Star-Crossed Enemies ✔️

Chapter 17

Hayley's POV

His back is turn to me as I am pushed into the room.

My guards take away my handcuffs and silently leave the room without saying a word to the King. I gently massage my wrists, finally free of the handcuffs. Feeling uncomfortable in the silent, I say the first thing that is on my mind.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" I ask him impatient.

"Are you that in a hurry to die?" he asks strongly and direct. He had an accent of some kind. European I think.

"Are you saying you're going to kill me?" I ask him instead, the fear squeezing my heart a little bit.

"It is yet to be decided." he says turning around, finally allowing me to have a good look at him, and wow, it was not what I was expecting. He was a handsome man, that's for sure but there was a coldness in him that brought shivers down my spine.

"Not what you were expecting?" he asks coming closer and taking a seat in one of the chairs available, he motions for me to do the same.

"You're younger than I thought." I admit honestly, there was no point in lying about that. "I kind of expected to see someone older, you know, grey hair, a few wrinkles, maybe even a crown on your head, all the works."

"Ah yes, the crown. I'm afraid I had to have it polished, I apologize for the disappointment." he says so seriously that he kind of had me wondering if he was really joking with me or actually telling the truth. "Now Miss McKenna, you are a complication I had not anticipated having." he says his hands folded on his lap. He looks the complete picture of a relaxed nobleman, but I knew it was only just a front he portrayed.

"Sorry?" I apologize uncertain.

"Earlier today, Beta Hughes delivered us a pen drive with information about a possible hidden hunter cell in my pack. Now discover my surprise when my technicians tell me that the pen drive is heavily encrypted and it will take days to be able to access it and read its contents."

"That's terrible." I tell him playing innocent.

"Don't play coy with me Miss McKenna, I know you encrypted it."

"Can't really blame a girl for playing all the cards in her sleeve, right? I had to ensure my survival somehow. "I tell him, no bothering with denying it.

"But you had to know we would eventually be able to crack it. What then?"

"That is why I encrypted the pen drive in a way that if someone other than me opens it, all the information would be deleted automatically, and you would be left with nothing." I inform him, a little big smugly.

"That is quite clever Miss McKenna, I'll give you that." he says with praise "But not even that would have been enough to save you."

"Julius..."

"Ah yes...Mr. Hughes, I am aware you are his mate, but not even that could save you in the end."

"Alright, what does that mean? I'm sick of hearing that bloody word, and nobody tells me what it actually means!" I ask him feeling incredibly frustrated. He was already the third person to call me Julius mate, and I don't know why that is significant with their kind, because in my world that is just slang.

"That is not of importance right now, Miss McKenna."

"Just call me Hayley" I interrupt him feeling tired of hearing him say my last name all the time.

"Miss McKenna!" he calls out, and I could tell he was not finding me very amusing. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say he was close to showing his anger. "Clearly you have no regard with your own life."