Chapter 6- The Hatred
Lucien Volkov:
"Where is she? Why isn’t she here?" My mother cried in frustration. The entire palace had loved Anika, and now they couldn’t wait to see the Toussaint girl get punished, cry, and beg for mercy.
Aliya hugged our mother as she looked at me with tear-filled eyes, "Lucien. She was supposed to arrive last night, but she still hasn’t shown up. Why don’t you send someone to look for her? I hope she hasn’t run away."
I sat there quietly, listening to their panic. They didn’t know that I had asked the royal chauffeur to return without her. However, Zorro wasn’t back, and I could sense silence from his side.
My beast never behaved in such a way.
I clenched my jaw when I realized that Zorro was smitten by her. But I wasn’t. Zorro might have forgotten Anika, but I couldn’t.
"The girl is here!" Someone announced from outside. My family rushed towards the palace entrance.
I got up lazily and followed them outside until I heard their gasps.
"What is going on?" Aliya spoke in confusion. My mother covered her mouth with both hands.
Zorro was carrying the girl in his arms and was walking slowly to the palace gates. Instead of looking ahead, his eyes remained fixed on her face.
"She isn’t sleeping. She fainted!" Zorro snapped in my head.
"What happened to your beast?" My mother whispered as she stepped beside me, "I’ve never seen this kind of softness on his face before. You need to control him."
Control him?
My beast wasn’t just a normal Lycan. He was a royal as much as me.
My mother was right. Zorro was the most ruthless beast in the kingdom. Mercy wasn’t a word he understood.
The only thing he knew was how to tear enemies apart mercilessly.
Yet, here he was carrying a spoiled princess as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
The sight made my blood boil.
Once he reached the palace gates, I sent him a mindlink, "Put her down, Zorro," I said coldly, "You did your job. Now let me do mine."
For a moment, he seemed hesitant, but then he nodded reluctantly and lowered her to the ground with surprising gentleness, "Beware, Lucien. She’s weak," he warned.
Weak? My ass!
I ignored him and closed my eyes to allow him to return to my body.
The girl stirred, and a small frown appeared on her face before she pushed herself up, holding her head.
Maybe Zorro was right. She looked terrible. Her dress was torn, and one shoe was missing. Her black hair was tangled as though she hadn’t brushed it in days.
Good. She deserved to suffer.
My dead sister’s face flashed through my mind.
Victor Toussaint didn’t just kill her. He made her suffer first. He broke her piece by piece until there was nothing left of the innocent girl I once knew.
The unexpected rage clawed at my chest. How was I supposed to forgive that?
The girl looked around, maybe realizing where she was. She pushed herself to her feet and swayed slightly before taking a cautious step towards us.
"Stop right there!" My voice broke through the silence like a whip.
***
Arabella’s pov:
"Stop right there!" The cold command directly from the king made me freeze. Dozens of unfamiliar faces were staring at me as if I were some kind of monster. And maybe I was a monster.
After all, my brother killed an important member of the royal family.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I didn’t know what was happening.
I couldn’t look at the Alpha King’s face. Something about him made my skin crawl.
"Kneel!" He snapped.
For a moment, my mind went blank. Kneel?
Fear shot through me as my knees hit the ground before I could even think. A low chuckle reached my ears, "Looks like your family taught you well. They must have asked you to be obedient. Right?"
I lowered my gaze. My fingers clenched around the torn fabric of my dress.
"Mother. From today onwards, she’s yours." I looked up and found the king telling a beautiful woman who was wearing a diamond tiara, "Don’t worry, mother. I won’t release Victor until I’m sure she won’t run away," he was talking to his mother, but his eyes remained on me.
The woman smiled and walked towards me. She stopped after she reached closer, and the smile on her face vanished, "From now on..." She spoke bitterly, "... you’ll stay on your knees."
I stared at her. This was unexpected.
"You’re not allowed to use your feet," the smile was back on her face as she crouched before me, "No matter where you go, what you do..." her finger gently touched my forehead, "use your knees and forget about your feet. Or..." her finger slid beneath my chin and tilted my face upward, "Or... we’ll chop them off."
A chill ran through me, and my throat went dry.
The queen studied me with quiet amusement, "Do you know why I like obedient girls?"
I gulped and shook my head.
She let out a soft chuckle, "Because disobedient ones lose things..." Her eyes drifted downward, "... like feet, fingers..." She leaned closer as her voice drooped to a whisper, "And sometimes... tongues too."
I could feel the stinging behind my eyes, but I tried to control it. The tears would do nothing.
If anything, it would only entertain them.
Think of something, Arabella. Something that would give you joy and make it easier for you.
Then Maya’s image popped into my head.
Soon she would run away from the pack and start a new life. Free from all worries and slavery. Far away from that shitty pack.
Suddenly, a hand clamped my cheeks so hard that pain shot through my jaw.
The queen.
Her face was inches away from me, "Are you even listening, slave?"
I quickly nodded at her, "Yes, ma’am...my queen..." I lowered my head in submission.
She shoved my face aside before getting to her feet. She seemed amused by my fear.
"Make sure she doesn’t walk," She ordered in a no-nonsense tone, "If she gets tired, the only thing she’s allowed to do is crawl!"
Cheers and applause erupted around me.
However, I was already used to such insults and mockery.
I was always treated less than everyone else.
My eyes drifted to the king, and for a moment, our gazes locked. The hatred in those golden orbs was enough to startle me.