Presley curled her fingers, her expression hardening as she shook her head.
"Say that in front of the Alpha King," she challenged, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes. "He almost decided to banish you once for speaking ill of my son. Have you forgotten?"
"I was fifteen then, too young to challenge my father. Do you truly think I still fear him?" Gideon's eyes flashed a predatory gold as he leaned down to whisper a threat against his stepmother's ear.
"I will see to it that the crown is stripped from your head very soon. I have my bride now, and once she bears my mark, the title of Queen will belong to her within months. The moment I ascend as Alpha King, I am throwing you and your son out of this palace. And I certainly haven't forgotten your cunning daughters, either."
He flashed her a winning smirk before brushing past her, leaving the air cold in his wake.
Gideon rounded the corner of the corridor and halted abruptly at the sight of his Beta.
"Are they here?" he demanded.
"They will arrive shortly," Micah answered, his expression grave. "You realize you are about to shatter hundreds of rules established by the elders."
"Those old men set rules for the subjects, not for me," Gideon affirmed coldly. "Keep a close watch on the Queen. I suspect she is playing a game with me."
Micah furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"She was alone with Adeline earlier; she undoubtedly spent that time poisoning my mate's mind against me."
"Then simply go to Adeline," Micah suggested. "Tell her yourself not to listen to the Luna Queen's lies."
"No. I want to see what Adeline chooses to do. Keep a watch on both of them," Gideon commanded, already striding ahead.
"Wait! How am I supposed to keep…" Micah paused, seeing that Gideon had already vanished into the shadows of the palace. He sighed, whispering the end of his sentence to the empty hallway, "…an eye on both of them at once?"
~~~~
Adeline woke with a dull ache thrumming behind her eyes. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she murmured, "The medicine…" before the memory of the Luna Queen's offer rushed back to her.
Shadows had already begun to stretch across the palace floor; it was evening, the hour of her departure.
As she climbed out of bed, the heavy chamber doors creaked open, and a middle-aged woman stepped inside.
"Miss Valois, was your rest sufficient?" the woman asked.
"It was. My head just feels a bit heavy," Adeline admitted, steadying herself.
"It must be the lingering effect of the medicine. Are you ready to depart?"
"Yes. But where is the Luna Queen? I must thank Her Majesty before I go," Adeline insisted.
"That is not needed. We must hurry," the woman replied, gesturing toward the hall. "Please, follow me."
Adeline nodded and scanned the room for her satchel. Spotting it on a distant table, she moved quickly to retrieve it. She swung the strap across her shoulder, twisted her hair into a hurried bun, and followed the woman out into the quiet corridor.
"Did Her Majesty speak with Prince Gideon?" Adeline asked, her anxiety mounting. "I truly do not wish for the Prince to direct his anger toward her once I am gone."
"Miss Valois, stay quiet. I have no answers for you," the woman replied, her voice cutting through the air with a sudden, chilling coldness.
Adeline's knuckles turned white as her grip tightened on the strap of her satchel.
'I am terrified of Gideon, yet he hasn't even come to see me since this afternoon. Surely the Queen has already settled matters with him. But why am I so restless? It feels as if…' She shook her head violently to clear the thought.
'You are overthinking, Adeline. If not for the Queen, freedom would be an impossible dream. She is the only one who cares for a low-ranking Omega like me.'
They finally emerged from the long, winding corridor and stopped before a sleek black car. "Do I have to go in this?" Adeline asked, peering at the vehicle.
"No. Miss Valois is expected to exit through that way," the woman answered, pointing toward the towering palace gates, which stood slightly ajar. "Palace transport is not for use by outsiders. You may leave on foot through the main gate."
Without another word, the lady turned and walked away, leaving Adeline standing alone in the deepening twilight.
"What was that?" Adeline whispered to the empty courtyard. "I thought the Queen was arranging my departure."
Fumbling through her satchel, she pulled out her phone, only to find the battery was completely dead.
Sighing, she walked toward the gates, hoping to find any passing vehicle she could hire.
But as she moved, she felt the silence was eerie. This was a different route than the one she had come through in the morning, yet the absence of guards was unsettling; a palace of this stature should have been teeming with security, yet she couldn't see a single soul.
The moment she stepped across the threshold and onto the open road, the massive gates swung shut.
They locked automatically with a thud that sent a jolt through her body.
"What was that? How could it just lock?!" she mumbled.
Turning away from the dead-end, she was met with a long, desolate stretch of pavement.
On one side, the dark forest stood. Her heart began to race. It was a kind of fear deeper than any abuse she had suffered at home.
After walking a short distance, she glanced back over her shoulder, desperately searching for a guard or a patrol light, but the road behind her was swallowed in darkness.
"I should have asked that woman where to find a vehicle," she whispered to herself, trying to bolster her courage.
She resumed her pace, but the sound of rustling leaves froze her in her tracks.
"Who's there?" Adeline called out.
Her breath hitched and her eyes widened in horror as a wolf lunged from the thicket, aiming straight for her.