Revenge on Ice

Chapter 2

Lyra

"I said," Silas repeated with a voice that made me almost whimper, "clean it."

I knew I had no other choice, no one was going to help me. I just couldn't believe he was doing this again. Just as my lips neared his shoe, the doors at the end of the hall swung open with a bang.

"What is going on here?" Principal Thorne thundered. The students parted, allowing him to pass and see the scene before him, then he began to bark orders for everyone to leave.

The teachers that were hanging around came to help this time. Someone, maybe Mira, tried to help me up. But Silas just stood there with his foot still on my hand until the principal intervened.

"Your Highness, this is highly inappropriate for school grounds. Release her at once."

Silas lifted his foot slowly, almost lazily, his black eyes never leaving mine and walked away without a word.

I didn't remember much after that. Just hands on my arms, someone wrapping a jacket around me and soon my driver came with my mother and I was bundled into the car. Such were the benefits of being the only daughter of the richest alpha.

I didn't leave my room for days no matter how much my mother tried. I just couldn't but I was sure they already knew what happened because the family healer had come to examine me after I had fainted in the car.

It took a week for me to heal from the broken bond. And after that I was prepared for whatever was going to come because I had no other choice.

I came down to join my family for breakfast by the beginning of the second week. I was finally allowed to use my phone after a week because I was recuperating and my parents wouldn't give the phone to me.

I saw all Mira's texts including the one she sent with a video that explained why Cole had a bruise on his knuckles. Apparently he had punched Darian so badly that he got detention but Darian had also gotten a few hits of his own.

"Here," my mother said as she pushed a plate of eggs toward me.

I nodded, picking at the food because it tasted like ash in my mouth.

Father cleared his throat. "We've all been invited to the palace tonight for dinner with the king and queen."

Both Cole and I froze with our fork halfway to our mouth.

"The wolf king?" Cole said the same time I said "Why?!"

Our mother gave a tight smile. "Yes. He reached out and said it's time to resolve things."

Cole set his fork down. "Resolve things? I thought we were at war with him. You refused to sell the oil rights on our land. He threatened sanctions last year."

Dad's jaw tightened. "We're going to talk. Find common ground. It's… diplomatic."

I stared at them. The oil fields on the northern edge of our territory were the only reason a minor pack like ours still had any leverage. The king wanted them for his war chest, and we had said no repeatedly and suddenly, dinner?

Unbidden I remembered Silas's face, specifically that last glance before he walked away.

"Will the prince be there?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"No," Mom said, waving her hand. "Just the king and queen. It's a formal dinner. State business."

Dad nodded. "Nothing to worry about."

Of course.

In the evening, a maid came to drop the dress Mom had picked. It was simple but elegant, a deep green silk that clung to me like a second skin. I didn't want to meet the prince this way but it was inevitable, they couldn't refuse a dinner from the king.

The palace was breathtaking and creepy at the same time.

Towers of stone rose into the sky and there were guards in silver armor standing at every gate. Why did a man who owned all this need our scrappy little oil patch?

Two maids led us through halls lined with portraits of past kings. Eerily all of them wore the same cruel smile I had seen on Silas.

We were led into the dining hall with long table, crystal everything, and expensive chandeliers glittering from above. The king was seated at the head with grey strands in his dark hair. The queen was beside him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

We were served but I barely ate. I kept looking around for a certain someone.

"So, Lyra," the Queen began, turning my attention to her. "You're in your junior year at the academy, yes? How are you finding your studies?"

"Fine," I mumbled.

The queen sipped her wine. "I heard there was a bit of incident with some photos?"

I tried to keep the smile on my face and failed.

"Excuse me," I whispered, pushing back my chair. "I need the restroom."

I needed some space and a lot of air. The servant at the entrance of the room led me to where the restroom was.

I pushed the door open and stopped in my tracks because Silas had a maid pinned against the marble sink, her skirts bunched around her waist, as he drove into her with fast thrusts. Her head was thrown back as she moaned and he had a hand on her throat releasing grunts of his own.

They stopped the moment I entered and Silas let out a curse. I made a choked sound and was about to leave.

"Stop." Silas ordered, using his alpha voice to make me submit to his command.

The maid scrambled off the sink and fled past us without a backward glance.

Then Silas began to walk towards me slowly and stopped inches away from me, the scent of s*x rolling off him.

"How is it that…," he murmured in his deep voice, "you always appear in places you are not wanted."

I looked away from him. "I...I just came to pee..."

He leaned in, placing one hand beside my head to cage me. His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth almost gently before pressing hard enough to hurt.

"Tell me, Zadira," he whispered in my ear, "how do I ensure that you don't say a word of this to my father?"

"I never saw you." I quickly said. "I didn't see anything."

"No." He said quietly. "You didn't."