"W-why?" Maeve asked. She really saw no reason to speak with Ethen. He only has ever created sadness and depression in her. Actually, he's probably the person behind everything. She truly hated him. He's a psychopath.

"Or you can just die. I don't really care."

The human was confused, "Okay?" After saying that, Maeve started to celebrate in her mind. It was the first time she actually didn't shutter. And that was something she has dreamed of since the day she met the shapeshifters.

"No harsh feelings or anything, but you are going to die."

She paled. Not this again, she thought. Is there going to be a bonfire tomorrow where they can push her or a shark who is going to eat her legs? It's literally nothing new, but every time someone said that her heart started to beat faster and her face paled. It is not a nice thing for someone to say face to face that you are going to die.

"By w-who?" Cato raised his left eyebrow.

"You don't know them, luckily."

"The-en why d-do they want me.... d-dead?"

"Are you really as stupid as you seem? Because you are his only weakness and they want him dead."

"I'm n-not stupid." She mumbled. Every time someone called her by a hurtful name it made a small wound in her heart. No one deserved to be called a 'stupid human bitch'. It really hurt, maybe she should start calling everyone by the name of a rabid coyote. Maeve is sure that no one would be thrilled after that actually, they would probably strangle her.

He was probably talking about the king anyway, everything in her life is currently spinning around him. She hated him too, he is the reason her family is dead. He is the reason why her heart always beats faster when she sees him. He is the reason why she can't stop thinking about the kiss. And in some very weird way, she wanted to feel his lips against her again.

Maybe she is stupid after all, maybe everyone is right when they call her stupid.

"When?" She mumbled. If she is going to die anyway what is the problem with knowing the day of her death?

"How the fuck do you think I know that?" If her mother wouldn't have raised her the way she did, her hands would probably be around his neck.

"You c-came to inform me about my d-death."

Ethen just stared at her. He had no interest to start arguing with the human. She stared at him with this really annoying look. She looked like a murderous puppy. He has always hated puppies, it may seem weird because he is a werewolf, but they are way too cute to be alive. They don't know a thing about the real world. And that is exactly why Maeve should leave the castle and never come back. It is that or she will end up six feet under.

"I want to k-know!"

He is going to murder me, he thought.

"They will try to kidnap you." He mumbled. He never ever imagined that it will be him who has to tell the news to her. He has a reason why he came to her and it had nothing to do with the warning. It should be Cato or someone else or if they are lucky it would be no one.

His head is just getting crazy. This isn't who he is, he seems more like Cato than himself. Fuck, he hated that. Who would anyway want to be an asshole like him? Hopefully, it won't last long. It is just a phase.

"Well, I t-thought it b-being worse." She truly did. She expected some kind of an ancient ritual that included sharks and demons. She was basically kidnapped by those soldiers who brought her in here.

Ethen glared at her and took a step forward and started to pet her cheek. She really looked like a murderous puppy. "Trust me, pup, you don't want to be kidnapped by them", he whispered to her ear.

"Why?"

He smirked, "You will see then, pup, you will see."

"Y-you are just imagining t-things." Why would someone ever want to kidnap her? There was no logic behind it. Even she wasn't the king's weakness, she knew it the king knew it. He would throw her out of a cliff if he got the chance.

"Oh really?" She is as stupid as a rock.

"You are out of y-your mind because of...... h-her." It is only a theory that Maeve created when Cory was still alive. A tear fell on her cheek, she truly missed her. She would do anything to have her back in her life, but death is never going to give you your loved ones back.

By the look on Ethen's face, he realized who she was talking about. "She is dead, isn't she?"

Maeve nodded, "I was the person who found her." She didn't know why she was talking to him about her friend. She didn't even know if he cared, probably not but he deserved to know what he did. He killed her and that is something Maeve will never forget.

"When?"

"P-probably yesterday." It hurt so much to even talk about her. No one can ever replace her in Maeve's heart.

They were quiet for a while. Both were thinking about the dead maid. Unlike Maeve who was thinking about how she smiled and helped her anytime, she needed help Cato was thinking about the night he realized it has always been her.

It was the night of the ball, he was drunk as usual when she noticed a maid walk out of the human's room. She was humming some song he had never heard before and when their eyes locked they both gasped. She never ever imagined to be mated with a high-rank wolf and he never thought that his mate would be a weak she-wolf who cleans other peoples shit. He always imagined her to be someone strong, but that she would under his slipper. He would train the soldiers and she would look pretty in his arm. Everyone would have been jealous and they would have been happy in their own way.

But the fate was cruel and gave him a depressed maid of a mate.

No one would have ever been jealous because she is a maid, maybe some females but Ethen didn't give a crap of them.

He remembers her blue eyes, they reflected light in a weird way but at the same time, they looked so pure and afraid. He almost marked her in then in that hallway, but luckily for the both of them, Cato interrupted the session. The only time Ethen is truly grateful for him is this time. Only God knows what would have happened after that, probably they both would have jumped out of a cliff.

In some weird way, Ethen was happy. His mate is dead and he is free to do anything his heart desires. No, he wouldn't have to wait for his mate. His wolf, on the other hand, is low-spirited, Ethen knows that his wolf always wanted also a strong mate. He will settle down in a few days.

"She deserved it."

Maeve's head snapped to look straight towards him, "What did you say?!" No one deserves to die. Every one of them has been given the gift of life.

Ethen lifted his left eyebrow, apparently, the murderous puppy is deaf too.

"Did you s-say that she deserved it?" Ethen didn't answer anything. He was too focused on her face, it no longer reminded the face of a ghost. More like a tomato.

Maeve felt like she could kip her hairs out. He killed her, but that he thinks she deserves it is something she can't stand.

"Y-o...you BASTARD!!!" She screamed and jumped her hands outstretched. Her mother will turn in her grave but who cares? He deserves some strangling.

Because Ethen is so much taller than her she jumped on his back and put her small hands around his neck and started to curse in words she had never said before. She fought with him, or at least that is what she thought.

In someone else's point of view, it looked more like a mouse who is fighting with a cat.

Ethen just stood in there and waited that she would get tired, but that didn't happen anytime soon. After she realized that she hadn't the power to strangle him, she tried to rip his hair out and scratch his eyes out. Ethen has to give some points to her that she even tried to snap his neck, but everyone but she knew it isn't possible. No human had the strength to do that to a shapeshifter.

"Are you done?" He asked sounding bored, which made Maeve's sight turn even redder than before. She was about to bite his shoulder when he easily removed her and threw her onto her bed.

Maeve tried to scratch his back to give him so really nasty scars but didn't succeed. So she spat in his face.

Ethen took her hands in his right arm and put them over her. "You really shouldn't piss me off" He pressed his body against her.

She gulped.

"You have no idea what I could do to you", he said and licked her cheek. "You have no idea what I want to do to you." he put his mouth next to her ear and whispered the last words, "I won't at least not today, but watch your back puppy. Like I said in the first time we met 'you never know what lurks in the darkness'."

He let her go and disappeared from her room. She threw a pillow towards the door. She hated him so much! She wanted him to die, but she couldn't do that by herself. A brilliant thought came into her mind, she can't to it by herself but she knows someone who wants him dead as much as she wants.

"A RABID COYOTE!!!" She screamed after him. Soon he will dream of being one.

***

Maeve sat on a big chair she found in the hallway. It was next to a big window where she could see what the world outside of the castle was doing. She dreamed that she could walk in there with them, play with children, sing songs in the street, make snow angels and drink hot chocolate while sitting outside.

But no one will let her go outside after the last time and if she even made it outside all the villagers would recognize her.

Maybe she should run away in the middle of the night and take Tommy with her.

"TOMMY!!!" She screamed. How can she be so stupid? How can she forget her mouse friend while she truly wanted to hug him? Hopefully, he isn't in a cat. If that has happened, she will never forgive herself.

"Oh m-my god Tommy?!" She started to run like a maniac around the castle and scream her little friend's name.

Please don't let him be dead, she muttered to herself.

After a few hours, she couldn't find him. She even looked under the chairs, but no one was there. She also found a hole in the wall and tried to look in. Few servants walked past her and looked like they would have seen a three-headed human. But she didn't really care, she only wanted to find her friend.

Maeve could tell how much she hated Ethen and maybe convince Tommy to destroy his shoes with his little teeth. Or in the other hand that may not be a good idea. The mouse would probably end up with a snapped neck.

"T-Tommy?" She whispered as she looked on more time in the wall.

"What are you doing?" A child's voice asks.

Maeve winced and rose up. "I'm t-trying to find m-my friend."

"Why do you speak weird?" The child had beautiful long blond hair and a pair of green eyes.

"No, I'm n-not."

The child frowned, "Yes, you are." When Maeve didn't answer she continued, "You are weird."

"How?" The human asked.

"You were looking at your friend inside of a wall." Maeve snorted, the child is cute.

"What is y-your name?"

"My mother taught me not to speak with strangers." Maeve wanted to tell that it wasn't her who started to speak with the child, but that wouldn't probably end well.

"Well, my n-name is Maeve and it is nice to meet y-you", she said and extended her hand.

The child looked suspicious for a while but she took her hand in Maeve's and said, " I'm Serafina, but you can call me Sera."

Maeve smiled and hugged her, "I have to go now, Sera, but hopefully we will meet again." The child looked at her for a while before nodding and running away. That little girl made her day a little better. Hopefully, they truly meet again.

"You smell like him." A husky voice behind her boomed.

♥️