CHAPTER TWELVE
TANYA'S POV
Daniel's stubbornness and fearless character always made me hate him even more. When I saw him trying to escape, I thought of using that chance to kill him because I knew that if my godmother captured him, it was going to be his end.
When my godmother caught me watching through the sacred mirror, I quickly erased the vision of Daniel trying to escape. I don't know why I hid it from her, because that was my only chance to get rid of him without disobeying her. But somewhere deep inside me, something held me back.
It was as if a part of me wanted to protect him from my godmother's anger.
I felt it would be better to kill him or torture him myself than to allow someone else to do it… because if anyone else touched him, I had a strange feeling I would want to protect him.
That thought angered me.
Why would I ever want to protect my enemy?
He followed me everywhere like a loyal dog. Something told me he wanted my attention, but I never gave him any. He was my enemy. All I wanted was to torture him slowly and drain his blood day by day until he died.
I made his life miserable in my pack. I thought he would fear me the most, but surprisingly, he continued trying to flirt with me.
His boldness irritated me… yet it also confused me.
On the night of the full moon celebration, my heart skipped when Prince Ray asked me to dance with him. He looked familiar, like a man I had once seen in my dreams.
Who was he?
And what was his true purpose for trying to reconcile with our territory after so many centuries of separation?
As we danced, I noticed Daniel watching us. I remembered how he had been trying to get my attention for weeks.
That was when I made a decision.
I would get close to Prince Ray.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw jealousy written all over Daniel's face. The sight pleased me.
Was he mad?
How dare he try to claim my attention—a mere human without power, and my enemy?
After the ceremony, I felt uneasy about Prince Ray and his people. Something about their presence did not sit well with me. So at midnight, I went outside and made myself invisible, just in case someone noticed me.
When I reached the guest chambers, I saw that foolish human, Daniel, eavesdropping near Prince Ray's chamber.
I moved closer and listened.
Then I heard the moaning sounds.
My heart clenched.
How dare this prince try to charm me during the celebration, yet here he was, sharing a bed with another woman?
But then I paused.
Why was I feeling jealous?
Was I… falling for Prince Ray?
No.
That was impossible.
I had sworn never to love.
How could I fall for anyone?
Prince Ray was the most handsome man I had ever seen. Even his physique was breathtaking. It was the first time I had ever found myself admiring a man.
That realization disturbed me.
I quickly pushed those thoughts away when I heard Prince Ray shout, demanding to know who was outside.
That was when I realized Daniel had made a mistake.
Was he truly that foolish to provoke the great wizard of the West?
Before I could think further, I acted.
I saved him.
I didn't want anyone else to take his life… except me.
After taking him away, I scolded him harshly. When I demanded to know what he had heard inside the chamber, he lied and said he heard nothing.
His answer made me suspicious.
I knew everything that had been said because I had been there the whole time, hidden by my invisibility.
So why was he lying?
From that moment, I began to suspect Daniel—and even Jerry—of working with Prince Ray and his people. Perhaps that was why he had been trying so hard to get my attention.
The thought filled me with rage.
How dare he betray our territory after we spared his life?
How dare he break the oath he swore?
For a moment, I wanted to kill him instantly.
The next morning, I wandered around the pack, trying to clear my thoughts. That was when I saw Prince Ray jogging.
He invited me to join him.
To my surprise, I found myself agreeing.
We talked as we ran, and for a moment, I forgot everything. He was surprisingly funny, and despite the danger surrounding him, he made me laugh.
I had not laughed like that since my parents died.
But deep inside, I still remembered what I had heard the night before—his plans, and the woman he was with, who threatened to ruin everything because of her jealousy.
It was clear they had come with a purpose.
So why was I getting closer to him instead of avoiding him?
That question haunted me.
When I returned to my chambers, exhausted, I found my godmother waiting for me. Her face was troubled.
She did not even allow me to greet her.
Instead, she warned me.
I must never fall in love with anyone from Prince Ray's territory—including him.
Otherwise, she said, all of us would be doomed.
Her words struck my heart like a blade.
She ordered me to keep my distance from him.
A sharp pain filled my chest.
Prince Ray was the first person who had made me smile in years… the first to make me forget my past, even if only for a moment.
Was I really going to distance myself from him?
Or was I going to disobey the woman who had given me a second life?
What was happening to me?
Was I falling in love with Prince Ray?
And what about my oath?
But he was hiding something… planning something against us.
And then there was my dream.
Everything felt wrong.
What was truly happening to me?
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE