Mariana:
"I thought you were wiser than your sister, but I was wrong," he hissed, staring into my face.
"You would not even marry Messi. You could not secure Troy. You have done nothing." he continued.
"So how about I let your sister’s husband take the crown and keep the luxuries? You are useless now. You are a threat."
Tears spilled from my eyes as he forced me to look at him.
"Your Highness, what should we do with your wife?" one of the warriors asked, refusing to use her title.
"Throw her in the dungeon for now and call the council leaders. We need a plan," my father ordered without hesitation.
"And find out where Clementine is. Make sure she is in no condition to be seen or heard by anyone."
His words settled over me like ice. He looked down at me and smirked.
"You must be wondering why I am saying this in front of you," he murmured.
"That is because you will never open your mouth again."
He laughed harshly. My vision darkened at the edges.
He leaned closer and whispered against my ear.
"You are of no use to me. So go ahead, little princess, and see if you can survive in the North."
Everything went black.
I do not remember what happened afterward. I was not even awake to see my life change.
All I remember is my father’s face and the anger carved into it as he choked me until I passed out.
His last words did not register before everything went dark. I could not react.
I could not even beg him to forgive me.
But deep down, I did not believe my father would be so cruel that he would actually throw me into the North.
When I regained consciousness, it felt like I was inside a vehicle. At first, I thought maybe they were sending me to another house, or perhaps locking me in some hotel. My father used to give punishments like that.
It also felt like I had been given another dose of something after I passed out. Maybe a tranquilizer or some kind of sedative.
Waking up was difficult. My body felt heavy and distant.
But as I slowly became more aware, I realized at least one thing. Wherever I was, I had never been there before.
A faint groan slipped from my lips as I forced myself to wake up. My eyes still felt unbearably heavy.
It felt like I was lying somewhere freezing cold. There was no soft mattress beneath me and no fluffy blanket wrapped around me.
I was on the ground. It was soft, but wet, and it smelled of soil and damp earth.
The moment I realized that, I shot upright.
Horror settled in as I looked around and understood where I was. I was in the woods.
My heart began to pound. This had never happened before.
My father had never left me in the woods as punishment.
"Can you hear me?" I called out to my wolf inside my mind.
She was silent.
"It looks like he left us in the pack woods," I told her quietly. "But this is the deep side."
I spoke to her again. Not because I thought she was awake, but because I needed someone to talk to. Otherwise, I would lose my mind.
I was already terrified. This had never happened before.
I pushed myself to my feet and scanned my surroundings.
It was almost evening.


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