chapter 8
1733 Words
BEFORE THE KING
Elena
Time flies as I remain in the cold room, having only one thing in her mind-- To escape and find my sister.
My mind was in turmoil with the thought of what Kael might do to her.
Knowing the fiery spirit of my sister, I knew Dora would undoubtedly provoke Femi, thinking that I was dead.
I needed to escape. To leave these cold walls, that seems to suffocate me.
Every minute that passed by only heightened my urgency.
My thought, unbidden, wandered to the king. The cold beautiful devil who had taken me in his heat.
I knew I was crazy to let this slip through my mind, but she couldn't help it.
According to Dalia and Nadia, I had escaped death. I had escaped the brutality of my limbs getting ripped apart by the king's feral desire.
Yet, the night with him was abnormal. It stirred something different, I couldn't pinpoint... Something intoxicating.
The way his skin felt under my touch, when I dared to explore his handsome face. His eyes...
Terrifying, yet surprisingly exciting.
'You're insane Elena,' my mind whispered. I should be thinking of escaping this hell hole, not this.
A quiver rippled through her body as the door creaked open.
Sarah and the guard who watched how they cut my hair stepped in, their expressions blank.
"You're being summoned," Sarah announced.
Sarah led me through the Upper West Wings, where the higher rank individuals were located.
The place was exquisite, clean, and well-furnished on every corner. Spotless. Its opulence shone through.
Servants and guards weaving their way as they work.
Sarah remained silent as she led me through the corridors, finally stopping before a large, imposing door. And I halted as well.
Why was I here? Was I to satisfy someone else's desires?
"Get in. She doesn't like waiting," Sarah said, and I struggled to suppress her disdain. Sarah was only following orders, after all.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open, and her eyes settled on the elegant, tall figure inside.
The maids were busy dressing her, as if she had just taken a bath. The young woman moved with such grace that I wondered who she was.
But when I caught a glimpse of her face, I immediately recognized her.
Brenda. The only daughter of Alpha Magnus, the leader of the Black Iron pack, and more importantly, she was rumored to be the Lycan King's betrothed.
I had met her once, a long time ago when her father had Alpha Magnus as a visitor. I had caught a glimpse of Brenda, but they had never spoken.
Now I understood where the hatred was coming from.
As the only one to survive the King's heat, Brenda was bound to resent me.
Now, all the pieces fell into place.
Brenda was trying to hide the fact that I survived the king's heat.
"How has the life of a slave been so far?" Brenda asked, dismissing the maids, and turning fully to face me.
"One could only know if one tries it," I clenched my jaw.
Brenda signaled to the guard at the door, and before I could comprehend, the guard punched me hard in the stomach, making me drop to my knees.
"You need to understand that you're not the Luna of your pack.
This is not a place where you can defy me. Here you are nothing but a slave. A Traitor far too worthless to breathe the same air as me."
"I'm not a traitor!" I growled, gritting her teeth. Every fiber of me hated that title.
Brenda signaled the guard again. I was pulled to her feet, and another hit landed in my stomach, making me spit blood.
"You should watch how you speak to me, slave," Brenda crouched down, her finger grasping my chin and forcing me to meet her gaze.
"I can kill you with a snap of my fingers, torture you with my words, and make your life miserable."
I groaned. Oh heavens, I missed my wolf to heal. The pain was unbearable.
Brenda stood upright and walked around me, like a predator toying with her prey. "Tell me a filthy one... How did you survive the King's heat?"
My jaw tightened. I had expected this question.
"Are you a witch?" Brenda taunted, grabbing a glass of wine from her table and faced me, thereby I remained on my knees. "Oh, I’d love to see you burn alive."
I suddenly chuckled. "Are you afraid my survival is going to make the king reconsider taking you as his Luna?"
Brenda's smug expression disappeared, replaced by pure anger.
"I survived the rut. Something you can never do. You're trying to hide my identity, not wanting the king to know I'm alive," I scoffed.
"Perhaps I should cut off your tongue too," Brenda warned.
"No, you won't. You need to know how I survived the King's rut. You need me, don't you?"
I had no idea how I had survived either. The night with the king had been terrifying, but it remained a mystery to me.
"So tell me how you survived, especially considering the fact that you have no wolf."
I guessed that Brenda must have witnessed the brutality of the King's heat. Perhaps she almost lost her life while forcing herself to satisfy the king and that was true.
"I need to meet the king first." I had heard whispers that, despite being called a monster, according to history, the king had saved the whole pack from dark forces a long time ago.
Brenda snickered. "You think I'm stupid?"
"I have no romantic interest in the king, if that's what you're worried about, I just need to clear my name and go back home."
Brenda's face darkened, her eyes flashing yellow. "How dare a slave try to bargain with me? I knew you would be like this."
She dropped the remnants of wine and clapped her hands twice. "So I brought a surprise for you."
The door swung open, and a tall, imposing guard stepped in with Nadia, who was pushed onto the floor opposite me. Confused,I wondered why they had brought Nadia.
"Please..." Nadia’s lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. She clasped her hands together before Brenda. Her voice was desperate and urgent.
"Whatever my sister did, please forgive her. I heard her scream throughout the night, the guards were doing all sorts of things to her. Please forgive her. Let her go... I'll do anything."
My eyes are narrowing. They did something to Dalia?
"Of course. I'll send her back to you," Brenda smirked, a hint of humor in her voice. The door opened again and my jaw dropped and her body went rigid at the sight.
Dalia lay lifeless in the arms of the guard who stepped in, her naked body covered in bruises and dry blood. I could only imagine what they had done to her.
Cruelty was an understatement.
The guard dropped Dalia cruelly to the floor, and my eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Nooo!!!" Nadia shrieked, rushing to her sister. She called her name repeatedly, confirming that she was dead.
"Why?!" I yelled at Brenda, who simply smiled, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"They are the only slaves who knew of your existence. This is how far I'll go to keep the king from knowing you exist," Brenda's voice was calm as she glanced over Nadia's broken figure.
"Don't worry; they were supposed to die that night, but you saved them."
The guard pointed his sword at Nadia, who lifted her tearful eyes to me, clutching Dalia close.
Brenda continued, "One is dead, and the other's life is in your hands."
My jaw tightened. These girls were innocent; why kill them for such a selfish reason? I asked her.
"Now tell me..." Brenda tilted her head, her voice impatient. "How the hell did you survive my Darling's heat?"
Tension swallowed the room; the only sound that could be heard was Nadia's soft cries.
I could not wrap her head around the pain Nadia must be feeling at the moment.
Losing the only family you grew up with was terrible. The only refuge you could rely on was taken.
I didn't know when I let out a low growl as anger rose in my chest like a storm.
My blood boiled with rage, fists clenched until my knuckles turned white at the sight of Nadia cradling her sister's lifeless body.
Brenda suddenly grabbed her hair, yanking it and making her stand to her feet. Her grip was so hard it ripped little strands of her short, jagged hair.
"I asked you a question. Answer, or I'll ask my men to f**k and kill her just like her sister, right before you."
It was at that moment that I lost it. The last thread holding my composure snapped. My senses blurred with fury.
With a sudden burst of determination, I spun, , my hand shot out, colliding with wrenching free from Brenda's grip, and before I could stop myself,Brenda's face with a satisfying crack that echoed through the room...
••••
Painful groans filled the air, whips clashing against flesh, their tiny sharp edges leaving fresh lines of wounds.
Sprinkles of blood spilled with each lash.
Brenda watched with slight satisfaction at the sight of me getting whipped.
A light red mark bloomed on her cheek from the impact of my hit.
No one absolutely hit her that way, except for pleasure. The best part of my punishment was that I had no wolf to heal her.
My breath was ragged. After the fifth whip, I thought she might pass out at any moment.
What had I been thinking, doing something rash like that? Perhaps it was due to my hatred of people trying to break my spirit.
One succeeded Femi.... I was never going to allow that to happen again.
A guard strode towards Brenda, his feet carrying him as fast as he could. Upon reaching her, he delivered a deep bow.
"My Lady, Lord Michael's personal guard, Juma, is here to see you. It’s an urgent matter."
Brenda raised her hand to the executor whipping me , stopping the activity. Her expression shifted from amusement to wariness.
It must be due to the King's heat. She was prepared for this.
With that, she spun to leave the arena.
- Writer
