Playing The Alphas

Molly Hanes

King Lionel’s wrath crashed over me like a storm unleashed, all because of that insufferable Samantha. Never before had he raised his voice so fiercely, his finger practically spearing the air between us as he scolded me with a venom that left no room for rebuttal. The words he hurled at me cut deeper than any blade, each one a reminder of my failure. My chest burned with anger, but my voice stayed trapped in my throat. If only I could rip Samantha apart, shred by shred. I imagined her face beneath my hands, imagined the satisfaction of watching the life drain from her eyes. The fantasy was almost enough to calm the rage boiling inside me.

That wretch! She was the source of all my misery. Since her arrival at the palace, my life had spiraled into nothing but chaos. Before she came, everything had been perfect. I was the future queen, respected and feared. The princes were mine to claim. But then Samantha appeared, with her defiant eyes and her infuriating composure, and suddenly I was the one being humiliated. Teeth clenched in frustration, I stormed out of the main hall. My heels clicked against the marble floor, each step echoing my fury.

One of my followers, Melly Brown, trailed behind like a nervous shadow and ventured cautiously, "Miss Hanes, she’s nothing more than a sex slave. You could make her vanish from the face of the Earth without a second thought. She wouldn’t even see it coming."

Rage ignited in my chest, and I whipped around, slapping her hard across the face. The sound cracked through the corridor like thunder. "Fool! Useless!" The sight of her was a cruel reminder of yesterday’s humiliation. The mere thought of Samantha fighting back made my blood boil. "How did you let that bitch get the upper hand yesterday? You’re all worthless!"

Melly whimpered in pain, her hand flying to her cheek as she stammered, "I’m sorry, Miss Hanes. It was my mistake. It... it won’t happen again, I swear..."

Her groveling only deepened my disgust. She stood there, trembling like a leaf, tears welling in her eyes. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Teaching her a lesson felt like a waste of time. With a derisive snort, I ordered, "I don’t care what you do; just make sure that bitch regrets ever stepping foot in this palace. It’s time she was thrown out like the trash she is."

Samantha was a thorn in my side, and as long as she stayed in the palace, she was a constant threat to my peace. No, merely tossing her out wouldn’t satisfy me. I wanted to see her beauty marred, her face twisted so no prince would ever glance her way again. I wanted her to suffer the way she had made me suffer. I wanted her to beg, to crawl, to know what it felt like to be powerless.

"Rest assured, Miss Hanes. I’ll do everything in my power," Melly vowed, her head bobbing like a puppet. Her eagerness to please was almost nauseating, but at least she was useful.

I snorted and continued my furious march. My mind raced with schemes and plans, each more vicious than the last. Just then, two women passed by, their whispers catching my attention. My ears pricked up at the mention of Samantha. Narrowing my eyes, I stopped them in their tracks.

"Hold on! What were you just saying about Samantha Samuels?"

Recognizing me, the women quickly bowed, their voices trembling with fear as they greeted me. "Miss Hanes, we didn’t see you there. We apologize."

"Enough with the pleasantries," I snapped. "I asked you a question. What were you saying about Samantha?"

One of them swallowed hard and said, "Miss Hanes, we were just saying that Samantha will be in a climbing competition tomorrow... with another sex slave."

A climbing competition? I couldn’t suppress the sneer curling my lips. "Samantha Samuels? Climb? She’s barely got the scent of a wolf on her. What makes her think she can do anything but humiliate herself?"

The women nodded eagerly, their faces plastered with sycophantic smiles. "You’re absolutely right, Miss Hanes. She’s nothing but a pathetic she-wolf, lowly and weak. There’s no way she’ll win, especially not against such a strong opponent."

Their words pleased me, and I allowed myself a small, condescending smile. "Naturally. That fool doesn’t stand a chance." Samantha’s arrogance was laughable. To accept such a challenge was sheer idiocy. But then again, her failure would bring me no small amount of satisfaction. I could already picture it—her falling, her humiliation, the laughter of the crowd. It would be delicious.

Having extracted all the information I needed, I waved them off impatiently. "That’s enough. Get out of my sight."

Once the women scurried away, Melly chimed in, eager to please, "Miss Hanes, you have nothing to worry about. She’s bound to lose, and when she does, she’ll be a laughingstock. The princes will drop her like a stone."

Though her words offered some comfort, a nagging fear gnawed at me. What if Samantha had a trick up her sleeve? What if, by some miracle, she managed to come out on top? I had yet to defeat her, and that thought twisted the knife of doubt in my gut. The mere possibility made me grit my teeth with renewed anger. That wretched woman! I couldn’t kill her, and I couldn’t drive her away. She was a problem that refused to be solved!

"I won’t let her win." My voice dropped to a menacing whisper as I turned to Melly. "Do whatever it takes to make sure that bitch loses tomorrow. I don’t care what you have to do. Sabotage her equipment. Drug her food. I don’t care. Just make sure she falls. I don’t want to see her smirk ever again."

Melly pondered my words, her eyes suddenly lighting up with a wicked idea. "Miss Hanes, I think I know just the thing to make sure she loses—and she’ll be so disgraced that no prince will ever want to be near her again."

Excitement sparked in my chest, and I demanded, "What are you planning?"

Melly leaned in, whispering her scheme in my ear. Her words painted a picture of sabotage and humiliation, of Samantha’s complete and utter destruction. The more she spoke, the wider my grin grew. This was perfect. This was exactly what I needed. Samantha would be ruined, and I would be the one laughing in the end.

"That bitch is as good as dead!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with malicious glee. I could already taste victory. Tomorrow, Samantha would learn what it truly meant to cross me. And this time, there would be no escape.