Chapter 14: The Alpha's Quarters
SERAPHINA
I wasn't sure I was listening anymore. My head was blank, my eyes heavy with unshed tears.
At this point, I couldn't act like a princess anymore.
It was just me, Seraphina, and nothing was attached to my name anymore. No title, no power, no protection.
The sound of knocking at the door sent both our heads turning in that direction.
"Great. The guard is here to take you to the Alpha King," Sable said, dragging me toward the door without caring how harsh her actions were.
She whipped the door open, and standing there were two tall guards. Their gazes swept through my body, not even trying to hide the lust beneath their stares.
One of them even had to swipe his tongue over his lips.
I grimaced with disgust, trying to cover my body with my hands, but I still felt completely exposed under their eyes.
I was dragged down through the halls, the red carpet stamping hard against my bare feet.
I kept trying to cover my body as much as I could with every turn we passed and every person we saw.
Some people even shouted insults at me as we passed.
And the fact that I was not capable of doing anything about it made it even worse.
Tonight was the night Draven would...
I shook my head quickly. I couldn't think about it. Not yet.
We reached a huge door, and the guards stopped. Someone pushed the door open from the other side, and another guard appeared.
He walked toward me and forcefully grabbed my hands.
"You will be taken to the Alpha's main quarters, where you shall meet the Alpha King, Princess Slave," he said mockingly.
The other guards laughed so terribly at his words, like it was the funniest thing they'd heard all day.
The hall leading to his chambers was darker than the rest of the castle. It smelled different too—it smelled of him. Deep musky scent mixed with smoke and iron, carrying the metallic edge of danger, darkness, and blood in it.
I shuddered, thinking of when he had bitten me, how his teeth had sunk into my skin.
Finally, I stood in front of a very large door.
So large that I felt like an ant standing beneath it.
It was made of Oakwood - the strongest wood I'd ever seen—so luxurious and imposing. Yet what lay at the other end of it was dangerous.
"Farewell, and I hope the Alpha King keeps his remains," the guard said before leaving me in a hurry, as if he was scared. More scared than I was, even.
"Step in."
I heard a cold, strained voice from inside, which made me shudder with fear.
Slowly, I turned the knob of the door as I stepped into the room.
The first thing that hit me was the cool air that came from the open windows, and then the deep dark blue lighting that filled the space.
Then, his presence.
His presence was heavy, thick, and something... something darker that I couldn't fully understand or name.
His sharp, toned, framed muscles were dangerously visible through his open shirt, and I tried not to gulp at the sight.
My hands wrapped securely around my body, hoping his gaze wouldn't penetrate through me, even though his back was turned away from me.
Every single thing that had happened to me because of him came crashing through my mind like a storm.
"You are late. And I hate when people are late, SLAVE," he said the word with every ounce of darkness in him, like it carried a weight he'd been holding onto for years.
I gulped, not knowing what to say.
I was scared of his next move and what would happen next.
I wondered how the hell I was late when I wasn't the one in charge of my own preparation. I had no control over anything anymore.
Then I felt him turn abruptly, his eyes glaring into mine.
His gaze was expressionless, cold, and dark—every unimaginably awful thought I could think of was reflected when he stared at me.
He didn't stare at me like I was some attractive woman who was trying to seduce her lover.
I wanted to throw up at that thought.
He stared at me like I was the last thing he ever wanted to lay his eyes on.
His stare was filled with so much hatred that it made me almost vomit and almost shrink and fall to my knees right there.
I had never seen anyone possess such kind of malice against another person.
Never!
But I couldn't deny that his sharp jaw was perfectly toned to match his face. His red eyes glowed under the dim light, the rings beneath them making them look even more intense.
I wouldn't deny it—my captor was devilishly handsome, and his features were almost indescribable.
Any woman would have fallen in love with him at first glance, but he was a devil. No, he was worse than the devil himself.
But my wild thoughts were quickly cut off when his voice snapped through the room.
"Strip!"
It was one word, but it was enough to make me yank my head up so quickly that I felt dizzy for a second. And I instantly regretted taking such quick action, because suddenly he was standing close to me, his hand wrapped around my neck in a rough, threatening manner.
His grip wasn't tight enough to choke me yet, but the warning was clear. His face was inches from mine, and I could feel his breath against my skin.