Chapter 157- She Was Bluffing, Right?

Arabella:

I had barely taken a step when her voice filled my head again.

I’m not the one who stayed away from you, Arabella.

That made me stop.

Remember the dream? I appeared to you once before... in human form. I told you to keep a close eye on everything around you.

My anger faded a little as I slowly faced the mirror again. Yes, I remembered. That strange dream. The beautiful woman wearing black.

"You were..."

Yes. I tried to contact you, but the wolfsbane dose in your system was so high that I couldn’t reach you.

I took a step closer to the mirror. "I could never feel you..." The wolf was quiet for a moment.

Because someone has been poisoning you, Arabella.

The statement shocked me. "What?"

You were being poisoned by your family before you came to this palace. It took ages to flush it out of your system. The moment your period arrived, I woke up. It was because of my presence that Lucien came for you. His half-dead lycan felt me through the bond. And now...

She trailed off. My fingers curled around the edge of the sink. "Now?"

Someone doesn’t want me to wake up. They don’t want you to have your wolf back. For the last few days, I was feeling better and wanted to surprise you. But then..." She sighed.

A cold feeling crept through me, and my mouth went dry. "I don’t understand. What are you talking about?" I rubbed the back of my neck. "Who can do this to me? Jasmine? Queen Theodora? Amy?"

Idon’t know, Arabella.

For the first time, something changed in my wolf’s silver eyes. She didn’t look frightening to me anymore. She looked weak. Fighting for her life. Fighting for me.

You need to stay safe, Arabella. It’s a wolf’s responsibility to protect its human. If someone harms you, I’ll be the first to take it upon myself.

Her voice grew quieter inside my head. Please, Arabella. Do something before I die... like Zorro...

There was so much pain in her eyes as she talked about him. Her mate.

I leaned closer to the mirror and opened my mouth to say something, but before I could utter a word, she vanished.

Just like that. Poof!

***

Tonight, I chose a fitted black dress with a square neckline and a slit running up one thigh. The fabric was soft, and the long sleeves gave it a more elegant look.

As Toby and I made our way toward the celebration hall, I almost wanted to tell him about my wolf, but then I changed my mind. I would tell him after the ceremony. Preferably somewhere private, where I could explain everything without worrying about someone overhearing us.

I had already sent Lucien a short message telling him I would get to the venue myself, then put my phone away without waiting for his reply.

The moment Toby and I entered the hall, I could feel eyes following me from every direction. Conversations began to die down as heads turned my way. They didn’t even bother pretending they weren’t staring at me.

"Well, after last night, you can’t blame them," Toby remarked while walking beside me. "You had climbed onto the royal table and held the future Queen by her hair." He finished with a straight face.

I ignored the comment and followed him to our table, taking the seat right beside him.

Maya had decided to stay in her room tonight. Last night had been too much for her, and she still needed rest. It was probably a good decision.

The royal family arrived a little while later, with Lucien walking ahead of them. They made their way to the royal table and took their seats.

I knew when Lucien started looking for me. His gaze moved across the tables until it reached ours, but I kept my attention on Toby and continued telling him some random story.

A few minutes later, Bradley appeared beside us. "Arabella. His Highness wants to know where your phone is. Apparently, he’s been trying to reach you from across the hall."

I turned to him with a smile. "Hi, Brad. How are you?"

He gave me a blank stare. "Your phone, Arabella."

"Oh... that," I shrugged. "I think I forgot it in my room."

I had left it there on purpose because I didn’t want Lucien calling or messaging me tonight. Whatever he wanted to say could wait until later. I turned back to Toby, but my thoughts went to last night. I had actually enjoyed it.

Maybe grabbing Jasmine by the hair hadn’t been the smartest thing I had ever done, but I didn’t regret standing up to her. I had only wanted my damn plate back, and even though I failed miserably and she threw my food on the floor, at least I had made my point.

They knew now that I wasn’t going to sit quietly while they walked all over me. Not anymore.

Once everyone had finished eating, I expected the music to start, instead, the royal herald stepped forward and spoke loudly. "Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty... the Queen would like to say a few words."

Applause filled the hall as Theodora rose from her chair. My eyes wandered toward Lucien, who had one fist under his chin and was staring straight at me.

I quickly looked away before he caught me staring back and focused on his mother instead.

What did he think of himself? Some lovesick teenager?

"First, I would like to thank everyone who prayed for my recovery and sent their good wishes," Theodora began. "It means a great deal to have all of you here tonight."

More applause followed, and she waited for it to settle. "And since tonight is a celebration, I thought I should give you all a little entertainment of my own."

I straightened in my seat, holding back a yawn.

"You all must have heard about the two dragons that somehow found their way into this palace."

Beside me, Toby stopped eating his beef steak. Theodora smiled. "Tonight, I’m going to use a little magic to find out who summoned them here."

People around us immediately began whispering, and I swallowed hard.

Oh, fuck. She had to be bluffing. Right?