LUCIUS.
I gave orders for Dusk to be released and waited for her to come to me.
It took such a long time, but I decided to be patient. It should have taken a few minutes to bring her from the dungeon to my quarters, but it was already half an hour.
Or maybe my father was seeing her? I stood up from my chair, and just then, the door opened and she came in. It was then that I understood why it had taken her so long to come. She had been dressed beautifully.
She was brought to stand in front of me, and I signalled to them to excuse us.
They left, and I studied her. Her stay in the dungeon was evident on her body; she was leaner than she used to be.
"The contest. You have to win that to be free from the dungeon." I said, and she looked up at me.
"The contest?" She asked, and I nodded.
"Is there a problem?" I asked, looking at her.
"It has been over since that day I was taken to the dungeon." She said, and I sighed. Then my father would have his say.
"For now, go to your quarters." I said, and she left.
It had been nice seeing her all dolled up. She looked beautiful.
I went to see my father, and he sighed as he saw me once more.
"Lucius. " He said strongly, then raised a hand before I could say a word.
"Alright. You know what? Release her; just stop interrupting me." He said and continued with his men.
A little smile came up on my face, and I left the throne room. That was all it took to set Dusk free.
~
DUSK.
I went to my quarters and was about to go in when I heard my name.
"Dusk!"
I turned around, and to my delight, it was Seline.
She ran to me and stopped panting.
"I went to the dungeon and..." She started to say something, but I pushed open the door and pulled her in gently.
"Why didn't you come?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes.
"Someone ordered the guards not to let me in. I think it's the Alpha. Although I'm not too sure, I kept on coming. And just now, when I went there, they said you had been released. I was so happy." She said as she pulled me in a tight embrace.
I explained to her what had happened shortly after I was released, and she sat on my bed.
"Do you think we should go out? Take a walk; you must have missed the breeze." She said, and I thought about it and smiled.
"Sure. I've missed the daylight." I said, and we left my quarters to go to town.
"So how does it feel to be out once more?" She asked, and I looked at the sky.
"It's really pleasant." I replied, as we looked at the bracelets and rings on display for trade.
"Do you want to try some on?" Seline asked, and I eyed the rings. It wasn't that they really interested me. I just couldn't stop staring. I looked at Seline as she drifted away to the bracelets, trying them all on her hands.
"You want to try these?" The lady selling them asked, and I shook my head.
“No, I'm just..."
“Oh, come on. There are plenty of choices for a pretty lady like you." She said and brought one up to me. It was a simple but beautiful one. It had a single gem shaped like a heart, and the circle was golden.
I took it and slipped it on my ring finger. It didn't go in quickly, and I decided to try it one last time before giving up on it when it suddenly went in. I smiled at the way it adorned my fingers.
"Or this?" She said and held up another beautifully designed ring. I decided to try it on, but the ring would not leave my finger.
"Oh my. It's stuck!" She exclaimed as she tried to help me pull it out, but it seemed to be really stuck.
"Would it ever get out?" I worried as I tried to forcefully pull it out of my finger.
"You'll hurt yourself; I know a woman selling some things around here too. I'm going to tell her to lend me an ointment so it can make your finger slippery." She told me, and I nodded.
The shop was located more at the back; it wasn't really open to people, and it was an older woman selling the wares.
As she applied the ointment, my eyes fell upon the things she was selling, and there was a red liquid, and on it was a love potion.
"Got a man you want to love you?" She asked, and I shook my head.
"No, just staring," I said, and she chuckled.
"Very effective. Always works. Here, all done." She said, and the ring slipped out of my finger.
"Thank you," I said, and she smiled.
"Come again whenever a ring gets stuck on your finger." She joked, and I let out a small smile.
After that, Seline and I went back to the palace.
"Actually, there's something I have to tell you." She told me as we walked into my room.
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
Silence fell and she kept staring at me, contemplating whether to tell me or not.
"What is it?" I urged her when she took too long to speak.
"Dusk. This isn't all you are." She said, and confusion masked my features.
"And that means?" I asked, and she sighed.
"There's something more to you; you're not weak. The only reason you're weak is because..." She trailed off.
I still didn't understand what she was trying to say.
"The reason you can't have your full powers and be like everyone else is because a seal was put on you." She said, and my eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What seal?" I asked her.
"A seal to stop you from being a strong wolf. A seal to make you weak and worthless."