Page 160 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
“Lady Astra.” The guard stops abruptly and turns to face me, his expression no longer respectful. “Please continue walking.”
Every instinct I possess screams danger. This isn’t right. Lucian would never summon me through an unfamiliar guard to some distant corner of the palace. He’d come himself, or send Seth, or at the very least use someone I’d recognize.
I take a step backward. “I think there’s been a mistake. I should return to—”
“There’s no mistake.” The voice comes from behind me, smooth and familiar in the worst possible way.
I spin around, and my blood turns to ice.
Harper stands in the corridor, but she looks nothing like the broken woman who was dragged away during the trial. Her golden hair is clean and styled, her dress made of fine silk. Her blue eyes hold a coldness that makes my skin crawl.
“Hello, Astra.” Her smile is poison wrapped in beauty. “Miss me?”
“You’re supposed to be in the dungeons.” My voice comes out steadily despite the fear clawing at my throat. “How are you—”
“Oh, that.” She waves a dismissive hand. “Turns out I have more connections than dear Prince Lucian realized. Amazing what a few loyal allies can accomplish.”
I calculate distances, escape routes. The guard blocks the path ahead, Harper the one behind me. Side corridors branch off in both directions, but I don’t know where they lead.
“What do you want?” I demand, backing toward the wall.
“Justice.” The word drips like venom from her lips. “You stole my life, you worthless little nobody. My prince, my crown, my future. You ruined everything.”
“Lucian was never yours.”
Her face twists with rage. “He would have been! If you hadn’t seduced him with your pathetic damsel-in-distress act, if you hadn’t spread your legs for him in those woods—”
“That’s enough.” I make my move, darting toward the left corridor.
I only take three steps before Harper’s hand closes around my wrist. Pain explodes through my arm as her grip tightens with inhuman strength.
“Going somewhere?” Her voice is sickeningly sweet. “We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.”
She nods to the guard, who produces a small, glass vial filled with a clear liquid.
“What is that?” I struggle against Harper’s grasp, but she’s stronger than she should be. Unnaturally strong.
“Something to make you more...compliant.” Harper’s smile widens. “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you. We need you alive for what comes next.”
The guard uncorks the vial and moves toward me. I throw my weight backward, trying to break Harper’s hold, but she doesn’t budge.
“Hold still,” she purrs. “This will all be over soon.”
“No!” I twist desperately, managing to pull partially free. “Lucian will come for me. He’ll—”
“Lucian thinks you’re safely tucked away with your little healer friends.” Harper’s laugh is cruel. “He has no idea you’re even missing. And by the time he figures it out, you’ll be long gone.”
The guard grabs my chin and forces my head back. I clamp my lips shut, but he pinches my nose closed. Seconds stretch like hours as my lungs burn. Finally, my body betrays me, and I gasp for air.
The liquid burns down my throat like liquid fire. Immediately, my vision begins to blur around the edges.
“Good girl,” Harper coos, her face swimming in and out of focus. “Sleep now. When you wake up, the real fun begins.”
Darkness creeps in from all sides. The last thing I see is Harper’s triumphant grin before everything goes black.
The air smells of dampness and decay, with an underlying stench that makes my stomach churn. That’s the first sensation that penetrates the fog in my head. Then come the throbbing behind my eyes, the metallic taste in my mouth, and the bone-deep chill that seeps through my dress.
Where am I?
