Chapter 3

“Still stubborn I see.” One of the men stated as I was made to kneel in front of a huge crowd, and it made me smile.

Stubborn was better than weak.

A weakness is what I know they will never find in me.

I was once the weakling.

The one who took all the abuse

The belittling.

I swore to never be out in that position and get again and I stand by it, even if I felt a bit of fear, I swallowed it and held my head high.

“You talk too much.” I responded with an annoyed tone, as I had it with the delay. I would prefer they just did it and relieved me of the drama.

I could see that they wanted me to beg for my life, but I would rather be torn to pieces.

Kneeling in front of a crowd that clamored for my death surprisingly made me feel nothing. They were just in front of me but it felt like an echo and I couldn't understand why.

Maybe because I had accepted my fate with my head held high, or maybe my wolf has resigned, leaving me to fend for myself in this moment, or I was just used to being in the spotlight for bad reasons.

What ever it was, it is what it is.

Opening my eyes, I scan the crowd and turn back to look at the general whom the executor was waiting for with the axe in his hand already raised. All he needed was a nod from the General for him to sever my head from my body.

In this moment, I could not help but stagger in my stance as I anticipated the level of pain that I would feel, but I consoled myself with the fact that it would be fast.

My heart still spiraled with a tempo that I could not control and it took every fibre of my being to maintain my stance and not falter.

As soon as I saw a nod from the General, I closed my eyes and accepted it.

My entire being ws rigid from the wait for the impact, but I waited for longer than necessary and still felt nothing.

Still rigid, I squinted my eyes open only to be shocked by the sight in front of me.

The General had his hand on the axe stopping the executor from doing his job.

In this moment, the first thing I felt, was relief and a second later, immense confusion.

why did he stop the execution?

what is he up to?

Does he think this method is too easy and wants to kill me painfully slow?

All these thoughts and more ran through my mind in seconds.

“What?!” I heard someone yell from behind me where he previously sat with other people that looked like royalty just as he did.

“Master.” The executor says as if to ask why exactly he was being stopped but feared to actually say the words.

I could see and hear the confusion that passed round the crowd.

I was confused too.

Still in my confused state, he took my hands and raised me to my feet, dragging me along with him.

I was dumbfounded, confused, relieved and honestly a little but angry because I didn't like the way that I had no idea about everything.

I was a hostage from war.

What I expected was either death, torture and pain, but instead I got confusion.

Yes, confusion was a better option than the others but I didn't like it one bit.

Dragging me down the pavement, he stopped and turned to face the crowd with me at his back, our hands still intertwined.

Noticing this, I attempt to pull away but his hold tightened.

“I know you all are confused by my actions. Yes, she is supposed to be killed according to our laws but she wants death.” He said, turning his head sideways to look at me and turned back to the crows.

I may be crazy but all I focused on, was how insanely good he smelled.

How in the world dies he smell like this.

‘Is it a thing with the tigers?’ I ask myself and conclude that I would pay more attention to their scents because I never did.

“It is not a punishment to her. Rather, it is exactly what she wants and I cannot afford to give her such luxury.” He said as he dragged me by my hands and started to walk away.

I could hear so much commotion in the crowd and could make some words from what they were saying.

‘what is going on?’

‘She is a threat!’ I hear one of them scream and honestly, I had to bite the inside of my lips to stop myself from smiling.

We hadn't even gone far when we were stopped by an older woman who looked exactly like him. It didn't take me a second to guess that it was his mom.

“You're acting different.” She said with her eyes looking straight into his. It was a different kind of eye contact, more like a challenge for him to care to not answer her.

I liked her already.

Everyone else looked quite scared of him, well more like had way too much respect for him. He was always in control but now, he was shifting under her gaze and I loved it.

“She wants death, mom. Killing her would be intentionally giving her exactly what she wants and I believe that is not punishment at all.” He said to her and although she nodded in agreement, he facial expression looked like she was not buying that at all.

I just stood there with his back blocking my whole frame from her.

It was weird but I had this little feeling of safety whenever he stood in front of me.

It was crazy but I thought that he was somehow protecting me from everyone whenever he did that.

I know I'm a little crazy but that's what I thought whenever he did that.

My hand being pulled, dragged me out of my stupid thoughts as I'm pulled without knowing what exactly he had in store for me.

If he was not going to kill me, then what was he planning to do.

Following him without resistance, he stoooed in front of a house that looked nothing short if a castle.

Although confusion clouded my thoughts, my face remained stoic as he looked back to me.

I was curious as to why we were here but I didn't care enought as I knew it was definitely not for something good.

“This is my place and where you'll be staying.” He said to me, and the confusion was replaced with further confusion as I turn to see him with tye xerious expression he always wore.

“I'm a war hostage.” I say to him with a blank stare and tired expression.

It felt like I was being played with and I hated it.

“Exactly why you'll be working in my chambers as a maid and I'll make sure you do not die anytime soon.” He said to me and it immediately just felt like cold water was poured on my head.

He wants to humiliate me.

I was a warrior. A beta warrior.

“I would rather die.” I responded as my eyes scanned the place to see if there was a way I could do it myself but it was all just pain concrete with a huge house in the middle of a compound that was so big, it made me look like an ant inside of it.

“Exactly.” He responded with a smirk.