Chapter 200
..Lady Agnes?
Janet froze on her spot.
She had never heard Westin mention that name to her.
And that female voice said that Lady Agnes missed himâ¦So was Lady Agnes his sister?
Or evenâ¦his mistress?
Janet chose to stay quiet for the moment and hid in the shadow of the bush, listening attentively.
âSoon. How is Agnes doing?â Westin asked.
His voice was soft and gentle. It sounded like he really cared about this girl named Agnes.
The woman he was talking to sighed, âNot so well. Lady Agnes didnât have the appetite. She ate so little and rarely left her room. Although she still took her medicine, the doctor said that her illness was getting severeâ¦â
Westinâs voice turned cold instantly, âI asked you to take good care of her. And let me know if she got sick again. Did my order mean nothing to you?â
The woman panicked.
So did Janet.
Westin was always nice to servants. This was the first time she saw him talking this harshly to a maid.
Janet peeked through the leaves and saw the woman drop down on her knees.
âWâWe wanted to let you know. But Lady Agnes said that she didnât want you to worry about her. All she ever wanted was for you to be back, my king! When you return, I am sure that she will get better in no time.â
Westin let out a frustrated sigh.
âRise,â he said. âNext time something happens to her, you let me know immediately. Other things can wait. She is my number one priority.â
The woman pulled herself up slowly, âI understandâ¦But when will you be back, my king?â
âA week later, I think. I just need to wrap things up with Janet. As soon as she agrees to come home with me, I will head back at once.â
Janetâs body tensed up at the mention of her own name.
âHas she said yes to your proposal, my king?â the woman asked.
Westin let out a light snort, âNot yet. But she doesnât have much of a choice. It is either me or Daran. She hates Daran. I am the best she can do. She is not stupid. She will come around soon â
âOf course. Your proposal must be the best thing that happens to her in her lifetime,â the woman smiled. âAnd about this Princess Janetâ¦â
She hesitated for a short moment.
âWhat about her?â Westin asked.
âLady Agnes wants to know what she should expect. If everything works out as you planned, our lady will be living under the same court with Princess Janetâ¦..Rumor says that this princess is a tough person to deal with. She is hotâtempered and illâmannered. Our lady is a delicate person. I fear that-â
âAgnes has nothing to worry about,â said Westin forcefully. âI will keep Janet under control.â
âBut that Princess is a warrior! If she pulls a sword against our lady-
Westin let out a short laugh, âPulling out a sword in the Lycanâs land? No. Janet wonât dare.â
Janet rounded her eyes.
What the fuck were they talking about?
It sounded like they considered her a prisoner!
And the thing that made her angry the most was that Westin didnât deny it at all when that woman called her âhotâtempered and illâmannered.â
Was that how he really thought of her?
And yet he talked about how much he loved her all the time, which appeared to be an
utter lie!
Janet felt lucky that she discovered who Westin really was before being tempted to
choose him.
She took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadow:
âDonât bother keeping me under control, Westin. Because I am not going to the Lycanâs land with you.â
Westin and the woman jerked around at the same time.
Shock flickered across his eyes. Then his eyes darkened.
âYou are back, Janet.â
He smiled a charming smile, as though nothing had happened, âI was looking all over for you. I brought back the wine that Balvina wanted.â
Janet stared at him.
He was just as charismatic as ever.
Yet right now she found his smile very fake.
She ignored him and turned to the woman he was talking to, âWhat is your name?â The woman flinched, holding her head down, and murmured, ââ¦Fatima.â
âAlright, then Fatima. You can go back and tell your lady to relax. Because I am not accepting your kingâs proposal, and certainly not living under the same roof with her.â
Janet paused, and then let out a sarcastic chuckle, âAnd she was right about me. I am
a hotâtempered person who has absolutely no manners and curtsey. But lucky for her, I am not her problem to worry about.â
Fatima bit her lips and cast a pleading look at Westin.
âLeave us,
âWestin said coolly.
Janet raised an eyebrow, âThere is no need, King Westin. I already rejected your proposal. You can head back immediately.â
Westinâs jaw tightened.
He stressed, âLeave.â
Fatima hastily turned and disappeared behind the bushes.
Westin walked up to Janet. He raised a hand to touch Janetâs cheek, but she tilted her
head and avoided his touch.
âI can explain, Janet,â he said quietly.
âNo. Donât bother,â Janet said in a firm and calm voice. âI was coming to let your know that I have made up my mind. Daran is my final choice. I didnât really know how to break it to you. But you just made everything a lot easier.â
Westin stared at her, deadpan, âYou are choosing Daran? Think about how he has hurt you-
âAt least I am confident to say that I am the only woman he ever loved.â Janet sneered, âThere might be other important things in his life, like his power and his pack, but his love for me is undeniable. And most importantly, he will never speak ill
of me behind my back.â
âI didnât say anything-
Janet interrupted him with a frown, âWhy do you want me so much, Westin? There is a mate bond, yes. Bur
if you have deep feelings for another woman, just quit wasting your time on me. Take Casper and Balvina as an example. They are happy enough without a mate bond.â
âI want you because I love you.â Westin said without hesitation, âI have fallen in love with you ever since I met you for the first time in the Grace Ruin.â
Janet found that so absurd that she almost laughed.
If he really loved her, he would never speak of her like that behind her back.
âLoveâ was simply a tool that Westin used to manipulate her.
âYou are a woman magnet, Westin. I will give you that.â Janet said with an icy smile on her lips, âBut you might have too much confidence in your charms. And when it comes to love, you are a terrible liar.â
There was a cold and tight expression on Westinâs face, as though he was going to flip the next second.
Yet a short moment later, he contained his temper and relaxed.
That familiar, idle smile appeared on his lips again.
âYou think I was lying to you? I am hurt, Janet.â he crossed his arms and said, âEvery word I said, every confession I made was real. And as for Agnes-â
âI told you. I am not interested to know-â
âHear me out,â he said forcefully. âAgnes is a family friend. We grew up together. But she is already mated to another man, a close friend of mine actually. So nothing will ever happen between me and her.â
âBut I can tell that you care about her,â Janet shrugged. âAnd I am not getting into this love affair of yours. It is over between us, Westin.â
Westin narrowed his eyes, âThere is still time before the wedding. Donât rush into any conclusion, Janet Give me another chance and let me prove my feelings to you-
âSeriously. Donât bother. A sick girl is waiting for you. You should go home as soon as possible.â
A deathly silence fell upon them.
Westin didnât say anything else. Maybe he had come to realize that her rejection was for real.
A storm was forming in his eyes. A dark, scary look appeared on his face.
Janet couldnât help but take a small step back.
A chill that had nothing to do with the night breeze in the mountain stole over her.
âLetâs wrap this up, Westin.â she said hastily under pressure, âIf you wonât reject me, I will.â
She took a deep breath before announcing, âI, Janet Manning, hereby reject Wes-
Yet she didnât get to finish her rejection.
A sharp pain came from her neck and shot through her body!
It was Westin.
He took a hard hit on the back of her neck, knocking her down!
Janet crushed to the ground, her eyes widened in shock, her lips trembling.
Even at this very moment, she still couldnât believe that Westin would do such a thing to herâ¦
âYou are making a terrible mistake, Janet.â
Westinâs handsome face appeared in her blurred vision. He smiled, coldly, looking down at her painâstricken face.
âBut luckily, I can fix your mistake,â he said.
He took another hit on her neck, knocking her out.