CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TANYA'S POV
I spent the whole night awake.
No matter how hard I tried to clear my mind, the same words kept echoing inside my head.
"I love you."
Daniel's voice.
Soft… yet firm.
It didn't sound like a lie.
It didn't sound like fear.
It sounded real.
I clenched my fists tightly, trying to push those thoughts away. I hated him. I was supposed to hate him. He was a human—one of the same creatures who brought nothing but pain into my life.
So why…
Why couldn't I forget his eyes?
Why did they look at me without fear?
Why did they make me feel… weak?
I stood up from my bed and walked toward the window of my chamber. The moonlight fell across my face, cold and silent, just like the emptiness inside my heart.
"Why does the man I hate feel more real than the man I should love?" I whispered to myself.
The moment I said those words, anger rose inside me.
I didn't love Daniel.
I couldn't.
I swore never to love anyone.
Not after everything I had been through.
Not after what humans did to me.
I turned away from the window and tried to calm my thoughts, but before I could, I heard footsteps approaching my chamber.
A knock followed.
"Tanya," a familiar voice called softly. "May I come in?"
Prince Raymond.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Then I allowed him in.
He entered with his usual calm smile, his presence filling the room as if he already belonged there. His eyes studied me carefully, as if trying to read my thoughts.
"You seem troubled," he said, stepping closer.
"I'm fine," I replied coldly.
He chuckled softly. "You are a terrible liar."
Before I could respond, he gently took my hand.
The moment his fingers touched mine, a strange chill ran through my body.
It was not the kind that comes with fear.
It was something darker.
Something… wrong.
"You have been avoiding me," he continued. "Did I do something to offend you?"
I looked at him, trying to understand the strange feeling inside me.
"You didn't," I said slowly.
"Then why do you keep running away from me?" he asked.
His voice was soft, almost gentle—but there was something behind it.
Something hidden.
Something dangerous.
For a brief second, I saw it.
His eyes.
They changed.
Just for a moment.
Dark.
Cold.
Empty.
Then it was gone.
I quickly pulled my hand away.
"I just needed time," I said, turning my face away from him.
He stepped closer again, his voice dropping slightly.
"I meant every word I said, Tanya," he whispered. "I want you to be mine."
My heart beat faster—but not in the way I expected.
Instead of warmth…
I felt unease.
Before I could answer, I walked past him and left the chamber.
I needed air.
I needed space.
I needed to breathe.
As I walked through the covenant, my thoughts were in chaos.
Raymond's touch.
Daniel's words.
My godmother's warning.
Everything was pulling me in different directions.
Then I saw him.
Daniel.
He was standing near the firewood area, speaking to one of the servants.
And for the first time…
He was smiling.
A real smile.
Not forced.
Not fake.
Something inside my chest tightened.
I stopped walking.
Watching him.
Why did that hurt?
Why did it feel like something was being taken away from me?
He turned slightly, and for a moment, our eyes almost met.
But he looked away.
As if I didn't exist.
As if I meant nothing.
That moment hit me harder than anything he had ever done.
"Why does his silence hurt more than his presence ever did?" I whispered under my breath.
Anger rose inside me.
Without thinking, I walked straight toward him.
"Daniel."
My voice was cold.
Sharp.
Commanding.
He turned slowly.
But there was something different in his eyes.
No fear.
No reaction.
Just calm.
"Yes, Princess?" he said.
That tone…
It irritated me.
"You seem very comfortable," I said, crossing my arms. "Have you forgotten your place?"
He held my gaze.
"I remember my place very well," he replied.
His voice was steady.
Unshaken.
I stepped closer, my anger rising.
"Then why are you laughing with others?" I demanded. "You belong to me."
There was silence.
Then he spoke.
Slowly.
Clearly.
"I was never yours."
The words struck me like a blade.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
I just stared at him.
Something inside me cracked.
But I refused to show it.
"You dare speak to me like that?" I said, my voice trembling slightly with anger.
He didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
"If you want to punish me, then do it," he said. "That's what you always do."
His words burned.
Because they were true.
I raised my hand, ready to use my power—
But I stopped.
I couldn't do it.
Not this time.
Without saying another word, I turned and walked away.
Fast.
Before he could see the confusion in my eyes.
That night, the covenant was quiet.
But not all hearts were at peace.
Far from the Lion Pack, hidden deep within the shadows of the guest chambers, two figures stood facing each other.
Prince Raymond.
And Eve.
"You are getting too close to her," Eve said coldly.
Raymond smirked.
"That is the plan," he replied.
"She is not a fool," Eve warned. "If she finds out—"
"She won't," Raymond interrupted. "Not until it's too late."
He stepped closer, his eyes darkening.
"Once she fully trusts me… once she accepts me…"
His smile turned cold.
"I will take everything."
Eve folded her arms. "And the baobab tree?"
Raymond's eyes gleamed.
"Its power will belong to me."
A silence fell between them.
Then Eve spoke again.
"And the girl?"
Raymond's expression hardened.
"She will fall with the rest of them."
Outside, the wind howled softly through the trees.
Unseen.
Unheard.
Danger was slowly rising.
And this time…
It was closer than ever.
Ever since Daniel told me that he never belonged to me, my heart had been broken. I started to avoid him and focused on Prince Raymond.
One day, we went into the jungle to hunt together. He taught me new hunting tactics that I had never known before. It was enough to make me forget my sorrows for a moment.
We rested under a tree, eating wild fruits.
Prince Raymond leaned closer and looked straight into my eyes.
"Tanya, you are mine and mine alone. Don't let any man come close to you… otherwise I will kill him."
He was too close to me, and his husky voice made me shiver. His lips brushed against mine.
In that moment, I froze.
I wanted to kiss him.
I wanted to hold him tightly.
But something inside me told me it was wrong.
A grave mistake.
My mind and heart were fighting each other. For a moment, I let my mind take control. Just as I was q to kiss him—
I don't know where Daniel came from.
He called my name and told me that my godmother wanted to see me.
My heart skipped.
I couldn't even look at his face.
I felt guilty, as if someone had caught me doing something forbidden.
At the same time, I felt a strange satisfaction… as if I wanted him to feel the same pain he once gave me.
I walked toward my horse.
Then I heard the sound of a slap.
When I turned, I saw Prince Raymond filled with anger. It was as if all the demons inside him were trying to take control.
Before I could react, he attacked Daniel.
I shivered as he sank his sharp teeth into Daniel's neck.
"Stop!" I shouted.
Daniel tried to fight back, but Raymond's transformed body was too powerful.
Seeing Daniel struggle made my blood boil.
Something inside me snapped.
My body began to change, filled with something dangerous.
I roared.
Before I realized it, I attacked Raymond and bit him with my own fangs.
He released Daniel immediately.
He stepped back, staring at me with dark eyes.
"Tanya… be honest with me," he said coldly. "For a lowly servant, you attacked your fiancé just to save him."
His gaze sharpened.
"Are you in love with this weak human?"
END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN