The wolfless king's mate

CHAPTER 3: ZAZINA'S POV

“You will handle all of the laundry and help the men in the farm.” The Lycan King ordered, glowering at me. The chilling glare froze my bones and made me tremble in his presence. I quickly bowed my head

His Beta was beside him, a spite-filled grin spread his lips, I averted my gaze and stationed them on the floor. My body was still bruised from the last punishment I’d received. Rhegan had set me up, he’d deceived me and now I was going to suffer, I blinked back tears surreptitiously.

“And she should probably sweep the whole of the manor too.” The Beta put in, his mean gaze sweeping my battered frame in one quick distasteful glance. I could see him from my peripheral vision.

“Yes, that too.” The Lycan King agreed. “Raise your head.”

I raised my head but could not meet his eyes, they stared at his chest. I blinked, trying so hard not to cry. All these was because I’d rejected his proposal. But what choice did I have? I could not let him use me as his s*x slave, I would not allow it. I had seen it in his eyes that night he’d called me into his chambers, the s*x was all that had mattered to him, and it had annoyed me. Made me sad and felt useless. But my action later now made me feel more useless, because of how stupid I’d been, I’d let a stranger sleep with me. The stranger had turned out to be Rexina’s brother. Talk about the cruelty of fate.

“Did you hear the new labor assigned to you?” He asked me rather harshly.

I nodded. “Yes King.”

“And one last thing.” He said.

What was it again? What other punishment did he have for me? “Yes King?”

“You will be starved until I say otherwise.”

My heart thudded, did he mean what he just said? No food for me? How would I survive then? I looked at his face, tried to read his expression to know if he was joking but he was not. He was serious. He wanted me to starve. Mother of the Moon, this was the height of wickedness. The tears rolled down and I hastily wiped them away.

“Yes King.” My voice trembled as I replied. I had nothing else to say, he was the ruler and he had the authority. I had been sold to him, I now belonged to him and so he had the right to do with me as he wished.

“You can leave.”

I walked away with labored steps, and tears flowing feeling down my eyes. What crime had I done to deserve all of this? Was there some bad thing I’d done probably in my previous life that was haunting me so? All my life I’d never known joy or peace or love. It was all hate from whoever I met. I had been treated awfully in my previous pack and now this pack. There was nothing I could do, it was just to keep enduring it.

I walked into the kitchen, picked a broom and began the new work I was given, I worked until it was night fall and the maids had gone in for the day. I was just finishing up. I tried to stand but I couldn’t. My whole body trembled. I could not stand, my stomach protested and demanded to be fed.

But I couldn’t, the King would kill me if he found out. My steps were slow and dragged as I walked away from the tempting kitchen to the quarters where the servants stayed.

“Hey Zazina, are you okay?” One of the maids asked me as I passed by her room.

I managed a smile. “Yes, I am.”

“Okay, good night.”

“Good night.”

I went into my room and tried to sleep but could not. The rumbling in my stomach would not let me. Unable to withstand the pains and rumblings any longer, I stood from my bed and went outside. The maids had gone in, my eyes darted left and right, then I walked as noiselessly as I could to the kitchen, I remembered there was some left over soup in the pot. I removed the lid and placed it on the counter nearby, I began to eat directly from the pot. The kitchen was dark, so my hand had mistakenly come in contact with the lid, but before I could catch it, it clattered to the floor. The noise it made was enough to wake the dead, I quickly tried to place it back and flee from the dark kitchen when the light came on and I stared into the face of a very angry Lycan King.

“What are you doing?”

“I…I..” I stuttered, unable to say any word. My heart pounded within my chest. I wondered what my fate would be this night. What the King would do to me was unknown but I knew it was going to be painful.

“You were eating?!” He glared daggers at me.

I swallowed, tears already forming in my eyes. Immediately I went on my knees, hoping to appeal to his conscience by pleading for mercy. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I’m sorry I disobeyed you. It was just..” I sniffled. “I was so hungry and my stomach was not allowing me sleep, I just thought I’d get a little food to stop the rumbling in my stomach. Please, I’m sorry. Forgive me this one time.”

But he was unmoved, he just kept glaring coldly at me. Then he called his guards. “Come take her to the cell, tomorrow I’ll find a befitting punishment for her.”

My cries increased. My body had not yet healed from the last punishment it received. “Please I’m sorry. I promise I won’t disobey again.”

Just before the guards dragged me out of there, he walked towards me. “I’ll make life unbearable for you.”

I knew then that no matter how much I pleaded, he was not going to listen.