Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter 10a

I groan as I lug my suitcase up another set of stairs, my lungs struggling under the strain.

Just a few more, I tell myself as I stare up at the granite tile summit. I curse Kohl with every lagging breath, and as I finally make it to the top, it takes all my strength not to collapse against the wall. He'd ordered me a new room, one located directly below the spiral staircase that leads to his room in the spire. I'd argued with him on this, not only because the idea of moving after just settling in seemed like a drag, but also because I hadn't wanted to leave Macy behind. There was no arguing with the prince, though. So, after an incredible teary goodbye with Macy, I'd managed to make us feel both better by giving her a copy of my key, one Kohl had made at my request. I'd told her she was welcome to swing by and visit any time and, with that, packed my entire wardrobe into a suitcase and walked out.

I'm not worried about Macy, though. She'd been sacked off from Gertrude after the incident and was now performing tasks in the kitchen. It was a large relief to hear that, especially since the idea of leaving Gertrude to Macy as a one-man job seemed nothing short of nightmarish.

I'd been secretly hoping Gertrude would be eliminated in the tournament, but that was just a hopeless wish. The first official round of the tournament had occurred yesterday, and with it, ten of the original twenty contestants had been eliminated. I hadn't been able to watch, but I'd heard fragments of what happened, such as how Gertrude brutalised her opponent, and how Althea had won but at the cost of an injured leg. Part of me, an evil part, secretly wished that would see my eldest sister out of the competition. Jade, it seemed, had won relatively unscathed. At least, that's how she'd appeared at dinner that night.

After my ten-second breather, I pick up my suitcase and toe my way down the hall. Apparently, this is the west wing of the castle, but I'm still too unfamiliar with the place to completely piece it all together. All I know is that my only true friend in this place lives at the opposite end of the palace two stories below, and that my new room is 7A.

My gaze flicks over the doors as I pass them. There are less rooms here than there are in the maid's quarters, and my hopes spike. I don't mean to be picky, and I would much rather be rooming with Macy if it meant I would still live near her, but it would also be nice to live in a large room again.

I soon find room 7A, the golden letters painted on the dark wood door before me. For a few moments, I stare at it. This is it. This is the room Kohl picked out for me, so it must be halfway decent.

I press my palm to the knob and exhale. Then, I twist and let myself inside.

I almost gasp out loud, because the room breaks all and any expectations I had. When Kohl had informed me of my new residence, I thought it would be of bare minimum. Nothing this gorgeous.

My feet physically sink into the plush, black carpet, the material so smooth I almost mistake it for silk. The medium-grey wallpaper is patterned with black roses encased by light purple diamonds. A large window sits on the wall directly opposite me, lets in a generous amount of light that glimmers off the silver posts of the four-posted bed on the far wall. Lilac gossamer curtains that match the shade of the sheets themselves fall from the rods, glimmering like translucent waterfalls of purple. Nightstands made from black, polished wood sit on either side of the bed, each holding candles that have yet to be used. On the wall beside the bed, a doorway that leads into a darkened walk-in wardrobe sits, and on the right-most wall, opposite the bed, is a white door which I presume leads to an ensuite.

I drop my items and walk to the centre of the room, almost in a trance. I don't even think my room back at the Agnarys estate can compare to this.

Quickly, I unpack my clothes and hang them up on the hangers in the walk-in wardrobe. Then, because my burning curiosity, I cross the room and let myself into the ensuite. To my surprise, the room is tiled entirely with white, with a porcelain toilet and glass bathtub in the corner. I approach the mirror and open the medicine cabinet above it, and I'm surprised to find a small basket of moonstone splinters inside.