Once A Princess, Now A Slave

55

Kelsie's POV

"You said what?" Connor asked in an amused tone.

I rolled my eyes while staring at my reflection in the mirror. "She approached me first. What does she expect me to do? Let her bully me? Tss!" I scoff.

I dry my hair with a towel. It's early in the morning and I am preparing for my third exam for the Salutary quarters. Connor once again visited me here in my room. I don't know where he got the time to chitchat with me since I heard the officials are busy due to the ongoing test. Also, I heard our pack will be making alliances with neighboring packs.

I pulled open the drawer to get my hairdryer. But the wooden cabinet harshly closed when I pushed it back. I gulp.

My eyes caught the sight of the red sticks as well as the letter that Nox gave. I still haven't told Connor about Kleo, the guy who sneaked inside our territory.

I felt Connor's presence behind my back. My heart raced. Did he notice?

Oh, gosh, I shouldn't be keeping secrets from him since he can easily read my mind. Plus, he's my mate! I should be honest with him!

His arm snaked around my waist and I felt his chin resting on my shoulder.

"I thought you want to keep our relationship a secret, hmm?" he whispered. His minty breath brushed against the side of my neck, giving a shiver down my spine. His hand resting on my stomach crawled onto my sides and stayed.

I stopped what I am doing. I look straight at my reflection in the mirror. "But not because we slept together, it means we are in a relationship--"

I stopped mid-sentence when Connor lift his chin and glared at me through the mirror.

"Are you f*cking kidding me, Kelsie?" he said in a low and serious tone.

I pouted. I slide his hands away from me and faced him.

"I'm just saying that not everyone who sleeps together is in a relationship."

He sighs. "Still. We're not like everyone else," he replied. “So what were you trying to say to your sister? That we were sleeping together but not in a relationship?” he added.

"So you never slept with anytime before?" I asked, dismissing his rhetorical question. His brow furrowed.

"Why are we talking about it now?"

"Because I'm curious..." I arch a brow at him, but I immediately went at ease and fix my stance. "Don't worry, I won't get mad if you do. Past is past. Also, I understand that we were still not in a relationship at that time," I added.

His eyes narrowed at me, scrutinizing whether I am saying the truth or not. He then placed his hands on my sides and rest them on the edge of the table, jailing me in between. He leveled our faces and his dark gray eyes pierced into me. He then tilted his head and plant a soft kiss on my lips.

"What happened in the past stays in the past," he says. His face is only inches away from me. I can feel his breath against my face.

“You did not answer my question,” I challenged.

“I do not want us to fight.”

"So you did sleep with someone you are not in a relationship with," I said in conclusion.

I know I was the one who brought it up. And I said that it was not a big deal, but hearing it indirectly still pinches my chest.

"It's okay. Just like I said, it's not a big deal. I'll go now," I added.

I was about to free myself from him but he did not let me pass through. His arms tighten on their places, not wanting to let go of their holds on the edge of the table.

"I thought it doesn't matter to you. Then why do you look upset?"

My brows furrowed. I avoided my eyes at him. "No, I'm not. I just need to hurry because I will be late. I already failed the last two tests this quarter. I need to do well this time," I replied.

I harshly push his arms to free myself. Luckily, he let me go.

I went to my closet to grab some comfortable clothes. I thought he was going to peacefully leave since I still have to get dressed, but instead, he stayed in my room. He even jumps into my bed.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” I hiss.

He lay comfortably in my bed while his back rested on the headboard. His hands are crossed over his chest while staring at me.

“I want to stay here.”

I frowned. “No.”

“And why not?”

“Because this is my room, Connor. You are invading my privacy,” I said in a serious tone.

“Is there such thing as privacy between us two? We are already in a relationship.”

My brows arch. I tighten the grip of the towel that covers my body to make sure it won’t slip off.

“Connor…” I said in a warning tone.

He places his hands in front of him and waves them at me. “Easy easy… I got it.” He stands on my bed and is prepared to go. Before he leave, he went to me. He stands in front of me and reaches for my arms. He gently pull me closer to him and gave me a peck on the forehead.

“I know how important privacy is to you. I won’t take that away. I have no right to do so,” he says and leaves my room.

Tss. He did not even let me bid my goodbye after pestering me here in my room!

I rolled my eyes inwardly, but the annoyance on my face was quickly replaced by a smile.

I bite my lips to stop myself from smiling like an i***t. I still have to prepare for the test. Although I feel a little confident since Connor already told me about what test we will be taking.

I sigh. The mission that I put myself into feels a bit vague now. How can I convince our pack that I deserve to be their Luna? I just failed all the previous tests.

I mean, not all, but most of them! And the fact that those are the easiest ones made me feel dumb.

I know I am also being g**g up, but I will be the Luna of this pack. If I can’t handle these small bullies, how can I lead our pack?

I close my eyes tightly for a second. When I open my eyes, I saw my reflection in the mirror.

My soft-looking eyes are staring intently into my reflection. “I can do this,” I say to myself.

I open the drawer and pull out the red sticks that Kleo handed me. I tossed it under my bed as well as the note that Nox gave.

‘I won’t need them. I don’t need any help and I will never leave my pack.’

***

I am now standing in the same place in the test area of the Salutary Quarter. Unlike on the previous days, I stayed silent and I made sure my aura feels intimidating.

I’ve been very kind these past few days because I thought, not fighting back would stop them from attacking me. But seeing how things ended, I guess I have to bring back the old me.

With my back straight, I maintained my posture and avoided meeting anyone’s sight.

I can feel Eva’s eyes on me as well as the other few people I’ve known because of this test. Even my stepsister is eyeing me. Unlike before, she can now shamelessly glare at me.

I remember the old days when she needs to act soft and timid just so everyone would think she was the good one between us two.

I mentally shake my head at the thought.

We are all waiting for Mrs. Gen and Veya.

‘I will f*cking ace this test.’

After a few minutes of waiting, the double door opened. Mrs. Gen and Veya entered.

“Everyone, listen up!” Mrs. Gen caught our attention. She still hasn’t reached the front when she speaks.

“Today, we will be testing your knowledge when it comes to herbs,” she added. “You will be naming the herbs. We divided this test into two. First, we will lay down five herbs for you to guess. And for the second round, you will be blindfolded and you will use your senses to guess what herbs are in front of you.”

As expected, I already know the test that we will be doing today.

My confidence suddenly boost. Not to brag, but out of all the contestants in here, I know I have the advantage—not because Connor told me about it, but because my mother already trained me for this.

The test started. Just like in the previous tests, we are in the long table. But this time, we will take the test individually and in front of everyone.

I am at the fourth long table, while my sister is at the next table.

The test takers started grabbing notes for them to review. Some even rush to their houses to get a reviewer. Luckily, I don’t have to.

We all waited for almost half an hour before our table’s turn. I am second to the last so I need to wait for extra minutes before my turn.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Kristine talking to one of her minions. Afterward, the girl hurriedly left the room.

I arch a brow. Kristine looked nervous. Why would she? This is her quarter.

After a minute, the girl went back while holding a thick book of herbs.

I pouted to stop myself from smirking. I want to burst out in laughter but I stop myself. I darted my eyes back in front to watch the test takers.

There’s nothing wrong with reviewing. It’s her right even though she’s already part of the Salutary. I was just amazed by how nervous she is. Her hands are even trembling when flipping the pages of the book.

Usually, those who passed the test are already Salutary wolves, but most of the test takers failed the test. Some even cried and walked out.

“Am I going to fail? I shouldn’t be, right? I passed the two tests!” One of the girls yelped.

Out of the ten herbs, she only got two of them correct. Her eyes are now bloodshot and I can sense that she was about to cry.

Her lips quivered. She bites her lower lip to stop it from shaking. However, her voice trembles.

“I’m not going to fail, right? I want to be a Salutary Wolf!” she added.

Mrs. Gen pats her back, comforting her. “You said you passed the two tests, then most probably, you’ll pass. We will be calculating your scores from the three tests so you should worry less,” she said.

The girl nodded. She then wiped her tears and stand on her seat.

“Next!” Veya called.

The girl in front of me stands. She then walks towards the center and sits on the seat.

“Ready?” Mrs. Gen asked. The girl nodded in response.

Veya laid the herbs in front of her. When the girl’s forehead crumpled, I already anticipated what will happen.

And as I guessed it right, out of the five herbs, she guessed none.

“Are you still going to continue?” Veya asked.

My brows almost want to meet each other upon hearing the question. I know the girl guessed nothing. But it does not mean she will ask such a question. I mean, she can word it out properly!

There are hundreds of test takers every day, and I understand that maybe she’s already tired. But that was plain rude!

The way she worded it out sounded like she want the girl to just give it up.

“I-I want t-to try…” the girl answered.

Veya nodded in response, but when she turn her back to the girl to grab the 2nd set of herbs, I saw her roll her eyes.

I mentally shake my head. The amount of fake b*tches in this pack is increasing. If I were to be a Luna, I will make sure to eliminate all of them. If I can make a law that forbids them, I will.

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Unedited. English is not my first language. My apologies for the grammar, sentence construction, and wrong spelling.

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Once A Princess, Now A Slave

By: Joanne Cristel

©2023