Chapter 14

VIOLET'S POV

"My father said what?" I asked, my eyebrows slowly rising in question.

Alpha Ansel let go of my neck. He took one last look at me before taking a seat on the couch Kira had been sitting on a while ago. I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

My throat hurt. My whole body hurt from being tied to the chair. I craned my neck, meeting the Alpha's gaze, and I dared to keep my eyes on his. When I felt a twinge in my neck, I winced and darted my eyes away, turning my gaze from him.

"What about my father? What did you do to him?" I asked. A wave of anxiety jolted through my body as I thought of the possibility of what this son of a gun might have done to my father.

"You're not going to answer my question with another question." Alpha Ansel barked, making me flinch in my seat. The metal chair made a horrible noise as it dragged across the floor.

I gulped nervously. Even though they hadn't done anything to me, I couldn't help but be scared of him. Of what he was capable of doing.

"What... What is it you asked me? I'm ready to answer all your questions once you tell me where my father is. And if he's still alive." Tears rolled down my eyes. I never would have thought I would someday be at the Alpha's mercy. At least, not like this.

"You shouldn't be showing fake sympathy for your father after you almost got him into trouble. You should have done as you were told and not just gone ahead and opened your legs for that bastard." He cursed under his breath, venom dripping from every word, and I forced down a sudden lump in my throat.

What was he talking about? I had no idea what had happened in the past few hours after the Lycans took me with them, and the short hours I had spent away with the enemies made everything everyone was saying sound foreign and new to me.

"What did my father say?" My chest tightened in fear as I turned to stare at the Alpha. He stared back at me, assessing me to see if he could get the answer he needed from me just by staring.

I was afraid of what my father might have said to Alpha Ansel. I was afraid he might have bailed out. Not that I wouldn't appreciate it if he was no longer involved in my problem, but it sure as hell was going to hurt if my father had left me alone to deal with my problem. He should at least show some affection for me as his daughter. I deserved that much, even if it was just once.

"Tell me, little mate, why did you disobey your father? This would have benefited each and every one of us if you had killed that bastard instead of sleeping with him." He howled, kicking the chair I was sitting on and sending me to the floor.

"Aargh!" I cried out in pain as I landed face-first on the floor, my cheek pressing roughly against the wooden floor of the room that looked so much like a dungeon. A room for criminals.

I knew that much since I had been locked up in a dungeon before, at my father's request. I remembered everything. How I had almost lost my mind. This was nothing compared to what had happened to me before, but I couldn't help being scared that the Alpha might do the same thing to me.

"I don't... Don't know what you're talking about," I stammered, dragging my body across the floor so I could lie on my side.

The look on Alpha Ansel's face said he didn't believe me, but how could I have responded to what he was saying when I didn't understand any of it? It felt like I had missed a series of conversations, and I couldn't help feeling as though I was out of the loop.

"I didn't expect you to tell me the truth. Your father made it clear that you're pretty good at lying through your nose." He smirked, stood up from his seat, and crouched down on one knee, reminding me of the Lycan King.

Just thinking about him, I realised how I should have listened to him. I should have listened to him when he told me I was no longer safe with my people. I should have stayed with him and forgotten about having any right over my life ever again.

Alpha Ansel grabbed me by the chin and raised my head off the ground. He glared into my eyes, fury radiating from them, and I winced in pain.

"Your father told you to spy on the Lycan King and get exclusive information from him. And to kill him if you got caught. Wasn't that what your father ordered you to do? Why did you have to fuck it up?" He barked, his body trembling with anger and fury as he clenched his fists tightly.

My eyes widened in shock and surprise. Just why the fuck did my father have to go to such lengths just to see me fall? Why did he have to lie to make sure the Alpha hated me even more?

"Believe me, Alpha, that never happened." I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks as his claws pierced my jaw, drawing blood. "I never received such an order from my father. He didn't even know about the Lycan King being at the pack until we were in the courtroom earlier."

My father had always been like that. He would rather send his last child to an early grave than go down with me. He would do everything he could to get himself out of the mess I had created.

"Hmm. Interesting." Alpha Ansel let out a dark grin. He let go of my chin and stood up straight, his height towering over me. I would be damned if I looked away from him, even for a second.

"How, then, did you know to meet the Lycan King at the brothel if it wasn't an order? How could you sleep with another man on the night before our wedding? How dare you carry the mark of an enemy?" He couldn't hold back his anger. He drove his foot into my thigh, sending a sliver of pain through my body.

"Aargh!" A sharp cry left my mouth as I shut my eyes, trying to absorb the pain. It didn't help. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a moving car. Pain was all I knew as I remained on the floor, writhing in agony.

"Start talking!" He yelled, sending another kick into my stomach. I had never wished for death before, not even when my father showed me how hell could be on earth. But now, I wished I could just die so I could be free from the pain within.

"You... You cheated on me with my best friend. I did what I did as revenge. Why do I have to be the only one suffering for what we both did? You also slept with my best friend on the night before our wedding? How could you? How could you do that with my friend? You Alphawhore!" I yelled amidst my sobs.

A resounding slap echoed through the room, and it took a minute for me to realise I had just been slapped by the Alpha. A sad smile broke across my lips as he grabbed my hair, yanking it backwards and pulling so hard that I almost thought I was going to lose a few strands to his hand.

"Curse at me again, and I'm going to show you how much of an Alphawhore I can be." He hissed, spitting in my face before throwing my head away. I hit my head against the wall and hissed in pain.

"Why should I be faithful to you just because you're my mate? I am the Alpha, and I can do whatever I want. You have no right to question me. You're just a girl, after all." He scoffed, pacing back and forth as he ran his fingers through his hair, as though he were receiving bad news through a mind link.

"You stay here. I'll be back. And make sure you have an answer ready for me by the time I'm back." He rushed out of the room before I could even open my mouth to reply.

What was going on? Why did he seem restless? What was going on in the palace?

I panted heavily as I dragged my butt across the floor, trying to sit up, but it was impossible to do so.

I wished I could free myself from being bound to the chair. I wished I had something on me that I could use to loosen the rope, but I had nothing.

My heart hammered hard against my chest when I heard footsteps coming towards the room I was in. My chest tightened in fear at how hard the boots were hitting the floor.

I wished I could tell who it was. I wished I could know what was going on, but I couldn't make out anything from where I was lying. I wanted to forget about the outside world and focus on myself when a kick against the door sent it flying to the ground.

The scent of musk and spring flowers filled the room, and I couldn't believe my thoughts as I could only think of one person. The Lycan King!

"I love my assumptions to always be right, but I somehow wish I were wrong," came a mighty growl from the entrance. My heart skipped a beat as I craned my neck and saw the Lycan King standing tall by the door. His presence screamed danger, but I couldn't help letting out a faint smile.

"You're here," I whispered.

To save me?

I couldn't bring myself to say the rest of the question out loud for him to hear. But the thought of the Lycan King coming to my rescue woke something in my body that made me feel cherished. Even if it was just that once.

I felt cherished. But in the worst way possible.