I couldn’t stand the irritating shuffle of my maids’ feet across the floor, their heels clacking with unnecessary urgency. As a minx lycan female, my heightened senses made every sound feel like an assault, especially in the morning. We were a peculiar breed - cursed with pointless fangs that barely grew and no ability to transform. The women of our kind were essentially defenseless, which made my father’s obsession with protection all the more suffocating.

“Princess?” Kira’s voice pierced through my blanket fortress. My twelve-year-old maid had already mastered handling my morning temperament, bless her heart. “I have breakfast.”

I kept my face buried under the silken sheets, my voice coming out strained and muffled. “Just leave it!” The scent of ham and cheese omelet wafted through the fabric, making my useless fangs ache slightly.

Naomi’s familiar footsteps approached, followed by the sound of her swiping the tray from Kira’s hands. The food cart rattled as she set it down with more force than necessary. I heard her dismiss Kira, who scurried away to prepare my bath.

“The king requires your presence in an hour.” Naomi’s voice carried an unusual edge as she yanked my blanket down to my waist. “There’s a council meeting about your betrothal.”

My stomach churned at the word. “There will be no betrothal. I’m not marrying that foul beast.” The mere thought of Prince Nel made my skin crawl, though my treacherous body seemed to disagree due to his nearness.

“Regardless, it is my job to make sure you eat, dress, and attend the meeting.”

“I don’t wish to go.” I pulled the blanket back over my face, but Naomi’s unexpected boldness had it on the floor in seconds. My jaw dropped at her audacity. This wasn’t the bouncy, ever-smiling Naomi I knew. Something was definitely wrong.

Before I could berate her about my precious silk duvet, she burst out, “Princess, please! Your father has been utterly unbearable. He’s convinced I’m the one who told you about the impending marriage and continues to blame me for the…unfortunate events of last night. He threatened to dismiss me if today doesn’t proceed flawlessly. Just this once, could you please comply?”

Her words melted my anger. I reached for her hand, feeling the slight tremor in her fingers as I clasped them. “I’m sorry about my father. You needn’t report to him anymore.” The weight of everything pressed down on my chest. “I’m overwhelmed myself. Terrified that I can’t talk Father out of marrying me off to the enemy. Maybe I’ll just run away.”

My mind betrayed me by conjuring images of Prince Nel’s insufferably handsome face. Our encounter left me rattled, his intrusion into my bedroom playing on repeat was a nightmare. Yet what terrified me most was how my body responded to his presence - the way my useless fangs tingled, how my pulse quickened. As a minx lycan, I should have been repulsed by his vampire scent alone, but instead…

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I forced the thoughts away, barely registering Naomi’s continued reassurances until she brightened with an idea. “Why don’t you use that strong voice of yours to speak against the marriage at the meeting? There must be another way to form peace.”

Taking a deep breath, I considered her words. “Perhaps you’re right. I’m certain the Council of Ten will agree with me. I know they oppose Father’s plan.” Hope flickered in my chest. “Maybe I can get them to back me or even sway him to call off this peace treaty.”

“It’s not such a bad thing to end our quarrel with them. The vampire family seemed agreeable before they left last night.”

I shot her an incredulous look. “I hope you’re not serious. We can never trust vampires after all they’ve done.”

I was soon to depart for the nearby town of Ractun, where the cobblestone streets would be teeming with a morning bustle I had no desire to encounter. The Council Hall stood at the town’s center, isolated and imposing, the surrounding market stalls and rows of houses forming a respectful perimeter, as I vaguely recalled from my single childhood visit. I’d never imagined I’d one day be at the heart of one of their crucial meetings.

Dom, his posture rigid and formal, met me at the castle entrance to escort me. The tension radiating from him was palpable, a clear indication that last night’s encounter still weighed heavily on his mind. A shiver of unease ran down my spine as I took in the increased number of guards accompanying him, their presence a stark reminder of the heightened security measures. The streets of the castle were lined with soldiers, weapons glinting ominously in the morning light, an unsettling testament to the vampire delegation’s presence within our walls.

When we reached the carriage, Dom’s touch was feather-light as he helped me inside, his fingers barely grazing mine. The interior welcomed me with plush rosy velour seating and heavy curtains that could be drawn for privacy, complete with wooden shutters. It felt more like a mobile fortress than a carriage.

Dom took his seat opposite me, his gaze fixed somewhere over my left shoulder. The silence between us felt heavier than the morning mist clinging to the windows. This wasn’t his usual protective distance maintained for propriety’s sake - this was hurt, raw and palpable.

“Dom, are you okay?” I started to rise, intending to close the distance between us, but the carriage lurched forward, sending me back into my seat. Not even a hint of his usual amused smile crossed his face at my graceless tumble. “So you’re just gonna ignore me?”

He hunched forward, elbows resting on his knees, his expression dark with thought. “I hate how you are sometimes. The way you threw me out of your room like I don’t have feelings too.”

“That’s why you’re acting this way? You know I care for you.” The words felt hollow even as I said them, inadequate against the depth of emotion in his eyes.

“Funny way of showing it.”

“I was wrong, I know. I just needed time to absorb what you told me, be alone.”

“I understand, Lor, but that was a perfect time to discuss what this means for us.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “We’re lucky if nobody hears us now.”

“Nothing changes! I’m not marrying him. I have a plan.” I tried to inject confidence into my voice, but Dom’s bitter laugh cut through my bravado. Did he find me so useless?

“I desperately want to believe you, but the grim reality is that your father and the vampires have already solidified their agreement.” His hands clenched into fists.

“My intention last night wasn’t merely to inform you, Loretta, but to devise a way for you to escape this predicament. Allow me to truly cherish and protect you.”

My heart stuttered. “You want to run away together?”

“I refuse to stand by and watch the woman I love be forced into a marriage with a blood-sucking monster. So yes, I’ve been formulating plans since the first whispers of this union reached my ears.” The raw conviction in his voice made my chest ache.

“If things don’t go in my favor today, I’ll consider it. No point in running away if my father calls this off.” The words came easily - too easily. How many times had I told Dom what he wanted to hear? The thought of fleeing had crossed my mind, but not like this. Not with a man whose love I couldn’t fully return. A soldier’s life, a commoner’s existence - it wasn’t the future I was meant for.

“I don’t see no other way around this, but sure.” The defeat in his voice matched the empty look in his eyes. His gaze fixed on the floor, hands clasped tightly in his lap. I could see the words building behind his pressed lips, but he remained silent for the rest of the journey.

As the carriage rolled along the uneven road, I leaned back, my mind racing. Would things turn out in my favor, or was my fate truly sealed? The weight of Dom’s unspoken words hung between us, heavier than any crown I’d ever worn.