𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒

36. 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 . . . 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲

𝕬uradon is under attack, and Ben couldn't reach anyone.

He tried calling Jane back the second she hung up, but she kept declining his calls for some reason. Ben dialed another time just to receive the same results. He groaned in frustration and gripped her phone so tight it could crumble under his hand.

Ben called Rilynn in hopes she was okay because, after Jane had said that, he wasn't too sure about that.

"Pick up the phone, Rilynn," Ben muttered, behind his finger, which he was nibbling on anxiously. Ben continued to pace his office as he listened to the continuous ringing. "Pick up the phone."

Ben's stomach dropped when the automatic voicemail spoke instead of his friend. There could be a reason she didn't pick up; Ben couldn't jump to conclusions. Whatever Jane said couldn't be true. It can't be. There's no way Audrey turned evil or that she took Rilynn. Oh, who am I kidding?

The King clicked on a different contact number, a direct line to his royal guards. If Ben couldn't get to anyone, he would have to find out his way.

"There's an attack on Auradon," Ben alerts right away. He didn't even bother greeting his royal guard like he usually would. "I want Auradon guards hanging out gas masks."

"But, sir, it would be futile if everyone's asleep, would it not?"

"Not everyone's asleep," he bites his tongue. "I want every guard out there looking for anyone still awake."

Ben hung up and turned to one of the royal servants at the door. "Find out if anyone's seen Audrey," the servant nodded. "And find out if she has a list of demands!"

If Ben was going to figure out where Rilynn was and what Audrey's motive was, he needed to find the girl herself. It probably won't be easy, but Ben knows Audrey better than anyone; if anyone can talk to her, it's him. I hope.

The royal servant nodded once more before darting out of the room, leaving Ben to figure things out on his end. Ben couldn't focus, and all these thoughts ran through his head. He felt overwhelmed. Suddenly, Ben had a strong urge to remove his jacket as if it was bothering him like it was getting hot. Ben unzipped the coat and felt the cool air touch his skin, and his chest could move freely without restriction.

"Just one."

Ben turned around and stared at Audrey in silence. He eyed her cautiously, looking at the crown and the scepter, then back at Audrey. She looks different. Audrey doesn't look like the same girl he knew; once upon a time, Ben would've said he had love for Audrey, but it wasn't the love he thought it to be. Still, Ben cared for Audrey, but this wasn't her.

"Audrey . . ." Ben whispered in awe.

Audrey's lip quirked until it blossomed into a toothy grin, wickedly wild. She looked like she was enjoying this, toying with the idea of dark magic, preying on the unexpected and forcing them into a wake-less slumber. She didn't look like that sweet girl Ben knew her as.

She slowly starts toward Ben, flashing her soft brown eyes.

"I have a proposition. I'll wake everybody up right now," Audrey's finger trailed up his arm and shoulder, ignoring or noticing how Ben flinched away. Audrey merely brushes his bangs aside, admiring her ex-lover. "Under one itty-bitty condition, Benny-Boo. Make me your Queen, and we'll rule side by side."

This is what it was all about? This is what Audrey wanted? She went through all of this trouble of stealing the scepter and crown to become queen. There's no way Audrey would do this. Something doesn't seem right.