Page 145 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
Now, however, it strikes me how weird it is to see her so early in the morning. And why were they talking about me?
She called him Royan, I realize.
Royan. Not Roy.
Oh fuck!
Dread settles inside me as I follow the two women downstairs to the rooms of the lower-ranking inhabitants of this god forsaken cult.
*ROYAN*
I groan when the light of the sun wakes me up. Shit, I slept too long. I was exhausted last night when I finally went to sleep. Rona was crying so much, and I felt distraught and desperate, wanting to help her… and I felt incredibly frustrated at not being strong enough to just save her.
I reach out my hand, trying to reach for Rona next to me, but to my surprise, she isn’t there. I force my eyes open, still feeling a bit groggy. “Rona?”
I sit up when I don’t hear any reply. Her scent still lingers in the room, but not as strong as before. She must have left a while ago. But why? Did something happen? Did Penelope summon her? I feel restless and nervous at the fact she isn’t here.
I feel annoyed at myself for feeling that way, but something just feels off.
Donovan seems restless, too.Where is mate?He asks.
I don’t know.I’m about to get up and look for her when the door bursts open and a bunch of men march in. I recognize them loosely as some of Penelope’s guards.
What the fuck?
Before I can even fathom what’s going on, a small arrow comes flying towards me and hits me right in my neck. I tug it off, growling at the sudden attack. To my shock, though, Donovan’s presence seems to get more and more dimmed.
Oh fuck them, they used wolfsbane on me.
A bunch of men come running towards me, basically tugging me out of my bed and trying to drag me out of the room. Even without my wolf, I’m strong though, and I’m certainly not going down without a fight. Dazed due to the wolfsbane and confused as to what’s going on, I try to struggle against them. My mind just takes so long to catch up with what’s happening. Prince Endellion and Beta Quinn always claim that we need to train more than just our brute strength.
Boy, were they right.
I’ve been relying on my muscles for the past. Now, with my wolf gone, I realize my error.
The men surround me, two of them grabbing my arms to hold me in place while punching me repeatedly. One of them targets my jaw, another my stomach. I spit out blood, struggling while trying to get free.
That’s when I see it.
Penelope is standing a bit further away, just watching me with a smirk curling her lips. Next to her there is Rona, and behind them Shayan. Rona looks away from my gaze, but Penelope grabs her face and forces her to look at me. “Don’t look away, sister,” she whispers. “You did so well. These are the fruits of your work.”
Her words hit me more than any of the punches the guards throw at me. “What!?” I breathe out.
“No!”
“But yes,” Penelope snickers. “Rona here is my sweet, younger sister. Not with a lot of potential, but so obedient.”
“You faked the mate bond?” I yell.
“No,” Penelope sneers. “That one you can blame on your pathetic Goddess.”
I look at Rona, my blood running cold in my veins. She is my mate, my mate… I was ready to burn the world down for her. I would have done everything to save her, yet from the first moment on, she was set on bringing me down.
She sold me out. She… she is my mate, yet she just played me.
My chest constricts so painfully I’m scared I might throw up. For a moment, I forget how to breathe, how to even think properly. And the worst part is that Donovan has been blocked out. If he were around, we at least could share the pain of betrayal.
My gaze shifts towards Shayan, and I can see the momentary shock in his eyes when he looks at the arm Penelope has put around Rona’s arm.
