The Princess didn't flinch as my hand gripped her sleeve. I could feel the cold steel of the guards' daggers pressing against the pulse point of my neck. One twitch and I was dead. Not exactly the 'meet-cute' I had envisioned for my palace debut.
Instead of calling for my head, a wicked smile spread across her face. She looked at my bloody knuckles, then back at my defiant eyes. "Bold. I like bold," she clicked her tongue before snapping her fingers at the guards.
Their daggers retreated just as fast as they had appeared. "Bring the feral one, too. If she survives the next ten minutes, maybe she'll be worth the trouble."
"Survives?" Pia shrieked in my head. "Waverly, she said survives! Let go of the lady and run for the vents! I'll even help you climb!"
Shut up, Pia, I snapped at her, though my stomach was doing backflips. You lazy, cowardly Omega wolf. We're already here; we might as well see the gold leaf before we get executed.
"We can't bring her. She… she is not worth it!" The wannabe me-doll I fought stomped her legs in anger, but she followed anyway.
Dumb bitch, I scoffed to myself. If she stomped any harder, she'd break a heel, and I'd have to laugh at her again.
We were led through the gigantic oak doors and into a chamber that made the waiting room look like a dumpster. The ceilings were vaulted gold, and the atmosphere was overwhelmed with the scent of power. At a long table sat two gray-haired elders who I assumed were members of the Pack Council. Beside them were two men in high-class military dress. But sitting in the center, draped over a high-backed chair like a bored god, was Prince Kaeren.
My heart stopped at the vision. I'd seen his face on the news, but pixels didn't do justice to the sheer, masculine gravity of him. He was all sharp angles, silvery hair, with eyes that looked like they could burn a hole through titanium.
Our eyes collided and the world went silent. I felt immobile, my boots suddenly feeling like they were made of lead. I really should have wiped that lipstick smudge off my knuckles. First impressions are everything, right?
"Gods," one of the military men whistled, breaking the silence with a jagged laugh. "I didn't realize the recruitment call extended to the local landfills. How did a gutter-rat like this even get past the gate?"
The other man joked, leaning back. "Maybe for the variety, Silas. She's beautiful. Looks like she's got a body that could actually withstand the Prince's manpower without snapping in two."
"I bet he's got an entire weighty meat under there. Just like his father. Isn't that so, Prince Kaeren?"
Did he really just say that? In front of the council too. These high-class bastards were even more feral than the miners. I wanted to facepalm on behalf of their ancestors, but I was too busy trying not to faint.
Kaeren turned his head in the way of the speaker, folded his arms, and then turned back to me as a wicked smirk turned a corner of his face. Laughter echoed through the room. Even the maids pouring wine hid their smirks behind their hands.
Heat crawled up my neck. I was used to being called trash in the Outer District—I grew up in it. But under Kaeren's cold, unblinking gaze, the embarrassment stung like lye. He wasn't laughing, though. He was watching me with a look of such intense annoyance and suspicion that I actually felt my soul recoil.
"He's going to kill us," Pia whimpered, tucking her tail so far it might come out her throat. "I don't care about the miners anymore. Let's go. Let's go now."
For the first time, I agreed with her. But the outer district girl in me, the one who had been kicked too many times to stay down—fired back before I could stop myself.
"I look disoriented because I just finished whooping the ass of that bratty, wannabe high-class coward," I snapped, pointing a bruised finger at the girl beside me. "Hard to keep the 'Luna' glow when you're busy teaching the elite how to bleed."
The laughter died instantly. The elders gasped, and the Princess leaned against the wall, looking delighted. Note to self: maybe don't threaten to bleed the elite while standing in their living room.
Kaeren's frown didn't deepen. Instead, it vanished. He leaned forward and I saw his eyes narrow as if he were seeing me for the first time. The silence was deafening.
An elder cleared his throat, his face red with indignation. "Enough. Introduce yourselves. Quickly."
The girl beside me stepped forward. "I am Lady Seraphina. My family owns the Western Dam, and I graduated top of the High-Class Academy. I have been trained in diplomacy, etiquette, and—"
Kaeren didn't look at her. His eyes remained locked on my smudged makeup.
"And you?" the elder barked at me.
"Waverly," I scrambled where I stood. "Lower-class Omega. I live in a shack, I received a dump education, and I have a better right hook than your guards." Honesty is the best policy, mostly because I'm too tired to invent a fake resume.
The elders looked like they were having a stroke. "Prince Kaeren," one whispered. "The test?"
Kaeren stood up, further revealing the glory of his massive frame that would leave any girl—me—drooling. Wait, was I really drooling for the crazy prince who drew my face and was currently glaring at me like I was a snack? Hell no. Holy eew. Get it together, Wave.
"I told you the only thing we shared was a kiss before she vanished. That is the only way I will know." He announced, folding his hands behind him.
Holy moly… What did he just say? A KISS?
"Oh, Wave! Finally something worth staying back for," Pia shamelessly jumped excitedly in my mind. "We'll never get the chance to kiss such a godlike man EVER again, so why not steal this opportunity?"
Oh, not you too. PIA! Have some dignity!
Seraphina didn't hesitate. She sashayed forward, her perfume cloying and sweet, and planted a desperate, hungry kiss on his lips. She held it for several seconds, her hand reaching for his neck. Kaeren remained as still as a statue. He looked like he was mentally calculating his taxes while she tried to swallow his face.
He pulled back, touched his lips with a gloved finger, and closed his eyes. "No," he said flatly. "Not her."
Seraphina's face went ugly. "But my Prince! The lineage—my face. I look just like the girl in the picture. It's ME!"
"Get out," Kaeren commanded, the Alpha-tone making her stumble back in shock.
"Now it's our turn," Pia cried. "Waverly, do it gently or our lips will fall off!"
Oh, boy. Here goes nothing.
I braced myself to be dismissed next, hoping he'd send me straight to the gate. But Kaeren didn't wait for me to move. He stepped around the table, his shoes thudding against the marble until he was inches from me. He was so tall I had to crane my neck. The scent of cedar and sweets filled my senses.
If I'm going to be executed, at least the executioner smells amazing.
He didn't ask. He gripped my chin with a hand that felt like fire and ice, tilting my face up. I expected a mocking laugh or a cold rejection. Instead, he crashed his lips against mine.
It wasn't a gentle test. It was a hot, possessive, long-drawn-out claim that stole the oxygen from the room. My head spun, unable to wrap my mind around what was going on or how good it felt. My fingers curled into the front of his expensive shirt as he pulled me closer, his frame threatening to crush mine.
I was a fraud, a shack girl, a lie… but as he kissed me like he wanted to devour my very soul, I realized my already horrible life was about to hit a very complicated climax.