chapter 7
1293 Words
Chapter 7: The Whip
Alex
Christmas Eve Eve.
The royal palace glittered brightly like an opened jewel box, every long hallway glowing with warm, welcoming gold light. Servants moved around me like a swift, rushing river, hanging crystal bulbs that caught the light and threw tiny, dancing rainbows across the stone walls. Thick pine garlands spiraled gracefully up every pillar, and the entire vast place smelled strongly of sharp cinnamon, clean snow, and joyful celebration. People laughed openly, humming old, familiar winter songs as they efficiently worked.
Everyone was visibly happy.
Everyone, that is, except for me.
I stood completely still in the dark doorway of my small cellar room, staring blankly at the bare, cold stone walls. There were no decorations here. No sparkling bulbs. Not even a single candle stub to soften the oppressive darkness. Just cold, stagnant air and crushing emptiness.
I hugged my arms tightly around myself and whispered sadly into the deep silence, “I guess this Christmas truly isn’t mine, either.”
Heavy footsteps suddenly thundered down the hallway. I quickly straightened my spine just as two imposing royal guards appeared and deliberately blocked my entrance.
Their expressions were hard, carved from cold stone.
“The Alpha demands your immediate presence,” one said flatly. “You must come now.”
My stomach dropped so hard and fast that I felt instantly dizzy. “Did… did I do something wrong?” I asked faintly.
They offered no answer. They simply turned around and marched away with rigid backs, leaving me no real choice but to quickly follow. With every single step up the winding staircase, my heart pounded harder and harder against my ribs. My palms grew cold and clammy. Something was terribly wrong—dangerously wrong.
The enormous throne room doors groaned loudly open. The vast hall was completely filled with courtiers dressed richly in their finest winter clothing. Their eyes were sharp, hungry, and openly waiting for something dark and sensational to happen.
And that something was clearly me.
King Alaric—no, the Alpha—sat heavily on his ice-carved throne, the bright light catching fiercely in the complex frost patterns behind him. The very moment he saw me, his face twisted in pure, unadulterated disgust.
I bowed as low as I possibly could without completely collapsing. “Alpha. You called for me.”
“Seize her.”
Before I could take a single breath, powerful guards instantly grabbed both of my arms and brutally slammed me down onto my knees. My hip bones hit the hard marble floor with a sharp, sickening crack that echoed loudly beneath me.
“Alpha—what did I do?” My voice shook violently. “Why—”
“Silence!” he roared, his voice shaking the stone.
He rose from the throne, a long, silver-tipped whip coiled tightly in his hand. The burnished metal glittered wickedly like sharp fangs.
My chest tightened so painfully I could barely draw a single breath.
“I showed you great mercy,” he spat out the words. “I raised a common bastard under my protected roof. I fed you. I sheltered you. And how do you dare repay me?” His voice rose dangerously in fury. “By attempting to poison your own King!”
The sudden words struck me like a physical blade. “Poison? I would never—Father, please—I swear it’s not true—”
His face instantly purpled with uncontrollable rage. “I said silence!”
He stepped closer, the sharp whip beginning to dangerously uncoil. “You wish me dead so your foul Shadow Pack can crawl out of the dark and take my rightful throne.”
Hot tears instantly blurred my vision. I shook my head violently from side to side. “That’s not true! I would never hurt you, I promise!”
“Hold her down securely,” he ordered the guards.
Hands like cold iron instantly clamped onto my shoulders and forcibly shoved me forward. The crowd around us erupted immediately in loud jeers and cruel laughter.
“Ungrateful snake!” “Enemy w***e!” “Cursed blood! Look at her for what she is!”
I struggled weakly, sobbing hysterically, my voice breaking completely. “It’s a lie! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
The whip whistled high up into the air.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, bracing for the inevitable pain.
The strike never came.
A chilling silence swept over the entire hall like a sudden, violent wind.
I blinked my eyes open and slowly lifted my head.
Kaelan stood directly in front of me.
His arm was raised high, having perfectly intercepted the whip. The silver-tipped threads had wrapped tightly around his forearm, biting straight through the fabric of his sleeve and into his skin. Bright red blood dripped steadily down his hand, staining the clean marble floor.
He stood powerfully between me and the Alpha like an impenetrable shield of steel.
He looked down at me, his voice soft and completely steady despite the bleeding. “Are you hurt anywhere, Alex?”
I stared up at him in complete disbelief, shaking violently. “Are you?”
He didn’t answer my question. Instead, he slowly turned toward the Alpha, his eyes glowing an angry, hot gold beneath his dark lashes.
“Father,” he said calmly, his voice level, “are you absolutely certain Alex tried to poison you?”
“She has no defense—” the Alpha began.
“I am not asking that, Father.” Kaelan deliberately stepped forward, unwrapping the tangled whip from his bleeding arm with slow, controlled movements. “I am simply asking if you are completely certain of her guilt.”
The Alpha’s face twisted further in fury. “You dare to question your own King?”
Kaelan completely ignored the raw rage vibrating throughout the massive hall. His cold gaze swept the sea of courtiers until it landed sharply on one specific woman.
Maria.
The head kitchen maid.
Kaelan walked directly toward her with a level, completely controlled stride. Maria instantly paled, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
“You are currently in charge of all food and drink preparation, correct?” he asked her, his voice devoid of emotion.
Maria swallowed hard, her eyes wide. “Y-yes, Your Highness.”
His voice dropped a dangerous octave. “Now, tell me precisely how the Alpha was supposedly poisoned.”
Her breath hitched loudly in her throat. Her eyes darted around desperately, but no one moved to step in and save her from his gaze.
“Answer me,” Kaelan commanded softly.
Maria suddenly let out a piercing, high-pitched scream.
She instantly collapsed violently to her knees, clawing frantically at her own throat, clearly choking on nothing at all. It looked exactly like invisible, powerful hands were wrapped tightly around her neck, relentlessly squeezing.
“It was me!” she shrieked, her voice frantic. “I put nightshade into his wine! I wanted you to instantly blame her! I wanted her dead! Not the Alpha—just her!” Her voice cracked into a hateful, desperate sob. “I hate her so much!”
The entire throne room went completely dead silent.
Kaelan’s hand suddenly flashed out with lightning speed.
The resounding crack of his palm across Maria’s face echoed throughout the vast hall like a clap of thunder. She spun around from the blow and instantly collapsed in a heap on the cold marble floor.
He turned to face the Alpha once again, his expression now cold, his voice sharp and lethal as a drawn blade.
“You see, Father,” he said quietly, “sometimes it is always best to fully investigate before you choose to punish.”
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