Megan woke up with a sharp gasp, only to realise she was still lying in the same spot where I had collapsed. Morning light streamed through the palace halls. The Maids moved front and back like nothing had happened, like she hadn't nearly died from the backlash of waking their alphas. She frowned and sat up slowly.
"Am I really that worthless? I suffered the consequences for them, yet not a single soul bothered to move me." She sneered as she stood up.
"Where is Simon?" She demanded, stopping a passing maid. The maid glanced at her with disgust and walked away.
She gritted her teeth and grabbed her wrist. "You.."
"Don't touch me with your filthy witch hands!" she snapped, yanking her hand free from Megan. "What, do you want to bewitch me?"
She spat near my feet and walked off.
Laughter erupted behind her. It's the other maids'. Even the guards, who were trained to show no emotion, laughed. Megan nodded slowly, swallowing the humiliation. She understand.
Since they had accepted her, she couldn't disappear. Tonight was supposed to be the marking ceremony but looking at how things were now, that future felt impossible. She wandered the palace for hours. Five long hours! With an empty stomach, exhausting hours later, she finally heard familiar voices. She peeked through a half-open door and froze.
A large round table filled the room, overflowing with food and drinks. Simon and the others sat around it, drinking and laughing. One of the twins sat quietly, listening.
An elegant woman rested her head on his shoulder, smiling confidently.
Ezekiel.....
Judging by his calm and cold expression, he didn't resist her touch. She clenched her fist, controlling her anger. Then her eyes drifted to the corner and her stomach churned. Sebastian had a woman straddling his lap, kissing her deeply. One hand slipped beneath her clothes, gripping her intimately. She gasped. He grabbed her hair and pushed her down between his legs, unbuckling his belt like nothing else in the world mattered.
"Sebastian! We're discussing something important!" a man with a long beard snapped.
Sebastian only laughed, his head falling back. "Like I care."
"Really?" the man scoffed. "Maybe this witch should cast a spell on you, so you can be invisible to us"
He nodded toward the door. Megan's breath hitched as every head turned. The guard flung the door open. "There she is. Why are you peeping? Come make them invisible"
"Why did you hire a witch as a maid?" the woman leaning on Ezekiel frowned.
Megan looked down at my gown once beautiful, now torn and filthy and sighed. "I thought you disappeared," Simon muttered.
"How could I?" She scoffed. "They accepted me already." The room went dead silent.
Gasps followed.
"A witch is…" someone started, then clamped his mouth shut.
The elegant woman suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh, please! How could this ragged witch be my husband's mate?" She held up her ring proudly, gripping Ezekiel's hand.
"Everyone knows I've been his girlfriend since childhood. He wears the ring I gave him. How can some bitch appear from nowhere and claim him?"
"Calm down, Anna," the bearded man chuckled. "No one is stealing your man."
Sebastian on the other hand, continued whatever filth he was doing, completely uninterested and for some reason, that hurt more than anything. My mate for that matter.
"How can I break the curse?" Megy asked suddenly.
Silence…
"The mate bond," she added. "To me, it's a curse. I never wanted any of you. Why can't we choose whom we love? This isn't the old days where forced bonds are romantic."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gemma Joshua scoffed.
"If she wants to leave, let her," Anna said coldly.
Simon glanced at me. "That's not the issue. She knows too much. It's not safe to let her go."
"So you can treat me like trash?" She snapped, pointing at myself.
"Aren't you trash?" Anna asked, genuinely confused.
"Shut up, bitch."Megan pointed at her then faced Simon "I'm a princess, not your slave. Yesterday I fainted, and everyone ignored me, even knowing waking you would backfire."
"Stop exaggerating," Sebastian hissed. "You're alive. Say your piece and shut up."
Megan glanced at Ezekiel. He didn't even look at me. "Good. I'm alive for myself," she said. "I don't care about being your mate. You're not golden tickets or treasures. Let's break the bond."
"It'll affect you the most," the long-bearded man warned.
"I don't care," She replied. As long as it frees me, I'll take it.
"You're going nowhere." Ezekiel's voice echoed coldly through the room. Then everyone stopped talking. Even the noise from Sebastian's side had stopped. The supreme alpha had spoken, giving no room for negotiation.
"You may leave," the long-bearded man said lightly. "A maid will show you your room."
She ignored him and looked straight at Ezekiel. "You're keeping me because of what I know, right?"
He didn't answer. Of course, who is she for him to reply? Gemma nodded instead. "Of course."
"What if I forget it?" She asked suddenly....She pulled out the book I had stolen from Dark Queen Liberty and placed it on the table. The bearded man stiffened. Simon snatched it instantly, shaking his head.
"I'll find a way to erase everything I read," She said, clenching my fists. "But until then, no one treats me anyhow. I'm not your mate, I'm Princess Megan. Your guest."
"I'll leave soon." She added.
"How is that possible?" someone scoffed.
"I'm a witch," she said calmly. "And when I forget… you'll know, and I don't need your marking and mating ceremony, I will take care of it side effects" She turned and walked away, a small satisfied smile forming. The spell would take time, but it would work.
Suddenly… "Ahhh!" Hot liquid splashed against her skin. A maid stood there holding an empty tray. "Oops. Didn't you see?"
SMACK!
She slapped her across her face "Are you stupid?" She snapped. She grabbed a jug from another maid's tray.
"What are you doing?" she stammered.
"Payback." Megan chuckled, pouring the hot tea over her head. She screamed, collapsing to the floor. The other maids froze in horror. She burst into laughter, tilting her head. "Why does your scream sound sweeter than the latest song?" Her smirk deepened.
"What's going on here?"
That's when she came back to her senses, she shook her head in confusion "What did I say?" She frowned when she saw the maid writhing in pain… then at the jug in her hand.
"Did I… do this?" She ooked at the scene in shock. "I only planned to teach her a lesson by slapping her but…"How…?" She whispered, trembling
" What's happening to me?"