Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 78: Aldric Disgusted Her

Chapter 78: Aldric Disgusted Her

What had she done so wrong in her previous life to deserve this fate? Islinda wondered as her heart hammered in her chest while she dashed through the forest.

And where were the damn hunters when she needed one?! Bernard had been so determined to catch the Fae that had once lived in the cottage that she assumed he would be here. While Islinda hated his arrogant ass, she would give anything in the world to have him rescue her.

Eli, no Aldric - she would have to get used to the name - might be strong but he could not fight against several experienced hunters with weapons that can kill Fae. Bernard and the others came prepared that day to hunt Valerie, now she wanted them to finish off Aldric instead.

However, Islinda screamed and halted to a stop when she spotted Aldric paces away from her. He was standing in her way. The gods save her, how did he get here so quickly? The last she had seen him, the trickster was chasing her, and now he was at the front?

She stared at Aldric and a grin that was full of malice spread over his features and chilled her blood. Oh no, this was not happening!

With a curse at the tip of her tongue, Islinda veered left and raced through the woods. She stumbled and tripped on roots a couple of times but managed to stand still and continue her run. Perhaps, it was a good thing she was a frequent visitor to the woods and was able to carve a path through the thick vegetation.

But even when she came into another cleared track, Aldric beat her to it and stood waiting for her with his wicked smile.

"Oh fuck...." Islinda realized with a shiver what the Fae was up to.

All the routes she had taken so far led back to the village, but Aldric cut her off. He was blocking her from returning to the one place where she could get help, and instead drove her deeper into the woods.... Closer to the divider.

"Oh no...."

May the gods save her.

Islinda took off in another direction, hoping that she would be able to lose him. But as usual, he was there to block her path, and with a chilling realization, it dawned on her that he was playing games with her. The Eli she knew was gone and in his place stood this Fae who wanted to ruin her life.

"I give up!" Islinda shouted, breathing heavily. No, her lungs felt like it would collapse anytime soon from its struggle for oxygen and her legs were beginning to ache. She couldn’t run any further.

He won.

She gives up.

"I didn’t take you for a quitter, Islinda."

He called her by her name and was suddenly behind her.

She flinched, creating enough space between them, and shot him a wary look.

His amused blue eyes took in her weak and sweaty form. Yes, she was sweating in the middle of winter and the wetness that seeped into her clothes chilled her the more.

"What’s the use?! You never meant to let me go anyway!" She said in exasperation, flapping her arms like a bird, "It was all a ruse to get me riled up so you can your fun with me! So fine, you win! Get it over with already! Kill me please!"

He scoffed, "You think that I want you dead? Is that how weak your love is for Valerie? You wish to leave him already?"

Islinda’s eyes widened to the size of the moon, her cheeks reddening, "Y-you... how... " She pointed at him, and then it suddenly came back to her, the memory....

[ "Tell me about your family. I practically know nothing about where you come from."

It was a simple question yet Islinda felt Valerie tense beside her and she wondered if she had asked the wrong question.

She frowned, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." He said.

Not that she believed him.

"Valerie..." She called his name, "If we are to make this work, then you have to be honest with me."

It was hard for him but Islinda saw the moment he gave in.

"My family is not exactly the best people to talk about. Fae and humans don’t exactly have the same standards, values, and way of life." He hinted that she might not like his family.

"I don’t care." She whispered.

"My father married four wives and I’m the second out of four brothers, all from different mothers."

Islinda’s jaw dropped to the ground and she was unable to put together a sentence for a while.

"Wow," She breathed, "That is quite massive." Islinda blinked, "Do you... urm.. get along with them all? I mean, in the human realm, one wife is enough trouble, I cannot even imagine four wives all living together. And your brothers, do you guys fight all the time?"

"I get along with two of my brothers." He said.

"Two? Not three?" She noted he omitted one of them.

"The last one, Aldric, we don’t exactly get along. No one in our family likes him, not even my father, the..." Valerie trailed off, close to revealing he was royalty.

"Why?" She asked, curious, "Why don’t any of you like him?"

"Because he’s cruel, unkind, and twisted on the inside. Nobody wants to be associated with such a malevolent being."

"He must be lonely then." She pitied him.

"What?" Valerie was shocked, that was not the response he had been expecting from her.

"I mean there’s a reason he must be that way. Has any one of you attempted to be close to him?" Islinda asked only for Valerie to growl at her.

He said to her sternly, "Trust me, Islinda, you don’t ever want to meet Aldric. He’s no prince in shining armor but a devil in sheep’s clothing."]

"Shit.... " The words slipped from Islinda’s mouth as soon as she roused to the present. She was not the type to curse randomly, but Islinda just realized her life was doomed.

She lifted her eyes to stare at Aldric and snakes twisted in her stomach as everything finally made sense. Valerie warned her about his brother but she was a fool to think that there was redemption for such a monster - one that had killed her family.

But how would she have known she picked up his psychopathic brother and brought trouble into her life? Valerie said he hated him and the asshole approached her on purpose to.... use her against him.

Fuck.

Run.

Islinda was tired of this cat-and-mouse game but she would do anything for Valerie and that included not being a liability to him. She had barely made more than a few steps when a hand fisted in her hair and yanked her back.

She screamed at the sting in her scalp and turned around in his hold, risking her hair as she shoved and kicked at Aldric. But she might as well have been a kid throwing a tantrum because the Fae was immovable. It wasn’t until she clawed at his eyes that he finally let go and Islinda cheered a silent victory.

But her move might as well infuriated the now angry Aldric because the next she felt was a kick to the back of her knees and her wobbly legs gave out from beneath her and she landed on the floor with a pained whimper. She turned onto her back, moving to strike him only for him to snatch her wrist and pinned it above her head.

Her free hand rose to finish the work but he caught it and slammed it to the ground, holding it hostage with the same grasp. Aldric hovered over her, straddling her thighs and pinning her to the ground. He snarled at her and for once it was satisfying to see that devilish smirk off his face.

It was obvious with his labored breathing that Islinda got to him this time. It seems human or not, the eyes were a sensitive organ, wasn’t it?

Glaring up at him, Islinda said through gritted teeth, "Even human male doesn’t hit their females, but it seems a monster like you don’t have no problem with it."

But Aldric laughed sarcastically, "Oh come on, Islinda, I have been patient enough, but you seem to have other plans and brought it upon yourself. Moreover...." He revealed sharp teeth, "You would find out that I’m not most men but a Fae. Dark Fae." He proudly owned his viciousness.

"Get off me!" She ordered him, finally realizing how close they were, not that she felt even the tiniest intimate feelings for him. Aldric disgusted her.

He snarled, "You don’t give the orders here, little human. Moreover...." Aldric caressed her cheek, "You were fine sharing a bed with me nights ago."

Islinda went red in the face but it was mostly out of anger and mortification. With the way she glared at him, he would be dead if she had any magic in her.

She sneered, "Your brother Valerie was right, you’re indeed twisted on the inside."