When a blond head peeked around the corner of the door, my whole body relaxed. It was Cyrus, not some evil witch or wolf come to do me harm.
“Oh, good. You’re awake,” he said as he opened the door fully and stepped inside. He closed the door and then walked toward me. “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been better, but I’m okay.” I paused and looked into his eyes. “I heard you and Frederick arguing outside my door.”
A frown creased his brow, and his eyes narrowed. “He’s a bastard. But that’s nothing for you to worry about. Ares will see to him when he arrives.”
“And when will that be?” I asked. I couldn’t help the tremor of hope that fluttered in my voice.
I’d been here less than twenty-four hours and I’d already seen ghosts, almost been raped, and practically threatened by Frederick.
Honestly, though, would Ares really stick up for me or would he blame me and my rash attitude for causing problems?
With him, it was hard to tell how he’d react, so the thought of him coming to court both excited me and made me nervous.
“I’m not sure,” Cyrus explained. “He still has to deal with the vampires back at the pack house. But I’m sure he’ll come the first chance he gets.”
I wasn’t too positive about that, but I didn’t argue the point. I’d just have to wait and see. “About that wolf from last night…,” I began.
Cyrus’s scowl grew fiercer. “Don’t worry about that asshole. I’ll make sure he pays.”
“Then he’s alive?” I asked. The way he’d been on the ground, unmoving with blood trickling from his head, I had no idea if he’d been killed or not.
Cyrus nodded. “Although I doubt he’ll appreciate it once Ares is through with him.”
He turned and walked to the door. “I’m going to grab us some breakfast and then I’ll come back to your room. No need to venture out after what happened last night if you don’t want to.”
I watched him close the door after he left, then rushed to the bathroom to take care of my morning business. When I went back into the bedroom, Frederick was standing in the middle of the room, waiting for me.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded. “In my private room?”
“You need to tell me the truth about what happened last night.”
Was he serious? Did he not believe Cyrus, another wolf? He looked pissed and disgusted at the same time.
The corners of his mouth were white and drawn tight into a disapproving frown. Standing with his hands on his hips, he practically shook with fury.
“Cyrus already told you,” I said and raised my chin a notch in defiance. I would not let this man intimidate me.
“Yeah, but he got the story from you. He did not witness it. So, now, I want to hear it from you.”
I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. “Will you even believe me?”
Frederick scowled. “Not if you give some bullshit story about one of my men trying to rape you.”
Taking a deep breath to calm my anger and frustration, I stared at him for a minute before responding.
“What makes you think it’s bullshit? You don’t believe one of your men would take advantage of a human female? Especially if she’s a slave?”
The grin that split his lips was pure evil. “Oh, a slave can’t be raped here at court. They are our property. So no, I don’t believe one of my men raped anyone. Now tell me what happened.”
Why? He wasn’t going to believe it anyway? But obeying commands had been a part of my entire life. As a slave, not answering a direct question could get someone punished, and I had no desire to get whipped or anything else.
So I told Frederick what happened, but like with Cyrus, I did not tell him about the ghost woman and instead said I’d managed to grab a log and smack him off of me.
I had known it would be difficult, if not impossible, to convince anyone I’d beaten a werewolf, but it was the only story I could tell. It would probably be even less believable were I to mention the ghost lady.
“I told you what happened,” I said firmly.
Before I could blink my eyes, Frederick advanced on me and pushed me against the wall. My breath left my lungs in a loud whoosh, and my head slammed against the hard surface.
“I will not go easy on you if you think of spreading this rumor,” he growled, his hot breath blasting across my face. “Don’t think because Alpha Ares is your mate, I would not hurt you in the worst of ways.”
Frederick took a deep breath as if he was trying to control his anger. I coughed, tugging at the hand at my throat, but he didn’t budge.
“You don’t belong here,” he hissed, letting his wolf’s yellow eyes gleam through. “Not in this court, and not on this Earth. I will do everything in my power to get rid of you and that abomination you call a mate.”
He let go of me so quickly that I fell to my knees, my hand covering my throat as I coughed and watched him slam the door as he left my room.
Well, that had gone well.
The key to my door sat on the dresser, where it did absolutely no good. I got to my feet, grabbed it, then ran to the door and locked it. Would it even matter, though?
The asshole probably had a master key to my room too.
The sound of an owl hooting drew my curious attention to the window. Turning from the door, key still in hand, I walked over to the window and opened the curtain.
There was an owl there all right. I smiled, looking into its big eyes until I realized this was the same owl that used to visit me at the pack house.
