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Chapter 58: It’s Time For Her to Go
*Ciana*
I went to check on Theo every single day after I woke up. I didn’t know what happened or what Theo
had inadvertently done to me in the pavilion after eating the dreamberry.
I just knew that something was off the first time I went to find him and saw a pair of guards standing
outside of his room. Rarely did he have anyone around him, so the fact that he had placed guards
outside of his door told me he was quite serious about not being disturbed.
“I just want to make sure he is okay. Please, let me in.”
“Sorry, miss, but Alpha would rather not be disturbed.” That was all I could get from them.
They told me that no one was allowed in by the prince’s orders. So I considered knocking on the door
between our rooms, but it seemed disrespectful for me to do such a thing when he clearly didn’t want
anyone to bother him. The few times I tried, it was always locked.
A few days after I woke up, I heard Jake in there speaking to him. Their voices were serious and a bit
heated, especially right before I heard Jake leave the room, but I couldn’t understand what they were
saying. I wanted to rush out of the room right then and catch Jake in the hallway so that I could
question him.
But I didn’t do it because I was afraid.
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I was afraid that maybe they had been talking about me. Maybe the reason Theo was so angry was
because of something I had done or hadn’t done. Whatever it was, it could have caused him to react
the way that he had in the pavilion.
I didn’t remember exactly what happened in the pavilion after Theo ate the berry. Everything seemed to
be in a blur in my mind.
I just needed to understand exactly what happened, make sure everyone was all right, and then I could
go home with peace of mind.
A couple of days after I heard Jake in his room speaking to him, I happened upon the Beta in the
courtyard, visiting with Brook. The two of them were smiling at one another, clearly sharing
pleasantries, so I thought now might be a good time. for me to approach Theo’s most trusted
subordinate and ask him if it might be possible for me to get past those guards.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe moment Jake saw me, his countenance changed. “Ciana. You probably shouldn’t be out and
about. You should be lying down,” he said, as if he wanted me to go back into hiding.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I was hoping I could speak to you, though.”
“I’m very busy,” Jake said, but Brook was too polite to help him with his lie.
“Oh, I need to go anyway. I promised one of the other girls I’d show her how to braid her hair. I’ll see
you later, Beta.” Brook dipped her head, and her cheeks turned a bit pink. I watched her walk away and
might’ve smiled at her demeanor if Jake’s wasn’t bothering me so much.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I was hoping you could help me obtain an audience with Prince Theo.”
His eyebrows narrowed, and he said, “I’m afraid that’s out of the question. The prince is very busy.”
I knew for a fact that wasn’t true. I’d heard him through the wall pacing the floor most of the day–for
several days. Sometimes, he sounded like he was cleaning up a bit, but I wouldn’t call that busy.
“Jake, I wouldn’t take up too much of his time,” I explained. I just wanted to make sure he was all right,
and I needed to see him with my own eyes to verify that.
The Beta practically growled at me. “It doesn’t really matter what you want, miss. You seem to be under
the mistaken opinion that you are special, and I assure you that you are not. You are just another girl
trying to make the prince your husband. He’s a very busy man, and he simply doesn’t have time for the
likes of you. In fact, if I were you, I’d stay as far away from him as possible. I’d keep completely out of
his line of sight at all times.”
My eyes widened as I listened to what he was saying. None of it made sense! Why was Jake being so
rude to me? He’d never acted this way before.
“I beg your pardon, sir,” I said as politely as I could, “but after all that we’ve been through, I think I
should at least be granted a few moments of his time. After all, I did help him. with the dreamberry.”
“That’s right. You did help him.” He continued to speak in that aloof voice, and it made my blood run
cold. “But now, you’ve served your purpose, and there’s absolutely no reason in the world why you
would need to stick around here any longer. You are of no value to His Highness anymore, so please
leave him alone.”
With my mouth hanging open, I turned around and headed back to the palace, wondering what in the
world had gotten into kindhearted Jake who was always so polite and caring.
What was going on? Had we ended up in another crazy realm where everyone was mean?
Perhaps I hadn’t actually awoken from my coma yet….
In search of answers, I headed straight back to Theo’s door. If Jake was going to treat me like garbage,
I could only assume the treatment I’d get from the Dark Prince would be even worse, but I needed to
speak to him, and I wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
As upset as I was, it was easy for me to keep my adrenaline pumping as I headed for the door in a
sprint. “Guards! Guards!” I shouted. “There’s a fight out there! I think Beta Jake needs your help!
Hurry!”
The two of them looked at one another, and then, since I was so worked up, they took off to see what
the problem might be, leaving me alone in front of Theo’s door.
It was likely locked. If I knocked on it, he would simply tell me to go away. He might even come over to
the door to make sure I didn’t get in.
So I wasn’t about to knock.
Pulling a hairpin from my bun, I stuck it into the lock and quickly got the mechanism to click. I had the
door flung open before the prince could even register what was happening.
I could see the surprise mixed with anger on his face at first as he noted that he had an intruder. But
when he saw it was me, a flicker of something else took the harsh shadows away for mere seconds
before they returned.
I had seen a fondness there. Perhaps even the beginnings of a smile. However, it faded so quickly that
I questioned whether it was just my imagination.
Now, as I stood in his room, my hair coming loose from the bun, he glared at me and quickly crossed
from where he’d sat on his bed. He left at least ten feet between us, though, as he asked me, “What
are you doing in here?”
“I needed to see you,” I blurted out, hastily trying to repin my hair but failing miserably so that one lock
fell over my left eye. Blowing it out of the way did no good, so I swiped it behind my ear. “I want to
make sure you’ve recovered.”
“So… you’ve seen me now. I’m well, as you can see. If you don’t have anything else to report, you may
leave now,” he said, his tone nearly as mean as Jake’s. “I have a lot of work to do.”
I stood there, dumbfounded, not able to easily accept that he really wanted me to go.
It was so hard for me to understand what was happening. “Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you,” he said with a shrug. “It just never crossed my mind to come and see you.”
“I thought you’d at least want to check on me?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Why would I? Now that your blood is no longer needed, you‘ re nothing but a member of the consort
my father put together. You don’t really think that you’re special to me, do you?”
His jaw was locked, and I saw the muscles that lined it tighten and twitch a few times as he kept his
dark eyes trained on me.
The words that came from between his lips hurt. I wasn’t sure what to say to him. How could he be so
callous? How could he treat me so indifferently? So cold?
Those questions refused to form on my tongue, so I simply stood there, staring at him, trying to form a
sentence. But ultimately, if that was how he felt, then there was nothing more for me to say.
Perhaps Jake was right and all of this had been about the stupid dreamberry after all.
“You know,” the cruel prince continued, folding his arms. “| seem to recall that you promised my mother
that you would leave as soon as you fulfilled your duties with the berry.”
I wanted to interject, to remind him that he had insisted I not be sent away. But instead, I allowed my
head to rock back and forth in agreement. If I attempted to open my mouth and speak right now, only a
loud sob would come out.
“Well, I think it’s time you were on your way. Jake-”
“Yes, Alpha.” The Beta showed up at the door, waiting for his Alpha’s order. Theo said in an indifferent
tone, “Make the announcement. From today on, Ciana Black is no longer my personal attendant.”
“Wait-” I widened my eyes.
He turned to me. “You were a complete and utter failure, as you have been with nearly every task that
I’ve assigned to you.”
Now, he was just being cruel. None of that was necessary, and I knew in my heart that it wasn’t even
true.
“Now, you should pack up and prepare to be on the next train back to your pack lands. You can tell
them all that you’ve failed the task and are back for good this time.”
As if he was worried I would stick around, he instructed Jake, “Send men to escort her and ensure she
stays in her pack.”
Jake avoided eye contact with me and simply replied, “Yes, Alpha.”
Somehow, I managed to choke down the lump that had lodged in my throat. When I began to speak,
my voice quivered, but I was able to begin to formulate a sentence. “Well, if that’s how you really
feel….”
“That’s exactly how I really feel,” Theo interrupted. “Your time at the castle is over, Ciana Black. Pack
your bags, leave, and I never, ever want to see your face again.”
A single tear rolled down my cheek as I took one last look at Prince Theo’s face and then turned on my
heel to walk out the door
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