CHAPTER 457: DINNER WITH THE DEVIL

The bedroom door shut with a final, echoing click, and Jasmine stood frozen in place.

The room was lavish, almost deceptively so rich velvet drapes, gold-framed mirrors, and a carved four-poster bed dressed in silks. But none of that mattered. Not the gleaming chandelier, not the scent of fresh roses wafting from a crystal vase.

She didn’t care.

All she saw were bars. A gilded cage was still a cage.

She whirled around and ran to the windows, yanking the curtains open. The forest beyond glowed under the amber wash of the setting sun, but the windows wouldn’t budge.

She pressed her hands to the cold glass, searching for locks or hinges. Nothing. It was sealed.

Her heartbeat picked up.

She turned back to the room and began scouring every inch. Behind the armoire, under the bed, inside the wardrobe. Nothing. No secret passage, no hidden doors.

Only a single oak door, the one she’d been forced through, and it was locked tight from the outside.

She clenched her fists, her breath coming fast. "Think, Jasmine. Think."

Her eyes darted to the shadows gathering outside the windows, to the wilderness beyond the glass. And then her heart dropped.

Marro.

She hadn’t even gotten the chance to warn him. She’d left him, left him in the forest with kire, the wolf that had followed them loyally.

What if Alpha Hunter’s wolves found him? What if Kire couldn’t protect him alone?

"No," she whispered, her knees buckling as she slid down to the floor. Her hands clutched her stomach. "I left him. I left him out there."

Tears stung her eyes, and she gasped, trying to control her panic. It spiraled anyway.

What if Marro had tried to follow her?

What if they caught him?

She was in such a lovely room and then she wondered how Marro was.

She wondered what Xaden was going through, what condition he was even in.

She felt her tummy twist.

She wept and was so overwhelmed with exhaustion that she slept off.

She heard a knock at the door that jolted her awake. She scrambled to her feet just as the lock clicked and the door opened. Two maids stepped inside.

Their eyes were downcast, their expressions blank. Between them, they carried a dress. Long, emerald green silk. Fitted bodice. Embroidered in gold thread. Beautiful. And threatening.

"Alpha Hunter requests your presence at dinner," one said softly, offering the gown forward.

"I’m not hungry," Jasmine muttered.

"He said to dress you regardless," the other replied. "He will not like it if you’re late."

Jasmine stared at the gown. The way it shimmered under the candlelight made her stomach twist. She didn’t want to wear it. She didn’t want to look like one of them.

But then her thoughts drifted to Xaden .

She was here for him.

Who knew what hunter would do to him.

If she refused to cooperate, would Hunter harm him?

One wrong misstep could ruin everything.

She took the dress without a word.

The maids helped her change. They brushed her hair, tightened the bodice, slipped gold bangles around her wrists. When they finished, they stepped back, silent as shadows, and opened the door for her to leave.

The halls beyond were colder than she remembered. Long corridors with smooth stone walls and heavy tapestries muffled every footstep.

Two guards followed her down every step of the winding staircase.

When she reached the dining hall, she stopped in the doorway.

There was only one long table.

And only two chairs.

Alpha Hunter sat at the far end, already halfway through his meal. The room was dimly lit with candles, casting flickering shadows over the dark wood and glittering silverware.

He looked up when he saw her, a slow, assessing smile curving his lips.

"Ah," he said. "You look... acceptable. Sit."

She didn’t move.

"I said sit."

Reluctantly, Jasmine stepped forward and took the seat opposite him. Her chair creaked under her slight weight.

A plate had already been set in front of her; roasted lamb, potatoes glazed with herbs, buttered greens. She stared at it, unmoving.

"Something wrong?" Alpha Hunter asked, slicing into his meat with calm precision. "You should eat. For the baby."

She was appalled at how he made such reference to the baby callously.

She felt the need to throw him off the

Her eyes lifted to his. "Why did you attack Xaden ?"

There was no softness in her voice. No warmth. Just fury, held together by sheer force of will.

Hunter didn’t pause in his meal. "Ah. Straight to the point, then."

"I want an answer."

"Of course you do," he said, leaning back in his chair and dabbing his mouth with a cloth napkin. "Let me explain something to you, Jasmine. I’m not the kind of Alpha who waits for opportunity. I take it. And Xaden was in my way."

"He’s not your enemy."

"No," Hunter said, smiling faintly. "But he has been a silent adversary for a very long time. So once I knew he was going to come around to resolve simple land disputes I had to take advantage of it."

She clenched her jaw. "You didn’t just attack. You almost killed him."

"That’s a matter of perspective."

She pushed her plate away. "I won’t eat."

"Is that your final decision?" he asked, casually sipping his wine.

"I’m not going to pretend to enjoy a meal with the man who destroyed everything."

His eyes darkened. "You should reconsider. You’re with child. My patience only extends so far."

"I don’t care about your patience."

He stood then, slowly, and walked around the table to her side.

Jasmine remained still, refusing to flinch even when he leaned close, his voice a whisper at her ear.

"I was going to wait," he said. "But perhaps you should know, Xaden’s life hangs in the balance. If you refuse to cooperate... he dies."

Jasmine’s breath hitched.

"How do I know he is alive?" She demanded.

"You don’t." He stated matter of fact. "Whether he stays that way is solely up to you."

She stared at her plate. Her hand trembled as she picked up the fork.

Every bite tasted like ash.