Chapter 230: 230. Red-Notice

Maisie

The handcuff scraped against my wrists as the guard pushed me forward, out of my cell.

Last night had been uncomfortable, tossing and turning in the thin, straw bed that felt hard as stone, but it wasn’t the worst place I had slept so far.

No one bothered handing me a change of clothes or a meal since last night. And I felt so faint, I was sure if someone shoved me one more time, I was going to face-plant.

"Stay here," the guard said, leading me back into the cold interrogation room, and he moved around me carefully as he took off the cuffs from my wrists, like he half expected me to take the gun from his hostler and shoot him in the head.

Then he produced a weird grey object shaped like a collar.

My Lycan roiled inside me and I felt the wrongness of it wash over me as he brought it close to me. It felt like ash.

I stumbled away from him before he could clamp it over my neck. "What the fuck is that?"

"Insurance," he said coldly. "You didn’t think you would be let out of here without certain measures being put in place, did you?" He shook this collar. "This bad boy is its first prototype. Made for people like you. Powerful Lycans who go out of control. It was the Council’s condition to let you out of holding temporarily."

My heart raced and he interpreted it as fear. I let him come closer and watched the disgust on his face as I bared my neck to him. "And how does it work?" I asked, like I already didn’t know.

He answered when the latch clicked firmly behind my neck. "It is a suppressant infused with a refined, stable form of ash. It keeps your strength, speed and healing at human levels. And if you try to draw on any more than you should, it releases enough charge to kill a small animal." His lips curved into a daring smile. "It would be fun to watch you shit yourself when that happens. So by all means, try it."

That was never going to happen, but I didn’t tell him that. In time, they would realize how useless keeping me collared was.

The guard left and I scrubbed the itchy skin, waiting for Quinlan. I half wondered what he looked like now. If he hated me, too.

I sat there for minutes that trickled into hours, the cold numbness in my boots spreading throughout my body.

When the door swung open again, my heart jumped in my chest, and then fell when I saw it was only Richie, the driver.

He smiled—actually smiled at me—and lowered his head in a curt bow. "Your Highness. My apologies for the wait. Master Chastain has..." he paused. "Prior engagements. I’ll be taking you in his stead."

So, Quinlan was definitely avoiding me. Still, it felt good to see a familiar, warm face amidst all of it.

I followed Richie out, ignoring all of the staring and whispering as we walked out of the correction facility.

He handed me a bag with a cellphone. It was compact and had only buttons for numbers. "Master Black has instructed that you keep it on you at all times. If there will be changes in your schedules or urgent developments, you will be contacted."

Richie then added with a pleasant smile as he opened the door for me, "He also said to tell you it’s been tapped. And if you call any one of your boyfriends, he will find them and murder them."

I coughed, choking on my spit.

As I slipped into the car, I noticed, at least, three black SUVs behind us. The glasses were tinted, but if I were to take a wild guess on who occupied them, I would say they were guards to keep me in check.

Throughout the drive while Richie relayed Soren’s messages on curfews at 8pm and a bunch of other crappy rules I was definitely not going to follow, my eyes kept flicking to the rear view mirror, taking an inventory of my convoy.

There were seven cars in total.

An amused snort escaped me. If I was collared and still needed an entire convoy of armed guards to escort me, then it was official. I was officially public enemy number one. In other words, I was a red-notice.

****

There were sentries crawling all over the Academy.

But that wasn’t the only thing different about it. The tall limestone washed buildings had been expanded into a fortress with watch towers that stretched up to the skies at every corner. Even the tall gates had been refashioned and reinforced with silver. There was no getting in without an ID.

I held up a brown box Richie had handed me that contained most of my things I had left at the mansion. At least, the things I had brought with me to the mansion. Soren’s message on that note had been if I wanted more things, I could buy them with my own money.

And when I’d asked Richie if I was, at least, allowed to get a job. He had placed a call to Soren for me to ask about that, and I heard him snarl, Fuck no.

I thought Soren couldn’t decide if he wanted to punish me or not. He had always been self-contradictory.

It was still earlier in the day, and the hallways of the Lodgings were packed with students, and the moment they noticed me being flanked by eight armed guards, the hallway fell silent, their gazes bulging.

"That’s her."

"How could they let her back here?"

"Traitor bitch."

I raised my chin as I walked, refusing to bulk or hunch or reduce myself to their accusations that chased me down the hallway.

"My cousin’s in the force. He said she was selling herself in Germany while she was on the run."

"Disgusting. They should’ve executed her on sight."

"Heard she got a trial. Must be some goddess-tier pussy if Prince Soren stuck out his neck for her even after finding out she was fucking ten other dudes."

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