STRANGER'S POV

Suffocation. That was all I was feeling right now. It was a disgusting and pathetic feeling. ​​

Opening my eyes, I looked around myself and found nothing but water. Was I in some kind of ocean?

I felt suffocated. I can't breathe. I want to get out of this water. I need to get out of here.

I have to.

I have to tell them the truth, or it will be too late.

Water. My throat was so itchy. Something was clawing at my throat. What's this feeling? It hurts. It's antagonizing.

"Sir, what do we do with him?" Someone said near me.

"We keep him under observation. If he goes out of here, all our plans will be busted and we can't risk that. Besides, it's not my call to kill him. Patrick wants him." Someone else said.

"This makes me think, what is he any use to this old witch anyways?" The man that talked earlier said.

'Uhh...what are they talking about?' I thought while looking around myself, feeling everything around me circling. I feel dizzy. Someone get me out of this water. It's getting in my lungs now. I can't breathe. My throat feels constricted.

"I don't know. But when I came after meeting him last time, I eavesdropped on his conversation with someone, and he was talking about blackmailing someone with him. Another witch maybe." Someone said, and I couldn't help but feel fear creeping my body.

Why wasn't I able to move my body? I looked around myself at the clean blue water as I flailed my hands, but to no avail did my body move. What was happening? Why was I stuck in this position? Why wasn't my body moving?!

I wanted to scream for help, but someone was clawing at it. Looking up, I could see a hint of dim light, like there was some hope.

'Help!' I tried to scream, but no words came out of my mouth.

Closing my eyes again, I searched my mind for anything, but all I could see was a beautiful shiny white wolf that looked back at me while tilting its head.

A Wolf? What is it? Why do I feel a connection to it? Why can't I remember anything?

Pawing near me, the wolf swam in the ocean as he came near me, nudging me with his snout. The wolf looked at me weirdly as if he was in some pain, and I involuntarily thought about the only name that struck my mind.

"Carla?" With that, I felt darkness engulfing my body again.

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VICTORIA'S POV

'Jesus! What a weird dream!' I thought while gasping for air as I felt deeply suffocated.

What was this all about? Why do I feel like something's wrong?

'What do you want to tell me, Carla? You have been laying unresponsive since Alexander behaved indifferently to us. But now you showed me this kind of weird dream? What is the meaning of this? Why was there a dark pit everywhere? Why couldn't I breathe? What is the meaning of all this?' I asked her, but she only looked indifferently at me with a monotonous look before looking the other way.

"Huh!! Sometimes, I don't get what do you want anymore. I know you are hurt because of what Alexander did to us, but I am hurt too. I also loved him. But rather than consoling me as you should, what are you doing? Just lying there like a pathetic wolf that you are. I've even decided to live in this mansion till I get my answers, but what about you? What efforts have you made till now?" I shouted at her, not knowing where to vent my anger anymore.

As if my words finally hit a sore spot in her, she stood on her paws before making something in the air.

It looked like a heart symbol.

"Heart?" I asked, and she shook her head.

If it isn't a heart, then what it is?

"Are you by any chance saying, Alexander?" I asked, and she nodded her snout in response.

'What about it?' I asked again, and she shook her head before making a cross sign over the heart.

'Huh...leave it. Sorry, I even asked you.' I said before putting up the mind barrier.

She is too much affected to say or do anything. She clearly meant a broken heart or our broken relationship with Alexander by that gesture.

"Victoria? Are you okay?" I heard a female voice before Rosaline walked inside.

"As fine as I can be in this situation." I smiled, making her smile sadly.

"I am sorry about what happened earlier. It must be all because of my poor upbringing that he is behaving this way with his mate. I can't even bear to look in your eyes." Rosaline said before she started sobbing.

"It's not your fault, Rosaline. I am sure there must be a reason behind why he is doing this. Maybe some hidden agenda that he has hidden from us. Something that he can't disclose now?" I said, not even knowing if I was comforting her or myself.

"I heard from Daniel that you've decided to stay here for a few days. Why don't you shift here permanently? It's your home dear." She said, wiping her tears.

"We will decide that once I am done with my agenda of finding out the truth and making Alexander's and his beloved's life hell," I said, making her chuckle.

"Do let me know if I can be of any help. Apart from adding poison to Alexander's food, I can do anything." She said, and I couldn't help but smile at her words.

"Huh... how much I wish Robert was here. If he would've been here, he would've surely done something to tighten some screws in Alexander's head." She said, sighing loudly.

"Robert? I have heard of this name before, just who is he?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, he was one of the most lovely kid in my life after Alexander and Daniel, but because of some misunderstanding and conspiracies, he was kicked out of the kingdom. He is the reason why I had hated Theodore for a year straight, and deep down, I still can't forgive Theodore.

He was the type of kid who had once risked his life just because I demanded a white lotus that grows on the other side of the hill in a deep cave." Rosaline said as she looked distant.

"He sounds like a good boy. What happened?" I asked, wanting to know more about this awesome person.

"He committed a mistake, and Theodore punished him for something he didn't even have control over. To be honest, I am sure someone had manipulated Theodore about him and why he shouldn't be in the kingdom.

Theodore said some not-so-good words to him and insulted him in front of everyone, which resulted in him getting angry, and he tried to hurt Theodore, and thus, Theodore ordered his men to kill Robert. He was killed that night brutally." Rosaline said as her eyes glistened.

"And just like that, you guys killed him? I am sorry, but that's so horrible!" I couldn't help but exclaim.

I know I shouldn't react to it like that when I don't even know about the whole truth, but I just couldn't control it. And why do I feel like I have heard of this story before?

Maybe from some lady in the town.

"It's shameful for us, but that's the truth. Theodore still feels guilty about it. I have occasionally noticed him looking at Robert's photo with a guilt-stricken expression sitting alone in his study, but that can't bring him back, can it?

Look how forgetful I am, in this chatting, I forgot why I was here. Is your leg okay? Are your wounds healed now?" She asked, and I couldn't help but nod my head while my mind was still stuck on this story of Robert.

It was pitiful. He just killed a guy just because someone told him he was not right for the kingdom? They themselves say that the sin he committed was not under his control, and they still did that?

"So, will you be able to join us for dinner, or do you want me to bring your food here?"

"Oh, I would like to join the dinner. Let me check how Laila is doing." I said, making Rosaline chuckle.