The Lycan King's Broken Luna

Chapter 6

Warning! Graphic Content!

I woke up before breakfast was brought down, so I quickly showered and changed. The clothes that Jaekob provided fit me perfectly. While I was brushing my teeth, I heard someone coming down the corridor. I didn't bother hurrying to finish, I just assumed they'd leave the tray and that would be that. When I finished brushing my teeth and walked out of the bathroom, Jaekob was sitting at the desk. No food in sight. My stomach growled ferociously.

Jaekob chuckled, "There will be food, I promise. Since you behaved yesterday, I thought I'd reward you with breakfast up stairs with me." Morri rolled her eyes. Yeah, like that's a reward. She said, sarcastically. I couldn't help but smile. Thankfully, I played it off like I was accepting his invitation. "That sounds nice", I lied. He got up from the chair and led me down the corridor to the stairs leading up to the rest of the palace. He would eye me subtly whenever he went around a corner. He didn't trust me. Yet.

We walked around a corner and I was so surprised by what I saw that I gasped. The dining room looked normal. And by normal I mean it wasn't entirely white and sterile like the rest of the palace. It actually looked cozy. A large wooden table with intricate and ornate swirls and carvings. Eight dining chairs with rich red velvet seats. There was a beautiful red table runner in the middle of the table that had depictions of bears embroidered on it with golden thread. "Wow, this is beautiful", I gushed.

Morri even agreed without a hint of sass. "It looks nothing like the rest of the palace", I said, before I could stop myself. I saw Jaekob flinch in front of me but he recovered quickly. "My mother decorated this room, and it's the only one I couldn't bring myself to change. It reminds me of her", he explained. He walked to the head of the table and took his seat and motioned for me to sit next to him.

Without him having to say anything, a servant, a young man with blonde hair, started bringing out plates of eggs, sausage, bacon and fried potatoes and placing them in front of us. It smelled so good my stomach rumbled again. "Eat as much as you'd like, I have some exercises planned for you today so you'll need your strength", he said as he started loading up his own plate. "Is all this food for just us?" I asked, placing some bacon and sausage on my plate. "Whatever we don't finish will be split among the servants", he said in between mouthfuls.

The young servant walked up to us and held up a pot of coffee. I nodded my head and when he leaned forward to grab the empty coffee cup in front of me, I noticed a brand on his neck. It looked like a simple outline of the head of a bear. I recognized that symbol, it was the same one hanging from the palace walls and the main gate when I arrived. The sigil for the Kingdom of the Werebears, here in the south. I knew then why I never saw any real servants. They were all slaves. Probably purchased from the same black market I was to be sold at.

"You good for nothing waste of space! I should kill you for this! How can you be so clumsy! Have you learned nothing from your time in the dungeons?! Go to the training field and wait there. If you run, I'll make it slow and extra painful", Jaekob's scolding brought me out of my thoughts. The young man had accidentally knocked over a glass of water and it spilled onto Jaekob before he could get it cleaned up. The young man hung his head and nodded, and quickly turned and hurried out of the room,

We need to get out of here sooner rather than later. I don't want to know what his plans are for us past today, but I have a bad feeling that we're going to the training grounds too. Morri said, retreating to the back of my mind. She was right. We can't wait until the full moon. I don't know much about Lycans, other than the fact that they are the strongest and oldest of the shifters. I could use that strength right about now. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. If I get a chance today, during whatever he plans on us doing, I'm taking it. I reassure her.

Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself that, despite the threat of pain, I had to at least try to get out of this mess. I'd have to run a long way, but if I could just get away and maybe get to a car, I could escape back to the safety of King Linus. To home. With my appetite now gone, I forced myself to eat a little more to avoid suspicion, since my stomach, very loudly, announced my hunger every chance it got this morning.

After Jaekob finished his plate, he finished his coffee very slowly, intently looking at something on his phone. It vibrated in his hand and a devious smile broke out on his face. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of what could have made him that happy, remembering the last time I saw that smile was when James' Lycan had his teeth sank into my neck.

"It's time to go to the training grounds. You're going to show me what you can do", he said as he got up from the table. I hesitated. My heart rate picked up, and I knew he could sense it. He turned to me and regarded me with cold eyes. "Either you come willingly, or I will drag you there by force. You've done well so far. Don't piss me off now", he warned. I carefully got up from the table and took one last sip of my my, now cold, coffee. Pleased that I decided to follow without a fuss, he turned around and began leading the way to the back of the palace.

We walked through a large mudroom-looking area before heading out of a large door and onto an open field. In the middle of the field, I could just make out a tall pole in the middle of the field. Atop the pole was a flag with the same bearhead banner that was burned into the slave's neck. Attached to the bottom of the pole was the young slave. He didn't struggle, he just stood there in defeat. No fight left in him. He's going to make us prove ourselves by punishing that poor kid. We'll probably kill him. Morri's anger bubbled over into myself.

"I told you I wanted you to show me the extent of your abilities. That's not the only reason I asked you out here. You see, this young man forgot his place and was careless. You are going to give him his punishment as well as prove to me that you understand your place", Jaekob said, turning around to face me. "You want me to kill him? How will that teach him a lesson?" I ask, anger beginning to seep into my words. "I don't care if he lives or dies, but this is his punishment and if he dies from it, so be it. Your only concern should be proving to me you'll do as I say or I'll make you do as I say by force", he threatened.

I glanced around looking for possible escape routes. There are trees on the left and nothing but open valley everywhere else. Our best chance is to get among the trees and hope like hell it's thick enough to visually hide us. I can hear water but it isn't extremely close. If we can make it there, they might lose our scent. Morri planned. I listened for intently. I didn't notice it before, because it isn't something I'd have been able to pick up before, but I can faintly make out the sounds of a river rushing over rocks. Lycan hearing is incredible.

Jaekob seemed to know what I was thinking and whistled. Out stepped Kit from behind a large oak tree, dashing any hope I had of escaping that way. Damn, he's smarter than I gave him credit for. Em, we're going to have to either take a beating, or hurt that kid. I really don't want to hurt that kid. Morri whined. She padded off to the back of my mind and curled up, blocking me out. Great, now I'm on my own. At least she'll heal me quicker than if I didn't have her.

"Jaekob, I'm not going to hurt this kid for making a mistake. I'm sure what he did was an accident. No one is perfect", I scold. I could see Jaekob clenching his jaw. His eyes flash black as he fights to control his anger. "Please miss! I deserve it! I should have been more careful. You don't know the kinds of things he'll do to you. Just do as he says", the young boy pleads. "You'd do well to listen to him. I'll give you one more chance, if not, You'll be the one tied to the pole", Jaekob threatens through clenched teeth.

"I am not about to hurt someone who did nothing to me!", I yell. Before I could even draw a breath, I hear a gun shot and feel something wet hit my face and arm. I look down to see blood splattered on the front of me and look up to see the boy slumped forward with half of his skull missing. Chunks of his brain are laying on the ground at his feet and globs of blood were still dripping from the crater in the side of his head.

I looked around to see Kit had walked up and on Jaekob's silent command, shot the poor kid in the head. "You sick f**k!" I yell at Kit and Jaekob. "He was just a kid that made a mistake. What the f**k is wrong with you?!" I yell and begin to take a step towards Jaekob but stop when I notice him take a step towards me. I start backing up and preparing myself to run.

I forgot about Kit. He grabbed my arm and yanked me to the pole, Jaekob cuts the boy down and takes my arm from Kit. I try to pull away but he tightens his grip to the point that I know he'll leave a bruise on my arm. Kit drags the boy's body a short distance away and begins tying me to the pole. I struggle but to no avail. Morri, if you're listening, you may want to block me out again. This is going to hurt, and I need you at full strength.

When I don't get a reply I assume she still has me blocked, which is a small relief. Hopefully faster healing means a shorter time I'm in pain. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't notice Jaekob bringing out a whip until I felt it slice into my left cheek. The pain was blinding, but I refuse to let him see me break. I stand firmly in place while he whips nearly every inch of me. I stopped counting the lashes when it got into the thirties.

At some point I must have passed out because I awoke the next morning, on the floor of my cell, after Jaekob dumped a bucket of cold water over me. "Get up", he barked at me. I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes before I spat at his feet. "f**k off", I snarl. I feel a deep growl vibrate my chest. Morri healed most of the wounds. Some of the deeper ones that will take a bit longer and had scabbed over broke open and bled slowly.

Jaekob snarled at me and then swiftly kicked me in the mouth. I spit out the blood that pooled in my mouth. Luckily he didn't knock any teeth out. I gave him my best grin, "Is that all you got? You kick like a girl". Jaekob roared with rage and kicked me again and again. When I felt myself passing out again, I could hear Morri's voice saying That's my girl.