The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness

1. These Emotions

~ KATALEYA ~

‘Stay away from me!’

‘W-why?’ The air whooshes from my lungs on a broken gasp.

‘I hate you! I hate the fact that I ever met you!’

Guilt rips through me as tears burn my eyes, blurring my vision until I can barely make out his handsome face, contorted with ruthless fury.

‘You cost me my entire future!’

I clamp my hands over my ears, trying to drown out the harsh cries of anger, but his anguished voice continues to penetrate my mind.

‘I should have left you to die!’

My lungs stop working, the air within them quickly turning stagnant. How could he say such a thing?

I’m sorry…

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

‘It’s your fault that everything went wrong!’

No, please stop.

I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I don’t know how much more of this I can take before I shatter completely.

‘I hate you!’

Those cruel words are the last thing I hear, the final blow of agony that rips me from my thoughts and brings me back to the present.

I blink rapidly, quickly swiping the tears from my eyes. This isn’t the first time I have spaced out, my subconscious forcing me to relive the terrible, gut-wrenching memories of my childhood.

The steam from the hot water mists up the glass of the shower enclosure, blurring the view of the bathroom of my rented apartment.

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply before exhaling slowly.

Ever since I arrived here two nights ago, those painful memories from fourteen years ago have begun haunting me all over again. The nightmares are back and even when I’m awake, they continue to play on my mind.

Each morning I wake up coated in sweat, wracked with shivers as I fight the guilt and pain of his final words.

The guilt that I’ve carried since I was a child remains, and although it took me fourteen years, I am here to rectify the mistakes of my past. It won’t be easy, I know that.

There will be hurdles and moments where my heart might break all over again, but I’ve waited for this time for over a decade, and I will not back down now.

His words return to the forefront of my mind with a vengeance, and I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

He hates me.

He will still hate me and yet, despite everything, I cannot bring myself to hate him in return.

I must face the pain and survive. This is what I’ve worked for. What I’ve spent years trying to achieve. I will fix what was broken, even if I lose myself along the way.

Grabbing the shampoo bottle, I squeeze some into my hand and begin lathering my hair. The sandy blonde strands darken to a warm brown, the ends tickling my lower back.

Once I’ve rinsed off, I switch the shower off and open the door, grabbing the towel I have placed within reach and drying myself off before wrapping it around me.

How will he react when he realises who I am? Will he even remember me?

Padding over to the mirror, I wipe the steam away and stare at my pale-faced reflection, watching as it distorts until I’m gazing into the flat, cold eyes of the young boy who has tormented my dreams. The face of the boy who lost so much because of me…

I clutch the heart-shaped pendant that I always wear around my neck, trying to calm the raging storm which threatens to drown me.

I’m here now, so close to finding him… but at the same time, I’m terrified of that moment.

“Kataleya?”

I freeze when Valentina’s voice calls from outside the bathroom door.

“Y-yeah?” I say, trying to steady my voice. It wavers ever so slightly, and I force a smile even though she cannot see me.

“Are you ok? I mean, you’ve been in there a while.”

“I was enjoying the shower! I’ll be right out.”

Valentina was sent as my bodyguard, something I didn’t want, but my father - the Alpha King - absolutely refused to allow me to fly all the way from England to Puerto Rico alone. Especially with the strange happenings that are occurring around the globe.

The world is becoming a dangerous place and travelling anywhere alone is risky.

Dad didn’t want me to come at all, even though I’d spent several years preparing for this. It took convincing from Mom, my brother Dante, and my cousin Leo for him to finally allow me to come here.

Now that I’m here, I’m terrified, nervous, and excited all at the same time.

Pulling on my bra and panties, I gaze at my reflection once more. Thick curves greet me, more so than that of the average werewolf. Where their hips are narrow, mine are wide. Where their backsides are toned muscle, mine is soft and round.

I get dressed in my pale pink loungewear and run a brush through my long locks before leaving the bathroom.

Valentina’s sitting on the sofa, a frown on her face as she holds up her tablet, which displays an image. It’s the side profile of a handsome man.

“We found him, Kat. We fucking found him.”

I stare at the slightly blurry image, placing a hand on my chest as my heart clenches painfully. Every nightmare rushes to the forefront of my mind as I take in those cold, haunting eyes.

His lush brown locks fall over his forehead, and I can see his chiselled jaw. My heart thunders as I realise who I am looking at.

The boy I fell for the day he protected me from his own father.

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