Chapter 4 Attacked

**Sylvia''s POV:**

"Well, at least Shawn did us a favor by rejecting us himself," Yana said, sounding relieved.

"Tell me about it. Can you imagine getting stuck with that disgusting player?" I groaned, dragging myself down the stairs.

"Come on, hun, look on the bright side. At least we don''t have to worry about Shawn anymore. That''s something, right?"

"Yeah, but... is it weird that I''m kind of over this whole mate bond thing?" I frowned.

"I get it. But maybe this was just a fluke. Maybe the Moon Goddess has someone amazing lined up for you next time."

"You really think so? God, I hope you''re right." I thought about my current situation. Considering I was still stuck down here like some prisoner, who was I kidding about finding magical love anyway?

Yana must have picked up on my mood because she went quiet, giving me some space.

All I wanted was justice for my mom. Whatever I had to face - blood, pain, whatever - I knew I had to keep going for her. The problem was, I had no clue where to even start.

The depression was hitting me hard when some angry she-wolf came stomping toward me.

"Bitch! I''ve been looking everywhere for you! Have you been hiding and slacking off this whole time?" She grabbed a broom from against the wall and swung it at me.

I dodged and threw out the first distraction I could think of. "Shawn''s looking for you. Something about a problem with his suit."

The she-wolf stopped dead in her tracks and glared at me.

"Why the hell didn''t you say so earlier? If this screws up the business, you''re gonna pay for it!" She dropped the broom and kept yelling at me before storming off. "Prince Rufus is coming to the ceremony today. Get your ass out of here and help with prep! If I catch you slacking off again, I''ll break your damn legs!"

When I heard Prince Rufus was coming, an idea hit me. Maybe I could appeal to him about my situation.

I rushed to the banquet hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But the guards blocked me at the entrance, saying slaves weren''t allowed inside. So I hid in a corner to wait.

Nearby, some she-wolves heading to the ceremony were gossiping.

"I heard Prince Rufus is this total psycho - like, lustful and bloodthirsty. Apparently he once took some female slave to bed and tortured her to death that same night!"

"Oh yeah, I heard that too! They say he''s crazy powerful but has no heart. Even the lycan king can''t control him."

"You know what I heard? The lycan king was supposed to come today, but Prince Rufus just happened to be passing through on his way back, so he''s coming instead."

"Ugh, what a bummer! I wanted to see the lycan king in person. Or better yet, Prince Richard would''ve been nice. I heard he''s actually gentle and approachable. Why''d it have to be scary-ass Prince Rufus?"

"Shh, keep it down! What if Prince Rufus heard you saying that? You trying to get yourself killed?"

The she-wolves looked around nervously. When they saw me watching, they immediately scowled and started cursing.

"Hey, bitch! What are you staring at?"

"Are you even supposed to be here? Get lost!"

I rolled my eyes and ignored them, turning away. That kind of attitude was nothing new.

But their conversation had me worried. Prince Rufus sounded like bad news - just another Shawn, disgusting and careless with people''s lives. Would someone like that actually listen to my mom''s story? Probably not.

I sighed, giving up on the idea of appealing to him.

Just as I was about to leave, several werewolves surrounded me.

"What do you want?" I asked cautiously.

I looked at them warily and stepped back, but I wasn''t watching behind me.

I felt a rush of air before sharp pain exploded across the back of my head. After that, everything went black.