Chapter 11

VIOLET'S POV

"W–what?" I stammered, my chest heaving in fear as I dared to look him straight in the eyes.

"What you just said, I dare you to repeat it," he snarled, lowering his head to meet my gaze. His six-foot-four-inch frame towered over me in a dangerous manner.

I would have crashed down to my knees if it weren't for an invisible force that circled around me, keeping my feet rooted to the floor.

I gulped nervously, sucking in a sharp breath as I parted my lips to speak, accepting his dare as I repeated what I had said about his species.

I shut my eyes and mumbled, "You Lycans are arrogant bastards, just like people have said."

I tilted my head to one side, squeezing my eyes shut as I waited for his attack. My chest tightened in fear, and my heart was a thumping mess.

I hung my head, my heart pounding against my ribs, matching the rhythm of the clock that hung ominously on the wall. I waited for him to show me just how ruthless he could be.

I had almost fooled myself into believing he wasn't going to harm me when I suddenly felt a rough, strong hand circling around my neck, squeezing my throat hard and fiercely, cutting off my airflow.

"Ahh!" I gasped in shock when I felt the hand lift me off the ground by my neck, applying pressure to my throat.

I thrashed and fought against the hand as I slowly dragged my eyes open, only to meet a pair of silver eyes burning into mine. It was the guy from earlier, the one who had brought me to the brothel. Not the Lycan King. It wasn't the Lycan King.

"I can take anything from anyone. You want to insult us Lycans? Insult us. But I will never stand there and have you, a low-life werewolf, raise your dirty little voice at my King. Ever!" he thundered, his veins bulging out of his neck as he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on my throat.

My neck hurt like hell. My whole body trembled in fear and horror as he squeezed my throat tighter. My eyes widened in terror and panic, veins bulging in my face and neck as I fought for oxygen. My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as I tried to speak, to beg this maniac to spare my life.

"P–please… Please," I gasped, choking on my words as he squeezed tighter. I moved my eyes, staring at the Lycan King from the corner of my eyes, begging him to intervene.

Somehow, I felt I might be a little lucky if the Lycan King would be kind enough to take pity on me. If he wouldn't consider my outburst a threat and would just free me from this guy who seemed to have wanted me dead from the moment he laid eyes on me.

"Let her go," the Lycan King cautioned, but the silver-eyed maniac still wouldn't let me go.

I shut my eyes in pain. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I thought I might die as life was beginning to leave my body. Just when I thought I was going to die without knowing what had happened to my father, I felt myself being freed from his grip, and I landed roughly on the ground.

Coughing heavily, I held my neck and pressed a finger to the part that hurt the most. I was still tending to my neck when I heard the crashing of the glass window. Before I could react, a body landed roughly beside me on the floor.

"Next time I give you an order, you wouldn't dare to defy me," the Lycan King spat angrily.

I thought he was talking to me. I creased my brows and turned around, only to see the silver-eyed maniac crawling on the floor, holding his bloodied ear.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!" he croaked, getting back to his feet.

"Get out!" the King said firmly.

"Yes. Yes, Your Majesty."

"You." The King turned to me. I shook my head, moving back so he wouldn't come near me. I couldn't gamble my life away and think he was different from the rest of his kind. If he could hurt his own people just for defying him, who did I think I was to believe he wouldn't hurt me?

Seeing that I was now scared of him, he scoffed angrily, shook his head, and turned to walk back to the couch he had been sitting on earlier.

"To answer your question," he groaned as he plunged into the couch, spreading his legs, and I couldn't help but admire his long legs.

"If you think you're still safe with your people, then you are very stupid. No one around here will ever look at you with the same eyes ever again. You're the one who dared to cheat on their Alpha. You are that girl they would want to kill on sight for carrying a Lycan's mark. Both young and old would be glad to stuff their claws into your gut and pull out every last bit of your organs."

I held my breath as he listed what might happen to me if I went out there and showed my face to the world. But I couldn't run away and leave my father behind. He didn't deserve whatever he might be going through right now. All because of me.

"You're now an enemy to your own people," he added, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm merely offering to help you because this is partially my fault."

I panted heavily and gathered the courage to stand up from the floor. Clutching the coat tightly, I mumbled, "Thanks. But I don't want your help. My father needs me, and I would rather die at the hands of my people than go with you. I'm not running away. I'll welcome my punishment."

I ran out of the room without waiting for his reply. I thought perhaps I would be stopped by the guards at the door, but none of them tried to stop me.

Maybe he had informed them to let me go. I had no idea. But I did appreciate the fact that he was willing to let me go.

I ran out of the brothel, and I was a little surprised to see that it was already getting dark by the time I got outside.

I was going to look for my father, which was first on my list, and I wandered down the road. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and I didn't notice someone was trailing behind me until I felt a soft, silky piece of clothing pressed roughly against my nose.

I inhaled, and suddenly, I felt dizzy. The lights went out around me, and I fell into a pair of hands before drifting off into unconsciousness.