(CORRINE)
I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I wake up, it's to ice- cold water being thrown on me. Crying out in alarm, I scramble backward, and I hear Bella's laugh.
"That's right. Scurry away. You're a rat who snuck into our castle. This is where you belong, Corrine. You thought you could turn Locke away from me? You thought you could humiliate me? Look where you are now! I won."
I feel sick to my stomach as I stare at her. "You knew who I was the whole time," I finally whisper, my teeth chattering.
She rolls her eyes at me. "So? And before you think Locke will come and save you, he has already sent word to have you executed. He wants to get rid of you. He wants this entire dirty chapter closed before he returns. After all, it's not going to reflect well on the king that he brought in an imposter knowingly."
"You're lying," I state forcefully. "Locke wouldn't do that."
He wouldn't, right?
I see the flash of anger in Bella's eyes. "How dare you question me? I hold your life in my hands, Corrine. Don't you fucking forget that! There was an emergency meeting of the elders last night. Your fate has been decided. You will be executed, and the true Princess Ravenna will replace you.
Did you really think that somebody like you, with commoner blood, was going to pollute the royal bloodline? Nobody even knows who your parents were. Good thing you're not pregnant, or I would have to kill your dirty-blood child, too."
My hands settle on my flat stomach. I am too stunned to speak.
"Princess Ravenna has told me everything," Bella sneers. "You tried to kill her to take her place."
"Why would I do that when I didn't even know what Locke's intentions were?" I grind out.
"How dare you take the king's name in your whore mouth?!" she shouts. "Throw another bucket of water on her."
There is reluctance in the guard's eyes as he approaches me. If Bella thinks I'm going to beg her not to do it, she's wrong. The water hits me, and I start to shake violently, feeling the cold down to my very bones.
"The elders are deciding what kind of execution you will face." She scowls at me. "But before that, Princess Ravenna has a few things to say to you."
She steps aside, and a different woman appears at the metal bars of my cell. I recognize her instantly.
My tormentor.
Seeing her makes this all too real.
Why would Locke want the fake when he can have the real thing? I know he values the purity of the royal bloodline. He said so once himself. And now, with me gone, he'll have it all.
I stare at the woman before me dully, the sound of my heart breaking echoing in my ears. Life is truly unfair.
I comfort my wolf, which is whimpering. "It's okay," I whisper internally. "When we die, you won't be alone. We will be together. And if we die before Locke comes, we can believe that he loved us to the very end. It doesn't have to be true for us to believe it, does it?
Sometimes, delusions are necessary.
Princess Ravenna clicks her tongue at me. "Shame on you, Corrine. You took my intended mate and lived in my place. Did you think I would not come back? Did you think you had gotten rid of me?"
Bella retreats to give us some privacy, and Ravenna's smile blooms, the ugliness in her eyes looming over me. "I always told you that you would die a dog's death," she whispers sweetly. "And I'm going to ensure that's what happens. I'm taking everything back from you. You must've thought you'd finally gotten it all. But everything you have, including your face, is mine. One of the requests I want to make of the elders is to mutilate that face of yours. It doesn't belong to you."
I look at her, not surprised that she would want such a vicious death for
me.
"Your Majesty, you don't have to linger around here," Bella says
cheerfully. "I'll show you to your chambers. This one's execution will be determined this afternoon."
Their footsteps fade away, and I shiver. At this point, they don't even need to execute me. I'll probably freeze to death.
The guard who threw the water over me approaches the bars. "Your Majesty?" The title he uses for me takes me aback, and I look up at him. "Here." He hands me a blanket, and I stare at it, confused.
"Why are you giving me that?"
He looks tense. "You might not remember, but you commissioned several tapestries from my sister. She's a widow with three children. Because of you, she was able to put food on the table for her family. Please, take this."
I reach out and accept the blanket. "Thank you." My voice is heavy with emotion. "Is Sigrid alright?"
The guard's expression blanches. "She's been locked in her room."
"I see." I pull the blanket around my shoulders before asking him, "Are you sure you won't get in trouble for this?"
"I'll take it back from you whenever they're coming," he replies. "Please warm yourself. This is the coldest cell in the whole dungeon."
I wrap myself tightly in the blanket. Bella won't harm Sigrid. I know how close Sigrid is to Locke. He would never put up with anything happening to her. No, Sigrid will be safe.
I stare down at the wet floor. When I first came here, I wished for my death. Then, Sigrid's care and Locke's behavior slowly began to make me want to live. I wanted to experience life here. I was becoming happy here. And now?
I'm back to square one.
A part of me finds it hard to believe that Locke has sentenced me to death. He doesn't seem to be the kind of person who is unfair. He was the one who brought me here.
Maybe he'll send me somewhere far away. Or maybe I'm deluding myself once again. After all, he is the king. He has to take steps to protect his reputation. My existence is damaging to it.
I close my eyes. However they decide to kill me, I know it will be painful and drawn out. Both Bella and the princess will see to that. I've never really wanted anything in my life aside from my freedom.
My hands settle on the flat expanse of my stomach. Freedom and somebody to love.
A small home that is mine, where I am safe. A child.
Maybe there's going to be a next life, I think to myself. Maybe in that life, I'll have everything I ever wanted. Maybe somebody will love me in that lifetime. Maybe I won't be born a wolf shifter.
A bird. I would love to reincarnate as a bird. To roam the skies, not shackled by anything or anyone.
A bitter laugh leaves my lips.
Considering my luck, I doubt I would even get that much. I hope when I die, there is no reincarnation. I hope I just fade away.
Fade away into nothing.
I don't want to experience this world again. I don't want to experience anything ever again.