Chapter 160:
Makenna’s POV:
A surge of panic raced through my veins.
How was this possible? I had kept my plans secret. How had Dominic discovered them?
However, I immediately regained my composure and questioned, “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“You don’t?” Dominic’s voice dripped with sarcasm, and his expression turned cold.
He approached me slowly. Alarmed, I retreated until I hit a corner. My back pressed against the cold wall behind me. Dominic planted his hands on either side of me and looked down at me. With a mischievous tone, he revealed, “I wasn’t aware of the grudges between you, Frank, and Jessica until I did some digging. Quite the revelation!”
His words constricted my chest. I lifted my gaze to meet his.
Investigating such matters wasn’t hard, but people would be unlikely to probe. That was the only reason Frank and my parents dared to have me step in for Jessica.
As I remained silent, Dominic’s laughter filled the air again. “I’ve known for a while you never intended to stay. If you’re given a chance, you’d definitely escape.”
His remarks struck a raw nerve, sending me into a deeper panic. I dropped my gaze. “Your Highness, I truly don’t understand what you mean.”
With a chuckle, Dominic gently stroked my cheek and said gravely, “When the truth comes out, with his past contributions, Frank will probably face demotion at worst. And you? You’re likely to be expelled and become a rogue.”
It was all laid bare now. The situation had escalated beyond the point where I could continue to feign ignorance. I met his gaze coldly and demanded, “What do you want from me?”
Ignoring my cold tone, Dominic complimented, “You are quite captivating, you know. You’ve managed to bewitch Bryan and Clayton. All I need from you is to stay put obediently.”
𝓥𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓯𝔂 𝓈𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓽 𝗀𝓪𝗅𝗇𝗈𝖛𝗲𝗅𝘀．𝚌𝗈𝗺
I instinctively scowled. A sense of foreboding washed over me.
Could it be that Dominic intended to use me as a pawn to mess up Bryan and Clayton’s relationship?
I put the question to him directly.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, as if he hadn’t expected me to piece together his scheme so quickly. His reaction solidified my suspicions. I pressed further, “If I fled the palace, Bryan and Clayton would exhaust every effort to track me down as long as they haven’t given up. That would only strain their relationship further, wouldn’t it? So why are you so adamant about me staying?”
I finally had a chance to potentially run away, and I didn’t want Dominic to ruin it.
Dominic, however, looked at me with deep, impenetrable eyes and continued to stroke my cheek.
“I couldn’t bear to see you imprisoned by either of them if they were to find you after you escape,” he explained. He smirked playfully, looking as if he was too hesitant to let me go.
“It will be perfect if you remain in the palace. In that case, not only will Bryan and Clayton fight over you, but I also get to see you whenever I wish. So, I’d prefer you stay.”
A cold shiver ran through me at his words.
I was utterly at a loss about his intentions. His seriousness—or lack thereof—was indecipherable as he answered my probing questions. I struggled with how to react.
However, Dominic seemed to move past his earlier taunting. He led me to a bookshelf and selected several books. He then began instructing me, directing me to recite passages from the texts.
He specifically chose books on the history of the werewolf race, leaving me no option but to study them. As I sat reading in the chair, a particular detail in the history book caught my eye, causing me to pause abruptly.
