Alana's perspective
"H–huh?" I gasp, startled.
"Where's that bastard Justin?" he repeats, his voice sharp with fury as he strides toward me. Before I can step back, his hand clamps around my arm, his grip painfully tight.
"O–ouch! Darius, stop it you're hurting me!" I cry out as tears rush to my eyes.
"Where is your stupid fiancé?" he snarls. "And I need an answer now."
"He's not here," I sob. "He left last night in a hurry."
His hand slides from my arm to my neck.
Pain explodes through me as my breath catches. I squeal helplessly, my feet lifting off the ground.
"Darius, stop it! You're hurting me!" I choke, clawing at his wrist.
"Darius, let her go."
The command cuts through the room like thunder deep, cold, and absolute.
Darius freezes. Slowly, reluctantly, he releases me. I fall hard onto the floor, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.
"Darius, don't you know how to treat a lady?" the voice continues.
I lift my head, still trembling, and my heart stutters.
Standing before us is Prince Volta Blackwood, the Prince of All Dragons.
He stands tall and commanding, his presence filling the room like a raging storm barely held back. His golden eyes gleam with authority as they lock onto Darius, who instantly panics, running a shaky hand through his hair.
"I expect better from you, Darius," Volta says calmly but there is danger beneath his words. "Treat a lady with respect."
He steps closer, then kneels slightly so we are eye level.
"Alana," he says, his voice firm yet strangely gentle, "please tell me where is Justin?"
"I… I don't know," I reply between shallow breaths. "He left last night in a panic."
"Well," Volta says as he helps me to my feet, his hand steady on my arm, "your fiancé caused quite a disturbance last night. We need him now."he commanded
As I stand upright, I finally see him clearly.
This is the closest I've ever been to Prince Volta.
He's… different. Calm. Controlled. His golden eyes shimmer beneath strands of blond hair, and his build is powerful I can feel the solid muscle beneath his white jacket when he steadies me. He's dressed in pure white, flawless and untouchable, like someone who knows exactly who he is.
A dragon through and through.
"Stop wasting time and tell us where Justin is," Darius snaps.
Volta gently releases me.
"As I said," I reply, my voice trembling but defiant as I rub my aching neck, "I don't know. He left last night."
"What Darius is trying to say," Volta interrupts coldly, "is that Justin meddled in matters he had no right to."
He turns toward the door as he continues.
"His scent was found all over the princess's chamber. She is royal. He is not. He trespassed into forbidden areas. And since the princess is my fiancé… you know what that means."
My vision blurs.
Justin… wouldn't do that.
Would he?
Suddenly, memories rush back as I remember his words last night,the soft glow of his magic cycle before he left and the princess bursting into my room at dawn, pale and frantic, asking for Justin.
My hands fly to my mouth.
"No…" I whisper as tears spill freely down my cheeks, splashing onto the floor.
"It can't be," I say brokenly. "I don't believe he would do something like that."
"Well, his scent says otherwise," Volta replies harshly. "And you know the price for such crimes."
"I don't think that's possible!" I shout.
Before either of them can stop me, I shove past them and sprint down the hall. I slam open the doors to the princess's chamber.
Inside, the princess sits on her bed, hurriedly pulling on a crimson dress. She freezes when she sees me and quickly adjusts it. The fabric clings to her figure perfectly, trailing across the marble floor like spilled blood.
"Princess!" I scream. "Tell me what happened last night!"
She jumps to her feet, trembling.
"It… it was"
"Tell her what Justin was doing in your room," Darius cuts in loudly.
"Calamity!" I shout, staring straight at her. "What was he doing in your room?!"
"Well," Volta says impatiently, "he was there at midnight. What do you think he was doing? It's obvious."
"It's not!" I scream. "Answer me!"
She looks at me… then lowers her gaze. Her hands clasp together just above her hips.
Silence.
"So that's it?" I whisper, my chest aching. "You're accusing my fiancé?"
My heart pounds painfully.why would I say fiancé again,so bluntly
Why does this hurt so much?
"If you stand by him," Volta says calmly, "you will be executed."as his gaze cold
My blood turns cold.
"I will give you two choices," he continues. "One die with him. Or two agree to marry Darius within the coming days."
The room spins.
The weight of the choice crushes my chest like I'm being buried alive.
What do I do…?
How do I choose?
"O–okay," I say suddenly, the words escaping before I can stop them. "I agree to marry Darius."
I value my life.
Don't I?
Tears stream down my face, hitting the floor as my body trembles.
Why am I crying over someone I barely know?
Why does this decision hurt so much? I held my hands at my chest as tears flow freely to the ground and I left the princesses room then through the castle's hallways and past the courtyard everything seemed to be turning in a way I couldn't understand everything felt so heavy I put another's life at risk to save my own am pathetic
I stumble into the carriage, collapsing inside as sobs wrack my body. Time passes I don't know how long until my breathing finally steadies.
Then it hits me.
His mother.
That's where he would go.
I wipe my tears away, my resolve hardening.
"Driver," I say firmly, "increase the pace. Take me to Justin's house."
And as the carriage races forward, my heart whispers only one thing
Please be alive.