Chapter 3: Grace

I didn’t move. Adrian was standing between me and the Alpha King, his hands still tight on my shoulders. I swallowed. Speaking only ever got me in trouble. There wasn’t a chance I would say a word in front of Adrian.

“She’s mute.” Adrian growled, annoyed, he had to speak for me, even though it was his rule. He turned us back around to face the alpha king. Even as powerful as Adrian was, he didn’t think it was wise to have his back to the King.

I watched the Alpha King sniff the air, and I tried not to cringe at the thought.

“She has no scent.” The Alpha King frowned as he looked at me intensely, like I was somehow tricking him.

“She has no wolf.” Adrian answered, his tone bored. There was nothing he hated more than talking about me. “Completely worthless is what she is.”

The Alpha King’s frown deepened in confusion as he studied me. I stood there silently trying to pull myself together. I refused to cry. I met his eyes as he searched for answers that I couldn’t give.

“I told you to stay out of sight!” The door slammed behind Kinsley as she entered and saw Adrian with his hands on my shoulders. I had known she was coming, but it didn’t make this situation any easier.

Adrian turned me toward Kinsley as she reared her arm back and slapped me across the face. My cheeks immediately heated with embarrassment, and this time I couldn’t hold back the tears. I watched her arm rear back again so she could get more force, but before she could, the Alpha King interrupted.

“What are you doing?” His voice held mild interest, but his face was blank, and I found myself dying to know what he was thinking.

“Putting this bitch in her place.” Kingsley seethed, but her hand didn’t continue forward.

“Do you treat all your servants like this?” The Alpha King’s voice was calm, but there was something underlying in his tone that I didn’t know what to do with. His face was still passive, but there was a part of me that thought he might care. He wouldn’t be asking the question if he didn’t, right?

Kinsley, being the drama queen she was, immediately burst into fake tears.

“I’m so sorry. I’m just a little on edge! Emily killed my mother and seeing her is just so hard! She is just simply paying for her crimes, but I shouldn’t have lost my temper just now. I was just so worried she would try to hurt you as well.”

More tears filled my eyes, and I cried silently, but I didn’t dare move. I never killed my stepmother. She was the only person who had ever been kind to me. Why would I have killed her? The thought made my heart hurt, but the accusations were nothing I hadn’t heard before.

“Get out, Grace. You are making Kinsley upset. We will address this later.” Adrian snarled.

The Alpha King hummed. “She killed your mother? She looks to be what, 16? 18? Didn’t your mother die years ago?”

I stood frozen in my spot, not daring to look up or even breathe. Kinsley also seemed to be struck speechless. It was rare for her to ever be called out.

“She died 6 years ago.” Kinsley finally answered after a long moment. “Grace was 14. Old enough to know better.”

“I see.”

I looked up from the spot on the ground I was staring at and found the Alpha King’s eyes staring at me attentively. I couldn’t make him see that I was set up. I would never win that battle. No one ever believed me. It was best to exit now before my punishment got worse. I nodded my head once and started to move toward the door.

“I’d actually like to take her back to the North with me.” The Alpha King declared; the tone of his voice dared them to challenge him. “This matter should have been addressed with me when it happened. I do not take kindly to those who do not follow protocols.”

I froze. What did he mean he wanted to take me back north? Did he want to punish me himself? Another round of unknown time in a dungeon? No. I can’t go through that again. I felt my body start to shake from fear or pain, I wasn’t sure which, but it didn’t matter.

“What would you want with a murderer?” Kinsley asked, but it was more of a demand, clearly not hearing the challenge in his voice.

“I’d like to think of it as more of a peace offering. You have no need to keep a murderer in your ranks, and I think I can find a use for her. We have plenty of roles that need filled.” The Alpha King’s voice was calm and he was speaking to them, but he never took his eyes off me. There was a fire in the look he was giving me. “I don’t like repeating myself, but this matter should have been brought to me when it happened.”

I wondered if he believed Kinsley’s story because the thought of him believing it made me feel sick. I wondered how much worse going with the King would be than my current situation. Adrian was strong, but the Alpha King’s body was clearly something he had worked on. His aura was also stronger than Adrian’s, and it made it even harder to breathe. I reached for the wall, trying to steady myself. I didn’t know which answer would be worse, but going with the Alpha King terrifed me.

“Do we require a peace offering?” Adrian hummed. I knew what he was thinking, he was reluctant to let go of his favorite punching bag, aka, me.

“We do, indeed.” The King smirked, and I tried to steady my breathing. This could not be happening. “Before we can even begin negotiations, but I’m sure we will reach an agreement.”

“Then I guess we have a deal, Alpha Rhys.”