Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 18: Loose Threads...

Chapter 18: Loose Threads...

Damian lay in his bed, staring up at the fancy ceiling of his chamber. The flickering light from the fireplace created moving shadows around the room, yet his thoughts were anything but calm.

The flavor of Evelina’s lips stayed with him, the memory of their passionate kiss playing in his mind like a tune he couldn’t forget. His chest tightened as Storm growled softly in his thoughts.

"She pushed us away," Storm murmured in a low, frustrating voice.

"She’s angry," Damian replied silently. "And she has every right to be. I let this whole engagement nonsense happen."

"Angry? She kissed you back," Storm pointed smugly. "She wanted us. We both felt it."

Damian exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. The kiss had been a moment of passion, yes, but it had also been a clear reminder of the chaos their bond was causing.

"My father’s announcement must have hurt her. But what else was I supposed to do?"

"Fight," Storm said simply.

"For what?" Damian countered. "For a mate who doesn’t trust me? Who spent the day with Zade?" His voice dripped with jealousy.

Storm’s tone turned mocking. "Liar. You’re not angry about Zade—you’re jealous."

Damian growled, flipping onto his back and glaring at the ceiling. The image of Evelina with Zade flashed in his mind again, her soft laughter as they walked into the palace. It was a knife twisting in his chest.

She clearly had a good connection with his stepbrother, but the kiss they had shared told a different message.

And the more he tried not to think about it, the more he did.

Evelina wasn’t just a puzzle he had to solve—she was a wildfire consuming his carefully built walls.

Why did it matter so much that she had been with Zade earlier? The thought of her laughing with his stepbrother, sharing easy moments he hadn’t been able to give her, sent a fresh wave of jealousy through him.

"You’re letting this distract you," Storm chided. "She’s ours. Fix this."

"Fix what?" Damian growled aloud. "The engagement? Her feelings? Or my own?"

Storm was quiet, but the wolf’s presence felt strong, pushing Damian to take action.

*************

Across the palace, Eve sat on the edge of her bed, her hands gripping the duvet tightly. The soft moonlight streaming through the window highlighted her pensive expression.

She had moved back to her room after the heated encounter with Damian, needing space—both physically and emotionally.

Relia’s voice broke through the silence, her tone unusually soft. "You okay?"

"No," Evelina whispered. "I don’t think I am."

The bond was suffocating, pulling her toward Damian no matter how hard she tried to resist. It wasn’t just the kiss—it was everything. The jealousy, the hurt, the unspoken connection that left her reeling.

"You kissed him back," Relia said softly. "Why?"

Evelina groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I don’t know! It was... I don’t know what it is or how to explain it. Maybe it’s this... this bond thingy—or maybe I wanted to see if he’d let me go after it."

"And did he?"

"No," Evelina muttered. "But I still pushed him away."

Relia’s voice held a note of pride. "Good. Make him work for it."

Evelina let out a hollow laugh. "Work for what? A mate who’s going to marry someone else? Why should I care? I’m just a stranger here—an outsider."

"Because you care about him."

Evelina scoffed, shaking her head. "He’s marrying Selene. It doesn’t matter."

"Liar," Relia countered gently. "You felt the bond. That kiss..."

Evelina clenched her jaw. "It was a mistake," she snapped, echoing Damian’s words.

Relia sighed. "You can lie to yourself all you want, but that doesn’t change the truth."

Evelina closed her eyes, willing the memories of Damian’s lips against hers to fade.

But they wouldn’t. And neither would the ache in her chest when she’d heard his father’s announcement.

"This isn’t my world," Evelina whispered, more to herself than to Relia. "And he’s not my problem."

Her gaze drifted to the packed chest near the door, her current predicament settling heavily in her chest. "I need to figure out how to get home," she murmured. "That’s all that matters now."

"And how do you intend on doing that?"

"Proving my innocence might be my ticket home... but then, I haven’t tried other methods yet. Also, there’s nothing for me here, so the sooner I can sort this out, the quicker I can leave all of this behind."

"And what if you can’t go back? What if you’re stuck here?"

***************

Meanwhile, in the shadowed streets of the bustling town, two figures met under the weak light of a flickering lantern. The first man, cloaked in black, kept his voice low as he spoke.

"She came to the market today," he began cautiously. "She was asking about Yellow Wolfsbane and Sable Lily, where she can find it and who’s been smuggling it in."

The older man standing opposite him frowned, his face partially obscured by the brim of his hat. "How does she know who to ask about that?" he asked sharply. "And who did she speak to?"

"I don’t know," the younger man admitted, fidgeting nervously. "But she wasn’t alone. Prince Zade was with her. He brought her to one of our contacts."

The older man tilted his head, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "Interesting. The younger prince, meddling in things he shouldn’t."

"What should we do?" the younger man asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Cover any loose threads," the older man instructed. "Throw her off course. She cannot find the truth—not yet."

The first man nodded. "Understood."

The older man turned. "Do whatever it takes. And make sure no one traces it back to us."

"Or should we kill her?"

"Not yet. If we do, then who do we pin all these on? Or will you take the fall?"

The younger man hesitated. "But what if she persists?"

The older man’s eyes gleamed dangerously. "Then we’ll ensure she regrets it."

The younger man nodded, retreating into the shadows as the older figure remained, his gaze fixed on the flickering lantern.

"Evelina Drewstone," he murmured. "You have no idea what you’ve walked into."