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Chapter 283: Chapter 283 Opportunity
"Joy," she repeated his name, letting it roll off her tongue with a hint of warmth. "That’s a lovely name." She tilted her head, trying to appear vulnerable and approachable. "Do you know why I’m here? What’s happening to me?"
Joy hesitated, his freckled face flushed slightly. "I-I don’t know the details, but... you’re important. Benjamin said to keep an eye on you." He bit his lip, unsure how much he should reveal.
Kyra nodded, her heart racing with a mix of anticipation and hope. This was her chance. If she played her cards right, she could get the information she needed—maybe even convince him to help her escape. All she had to do was pretend to be something she wasn’t, and wait for the perfect moment to strike.
"Why does he need to keep an eye on me?" Kyra asked, her voice soft yet probing, trying to coax more out of him. But Joy, the boy, simply shook his head, looking almost regretful that he couldn’t tell her more.
"I don’t know," he repeated, his gaze briefly meeting hers before flitting away again. But then, as if some invisible command urged him, he added, "I will keep an eye on you," and in the blink of an eye, his form shifted.
His body twisted, feathers sprouting rapidly from his skin, his limbs reforming until he was no longer the freckle-faced boy but a large, majestic owl.
Kyra stood frozen for a moment, staring at the owl perched by the window. His wings stretched slightly, his gaze never leaving hers, those glowing yellow brown eyes almost hypnotic.
"An owl," Kyra whispered, taking a step closer but still cautious. "You’re... different."
The owl cocked its head slightly as if acknowledging her words but didn’t respond.
No matter how many times Kyra called out, the owl—Joy—never responded.
She felt uneasy, the strange aura of this place making her skin crawl.
"What the heck is this bit*h doing here? Who allowed her to be here? I’m the queen of this place!" A shrill voice pierced the quiet, followed by loud footsteps stomping towards her room.
Kyra stiffened, her senses on high alert, and before she could brace herself, Sandra barged into the room with all the grace of a storm. She looked even chubbier than before, her face twisted in an angry scowl, her eyes filled with disdain as they landed on Kyra.
Sandra stood in the doorway, her presence as obnoxious as ever, her arms crossed over her chest. "You think you can just waltz in here, huh? I don’t care who you are, this place belongs to me!" She sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "I’m the queen here, and I won’t have you taking what’s mine!"
"What are you talking about, the most beautiful female Sandra?" Kyra said with a mocking smile, barely holding onto her patience after everything that had been thrown her way.
Sandra, oblivious to the sarcasm, puffed up proudly, her eyes gleaming with arrogance. "Finally, you admit it," she said, raising her chin as if she had won some great battle. Her voice was filled with self-satisfaction, completely missing the mockery in Kyra’s tone.
Kyra’s smile grew tighter, her mind working quickly. She was losing her calm, but she had to stay composed. Every moment here was pushing her to the edge, and yet she needed to stay sharp if she was going to get out of this mess. If Sandra was going to be this delusional, Kyra could at least use it to her advantage.
"Of course," Kyra added sweetly, her eyes narrowing slightly, "only someone as... ’unique’ as you could rule a place like this."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the door. Loud footsteps echoed through the hallway, and then a voice boomed urgently, "Sandra! Sandra! Where are you?" 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
The door swung open, and two males, clearly her mates, rushed in with worry etched on their faces. One of them, tall with sandy blonde hair, reached out for Sandra. "Let’s go, Sandra. You shouldn’t be here," he said, trying to usher her away gently.
But Sandra wasn’t having it. In a flash, her anger flared, and she turned on him, her eyes burning with fury. "Get your hands off me!" she snarled. In a shocking move, she sank her teeth into his hand, hard enough to draw blood. He yelped and stumbled back, cradling his hand with a look of disbelief and pain.
The other mate looked between Sandra and Kyra, unsure what to do. Before he could say anything, Sandra fixed her glare on Kyra, her face twisting with rage. "First, throw this dirt out of the castle!" she snapped, her voice venomous. "I am the only Queen here!"
Her other mate looked uncertain, shifting his gaze from Kyra to Sandra, clearly caught between loyalty and reason. But Sandra wasn’t finished. She stepped closer to Kyra, her posture oozing with authority. "I won’t have her here, do you hear me? This place belongs to me and me alone!"
"But Benjamin..." one of Sandra’s mates mumbled, hesitating as his eyes flickered toward the door, as if expecting Benjamin to appear any moment.
Sandra’s patience snapped. "No excuses! I said throw her out!" she barked, her voice shrill with rage, pointing a trembling finger at Kyra as if she were nothing more than an unwelcome pest.
Just as Sandra’s mate made a move, Joy swooped down from the window in a rush of feathers and shifted back into his human form. He stood tall between Kyra and Sandra’s mates, his face determined. "No," Joy said firmly, his voice Sweet but calm. "You can’t touch her, female! You should head back to your room. Leave this one."
Sandra’s eyes widened, shocked by the defiance, especially coming from Joy, someone she clearly viewed as beneath her. "How dare you!" she spat, glaring at him.
Kyra stood still, watching the scene unfold, and for the first time since Sandra had barged in, she felt a flicker of relief.
Kyra saw an opportunity in Sandra’s obvious disdain. If she could use Sandra’s anger to her advantage, she might find a way to escape from this place. Sandra’s contempt was palpable, and Kyra knew she needed to act quickly.
