Chapter 28
RYN
with
with me? "Ryn."
After the encounter with Chelsea, I sat on one of the seats and fingered my pendant. What did Chelsea mean by me being a pity project? Was she just saying that to make me feel jealous or was there something else going on with the sudden interest Prince Theon has I raised my head and found Prince Miro standing a few feet away. Seriously, his ability to move close to me without me knowing was definitely unnerving. Frose to my feet. Today, Miro was dressed in a dark suit with a black turtleneck and his lips were downturned in a scowl, giving him the air of a grumpy Boss.
"Your Highness." I gave a quick bow, and when I met his eyes again, I could see traces of anger, and loathing in them. I took a step back, wondering why he's so angry at me.
"Do you know it's rude to stare your superior in the eyes?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
My eyes
widened before I instantly looked down. "My apologies. I-I didn't know" I said, but then I wondered why Prince Theon never said a word. "Now that you know, act accordingly." He said. "By the way, Healer Kwan cleared you so you're free to go home."
"Okay. I was hoping to see Prince Theon before going back to the manor."
"You're not going back to the manor.
I raised my eyes to meet his and quickly looked away. "I don't understand."
Miro relea released a breath in what seemed like frustration. "Your things have already been packed. It's in the car downstairs. My driver will take you back to your dorm and as for my brother, you should stay away from him." I almost looked at him this time. Did this have something to do with what Chelsea said earlier? Better to ask. "Ma-May I ask why?" "Because you're trouble, Ryn."
Now I looked at
ked at him and found nothing but ice in his eyes. Slowly, I looked away, confused and worried. "How?"
"You're asking me how?" He scoffed. "From the very first moment we met you, you ended up putting some boys in the hospital, one whom is still in coma to this day. Did you think the matter died away just like that?"
I couldn't answer.
"Things were done to keep Howard's family from coming after you, Ryn, just so you could stay on the taskforce."
I blinked in surprise. No wonder Bessie was so mad at me.
"Your issue with Bessie and her Dad is one thing. Putting Sadie a risk is another. Let's not even talk about how your place on the taskforce has driven a wedge between me and my brother and instead of you to stay low? Noooo." He huffed. "You went ahead and got tangled with Alpha Eric, forcing my brother to risk his life to save you."
"What?" I blinked again, not able to stop myself from looking into his cold, green eyes. Miro paused, as if realizing he had said too much but now it was too late. "What did you mean by him risking his life to save me?"
Miro's eyes narrowed. "Did you really think you just magically survived a severe head trauma when you haven't even shifted in years? The Healers tried to trigger your wolf but nothing happened and you were dying, so a complete blood transfusion
B til
had to be done and guess who drained his blood for you?"
Tears stung the back of my eyes. "Prince Theon." I whispered, taking a step back.
3
"That's right. You're too much trouble, Ryn. Things were so much simpler before you came and now...everything is just so hard and so complicated with you."
I ground my jaw to keep my tears from falling.
"So if you really want to thank Theon for what he has done for you, stay away from him. He has a bright future as the Crown Prince of this country and the more time you spend with him, the more you jeopardize that."
I suddenly felt a spark of anger. "You make it seem like it was my fault all along?" I glared at him. "I didn't ask him to save me. I didn't ask him to fight for me. So why?! Why get involved?"
"Because that's who Theon is!" Miro snapped. "He saves people. He has a thing for fixing broken things."
I inhaled sharply, taking deep breaths to stop my tears from falling. Shaking my head from side to side, I raised a finger to stop him from talking further. So Chelsea was right. I was a pity project to Theon. A fool to think I could have something with him. Gods! What was I thinking?!
"I've heard enough." I whispered, looking away. "I will do as you say." I nodded to myself. "I'll stay away from him. I'll stay from you and I'll stay away from Sadie." Miro's face softened. "I didn't mean th-"
"It's fine." I shrugged. "Anyone who associates with Ryn gets in trouble, so best to stay away from everyone." I smiled bitterly. "Thank you for everything you've done. Please pass my gratitude to Prince Theon. I'll be on my way now."
"Ryn." Miro called but I was already walking away from him towards the elevator. As I pressed the button to bring the elevator up, tears streamed out of my eyes and the moment they came out, I couldn't stop. I was right all along. I am cursed to hurt people around me. Cursed to never find love. Cursed to be in pain. I kept on pressing the button in frustration and when I realized it still had more floors to climb, I dashed for the stairs and ran as fast as I could while sobbing my heart out.
By the time I reached the tenth floor, I was exhausted and out of breath, and I collapsed onto the steps. My breath came in pants as I tried to stop crying but I could not. Instead, I leaned against the wall until I could calm down.
Once I was able to get myself together, I wiped my face and went down the rest of the stairs. Getting to the ground floor, I found the car Miro talked about, a black SUV waiting for me in the parking lot.
The driver, a tall, slim man seemingly in his forties, upon sighting me, opened the door of the back seat.
When I got there, I paused. Staying away from the Windermeres also meant not taking things from them. So I requested for my things instead.
"Ma'am, I am under strict orders to drive you back to your dorm
"Well,
inform your Alpha that I am no longer interested in the ride. I just want my things."
The man looked uncertain but then his eyes glazed over signifying that he was performing a mindlink. After a moment, I began to hear a buzz and it seemed to be coming from my bag which was in the car. The man retrieved my bag from me and I soon realized that it was my phone buzzing. When I checked the caller ID, I saw it was a private number and I wondered who it could possibly be. Nonetheless, I picked it.
"Hello?"
"You have two options, Ryn." Miro's deep voice sounded on the phone. "You either let Antonio drive you back to the donn
B ti B
or Antonio loses his job."
"How did you get my number?"
"That doesn't matter. Make your choice."
And then the call ended.
What in the world does this man want from me?
I looked at Antonio who seemed to be calm on the surface but the way he looked at me intently, I knew he was panicking on the inside. "Fine." I sniffled, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I'll go with you." "Excellent choice." He smiled in relief and once again held the car door so I could go in.
Two hours later, I was unlocking the door to my dorm room and the moment I entered, my feet brushed against something on the floor. Once I saw it, my heart began to pound again. It was the same envelope as last time. I paused, and after making sure no one was in my After staring at the envelope for a moment, I bent down to pick it. Going to my bed, I sat down and brought out the picture in it. This time, it was a photo of me while I was serving drinks and atop my head was a red X. I turned the back of the picture, and saw the words, "X Who wants me dead?