SUBDUING THE SOVEREIGN

Chapter 3

MADISON BLAKE'S POV

How vicious! I felt my knees getting weaker. I knew struggling was useless as it would only make the curse more effective. The Blood guard's curse was a wicked curse and side effect from the blood guard pact. This curse has the power to force a blood guard to obey his master's order, even sacrificing their own life.

But people rarely use it on their blood guard, except one that is trying to revolt or kill them. It slashed twenty years off the lifespan of the blood guard, sucking off their vital energy, while it literally has no effect on the master. Except strengthening them with the vital energy seeping out from their blood guard. It was a wicked technique formed by the witches of the western mountains.

How vicious, despite knowing it will draw away twenty years of life from me she still did it.

Not just that, I could feel her sucking off my vital energy at alarming speed.

I turned to her and saw her smiling viciously, her amber eyes now had a red hue from using the evil practice.

Her skin had become rosy from using the vital energy I got after years of painstaking training.

I fell to my knees weakly and she laughed loudly, cackling like a wicked witch.

"I will destroy that beautiful face of yours that always made you proud. And you will become my dog's little slave and harlot" she said viciously walking towards me.

My heart skipped a beat.

It was no secret she hated seeing anyone as beautiful as she is or more beautiful.

I looked just like my mother, who was the most beautiful girl in the territory then, Princess Jeniffer never made her hatred of my face and physique a secret. And now, has she finally decided to mutilate me?

"Hold her down and cut her open" she ordered and her attendants quickly moved to obey.

I wanted to fight them but I was too weak to move a finger.

They cut open my arm, one of my veins was slashed open making torrents of blood flow into the bowl of herbs and dog food.

My eyes widened and I bit my lips to hold back the pain. Others normally slashed the skin but they targeted my veins, making their intention obvious. They wanted to kill me!

They threw me off once the bowl was half filled with blood. Torrents of blood kept flowing out of my body, dyeing the garden around me.

I tried to channel my energy to seal the bleeding, but my efforts were pitifully weak. Jennifer walked to me, slashing my face with a dagger. Carving a thin line from my ear to my lips.

She cackled loudly and I looked at the dog, hungrily lapping up my blood. Soon it finished the bowl and looked at me hungrily, as if it wanted to eat me too. I looked at it with my wolf eyes, daring it to. It whimpered before running after Jennifer who kicked me and left the garden.

I finally allowed the tears to fall from my eyes as I looked at the sun.

****

I lay there till evening before I heard my brother shouting my name. He found me and gasped.

"Goddess, Maddie, she did this?" He shouted angrily before sealing my wounds.

He carried me up and began to rush out of the palace. I was surprised when my little brother carried me up.

I smiled, the little boy has already grown up now.

He dropped me on his bed, before attending to my wounds and channeling his vital energy to my body.

He screamed, startling me.

"What happened to you? Who sucked your energy and cut off your lifespan? I will kill her!" He roared and stood up.

I quickly held his hand.

"No please. You will be in big trouble. It's okay. I'm okay now. Think about father, you will put him in an awkward spot if you confront her" I whispered in a weak voice.

He bit his lips and clenched his fists angrily.

He turned and poured more energy inside my body.

Soon, the pounding headache I felt stopped.

I quickly stopped him from giving more energy to me to avoid hurting himself.

He rushed to his clothes cabinet and brought out food and milk he had hidden there.

He always hides away food to give me every night. He must have discovered me while searching for me at the hideout he normally sends me to a before bringing me food.

I smiled as he set the feast before me. I ate up the liver stew and fried fish hungrily, dipping the bread in it at intervals. I quickly cleared the food and drank the milk.

He kept the plates inside a basket and hid it, before carrying me to my room which was the attic.

Beatrice had sent me away from my room into the attic years ago.

The bed in there was brought up by my brother when he was ten, which had caused a big fight back then.

I smiled as my heart filled with warmth. He laid me down and hurriedly left. He soon returned with expensive elixirs and herbs which he gave me, which probably stole some of from our father's cabinet. He poured some tonic into my mouth, before cleaning me up with a wet towel.

He applied some herbs on me and tied my arm. I could feel my vein re-connecting. He applied the anti-scar ointment on my face, before putting the vials away.

"I'm sorry dear. I'm too weak to help you now sis. I will get more powerful and take us out of here. Okay?" He whispered, holding my hand.

I nodded and before I knew it, I slept off. Probably because of the potent herbs.

*****

I felt the sun shine on my face and opened my eyes.

I stood up and realized I had recovered a bit. I looked out of the tiny window.

I heard the bell toll and my heart jumped.

It was past noon, which meant I slept for a whole day.

I bathed with the water I always reserved in my little bathroom.

I untied the bandage and saw that my hand was almost healed.

I wonder how much those herbs cost.

I quickly dressed in my warrior's garments, the only clothes I seem to have. I noticed a covered plate and saw some food hidden in the cabinet. It was still warm. I ate it quickly.

I tiptoed down into the house only to hear my brother and father arguing.

My heart immediately turned sour at my father's uncaring words.

I waited for an hour before going downstairs to drink some water.

Almost immediately, I heard the butler welcome one of the princess's maids.

She walked in and went straight to the kitchen. She found me easily because of the tracking crystal I was always made to wear.

"The princess orders you to appear before her" she said arrogantly and grabbed my arms, pulling me along.

I pulled away angrily and flung her hand away.

"How dare you! You're just a dog's blood slave!" She shouted, slapping me.

I was furious and wanted to descend on her, but I remembered what my father had to say about me when my brother confronted him earlier. I scoffed angrily and swallowed the injustice.

I walked towards the princess's quarters, noticing the look of disdain I kept receiving.

Even the slaves were raising their noses arrogantly at me.

Of course, I had become the lowest entity that could exist.

Demoted from a blood guard, a warrior, to a blood slave. And not just any blood slave, slave to a dog!

I bit my lips angrily and entered the princess's chambers where she was sitting.

I knelt before her, awaiting her orders.

"The Beta's son of the golden river pack had disrespected me during the last fair. He's going on a hunt tonight, bring me his head. You know the consequences of failure!" She shouted before entering her bedchambers, with a cruel smirk on her face.

She knows I have been weakened, she's only trying to kill me.

The young man he's sending me to is a ferocious warrior.

If I make up my mind to kill him, I will be able to do it by making some sacrifices, due to the technique I practice. It gives an insane burst of power, the only downside was that whoever practices it will have an incredibly short lifespan.

Worse, she had slashed off twenty years from my life yesterday.

Despite my father knowing the effects, he still forced me to practice it. That's why despite being seventeen, I could kill powerful wolves as an assassin. Although I have not even shifted. That was the purpose my father left me alive till now, to become a sword that kills for the pack.

If I had doubted his intentions, after hearing him loud and clear today, I finally realized what I was to him and the pack.

An emotionless sword!

*****

I walked away and entered the blood guard chamber in the palace, arming and equipping myself.

I picked my mask and tied it on, wearing my cloak to conceal my face, figure and weapons. A blood guard must always remain anonymous to protect their masters, otherwise they must die.

I walked to the stable and took a horse, riding away into the sunset.

I set my horse on a gallop as the guards opened the pack gates for me.

"You have twenty-four hours" I heard the princess tell me through the bond crystal on my wrists.

This was what I was meant to do, I was born to kill. Forever a jinx.

But if Jennifer thinks I will kill an innocent for her after how she treated me, then she's joking.