Theodora stood naked under the shower, letting the water wash away three weeks of every deadly game she had been involved in at the tournament. The dirt and blood that clung to her dissolved away, and the cut on her neck was healing well. Theo closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
The feeling of betrayal stung really hard. It stung so hard that even Seraphina howled in misery, and it felt like her heart was being squeezed too hard.
"After every fuckin thing I have done!" She murmured to no one in particular, her fist coming down on the tiled wall next to her, causing a few cracks.
Subconsciously, her hands flew to feel the pendant around her neck, replaced with a new, stronger chain. The pendant pulsed faintly under her touch, as though it were alive.
Tonight had been a close call. She had almost exposed herself right there in front of everyone, and that would have been the end of her. Her father would not hesitate to exile her.
But that would have been better than being betrothed to the Dark Alpha.
She would rather drink wolfsbane every single day for the rest of her life and suffer a torture worse than hell than marry that inhumane Alpha of the East.
Just then, she heard the door to her bedroom open and someone walked in. Judging from the footsteps and the whiff of the wolf's scent she caught in mere seconds, she already knew who it was.
Her heart leapt, and she turned off the shower and threw a towel around her body.
Eric stood by her bedside furniture when she walked out. He was staring at the picture on it - one of a young Theodore sitting on the lap of an older woman who looked strikingly similar to her, especially the amber eyes and the Red hair.
"Eric," She called from behind, a blush on her cheeks.
Eric turned around, a taunting smile in her eyes, "Hey... Future Stepmother,"
The moment it came out, she almost barfed, "I would never let that happen. That's just...," She walked further into the room and threw open her cupboard to pick out a cloth, "God, don't ever say that again!"
Eric chuckled lightly, then his face turned serious too, "It's actually a big deal. Your Father made the announcement in front of the Allied Territories. You can't escape this,"
Theo gritted her teeth, "I'm never getting married to that...devil!"
Eric crossed his hands together, slumping lazily on the couch by the side, "I agree. What's the plan?"
"There's no plan...yet. I'm still thinking about it," She pulled out Jean pants and a t-shirt, and Eric turned away as she began changing into them.
Their fathers have known each other for over ten years now, making Eric and Theo's friendship that old. There was nothing they didn't know about each other - except for the fact that Theo had the biggest crush on Eric.
As she stared at him while putting on her T-shirt, her heart ached. If only the Moon Goddess would pair him as her mate.
If only.
But they were both over Eighteen. If they were supposed to be mates, they would have figured it out by now. And it would absolutely kill her the day Eric would find his destined mate.
"You do realise the wedding is in three days, right? My father has already begun giving out invitations," Eric stated, just as Theo finished dressing and walked around to face him.
"What do you think I should do?"
"Convince your Father that it's a bad idea to throw you into the hands of the devil?" Even as Eric said it, he made this disdainful facial expression.
"That's not gonna work and you know it," Theo replied, exhaling deeply.
Silence ensued between them for a few seconds.
"It feels weird, doesn't it?" Eric broke it softly in a mock serious tone, "The same man we both loathe, secretly planned on how we were gonna sneak and shove a pillow on his face while we were kids, is now betrothed to you, my best friend. You're to be wed, and that would change everything,"
"Stop talking like that!" She snapped at him, "I'm not gonna let this marriage happen," She repeated.
"There's no escaping my father. No matter where you go, he's gonna find you," Eric said, and his stern, warning eyes met hers, "Whatever he wants, he gets!"
"He can't control me," Theo's eyes flashed, "I won't let him or anyone else control me! All my life, all I've done is try to prove to my father that I was worthy, that being female shouldn't change who I'm supposed to be - the next Alpha of the Vanguard Pack," She paused, and a dark expression crossed her face, "All that ended the moment he chose Harry as his heir. I've finally realised that nothing I do, nothing I achieve would ever make him see me more than just a girl, and I won't let myself be caged anymore,"
A proud smile burst on Eric's face, and for a moment, Theo's stomach was filled with butterflies.
"You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. As long as you know your worth to yourself, and to me," Eric replied
The butterflies instantly got worse.
Then, Eric spoiled everything, "Cain Pendragon, the cruel Alpha King. Dangerous. Powerful. Old enough to be your..."
She threw a pillow at him, heat flooding her face, "Shut up!"
Eric caught it easily, laughter spilling out of him, "Fine. Fine. It's a bummer that I have to leave in two days. I might not be here when you make your escape...to god knows where my father would still find you, or when you eventually walk down that aisle. Gravemont doesn't exactly excuse anyone for royal weddings. I was only given a week's 'excuse' break because my father demanded it,"
"My best friend missing my wedding? Now that's the highest level of betrayal in the world,"
He smirked, "I'll send flowers,"
"Stop thinking you're better than the rest of us because you go to Gravemont Academy," She muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Better? No," Eric said, his eyes glinting with that infuriating mischief she couldn't resist, "Smarter, stronger, and better dressed? Absolutely," He leaned back, stretching like a cat on the sofa, "Besides… It's not like you could ever step foot there. Gravemont is for boys. Strictly boys,"
Theo blinked as his words cut deeper than his usual taunt. Her mind sparked with a dangerous thought, and she softly bit her lips.
Maybe... just maybe it would work. Because no one would ever suspect that she would be there.
"Any news from Thaddeus?" Eric asked.
Thaddeus was her cousin and had been accepted into Gravemont Alpha Academy. But he went missing, and no one has heard from him in a while now. Her father had decided to keep the matter quiet, making Theo suspect that it might be deeper than it seemed.
She shook her head in reply, "My father doesn't... like questions,"
Just then, a knock came on her door.
One of her father's guards stood there, standing stiffly, "My lady," His voice was low, "Alpha Cain requests your presence,"
Her pulse faltered, "What?"
The guard shifted uneasily on his feet, "He is waiting in the courtyard,"
From the way he was acting, she just knew it wasn't a request. It was a summons.
"Tell him if he wants to see me, he can come knock on my door like everyone else," She smirked.
A hand gripped her shoulders tightly from behind, and Eric warned, "Don't," in a sharp whisper, "You should go,"
"Forgive me, my lady," The guard continued, "But he said he should not be kept waiting,"
From the window behind her, she could already feel the pressure in the approaching morning air. He was outside there, standing, and waiting for her.
"Alright," She said, and the guard nodded tightly and left.
Theo turned to Eric, "What's wrong?"
Eric's gaze moved around the room, like he was trying to sense something only he knew about, "He could be listening to us right now," Eric whispered, "He could have been listening all along!"
Theo's eyes widened, "How? The Courtyard is a bit far..."
Eric shook his head, "It's not," Eric whispered, "Not for my father,"
"I hope you're not in trouble. You kinda called him a devil and all..."
"Don't worry," Eric waved it off, "It's not as if he doesn't know what he is,"
"Well, wish me luck, then," Theo said, mentally preparing herself for what was about to happen, "One of two things is gonna come off this encounter. It's either I convince your father to stop this nonsense that came out of nowhere, or...I make an enemy out of what we all know as the most powerful Alpha our species has ever seen!"