortunately my instincts had completely returned as a result.

He was my mate. The pretty boy with the black hair, the king's son and this bitch's steady partner. I wanted to give her my opinion no matter the cost, but decided to stay calm for now. "I'm sorry my prince, that wasn't my intention," I breathed while bowing and revealing a glimpse of my bra, which enraged Camilla. "We're leaving. NOW!" she snapped at Damien, who was still staring at my cleavage. As the two of them disappeared into the castle together, Emma smiled at me and giggled sweetly. Saphir laughed out loud too.

So we both stood there. Two girls in a huge yard, but I could hardly see the surroundings, constantly wondering if he would leave Camilla for me or stay with her and only use me to satiate his urges. No matter how he saw me, he was out of the question for me, although maybe a little bit. But for now I wanted to concentrate on myself and Emma. "How old are you Emma?" I asked sensitively, hoping she would open up. "14," she replied, avoiding my gaze in embarrassment. So fragile, one was afraid of harming her again just by looking at her.

It made me mad with anger, the thought of her life so far, her struggle to survive, traces of which could still be seen on her pale skin. My thoughts turned to Calvin. Had to smile briefly at the knowledge that he couldn't take what he wanted most from me to the bitter end.

"Melody, come with me! Emma, you go straight into the kitchen and help." Aiden said, who was just coming down the wide steps to the yard. Surrounded by the huge walls, he didn't look as tall as he did yesterday in the pub. "Ok," Emma whispered shyly, about to walk in the direction he pointed, but without me. I held my arm back so she didn't come by and stop, then gave me a startled look. "She stays with me." I looked deep into Aiden's eyes, wanting to make it clear immediately that I would not submit to anyone here. "Melody understand, it's-" "Good evening my guests." An older man suddenly came, strutting gracefully down the steps behind Aiden. "Is everything under control here?", he turned to Aiden for a moment and then looked at me again. "You must be Melody, may I introduce myself. I am Nero von Königstein and I warmly welcome you here."

He spread his arms, smiling, like he owned the whole world. At the sight of his black hair, which had a slight gray tinge, and the brown eyes, I realized why people chased us back into the woods. He could put his fake grin anywhere else. I knew this kind of acting, Calvin played this theater for me for months.

He slowly approached us, not letting me out of his sight. Emma was now standing trembling at my back, almost ripping my jacket off in fear. "Give me your hand, little one," he said, holding out his hand, but before I could give him mine, I realized he didn't want mine, he wanted hers.

"Nero es-." "Aiden please take Melody to her new room. I'll take care of Emma," he interrupted. His grin grew even bigger, making my heart race and my hands sweaty. Aiden was about to grab my arm, but I quickly took a step back and growled menacingly, still standing protectively in front of Emma, drawing the attention of everyone around me.

"That's enough!", the king clapped his hands and immediately one of the guards picked me up in his arms and carried me up the stairs. Kicking, I kept my eyes on Emma, who seemed further and further away, soon unreachable. "We have to do something!" Sapphire yelled in my head and without thinking about it, I bit the man in whose arms I was lying on the shoulder with full force. He didn't even twitch, even though the wound was bleeding profusely. "You're not the first to fight back Miss Melody." He laughed out loud. The fact that he called me Miss made me angry, but admitting that there were other women being oppressed here drove me completely nuts. I flailed wildly and when he finally put me down I thought for a second I'd won

For half an eternity I banged against the indestructible wooden door, but nothing happened, not a sound could be heard behind it. Frustrated, I sat down on a small chair that was in the middle of the dark room.

Everything here reminded me of a dungeon. The cold stones covering the walls and floor. There wasn't even a real window. Just a hole in the wall just big enough for a fist to fit through. At least the moon could be seen through it, a small consolation.

"You could transform and just storm through the door."

"If I transform now, I'll rip everyone's throat out of hatred, that wouldn't be a solution either." "Well, but it would be the beginning of a solution."

Saphir laughed out loud and I was carried away by her. As long as she was with me, I couldn't do badly. The only thing I was really worried about was Emma. Imagining the worst possible scenarios, fighting the need to rip it all up here, and suddenly a thought I never thought possible...

I missed Calvin.

The sun shone powerfully on the outer wall of my little prison, bringing me an unbearable heat. Annoyed, I took off his jacket, which was still emitting his scent, and sat sweating on the small chair, wearing only my underwear.

I had banished sapphire from my head hours ago, otherwise I would not have been able to think straight at all. It was hard enough for me to comprehend all of this as it was. I was a prince's mate, yet a prisoner. Nothing could surpass all this in senselessness. He should have just left me with my blond nightmare when he didn't want me anyway, his heart belonged to someone else.

Angry at everything, I growled and my hands, sore from last night, found the strength to bang against the hard door again. "I want to speak to Damien right away!" I yelled desperately, while my voice kept breaking, not feeling as powerful as it used to.

When I still didn't get an answer after hours, I collapsed exhausted, wiped the sweat from my forehead and thought about a possibility of escape. I didn't really care if Damien would die if I rejected him. Apparently he wasn't interested in my fate of slowly dying here in the stone oven.

Before the sun slowly went down and no more light could shine into the room, I heard heavy footsteps in the corridor, but I had no more strength to communicate. My body, riddled with wounds, was finished. Not a single drop of water was granted to me, and the absolutely degrading thing was the memory of urinating in a small bucket in the corner of the room.

The sound of a key, my deep inhalation and my heart pounding with hate, that was all I was aware of before the blonde carefully picked me up and finally freed me from this shithole. "You could have it so much easier Melody, you can't just defy Nero." Aiden spoke soothingly to me while his eyes were forward.

I said nothing, closed my eyes exhausted, and enjoyed the fresh air that blew coolly through the red-painted corridors.

Arrived at a brown door, he lowered me carefully and just nodded at me with a smile as he disappeared down the long corridor alone. Only now did I notice that there were beautiful paintings hanging on the walls, which immediately captivated me. I love painting, I liked painting too much myself, but my amazement was interrupted by a clearing of my throat.

"Here, put this on," Damien ordered, holding out a red coat that looked prohibitively expensive, stopping my breathing for a moment. Without looking him in the eye, I put it over my head and turned back to the painting, which showed a beautiful snowy landscape.

"I've put enough clothes and drinks in your room, I hope you enjoy your first night here." "I had a restful first night," I replied, gritting my teeth, now staring squarely at his beautiful eyes. "I'm sorry. I have to go now. Have a good night's sleep." Just as he was about to pass me, I instinctively took his hand and held him tight. "Stop it okay. I can tell that you feel connected to me, I feel it too. Besides, you don't have to talk to me like that. I'm not a noble! And now finally tell me what I'm supposed to do here." His gaze followed my arm to our perfectly matched hands. "Melody, ... I can't do that. And I can't explain it to you either."

I snatched my hand from him angrily. "Then pull in your tail and run to your Camilla, but first make sure that Emma is brought to my room." I hissed offended and withdrew into my new kingdom, which made my jaw drop when I saw it .

The high walls were painted white, decorated with many small pictures. Right in the middle was a large four-poster bed. White linens lay neatly on it as if it had never been touched. Arriving at the window next to the bed, I could see the inner courtyard, dark from the night, where people were still gathered, who seemed to be talking animatedly.

Another door was at the right corner of the room, which seemed smaller than the other. When I opened it, I was briefly shocked by the large tub that was in the middle, which looked at me invitingly, and I quickly turned on the water to finally be able to wash myself. My gaze next caught the small sink surrounded by plants and a round mirror. I quickly drank from the cool water that found its way smoothly onto my small hands, and only when I had drunk enough and my throat started to feel less dry did I lift my head to look at myself.

I stared into my reflection curiously, examining each and every feature. My lip, on which you hardly saw any traces of the injury anymore, only if you looked for it specifically. My black hair fell down dull, while my brown eyes sparkled ever so slightly.

While the sound of the pounding water echoed through the small bathroom, I slowly pulled the red coat off my shoulders and slowly let it slip down to my feet, which were standing naked on the white tiles and urgently needed a wash .

I immediately threw my underwear in the corner, never wanting to put them on my body again. She encased my intimate area for far too long and finally, as God created me, I went to the tub that was filled to the brim.

I carefully dipped a foot into the clear water, immediately felt the pleasant warmth and stepped in full of anticipation. With my eyes closed, I leaned my head back, just wanting to relax in complete peace, free my body from the protection of the last tiring days, let my mind rest and dive into my own world.

An orange sponge and a small white bar of soap were on the counter to my left. Deeply relaxed, I leaned forward, rubbed the white piece on the sponge and washed myself clean. A little too hard, unfortunately, it was like a compulsion to rub the dirt off me, and I didn't stop until my otherwise pale skin turned fiery red all over.

Finally completely clean again, I pulled out the black plug and watched the water, which was no longer clear, finding its way through the drain, and only when the last drop disappeared into nothing did I find my way back to my legs, to tie a large towel that was hanging on a hook behind the door.

It felt soft against my skin, made me feel like I was wrapped in clouds. I hadn't felt this good in a long time, despite the uncertainty about the future, I was happier than ever at that moment.

Clean... Clean... Alone... Free...

But that wasn't to be the case for long.