Chapter 157: I love Princess Kings
After spending the first day of the new year with Princess, she and her friends had plans that they were already deep into. They were throwing a massive New Year party. It was their tradition to do it every single year, and they went all out for it. Since the party was set for the evening, Princess was busy running around, planning every detail and preparing the space for the crowd.
I was helping. Well, not really. All I did was sit on the big club couch, holding a bag of chips and eating while watching them do the actual work. I was essentially the supervisor of doing nothing.
Someone was definitely grumpy about it, and of course, it was Kiara. She kept shooting me glares and saying I should get my pregnant ass up and actually do something useful for once. Princess didn’t even let her finish. She immediately snapped back, "Don’t talk to my girlfriend like that," her voice sharp and final. Kiara shut up right away, huffing as she went back to her task. I could hear Malo laughing to himself while he was busy decorating the ribbons on the far wall.
I was planning to stay until the very end, but then my phone buzzed. I got a text from Yuki saying we should meet up. I didn’t want to go. Honestly, I wanted to stay right where I was. But I needed an explanation for what she did at the match. I couldn’t just let it go.
Princess saw me getting up and heading for the exit.
"Where are you going, babe?" she asked. She caught me near the door, hugging me from behind and resting her chin on my shoulder.
"I need to go change..." I said, trying to keep my voice casual.
"No need. You look perfect in those clothes," she said. She leaned in, kissing my neck passionately, making it hard for me to focus on leaving.
"Hey, I’ve been wearing your overalls all day. I need something else for the New Year party. I want to look nice," I replied, turning slightly in her arms.
"Where are you going...?" she sang out. Her tone was playful, like she already knew I was lying to her. "You went home yesterday to get clothes, remember?."
I turned all the way around to face her, seeing the knowing look in her blue eyes.
"Okay... Yuki texted. She wants to talk," I admitted, letting out a sigh.
"Why did you lie the first time?" she asked, her expression softening but her gaze remaining curious.
"I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t want to start a fight on New Year’s," I said honestly.
"Well... you shouldn’t lie to me. Trust is the foundation of a relationship, right? And I don’t care about you meeting her. She lives in your house. It’s not like it’s anything romantic. You said it yourself, you want me and no one else."
I stood there for a second, just blinking. Wow. Princess isn’t jealous. That was actually surprising. Usually, she was so protective over every little thing.
I smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
"New year, new babe... I like this version of you. Not a trace of jealousy, huh..." I teased in a low voice against her lips.
"Oh, I am jealous," she admitted, pulling back just enough to look at me. "I still don’t like her. She snapped my neck for no reason, and that is definitely not friend-zone material. But if you trust her, I’ll keep it low and pretend I’m not jealous. For you."
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the party starts. Then I’m going to give you the best New Year gift ever. So... what does my girlfriend want tonight?" I asked. I pulled her closer, my hands resting on her waist.
"Twerking... I want to see you twerk and slow dance all over me," she said. She was grinning like a happy puppy, completely serious about the request.
"..." I had no words. I just stared at her. What the hell was she thinking? Twerking? Slow dancing? I forced a smile, blinking a few times just to stay calm and process what she just said. "I’ve never done that before," I admitted.
"Oh... I can teach you," she said, her grin getting even wider.
"Do you actually like that?" I asked, squinting at her. She hesitated for a moment and scratched the back of her neck, looking a little embarrassed.
"If you don’t like it, then I don’t like it," she replied, trying to play it cool.
I glanced over at Kiara, who had been laughing to herself. I wondered if she was eavesdropping on our conversation.
"Answer me, babe. What do you actually like?" I pressed, wanting a real answer.
"What about when you come back? I’ll answer then," she said, clearly avoiding the question. "Don’t be late. This is our first New Year together," she added. She gave me one last quick kiss before turning around to go back and help Beam with the stage setup.
I met Yuki at a small pastry shop on the edge of town. She was already there, sitting at a corner table. She had already ordered. A banana milkshake and a slice of apple pie were waiting on the table.
She offered them to me as soon as I sat down. I swear I didn’t want to accept them. I was still so angry about what she did to my girlfriend, and I wanted to stay cold. But my pregnancy cravings betrayed me the second I smelled the cinnamon. I gave in and started with the apple pie.
"You should try the banana shake. It was specially made for you," she said. She pushed the glass toward me, her face calm and unreadable.
I took a sip. It tasted amazing, thick and sweet.
"I noticed you’ve been avoiding me since the match..." she began, her voice low.
"Thank goodness you noticed. You snapped Princess’s neck out of nowhere, Yuki. Your reputation and my girlfriend’s life were both on the line. What were you thinking?" I said, putting my fork down.
"Okay... that night, I lost control. I don’t have an excuse for it, but I really don’t want you to hate me for it," she said.
"I don’t hate you. I’m just angry. When someone hurts the people I love, I avoid them. That’s just how I am," I replied.
"You’re really in love with Princess Kings? An Alpha?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.
"Yes, Yuki. I love Princess Kings. Alpha or not, she’s my family now, and nobody hurts my family."
Saying it out loud felt right. My feelings were clear now. I love her. Even if I haven’t said those exact words to her face yet, I was planning to tell her tonight at the party. Princess Kings is the girl of my dreams.
Yuki didn’t say anything to that. She just sat there and smiled. I had no idea what that smile meant, and it made me feel uneasy.
"So, what about the trip we planned for this year? It’s the new year now," she asked, changing the subject.
"I haven’t told Princess yet, but if you want me to come with you to learn about the Moon Wolf, it’s simple. Wherever I go, my girlfriend goes too," I said firmly. I wasn’t leaving her behind.
"Okay then. Your choice," she replied, her voice indifferent. "If you’re done eating, I can drop you off."
"Yeah, drop me at the cottage. I need to wish my brother a happy New Year before the party," I said.
After finishing the pie and the shake, I followed Yuki to her car. She started the engine and drove toward the cottage. While we were in the car, I noticed something strange. I tried to lift my hand to adjust my hair, but I couldn’t move it. My fingers felt like lead. Something was wrong....
"What did they put in that milkshake?" I asked. My voice sounded heavy, and I was suddenly feeling incredibly dizzy. The world was starting to spin.
"Oh, the shake? Same ingredients as usual... with just a few small changes," she said. Her voice was perfectly calm, like she was talking about the weather. "An extract venom from a hedge-wolf. It paralyzes your nervous system. And a little blue mushroom for a complete, total blackout..."
What the.....
I tried to reach for the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. It was on child lock. I struggled to reach for my phone in my pocket. I needed to call someone, anyone. Princess. My brother. But my body was failing me. Yuki easily reached over and grabbed the phone from my limp hand before I could even turn the screen on.
She rolled down her window and casually threw my phone out onto the road. I heard it crack as she closed the window again.
"You see, Faye, I’ve run out of patience. You’re really being far too stubborn. I can’t believe you actually fell for an Alpha when you’re meant to kill them..." she said coldly. She didn’t even look at me. "Don’t worry, though. We’re heading to the were-witch. We’ll be there soon enough..."
I tried to speak, but my tongue felt too large for my mouth. The car interior began to blur into a mess of grey and black. And with that, everything went dark.
