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River is in agony.
The fever had broken during the night, yet as her sickness abated, the burning sensation along her neck increased tenfold. She is unable to sleep throughout the night, lying stiffly on her back, staring fixed at the ceiling.
Her jaw aches terribly. Hadrius had been firm and insistent on her marking him despite possessing blunt, mundane teeth. Unlike his deadly canines, she could barely pierce his skin — and her irritation only grew as he instructed her on how to properly bite him. The lecture unnerved her for it seemed to border cannibalism.
She bit. She bit again. And when that failed, she growled and chewed on his shoulder, trying to rip at his skin like it was a piece of dried jerky.
In the end, she had successfully marked him - if marking could be considered a brutal blue-purple colour with vague dental indents.
By the time dawn arrived, River was fatigued and cranky.
“The Alpha and council will be awaiting
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The Beast's Slave 27
River stares after Hadrius.He walks ahead of her, each step faster than the last, harder - more deliberate. There is anger in the manner in which he carries himself, it rolls off of him in scalding waves that scorch River’s skin as she trails after him.She keeps a healthy distance, should the warlord decide to turn and end her life out of pure rage.Alpha Novus had dismissed them after the speculation and talk, but Hadrius did not leave. Instead, the Lycan stood unmoving, a hardness that edged at the corners of his bottomless eyes that watched Novus. River stared between the two men, sensing a power trip as both were unwilling to step down.Novus exhaled dismissively; “She is not your mate.”“She is,” Hadrius stated, something sharp in his voice.It irked River how nonchalant Novus was of his beta’s relationship. Then again, she had just learned that he had a mate and child who died.River glances
The Beast's Slave 28
They did not speak to each other for three days.River spends them purposefully avoiding the warlord after her rather dogged outburst, and in hindsight, she does feel shame for hitting the woman as the pillow was intended for the smug man.Avoiding him was not difficult as his schedule was demanding of the majority of his time.Being the Alpha’s Beta, Hadrius spends the majority of daylight in the palace; at meetings discussing politics; plotting the expansion of boundaries, financial terms, war, the next annual raid; and most importantly, the hellhounds that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere. Now threatening their borders.Though he is busy, Hadrius had made sure she was just as active - having assigned her four tutors which she met at 8 AM for Latin, calculus, geography and history - all of which she loathed with a burning passion but could not decline.Perhaps this was his silent way of punishing her for disrupting his moment.It
The Beast's Slave 29
He leads her back into the palace but down another labyrinth of hallways and doors until they finally halt before a circular wooden barrier. Hadrius pushes it open. Each footfall is as quiet as a shadow. The hallway opens to a bath chamber, walls of different fluorescent mosaic colours beneath glass tiles. River’s steps falter as she takes in the spectacle before her. The chamber curves like a cave, natural luminescent lights glowing from the walls and ceilings, illuminating the thin mist of steam that rises from the large bath to drift around her ankles.Her skin grows damp.She inhales mint eucalyptus and spots a nude female servant dropping two dollops of hardened oils into the water.“Enter the bath, I will join you in a moment.” Hadrius turns away, leaving her alone in the room. She stands by awkwardly, uncertain as to why he would want her in the bath, but the waters steamed invitingly and it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick dip.
The Beast's Slave 30
When Hadrius wakes, it is not the soft pleasant fluttering of drooping eyelids, neither is it a peaceful rousing that pulls from slumber but rather, a violent upright startled, his fingertips aching, hot as embers from a bonfire, with the visibility of wolf claws that had begun to drop during the nightmare. His bare torso glows with perspiration, large chest heaving upwards, darkened hair sleek against his temples and nape of his neck.He blinks into the semi-light room, slants of golden bands slipping from partially drawn curtains. For a moment, he is disoriented and slightly frustrated, heart still thundering from the nightmare of hellhounds of the hooded cloak that reaches for him. But then something shifts beside him- his eyes cut sideways as something brushes his calf, an incoherent murmur from the girl as she rolls over, clearly undisturbed by his inhuman ways.Hadrius watches her a moment, the soft curve of her cheek, clustered freckles behind her eye shaded by
The Beast's Slave 31
River bites into the fleshy succulent apple, glistening juices trailing down the side of her hand and wrist. She wipes at it on the front of her dress absent-mindedly, gaze unfocused and listlessly wandering from one book to another on the wide shelf before her.After their brief intimate scuffle that left her mortal pride wounded, and the Luna’s unexpected visit, Hadrius had shortly dismissed her for classes. His mirthful mood suddenly darkened with hidden meaning.She had left for the palace classrooms but no teacher was in attendance, students as well, all rooms empty. It was then that she noticed the sudden bustling of servants moving about with polished trays and chandeliers, rolled up Persian carpets and glistening silverware. They all moved in one direction.River made her way to the large, silent library, away from the schools of Lycans that would not spare her the poisonous glances and bared teeth of viciousness.The library is partially em
The Beast's Slave 32
“For all the years I have known you, Alpha, I would never think that you would insult me in such a way.”Alpha Novus glances up from the paper that lies before him, and at his Beta that stands by the large doorway. Both of them still wear their suits from the party but Hadrius’ top button is undone, tie resting on his shoulder. He watches the Alpha with a look of respectful contempt.“You insulted my mate as well.” The warlord continues, unable to rid himself of the expression that crossed her face when Alaina, the Alpha’s daughter, kissed his cheek.Alpha Novus remains silent and immobile, like a column of water, cold and straight, sufficient to himself. His jaw clicks and his pale lips curve into the tenderest of smiles; “I apologize if that is not how you wished to meet Alaina, the girl is rather brazen,” a sigh as he flattens a palm on the papers, “I will pass on the message to her father, should she choo
The Beast's Slave 33
“Mortal!” River glances up from her paper and at the female teacher that stands before the room. Pairs of mythical eyes leering at her. She blinks slowly, drawing from the nebulous cloud of thoughts.“What?” She speaks, bemused.A snicker rises around.Atticus leans back on his seat and rocks whilst smiling hotly at her.“I see you were not paying attention,” the teacher reproaches, something terrible distorting her beauty. “You are dismissed from the class.”River blinks again, “What?” She echoes again, unable to keep up with her mind which is a stinging web of hurt and now this. “I’m sorry, did I-”“Dismissed!” The woman snaps and River stills, eyebrows furrowing.“What have I done wrong?”“You have not been paying attention.”“Neither has the group of boys over there-” River points a hot finger
The Beast's Slave 34
“Thank you,” Hadrius speaks at the maid, watching as she bows low before him with River’s dirty bloodied clothes in hand, before stepping out of the room. That had been the last of them.Slowly shutting the door, the warlord cracks his neck to the side then knuckles. His body is rigid and sore, a phantom ache between joints from the unrestrained shift that briefly surfaced whilst subduing the wolves. The wolves that dared harm her. It had left him fatigued but alert.Hadrius walks across the room and lingers by the bathroom’s doorway.Large and utterly decadent, as nearly everything pertaining to the warlord’s lifestyle is. Smooth grey marble and a lot of glass and mirrors lend the large room a somewhat surreal quality, steam from the hot water and lit candles only added to the effect.There are two lit candles, glowing against the steam from the heat of the water that hung heavy in the air. Through the mist, he sees his huma
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