While Faye was in the room with the kids, Princess was busy with Dina and Kaye, having a tea party.
Then a phone began to ring. The sudden, loud vibration buzzed aggressively from inside the canvas tote bag sitting near the hallway entrance, cutting straight through the sound of Dina’s constant chattering.
It was Faye’s phone.
Princess wanted to give it to Faye, but instead she stood up and walked outside the cottage to pick up the call.
She had been meaning to speak with the guy.
"Hey, Faye. When I told you that your hulk of a beta was going to kill me, I was right. This morning he was out of control. He turned the hotel room upside down, and guess what? Now we have to pay for the damages before checking out," Malo rushed out without waiting to hear who had answered.
"Hello, Malone Griffin." Princess stated. Her voice was flat, totally devoid of any warmth, carrying a heavy chill.
Malo immediately paused. The rushing stream of words snapped shut in an instant, the sudden silence on the line so thick that Princess could hear the fast, erratic thumping of his heart through the speaker.
On his end, the bro was checking who he had just dialed. It was Faye’s number, but Princess’s voice was what he heard. His fingers were shaking against the casing of his phone, his chest locking up as he stared at the screen in pure disbelief.
Still doubting...
"Faye... is that you?" he whispered. His voice was incredibly small, his breath coming in a tiny, trembling hitch.
"This is Princess, her girlfriend..."
"Oh... oh... Princess. Hahaha... Hello, ex-boss," he said nervously. A fake, high-pitched laugh escaped his throat, his chest rising and falling with short, panicked pants as he tried to force a casual tone.
"You said you had something to do yesterday. Why aren’t you back? Your little sister is still here." Princess demanded.
"Haha, I had a delay... but I called Faye yesterday to inform her I wouldn’t be coming back. Did she not tell you that?" Malo stuttered out.
"Oh yeah, she did. She told me everything." Princess replied. The words were heavy, dripping with a cold sarcasm that made Malo’s stomach drop like lead.
"Okay, that is great. I’m pretty sure she isn’t with her phone right now, so maybe I’ll call another time..." Malo muttered. He was already pulling the phone away from his ear, his lungs running out of oxygen as the panic took over completely.
"MG, did you not hear what I just said?" Princess rumbled, her voice dropping into a terrifyingly low register that stopped him instantly.
"W-What did you say, Boss... I mean, ex-boss?" Malo squeaked out, his throat locking tight.
"Your business partner told me everything." Princess repeated, her words hitting like a physical blow through the line.
Malo paused again before speaking.
"What exactly did Faye tell you?" he asked quietly. He needed to make sure before he accidentally spilled the beans. His heart was hammering a reckless, chaotic beat against his ribs, his whole body breaking into a cold sweat.
"I do not mind whatever business you two are doing, but did you have to involve my girlfriend in something so dangerous?" Princess growled.
"Danger? What do you mean by that?" Malo tried to play dumb, his breathing turning fast and shallow as he tried to sound completely innocent.
"MG, if you ask me one more question, I swear the moment you step into Oakland, I’m having Beam rip off your legs. They won’t just be broken, they’ll be amputated, and you’ll be crippled for the rest of your life." Princess snarled. The raw, unyielding authority in her voice vibrated through the phone line, filling the quiet woods around the cottage with a terrifying heat.
That threat alone was enough to cripple the poor boy. Malo’s knees actually wobbled, his back hitting the wall behind him as his breath left his lungs in a sharp, horrified gasp.
Princess continued. Her voice remained controlled, but it was a flat, icy wall that gave him zero room to move.
"I get it. Your first priority is your siblings, and Faye now has her own priorities, and that is her children, and most importantly, her own life, because you know what she is. How stupid was it of you to make her tie her blood to a Lycan?" Princess barked out, her deep voice cutting right through his defenses.
Princess continued lecturing the boy, who already felt like he should start preparing his own grave. He could only listen in total silence, his chest heaving with small, terrified puffs of air as the alpha tore his decisions to shreds.
Princess finding out about the Lycan Prince’s contract was a complete shock to him. His mind was spinning at a frantic pace, the realization crashing down on his head.
His friend had already ratted him out. There was no hiding it now, no clever lies left to tell.
Princess said no more, but she gave him a deadline.
"Since I am not allowed to interfere according to the contract that was signed... he gave you both a year to give him what he wants. I am giving you six months to find every single one of the creatures you are hunting. If you don’t do that... I’m going to kill you before he does. So keep it at the back of your head that you now have six months to live instead of a year. Do you understand?" Princess commanded. The words were sharp and final, leaving an icy weight in the air.
"Yes, Boss." Malo whispered. The answer was completely broken, his throat so tight he could barely force the sound out as his head slumped forward in total defeat.
"Good. Have a nice day."
Princess hung up.
She really wanted to interfere and help them find everything, but Lycans and their rules were not something to be messed with.
If they couldn’t finish the task within the time she had given them, Princess would have no choice but to interfere with the matter and do whatever it took to save her family from being targeted by the Lycans.