The good slave

JULIETTE

The car halted in the parking lot of a large building so high I wondered if the tip was reaching the clouds.

‘The Swiss Hotel’, was the logo implanted on almost every part of the building.

I stepped out of the car, intending to wait for Darius to alight as well, only to see him already heading towards the hotel’s entrance.

I hurried behind him, but his pace was fast as he walked into the building, forcing me to match his pace and ignore the magnificent beauties that stood in the way.

We walked by the reception, and each person we passed gave a quick bow realizing their Alpha was storming past them.

Darius only slowed down when we walked into the elevator, heading up to wherever.

The door to the elevator dinged open after a short while and we walked into a corridor that was filled with shimmering banners and signs stating, ‘Vera weds Damian.’

It was a wedding, the almighty Alpha brought me to a wedding.

With Darius being a few steps ahead of me, we walked into the wedding hall, halting right in the center of it all. Once again, the lavish views of flashy attire, glittering jewelry, and shiny shoes filled the hall. Numerous eyes turned in our, or better said, Darius's direction.

Everything stilled for a moment as they acknowledged him, with a few seconds of silence and a unison bow.

I rolled my eyes, waiting for them to finish, and then I noticed the dias at the far end of the room, where a white and gold sofa stood, and seated on it was a young woman in a black ball gown and a man looking way older than her in a white tuxedo. The bride and groom of an arranged marriage. They were both smiling, a smile that didn't reach their eyes.

As the party resumed, the couples stood up and approached us. The man moved smoothly, leaving his bride behind him as she struggled to move in her dress, she stumbled slightly but managed to stop before Darius. They lowered their heads in a bow and rose with grins that made me wonder if this union was for the pleasure of Darius.

“Alpha Darius, thank you for honoring our invitation.” The man spoke, his voice booming in excitement.

“Yes, Alpha Darius, my husband and I are pleased with your arrival. Thank you for showing up.” And the tiny voice of his wife followed.

“Please, we arrange a high table for you to seat Alpha Darius…”

“Congratulations.” Darius cut the man off with a simple compliment, and then he turned to me, commanding as always, “Stay here,” and then he strode off to the side.

And once again, he has made me the centre of attraction, a part of me wanted to disobey him and find myself a place to sit, far away from the crowd of judging demons.

However, I was still reeling from the torture I had to endure for a week, so I stood in place, focusing on the couple, who remained standing as if they expected Darius to return to them and continue a conversation.

The bride looked uncomfortable in her bent stance as she glanced in Darius's way, where his table had already been flocked by four noble men, all seeming like they had something important to share. Darius lazily placed his hand on the table, while the other brought a glass of red liquid I presumed to be wine, to his lips.

Today, being the centre of attraction wasn't so terrible, no one said a thing to me, at least not to my hearing. None of them wanted to face the wrath of the Alpha King, and I understood why, because I had faced the tip, and was already scared of getting punished by the psychopath even though I don't show it.

“Husband.” The tiny voice of the bride pulled my attention towards them, and they still stood there, a few inches from me, waiting.

The bride placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, scrunching her face as she tried to fix her footing in the heels she was wearing, by pulling up her dress and twisting her foot. “Husband, I think we should…”

“Keep quiet…” The man roughly shrugged her hand off his shoulder and one of her feet crooked to the side while she staggered against the other, stumbling backwards.

My instincts screamed at me to reach her, I couldn't let her fall, and without thinking, I rushed forward, catching her by the arm and pulling her with all my strength. The dress made her surprisingly heavy, but still, I held her, saving her from the fall.

Gasps filled the room as I supported her weight with my body, helping her steady her foot on the tiled floor.

Suddenly, large cold hands grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back with a swift pull that made me stumble.

Before I could balance myself, cold palms collided with my cheek, the sharp sound resonating in my ears. I turned, unable to hold my weight, and fell flat on my back, my head hitting the hard floor with a bang that made me gasp.

“How dare you touch my wife, you dirty whore!”

I heard a scream, but it was dimmed, as a louder sound echoed in my ear. My head pounded, the ceiling appearing in a blur. I'm trying to understand what just happened.

I grabbed my head, holding it in my hand as if it was about to fall off my neck.

Someone grabbed my arm, helping me up, but I still staggered, blinking to clear off the blur.

“What did you do?” Darius's voice seeped into my head, clearing my vision in one second.

I slowly glance at him, and I stare to see if I heard the question right. “What?”

“What did you do?” He whispered, his breath fanning my ear.

My throat tightened as I thought of my response. The ache in my head wasn't subsiding, implanting the images of what had just happened.

The bride was about to fall. I reached out to save her, but her husband pulled me back and slapped me hard across the face, causing me to fall.

And then Darius shows up and asks me what I did, whereas everyone in this room saw what had happened.

“He slapped…”

“I told you to stand here, but you chose to create a ruckus instead.” Darius groaned, reaching for my arm. He squeezed it tight and I snatched it from him, taking a step back.

“I didn't create a ruckus.” I gritted out, tears blurring my vision, but I blinked them back. Not now, and definitely not here, these people will never see my tears.

The hall was silent, the music had stopped, everyone was frozen in their position, some staring, some glaring.

“You are being a deceptive slave, do you know that?” Darius suddenly smirked, and a chill ran down my spine. That smirk, the one he flashed me during my seven-day slave torture. There was no way in the world he chose not to believe me. Was he using this as a sick opportunity to punish me?

Was this why he brought me here? And left me in the center of hateful gazes? Is this the reason he pulls me along to these foolish events? Just to keep humiliating me, to see me break and beg him to stop?

My heart swelled not from sadness, but anger. I could feel the steam rise up my neck to my aching head.

“Deceptive?” I asked, gnashing my teeth.

“Yes,” Darius said confidently. “I will spare you for your insolent behavior today, but you must prove to everyone that you are a good slave who takes corrections, and will make sure that this will never repeat itself.”

He raised his hand, his long fingers adorned with gold accessories flashing in my face.

“Kiss it.” He commanded in a soft tone.

I took a moment to understand what was going on, to understand the reason Darius told me to kiss his hand in the midst of hundreds of eyes.

I snapped my gaze to the newlyweds and the husband had a satisfactory smile on his face. I glanced around the hall, and everyone else shared a smile except those who thought their glares could end my life.

And then I settled on Darius whose hand was still out, awaiting the kiss of obedience and submission.

I smiled and took a step forward to be in closer contact with him. And then I raised my hand, my palm meeting his cheek in a hard, sharp strike.

And Goddess help me, the sound was everything. Loud and precise, vibrating through the room. For a second everything was still, and then a round of gasps rumbled through the crowd.

My hand stung as I retracted it to my side. Darius's face was bent to the side, but then his head slowly cocked back in place, his eyes now red and glossy, I can feel his anger oozing out from them.

My insides trembled, but outside, I remained stiff, unmoved by the whispers that began to fly around.

I knew what I had done, I toyed with the lion and he wasn't going to spare me, yet a larger part of me was happy I made that decision.

So I waited for Darius to hit me back, to hurt me as well, to show his cruel side.

But instead, he did the unthinkable

He laughed.