Chapter 002

Esmeralda POV

My eyes came open again as I felt myself being dragged. My baby, what if something had happened to my baby? I knew I only passed out for seconds when i saw myself in the midst of people with guards dragging me.

My hand went to my stomach as I was pushed into the dungeon. My ears rang loudly as everything around me went blurry, no word registered in my mind, neither did I see anything.

The sound of the dungeon being locked up met my ears and my body met with the cold, concrete floor.

Thorne just rejected me, I had just been rejected by my mate, and he just handed me over to his father to prove his loyalty to him.

I’ve been betrayed a whole lot of times by friends, even my best friend back at my father’s park once betrayed me, but this is the highest level of betrayal I’ve seen. It hurts so much, it hurts that I just want to die.

I gripped my chest in pain, my heart felt like it was going to just jump right out of my chest. I really wish this is all a dream, it just has to be a dream, or a nightmare even with how bad it is.

“Esme…” A voice dragged me out of the foggy state of my mind. I looked up to see my father, the man who has loved me all his life. He looks so unrecognizable right now, bruises littered on his body and he looked like he had just fought a really hard war.

“Dad?” I mumbled. He was locked up in the cell opposite mine. I couldn’t even notice him or sniff him out.

“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for putting you through this, I swear I didn’t want it to escalate to this level. I hate to see you in pain, I hate that I brought this upon you.” He said, his eyes brimmed with tears.

As much as I wanted to point fingers at anyone for bringing this upon me, I’d never hate my father. I can’t even hate him, it’s not possible.

“But why? Why do you want to overthrow the king? Why didn’t you tell me anything?” I asked him, whispering.

“I’ve not told you this before, but his rule is doing a lot of damage to our pack. He takes too much tax and makes it difficult for the economy to thrive. The only way he’d yield is if we threaten him with war, and that was what we were planning when Thorne found out.” He explained.

“You should have still let me know, we could have something else. Maybe I could have talked to Thorne-“ I was interrupted by a pretty loud noise. I hatched my stomach subconsciously again, guarding my baby.

Some guards stormed towards where my fathers was held in and they opened the iron bars.

“Don’t rough handle him please.” I begged, watching as they dragged him. Another set of guards came to my own side and opened the gates just like they did to my father’s. I was approached and dragged away by them too.

My father and I was taken outside the dungeon, to a very large area. I earnestly prayed to the moon goddess or whoever could be listening to me right now that they just let us go. I know that if they do that right now, it means we’d become rogues. The pack is no longer ours.

But that’s way better than being imprisoned or even killed. Thorne stood at the front with Aria by his side. Their regal dresses shone under the moonlight. I felt a pang of hurt as he drew her closer to him when he saw me staring at him.

“Tonight, we’re gathered to witness the punishment of two rebels. They not only planned to execute my father and I, they also planned a war. A war isn’t something that’s tolerable, especially by people who want to do it for their selfish gains.” Thorne’s voice boome.

“As the king of the werwolf kingdom, I command that Max Knight is beheaded, and Esmeralda Knight becomes a slave here, she’s demoted!”

It can’t be. My father can’t die, he can’t be killed. That’s not possible. He’s not going to die, I can’t allow him to die at all.

I fell on my knees immediately, not minding anything at the moment. I’d do anything to just make sure that my father doesn’t die.

“Please don’t kill him, do anything else you want with us, just don’t kill him please. Thorne, don’t do this to me please.” I begged him, putting all the sincerity I could muster into the words.

“Who the fuck do you think you are to call the king by his name, mutt? Have you forgotten your place so soon?” Aria stepped forward, glaring hard at me.

I’ve never felt so hated by people or anyone ever since the news of my father planning to overthrow the king got out.

The looks on people's faces just made me hate my own existence for the first time.

“The audacity is crazy. I want his head off, and restrain her so she can watch him die. There’s no mercy for people who betray us.” Thorne ordered, so much authority and hatred in his voice.

I cried out, pleading even more as I was grabbed by some really strong men and they restrained me just like Thorne had ordered. Tears streamed down my face as helplessness like never before gripped my entire form.

I wiggled hardly in their hold as my father was tied up before me like some animal, he was so rough handled that I just wanted nothing more than to get to him at the moment.

“Thorne, please. You said you’ll never hurt me, remember.” I cried, tears blurring my vision. I didn’t even see Aria walking over to me, all I felt was a hard smack on my face. She slapped me so hard that my head whipped to the side.

She had always hated me, it’s no shocker that she hates me even more right now. I watched as a man brought out a sword and stood before my father.

“Please.” I mumbled weakly.

“I love you so much, my princess. I’m sorry.” My father said back. My heart raced wildly as the man lifted up the sword, my body went flaccid as the sword descended and went unto my father.

Red was the next thing I saw. No, I wasn’t angry. It was the splatter of blood that came out from my father’s body and to my face. His head rolled to the floor, his eyes wide open as his head detached from his body.

What sort of nightmare is this? It feels so real, it’s so scary. I felt myself being lifted up from the ground, my legs couldn’t even stand on their own at all.

“You’re so lucky that you’re not the one who’s dead, I want to see you suffer before you finally decide to kill youself.”

Is that Thorne? It’s just not possible. My Thorne doesn’t sound that way, this one sounds so cruel. My Thorne doesn’t sound cruel, he’s nice.

“I want her to clean the hall that was used for the coronation alone. No one is allowed to help her. Then when she’s done with that, she should clean the kitchen and prepare breakfast for tomorrow.” Arid said.

When is this nightmare ever going to end?

~~~

It wasn’t a nightmare at all, I only got to know that when it was midnight. My father body has been sent to the natural lands where they went to bury him, I didn’t even know where they buried him.

I feel utterly alone in this world at the moment, so cold and alone.

I was approached by three maids, they’ve been my friends sort of since I got here.

“Come with us, we’ll get you out of here. We’ve spoken to a few guards and they agreed to helping you get out. We all like you and we can’t watch you get punished here like this.” One of them said.

I left the kingdom that night with a heavy heart and a pup developing in me.