Chapter 98
The next morning, Jasmine woke up with a banging headache.
She pressed her fingers at her temple, slowly rose, and sat in bed.
She decided to go out and get some medicine that would ease the pain when she saw her dress from last night slung on a chair in a corner.
Then, the events of last night came flashing back in.
She shook her head to will herself to forget all that had happened.
She got up and went out of her bedroom.
Loren was already up mixing potions.
“Good morning.” She mumbled as she headed to a shelf where she would find some medicine.
“Good morning to you, too.” He nodded.
She went on looking for an antidote to her new headache and barely even heard him greet her.
“Someone is in a bad mood this morning.” He said as he read his book. “You should be happy. It’s the final and most important day of the ritual.”
Her head throbbed more, and then she pressed her fingers against her temple to suppress the pain.
“What? Am I that boring, or you don’t just want to hear me speak?” He complained.
She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I’m just having a terrible headache.”
She closed her eyes in pain, and then she heard him move his chair back before he instructed her to sit.
She was forced to sit down and heard him move through something before returning.
“Here,” He informed her, handing her a leaf.
She looked at the leaf in his hand before looking back up at him.
“Take it. Put it in your mouth and suck on it.” He said.
Jasmine felt very uncomfortable with the instructions but went ahead with it nonetheless.
She received it and sucked on the leaf, and to her utmost surprise, the pain began to ease bit by bit until it was all gone.
She looked at him. “My headache! It’s gone!”
He nodded. “I’m never wrong; keep that in mind.”
Then, he went back to his seat to resume his work.
“Thank you,” she said.
He grunted and resumed his work.
“Today is the day of the sacrifice. You should be in excellent spirits.” He said to her.
She swallowed. “I heard it’s for giving power to the wolves. But I’m unshifted.”
“That doesn’t mean you still can’t benefit from the power.” He replied. “Do you know what the sacrifice is for?”
Jasmine almost said she had heard it was about fucking, and then she shut her mouth instantly.
Loren would raise his brows in question and she,she, in turn would be forced to explain who and when she had heard that from.
She shook her head.
“It’s the Alpha finding the maiden with whom he would mate, and together they will release great power into the earth, and every single wolf shall feel it.” He said.
So that was how it was done?
She thought of Xaden touching someone else the same way he had touched her, and she felt a streak of hurt and disappointment.
She quickly shook it away.
“How does he know who the maiden is?” She asked curiously.
“The powers of the halo festival will direct him.” He said. “He would know when the time was right. And if you think that Xaden is a beast right now, then you would hate to see him.”
“Someone with that much anger bottled up in him is bound to go wild when the power overtakes him.”
Jasmine said nothing and turned her back on Loren.
She didn’t want to hear any more details that would remind her that Xaden would mate with someone else who wasn’t her.
After all, she was regarded as nothing.
What foolish thoughts she had!
After all, he had practically kicked her out of his bedchamber naked, and yet here she was still thinking of him.
She returned to her room and wore one of her other serving clothes.
She had so few of them, and for the one that had been torn last night, she would have to sew it when she returned home after all her work.
By the time she was out of the room, Loren had stopped her just before she headed out.
“I heard you stitched Xaden’s wounds.” Loren said. “Belinda told me early this morning.”
Jasmine swallowed. “Yes, I did.”
“Be careful with Xaden.” Loren said. “He doesn’t understand himself.”
Jasmine wasn’t sure what Loren meant by those words or why he had even said them.
“I heard what happened,” he said.
Jasmine wanted to ask which one.
Was it the fact that Xaden had almost killed another Alpha because of her or because she had outright disobeyed the future Queen?
“Xaden almost killed Alpha Alexander.” Loren said. “It’s not news with that. Everyone knew that was bound to happen because of how both men hated each other. But the story was that he did it for you.”
“You told him.” She said this to Loren. “You told him it was Alexander, and you knew he was going to kill him.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Loren said. “The bastard deserved what Xaden did to him. Even more. You can’t keep covering up for everyone. If you can’t tell the truth, steer clear of trouble.”
How could she steer clear of trouble when it always found her?
She nodded and walked out of the room.
She went on to begin her day’s duties.
She did precisely what Loren said and steered clear of Alexander’s room.
Fortunately enough, he had not come looking for her.
One more day, he would leave, and she could breathe without living in fear.
She ignored the peering eyes of everyone else as usual, and this time, she was aware of how much they all hated her.
After scrubbing some floors, she went down the hall and felt herself being grabbed into a tiny closet, and the door was slammed shut.
She yelled, and then a hand came over her mouth, silencing her.
It was a mean-looking wolf, and she knew him.
He was one of the wolves who worked for her father back in the pack.
What was he doing here??
He pointed a dagger at her throat.
“How dare you keep Alpha Bale waiting for your feedback? How dare you?” He demanded. “He sent me here to you.”
Jasmine’s body trembled.