Chapter Nine: Attempted Escape

Emerald POV

The castle sleeps. But I do not.

I lie in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the silence. The guards outside my door shift their weight every few minutes. Boots scraping against stone. Armor clinking. They are tired. Bored. Not paying attention.

Good.

I wait until the hallway goes completely quiet. Until the only sound is the wind rattling the windows and my own heart pounding in my chest.

Then I move.

The window is my only chance.

The door has two guards. The hallway has more. But the window overlooks the east garden. If I can climb down, drop into the bushes, I can reach the outer wall. From there, the forest.

I do not know what comes after the forest.But anything is better than here.

I pull on my darkest dress. Tie my hair back. Stuff a small bag with bread and a bottle of water.

Then I open the window.

Cold air rushes in. It smells like rain. Like freedom.

I look down.

The drop is farther than I thought. Much farther.

Do not look down. Just move.

I swing one leg over the sill. Then the other. My fingers grip the stone frame. My feet search for a ledge.

There is none.

I hang there for a moment. Arms burning. Heart racing.

Then I let go.

I fall.

Not far. Just a few feet. My feet hit a narrow ledge beneath the window. I did not see it before. Hidden in the shadows.

I press my body against the stone wall. Breathe.

Keep moving.

I inch along the ledge. My fingers find cracks in the stone. Handhold after handhold. Slow. Careful.

The garden below is dark. No guards. No lights. Just bushes and shadows.

I drop again.

This time, my feet hit soft ground. Dirt. Grass.

I am out.

I am actually out.

I crouch behind a bush. Wait. Listen.

No shouts. No footsteps. No alarms.

I run.

The garden is bigger than I expected.

Paths twist in every direction. Hedges grow tall as walls. I cannot see the outer wall. Cannot see the forest. Cannot see anything except shadows and more shadows.

I pick a direction and run.

Left. Right. Straight. It does not matter. I just need to keep moving.

My breath comes in gasps. My legs burn. My chest aches.

But I do not stop.

I cannot stop.

If they catch me, Cassius will lock me in a dungeon. Or worse. He will kill me. Or worse.

I run faster.

The path ends.

A wall stands in front of me. High. Stone. Too high to climb.

I press my palms against it.

No. No, no, no.

I follow the wall. Left. Nothing. Right. Nothing. No gate. No door. No way out.

I am trapped.

Footsteps echo behind me.

I turn.

Torchlight flickers between the hedges. Guards. Four of them. Their faces are hard.

"Stop," one says.

I run.

They catch me in seconds.

Hands grab my arms. My shoulders. My wrists. I struggle. Kick. Bite. Someone curses. Someone laughs.

"Get off me!"

"Stop fighting, girl."

"Let me go!"

"The Alpha will decide what to do with you."

They drag me back through the garden. Past the hedges. Past the fountain. Past the windows I climbed out of.

The castle looms above me. Dark. Hungry.

I am going back inside.

The guards throw me on the floor of the main hall.

My knees hit the stone. Pain shoots up my legs. I do not cry out. I will not give them the satisfaction.

"Wait here," one guard says.

They leave.

I kneel on the cold floor. Alone. The hall is empty. The torches burn low. Shadows crawl up the walls like living things.

My hands are shaking.

I press them against the stone to make them stop.

They do not stop.

Footsteps.

Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.

I do not look up. I already know who it is.

Cassius stops in front of me. His boots are black. Polished. Expensive. I stare at them. I cannot look at his face. If I look at his face, I will cry.

And I refuse to cry in front of him.

"Look at me," he says.

I do not move.

"Emerald. Look at me."

Slowly, I raise my head.

His golden eyes burn. His jaw is tight. His hands are clenched at his sides.

He is angry.

Good. Let him be angry.

"Explain yourself," he says.

"I was trying to leave."

"I can see that. Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"Because you are a prisoner here."

"Yes."

"And you thought you could just walk out?"

"I climbed out the window."

His eye twitches. "You climbed out the window."

"Yes."

"From the third floor."

"Yes."

"You could have died."

I stare at him. "I would rather die than stay here."

The words hang in the air between us.

Something flickers across his face. Hurt? No. Not him. He does not feel hurt. He does not feel anything.

"Leave us," he says to the guards.

They hesitate.

"Now."

They leave.

We are alone.

Cassius crouches in front of me. His face is level with mine. Close enough that I can see the small scar above his eyebrow. The stubble on his jaw. The dark circles under his eyes.

He has not been sleeping either.

"Why do you want to leave so badly?" he asks.

"You bought me like property."

"I saved your life."

"You bought me like property," I repeat.

"I saved your life," he says again. Louder this time.

"Then let me go."

"I cannot."

"You will not."

"There is a difference."

I laugh. It comes out bitter. Broken. "No. There is not."

He stares at me for a long moment.

Then he stands. Walks to the window. His back is to me. His shoulders are tight.

"You are not a prisoner," he says.

"Then what am I?"

"I do not know yet."

"That is not an answer."

"It is the only one I have."

I push myself to my feet. My knees ache. My wrists are raw from the guards' grip. But I stand. I will not kneel before him.

"You cannot keep me here forever," I say.

"I can."

"The other kingdoms will not allow it. The werewolf packs will not allow it. I am an Alpha's daughter. My father—"

"Your father sold you."

The words hit like a slap.

I flinch.

"He sold you," Cassius says again. Turning to face me. "He chose your husband over you. He chose your husband's throne over your life. Your father does not care if you live or die."

"That is not true."

"It is. And you know it."

My eyes burn. I blink. I will not cry.

"Even if my father abandoned me," I say, "I am still a person. I still have rights."

"You have the rights I give you."

"That is not how—"

"That is how this kingdom works." He steps closer. "I am the king. What I say is law. What I want, I take. What I keep, I keep."

"You are a tyrant."

"I am a survivor."

"Same thing."

"No." He shakes his head. "A tyrant kills for pleasure. I kill to protect what is mine."

"I am not yours."

"You are."

"I am not."

We stare at each other.

The fire crackles. The wind howls. The world continues outside these walls.

But inside, everything has stopped.

"Why did you try to escape?" he asks.

"I told you. I do not want to be here."

"That is not a reason."

"It is the only reason I have."

"There has to be more."

"Why? Why do you care so much? I am a slave. A purchase. A tool to ease your rut. That is what you said."

He flinches.

I see it. Just for a second. His mask slips.

"You are more than that," he says quietly.

"Then what am I?"

He does not answer.

"That is what I thought." I turn away. Walk toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my room. You locked me in, remember? I cannot go anywhere else."

"Stop."

I keep walking.

"Emerald. Stop."

My hand touches the door handle.

"I said stop."

I open the door.

He grabs my wrist.

I freeze.

His grip is not hard. Not punishing. Just... there. Warm. Heavy.

"Let me go," I whisper.

"Not until you look at me."

I close my eyes.

"Emerald."

Slowly, I turn.

He is close. Too close. I can smell him. Smoke. Leather. Something dark and warm.

"You tried to escape," he says. "You climbed out a third-floor window. You ran through my garden. You fought my guards."

"Yes."

"Do you know what happens to slaves who try to escape?"

"No."

"They die."

My blood turns cold.

"But you are not going to die," he continues. "Do you know why?"

"No."

"Because I do not want you to."

"That is not—"

"That is the only reason that matters." He releases my wrist. Steps back. "Go back to your room. Stay there. If you try to escape again, I will chain you to the wall. Do you understand?"

I nod.

"Say it."

"I understand."

"Good."

He walks past me. Pauses in the doorway.

"You are stronger than you think, Emerald Ashthorne. But you are not strong enough to survive out there alone."

"How do you know?"

"Because I have been out there. Alone. And it almost killed me."

He leaves.

I stand in the empty hallway.

My wrist is still warm where he touched me.

The guards escort me back to my room.

They do not speak. I do not speak.

The door closes behind me. The lock cli

cks.

I am trapped again.

I walk to the window. Look down at the garden. The bushes where I landed. The path where they caught me.

If I try again, he will chain me to the wall.

I believe him.

I sit on the bed. Pull my knees to my chest.

My hand moves to my stomach.

What am I going to do?

I do not have an answer.

But for the first time, I am not sure I want to leave.

And that scares me more than anything.