Chapter Seven Lessons in Obedience

Lucian’s POV.

The sound of her body striking the stone floor was sharp enough to echo through the kitchen before the room fell completely silent.

She slid across the polished surface, the faint scrape of fabric and skin against stone telling me exactly where she stopped — somewhere near the cabinets along the far wall.

Her breath left her lungs in a harsh rush, followed by the faint metallic scent of fresh blood bleeding into the air.

Every single one of them stood still, I could hear it in the room. The sudden stillness of bodies frozen in place, the way several servants held their breath as if silence alone might make them invisible.

I stepped forward, the slow rhythm of my boots striking the stone floor sending a quiet ripple of tension through the kitchen. A servant fumbled with something metallic, and the object clattered loudly against the counter before being hastily caught.

Behind me, the prisoner moved.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, breathing hard, the faint drag of her hand against the floor confirming the obvious — she was hurt.

Even without sight, I could feel the weight of her attention settle on me. She refused to look broken. Her breathing had changed, slower now, controlled, as though she refused to give the room the satisfaction of hearing her pain.

Stubborn little thing.

My attention shifted toward the servants. “Why is my kitchen full of statues?”

I let silence stretch a little longer before tilting my head slightly toward the center of the kitchen.

“Marla.”

There was a pause, followed by the quick shuffle of footsteps approaching me. Marla stopped several feet away.

I could hear the tremor in her breathing.

“Y-yes, Alpha.”

I gestured vaguely toward the spot where Avery’s breathing came from. “The girl belongs to this kitchen now.”

The words sent a ripple of quiet movement through the room.

“She cleans. She scrubs the floors. She carries water and deals with whatever filth this house produces.”

I took a slow step forward.

“You will work her until her hands blister and her knees give out beneath her. You will not give her rest, and you will not give her sympathy.”

I stopped directly in front of Marla, close enough to hear the quick, uneven rhythm of her heartbeat. “Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, Alpha,” she whispered.

I turned and walked toward the door, already losing interest in the kitchen now that the message had been delivered. Behind me, the servants remained silent until my boots crossed the threshold.

Only then did the room finally breathe again.

“Get up,” Marla snapped.

I paused just outside the doorway.

Avery shifted behind me. Her breathing was uneven, but she didn’t protest.

“Bucket,” Marla ordered.

Metal clanged against the floor as someone shoved one across the kitchen.

“And a rag.”

Another servant hurried forward.

“Start with the floors,” Marla said. “Every inch.”

There was a brief pause. Then the slow splash of water. The faint, rhythmic sound of fabric dragging across stone began a moment later.

She obeyed.

I continued down the hall, the distant sounds of the kitchen fading as I moved deeper into the corridors.

By the time Raith found me, I had already replaced the bandage around my hand, my fingers following the familiar pattern by touch alone.

A knock sounded against the door. “Enter.”

The door opened a moment later, and slammed shut followed by steps of Raith crossing the room.

“What's the matter?”

“It's about the girl…”

“What about her?”

“You threw her into the kitchens,”

“She enjoys testing boundaries,” I said calmly. “I decided to clarify them.”

Raith huffed softly. “That’s one way to put it.”

I leaned back slightly in the chair. “Lena came down to the dungeons earlier.”

“She what?”

“She interrupted me.” Silence stretched across the room.

“That girl is going to get herself killed one day.”

“She knows exactly how far she can push,” I replied.

My fingers tapped lightly against the desk.

“She’s been doing it since we were children.”

The words settled into the silence between us.

I tilted my head slightly toward him.

“She seemed rather invested in the prisoner.”

I leaned back, letting the silence stretch between us. Raith shifted, impatient.

“She won’t break,” I said finally. “Not by punishment. Not by fear.”

Raith frowned. “Then what do you plan? Let her keep defying you?”

I tapped my fingers against the desk. “No. I’ll use what she cares about. That girl won’t break unless I kill her. And she’s far too sweet to waste on death.”

“I will use Lena. She saw exactly what happened. I can use her proximity… her loyalty… to make Avery bend.”

Raith’s breath hitched. “You really mean to use Lena?”

I allowed a dark, thin smile to tug at my lips. “Of course. She’s the only thing keeping Avery from being destroyed too quickly.”

Raith swallowed. “You’re cruel.”

“Necessary,” I corrected. “Cruelty without purpose is waste. This… this is strategy.”

Raith exhaled. “Understood.”

Strategy was set. Punishment was inevitable. And the game… had only just begun.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the quiet stretch for a heartbeat, then let a slow, deliberate smile spread across my face.

“In fact…” I murmured, letting the words linger in the room. “I think it’s time to bond with my beautiful sister.”