The hallway leading to Zara's chamber felt endless as Denzel and Devonte approached her door. Each carried a bowl of steaming soup, their expressions heavy with worry and unspoken frustration. They exchanged a glance, both clearly struggling with their emotions, before Denzel raised his hand to knock.
The silence on the other side of the door deepened their unease.
Denzel frowned, leaning closer. "Is she asleep already?" he muttered. His tone held a hint of doubt. "But I can't hear her breathing."
Devonte's jaw tightened, his instincts flaring. "Something's off," he said sharply, his grip on the bowl tightening.
Panic surged through both of them as the eerie silence stretched. Without hesitation, they shoved the door open and stormed inside, their hearts pounding.
The sight that greeted them froze them in place. Zara's room was empty.
The neatly made bed, untouched. The faint flicker of a candle on the nightstand. And there, on the table, a half-empty glass of milk.
Devonte was the first to move. He strode to the table, his senses on high alert, and grabbed the glass. His nose wrinkled as he sniffed it, his golden eyes narrowing. "Sleeping drug," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Denzel's face darkened as he took in the scene. "She's been taken," he said through gritted teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. His heart raced, fear for Zara's safety clawing at his chest.
Devonte slammed the glass back onto the table, his temper barely in check.
Denzel's eyes glinted with raw anger as he turned toward the door. "Raise the alarm," he barked, his voice echoing through the halls. "Now!"
Within seconds, the castle erupted into chaos. Soldiers poured into the corridors, responding to the shouts of their kings. Orders flew, panic spread, and the search for Zara began in earnest.
Denzel and Devonte stood in the center of the chaos, their faces masks of cold fury and determination. Whoever dared to take Zara would soon learn the price of crossing the Lycan Kings.
•••
Zara lay motionless on the damp ground, her mind clouded in darkness, unaware of her surroundings. The sharp, eerie howls of distant creatures pierced the silence, pulling her from her unconscious state. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, revealing an endless expanse of towering, shadowy trees. The forest was unnaturally still, save for the occasional rustling of leaves carried by the icy wind.
Her heart pounded as realization dawned on her. She wasn't in her room. She was in the middle of the forest—alone.
Zara sat up abruptly, panic coursing through her veins. Her gaze darted frantically, searching for any sign of life. But there was no one. Nothing but darkness and the ghostly shapes of trees stretching infinitely around her. She hugged herself tightly, shivering as the biting cold seeped through her thin nightgown.
"Where am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Fragments of memory surfaced in her mind. She remembered getting ready to sleep after her heated argument with the brothers. Then, a maid had entered her room, offering her a glass of milk, saying it was from Lilly. She had drunk it without a second thought. After that… nothing.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as the realization hit her—she'd been abducted. But by whom? And why?
Her panic intensified as she tried to stand, her legs wobbling beneath her. She spun around, searching desperately for a path, a trail. anything that could lead her out of this nightmare.
Then, out of the darkness, a voice echoed.
"Zara…"
She froze, her breath hitching in her throat. The voice was neither male nor female, its tone unearthly and unsettling.
"Who's there?" she called, her voice breaking as fear gripped her. "What do you want from me?"
The voice chuckled, a sound that sent chills racing down her spine. "What I want is beyond your understanding," it replied, its tone cryptic and unnerving. "But I know what you want, Zara."
Her hands clenched into fists, her trembling lips pressing into a thin line. "I don't want anything from you!" she snapped, though her voice betrayed her fear.
The voice chuckled again, the sound reverberating through the trees. "Oh, but you do. Right now, you're desperate. You need strength… the power to defeat Jennifer, don't you?"
Zara's heart sank as the words hit their mark. She tried to shake her head, to deny it, but the voice wasn't wrong. She did need strength. She was terrified of facing Jennifer, knowing she didn't stand a chance as she was.
"What are you saying?" she asked cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I can give you what you desire," the voice promised, its tone smooth and enticing. "Strength. Power. The ability to overcome your enemies. All you have to do… is accept."
Zara's eyes narrowed, her instincts screaming at her to resist. "What's the catch?" she asked, her voice filled with suspicion.
The voice laughed, a haunting melody that seemed to seep into her very bones. "There's always a price, Zara," it said softly. "But isn't victory worth it?"
The forest fell silent, the voice waiting for her response. Zara stood frozen, torn between fear and the temptation of the power being offered.
Zara hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked around the forest, her eyes searching for the source of the mysterious voice offering her power.
"What must I do?" she finally asked, her voice trembling.
The voice seemed to smile, though she couldn't see it. "Accept me as your deity," it said smoothly. "Swear your loyalty to me and agree to follow my will, no matter what. In return, I will grant you strength beyond your wildest dreams. You will crush Jennifer effortlessly, and everyone in the kingdom will bow before you as their rightful queen."
Zara's mind swirled with the promise. The idea of defeating Jennifer, earning respect, and solidifying her place in the kingdom was intoxicating. For a moment, she imagined herself standing victorious, Jennifer defeated at her feet, and the people chanting her name.
The voice seemed to sense her thoughts, whispering persuasively, "Yes, Zara. Victory is within your grasp. Imagine the glory, the power, the respect. You can have it all. Just say the words, and it will be yours."
Zara felt the temptation growing stronger. She opened her mouth to speak, ready to accept the offer, when suddenly a stern, determined voice erupted in her mind.
"Do not do it."