The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 253

Liora’s POV

Ambrose turned to me. His movements were slow, unhurried. Deliberate.

There was that curve of his mouth again. Not a smile, but something darker and more predatory.

“That’s a good girl.” His voice slipped into my mind—not a mindlink. A memory. And yet, when I tried to grasp it, it slipped away.

“What did you say?” he asked, tilting his head to one side.

I dropped my hand back to my hip. “You grabbed my ass. I felt it just now.”

“Did I?” Ambrose looked around at the faces of the shocked students surrounding us. His bride was standing too far away to hear what was going on. It was the one time he’d left her side all evening. “Well, it must have been an accident. I’m engaged, you see. To be married in just a few hours.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could speak, Bianca materialized at my elbow. “What’s going on here?” she barked.

“Your classmate is accusing me of touching her inappropriately,” Ambrose said.

Bianca’s eyes widened. She whirled on me, fangs flashing. “Don’t you dare ruin this banquet.” Her voice was low enough so only I could hear. “You have no idea how important this is to me.”

I lifted my chin. “If it’s so important, then why don’t you care that a guest assaulted another guest in your own home?”

Bianca worked her lips together, and I knew she wasn’t going to back down before she even said the words.

“He would never want a wolfless like you, anyway.”

I glared at Bianca, but she simply turned and strode away, seemingly satisfied with herself. By the time I turned toward Ambrose again, he had rejoined his bride at the other end of the room. He only shot the briefest glance in my direction, but it was just as chilling as all the others.

People were staring now. I needed air. I turned, ignoring Mia’s protests, and pushed my way out of the room.

My feet carried me through the castle without conscious thought. I wasn’t sure how long I had been walking, but it was further than I expected. Right, left, another right. Soon, the corridors turned dark and cold, and finally, I spotted it.

The door with the stuffed falcon’s head.

I hadn’t meant to come here. I didn’t want to. But now I was here, and a part of me wanted to go inside, even though the thought made my stomach churn. I needed to find out what was behind that door, and why it was affecting me so much.

Looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t being watched, I carefully pushed the door open. It was unlocked, and groaned inward without much effort.

“What are you doing?”

The sound of Callum’s voice made me jump and spin around, the heavy door slamming into the backs of my heels. I gasped and stumbled forward; I would have fallen had Callum not caught me with one arm.

“I was just… I…” I pushed away from Callum and composed myself, smoothing down the front of my dress. He was wearing a crisp tuxedo that looked new and completely unworn. It fit him perfectly, although I tried not to stare.

Callum glanced over my shoulder. “Taking a private tour?” he asked.

Callum flipped on the light, revealing a bedroom that was surprisingly smaller than my guest suite, but even more lavishly appointed. There was an enormous four-poster bed sitting in the center of the room, piled high with furs and blankets. Beside the fireplace was a bearskin rug, head and all. The walls were hung with ornate paintings and tapestries, and the air smelled like men’s cologne.

It was all very familiar, and yet I didn’t recall ever consciously setting foot in here.

“Must be Ambrose’s room,” Callum mused. “I didn’t know he had his own space in the royal palace.”

I didn’t bother commenting on that.

Strangely, I felt drawn to the bed. I took a step closer, studying the carvings on the headboard. They were intricately done, depicting various scenes of animals in a forest—wild boars, a grizzly bear, lithe foxes, and a wolf on the hunt. But there was another animal there, too. One above the others, flying through the treetops.

Curious, I leaned in a little closer. The animal was hardly visible now, as it had seemingly been rubbed away by something. Sandpaper? I ran my fingers across it, and a few flakes of wood came away.

Odd. The rest of the carvings were in perfect condition, but this one spot was rubbed to the point where I couldn’t even make out the animal that had been there before. I saw the tip of a wing, but nothing else.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway made Callum and I both look up. They were coming this way. I could hear my cousin’s voice approaching.

“Thought I saw them going this way…”

I stared at Callum, my heart pounding in my chest. If Ambrose found us here, then I wasn’t sure what would happen. Whatever it was, it probably wouldn’t be good.

Callum seemed to have the same idea. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the closet just as the door swung open, and Ambrose stepped into the room.