The air on Ro's skin lifted, and she clutched the seat, her nails digging into the plush material. Every cell in her body told her to flee.
"What are you doing?" Ro breathed.
"Impressive…"
The dense air faded and strangely, Ro's vision was clearer. A dizzying wave coursed through Ro's body and her head swam. She stiffened and closed her eyes, raking in slow and steadied breaths. When she opened them and looked at Geneva, her face was twisted in frustration.
The glow in the older woman's eyes still lingered.
"Ro, do you know what we are?" she repeated her question.
Ro's frown deepened. "Wolves. What did you—"
Geneva chuckled. "I love the fire in your eyes. Make no mistake. I do not mean to threaten you. This is the tip of what you're going to experience while living amongst our species."
Ro clamped down on her jaw and she slowly tore her trembling hands off the chair to relax them on her knees.
"I do not know what you have been taught about us, but wolves are very broad a term." Geneva spread an arm over the back of the seat.
"I… I know. Just as we have different nymphs in Erzi, I am aware Lispa has various breeds of wolves," Ro breathed, tearing her eyes away from Geneva's.
Geneva's voice softened. "I apologise. The nausea will pass soon."
"Forgive me if I am rude, but was this necessary?" Ro gritted out.
"Yes. It is. Look at me."
Ro slowly shifted her gaze to meet Geneva's.
"We are headed to Utonica, the capital city of Lispa. I am sure you caught a faint glimpse of it from the port," Geneva started. "Most cities in this nation contain predominant wolf breeds depending on the region. But Utonica is a melting pot of nearly every single one."
Geneva took her arm off the headrest and leaned forward, elbows resting on her lap. "The ruling class of this city, and every other in Lispa, are Lycans." The glow in Geneva's eyes faded. "I am one, and I just exposed you to one of my many pheromones. You should have fainted."
Ro paled. "I don't understand… Is this something others release randomly?"
"Yes, because many are going to try to intimidate you. Tell me, what nymph are you?" She paused and leaned back, touching her chin as she looked at the window, lost in thought. "We should have considered this initially when picking someone from your nation."
"I'm a dryad. A tree nymph," Ro answered.
She would not make the mistake of letting them know her actual ability yet.
"Hmm…" Geneva returned her attention to Ro. "That's not a common type."
"You said others will try to intimidate me. I am not sure how that guarantees my safety."
Geneva's lips spread in a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "That is why I said try. Different types of pheromones are released depending on one's mood. And some will do it unconsciously. Werewolf servants and attendants, for example. Do you understand what I am getting at?"
Ro's next word stalled on her tongue, as if even sound might betray her unease. She nodded instead.
Geneva continued, "That is beside the issue." She waved her hand. "You will be wed to a very powerful Lycan. One far stronger than I am."
"Lord Iver?" his name escaped her lips in a low, hoarse whisper. "He is of higher status?"
"Yes."
Ro's jaw ached with a dull throb, and she soon realised she had been clenching it for so long. She angled her body towards the window, her thoughts racing.
So, she was being wed to a far stronger Lycan. And since this was a diplomatic agreement…
"Is he related to your emperor by any chance?"
Geneva tapped long nails against her thigh. "King. But yes."
Ro swallowed the laughter that threatened to burst forth.
They dared to deceive someone of such high rank. This was not going to bode well. She would need to start the moment she got to the new home. What Geneva had said about the pheromones made her uncomfortable. She had never heard of this before. She wouldn't care if anyone found it suspicious. She would have to reactivate it. She had been able to handle petty and overconfident nymphs in Erzi, but this was a completely different world.
An unfamiliar territory that was already off to a dangerous start.
'How do I break this to them without incriminating myself?'
The rest of the carriage ride had been in silence. An added layer of stressful fatigue pulled at Ro's eyelids, but her senses stood on high alert, her eyes mostly glued to the wooded scenery. This was dangerous. Very dangerous. But this could also be her chance to learn everything she could about Lispa before she found her way.
But the most prominent realisation stood at the forefront of her thoughts.
She would wed this man in a week.
Her coffin would be nailed with that decision.
One week. That was all she had.
If there would be a war, so be it. I am not risking my neck for these people.
Ro's gaze strayed to Geneva, who sat watching her intently. She dragged her eyes back to the window.
Those gazes at the port, and now hers. They were inspecting her. She wasn't just there for diplomatic reasons. They wanted something.
She could use that as leverage.
__________
Ro stood within a structure more foreign than she had expected. The view from outside had floored her, and yet the one within nearly left her breathless. Ro had been met with two attendants at the large stone entrance of the castle, one of them being the head servant she had met on the ship.
How they had arrived before her, she had no clue. Regardless, she let herself be escorted by them and Geneva into a sprawling entry hall. High-arched windows carved pale light into the hall, and rising ceilings soared so high they vanished into shadows. The whole chamber made her feel insignificant, as if she didn't belong here at all. Four grand staircases spread in different directions, vanishing into deeper reaches of the mansion, while two heavy doors in the hall guarded the rooms within. Every surface gleamed cold and polished, meant to impress but not invite.
'Heavens…'
The hall's silence was shattered as a door exploded outward. A large figure hurtled across the chamber and struck the wall at the other end of the hall. Ro's eyes widened as the motionless figure slid down the stone wall, leaving behind a dark smear.
A panicked voice rang from within. "Iver, wait!"