Chapter One(Hunt for the Witch Queen)

ALPHA KING’S SEX SLAVE 

           Chapter one 

        [Hunt for the Witch Queen]

             Talitha’s pov.

   “Talitha! Talitha!” My eyes fluttered open with the speed of lightning as I tried to adjust my eyes to the bright vision as the sun peeked into them.

   Diana leaned to where I lay and my sight caught her forehead glistening with beaded sweat and her clothes rumpled and drenched with perspiration.

  “What is it Diana, why are you looking scared?” my soft voice questioned with furrowed brows as I pulled myself up from the bed and stood up due to the emergency in her voice. Diana wasn’t the type to worry or get shaken easily but when she did it meant one thing. 

    Trouble.

   “You have no idea. The king’s soldiers are after us and if we don’t move now we’re going to get caught. The entire village is under an attack.” Her lungs must be barely hanging on for dear life with the way she sounded almost out of breath shaking in fear.

   “Slow down. Speak to me slowly.” I urged tying my long natural blonde hair into a tight ponytail and wrapping my white woolen shawl around my empty neck protectively with an air of importance. 

   “I went out to get some food and I masked my appearance properly but on getting to the gates. The Alpha’s soldiers mounted on their horses were galloping at full speed, and went around asking the villagers of any strange women who got into their town.”

   That’s bad news. I swallowed an unknown lump. He won’t stop looking for me even to the ends of the earth. It has been five years, five solid years to forget the past and forge ahead. But did I truly forget all that had happened or was I barely hanging on and staring at posterity?

 Before I could speak another rushed into my tent and fell on her knees breathing huskily with her lips wide open gasping for breath. “Forgive me my Queen but on my way back from the stream I saw the soldiers breaking into people’s homes, whipping and threatening them with hounds of death.” Her hands trembled as she narrated the ordeal.

   “How did the Alpha get the information that we set out tents here? We have successfully masked our identities for five years without getting caught. Who sold us out?” I questioned staring at the two women intently. I did trust Diana but in situations like this, you never can know, maybe there was a loophole somewhere. One of us must have failed to disguise properly to the villagers and it must have amassed this.

  Our Witch sisters were different from the rest of the Clan, with extremely white pale skin, violet and strange colored eyes, full lips, extremely long hair, and body features that weren’t common among the others. Disguising was the only way to survive in this town and now our only shield has been blown off leaving us bare, unguarded, and vulnerable.

   “I don’t know Talitha but what’s important is how to leave this village immediately,” Diana says hurriedly, not thinking.

Good decisions aren’t made in a hurry and before giving my consent it must be properly pondered upon. 

 The responsibility of ensuring everyone gets out unhurt is on my shoulders and I can’t jeopardize lest I carry such a huge burden of regrets for life with thoughts that maybe there was something I could have done differently.

  “If the villagers see us leaving or some women they will be alerted and we’re going to get mapped out.” I stroked my cheek in thought. There’s no way I’ll secure the lives of my witch sisters and wouldn’t be worried for the poor villagers. If the Alpha king doesn’t find me he will wreak havoc on them just like the last village we sojourned before we came over to the poor town of Octavia. 

   The next morning everywhere was covered in ruins, the dead of the cattle, the carcass of the inhabitants, and the painful cries of their children. Just thinking about it alone had my tear duct pooling with tears. It breaks my heart.

  “We have to split up into three groups. The first will head to the back gate, the second will head towards the river, and the third.” Pointing at Diana. “You’ll head the third group of our sisters. I’ll oversee to make sure everyone gets out alive and much harm hasn’t been done to the villagers.”

  “No! I can’t let you take the fall if anything goes wrong. We are to protect you even if it means giving our lives in exchange for yours. Hurry with the others while I stay back.”

  That’s Diana for you. She has always been overly protective and a big loyalist. I know she’s trying to put me first but I’m sure no harm will come to me.

  I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now take it from your Witch Queen and not your best friend. Assemble the others immediately and start leaving. Get to the river bank and wait for me but if you don’t see me leave as quickly as possible.”

 She stared at me gobsmacked. “What are you saying? I can’t abandon you to die. You can’t put your neck on the line for us.” 

  A tear rolled down her cheek and all I did was smile widely at her sorrowful face and rubbed her shoulders slightly for reassurance.

   “I’m not dying and it’s my duty to protect my kind that’s why I’ve been given this huge responsibility. Don’t defy my orders anymore.” Turning to face the other woman who kept trembling. “Lead the first group of our sisters out. Find somewhere safe and I’ll find you, do the same to the second group, and no matter what don’t come back looking for me.”

  “Yes Queen,” she nodded and sprinted out of the room. Noises were growing as I heard the trotting of horses from afar and the screams with shouts of terror from the villagers.

   “Diana! Hurry.” I snapped trying my best to mask my conflicting feelings, keeping them at bay while I kept calm. I’ve been running from fate all these years and how long will I run? How many more innocent people will die because of me?

     It has to stop.

  Diana rushed out of the tent and next she ran back in and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug with tears streaming down her cheek and staining my dress. I didn’t mind and hugged her back slowly, patting her hair lovingly. 

 “Please be safe,” she begged, her eyes having turned messy and puffy.

   “Sure I will. Now go.” I pushed her off me gently but with a stern look. She dashed off again and I quickly grabbed my sword lying beside my bed for things like this and slowly walked out of the tent. This time the noise was growing stronger and it seemed they were coming to my destination.

  I unsheath my sword and watched how the other tents were now empty. They must have listened to my instructions by taking the lead to escape. I slipped away from the tents and with my shawl covered my face except for little layers for my eyes and saw how badly the soldiers manhandled the villagers.

  Close to where I walked in slow steps not to give myself away as everywhere turned into a ruckus, smoke rose in the air and I could smell the metallic scent of blood welcoming death.

 “Where is she?!” One of the soldiers questioned his sword to the throat of a feeble farmer. I know him around here when we move out in little groups to buy our supplies and he has quite a generous reputation.

   “I do-n’t kn-ow.” The farmer stuttered looking scared with his nose cracked open with blood dripping from it.

    “Why don’t you remember when you’re the biggest trader here? Everyone buys food from you. Now tell me before I slit your foolish throat!” The soldier barked with his sword on the man’s throat as he stared deadly at him.

   “Except for some women who stay covered up. I’ve never seen their faces but they have been in this town for a few years now but they don’t bother anyone.”

  “Where do they stay?” the soldier asked curtly with a sneer smacking the farmer hard on the cheek.

   “At the suburb close to the river bank.” He responded aptly from the impact of the smack.

  “It wasn’t that difficult.” 

    Oh no…

  The sword slit the throat of the farmer and the next thing was the sound of a thud as the farmer fell to his knees with his hands gripping his throat but it was too late as his blood oozed uncontrollably.

   I watched someone getting killed and it’s all because of me and my gaze fell on a liquid sprinkled on my shawl. My eyes widened in surprise. Blood. It was his blood I’m responsible for his death.

   Nervously biting on my inner cheek. It has been so long that I relied on my witchy powers and this time it was beckoning but it wasn’t time yet.

   “Search every crook and cranny. Find her alive!” The one who killed the man earlier ordered and jumped on his horse heading in the direction of the suburb where he was given and my legs had the tenacity for walking faster than I usually do. I need to leave this place immediately. A second more here has life choking out of me, stealing my breath.

   Praying under my breath to get past this hurdle as I walked past the stall the soldiers were still busy with the others trying to get information and I finally got to the giant exit gate.

     “Stop!” 

  My fingers tightened around the handle of the short sword hidden under my long shawl while I swallowed, curbing my fear and reminding myself I could leave this place unscathed without endangering the lives of the kind villagers.

 Footsteps came behind me and a hand turned me to face him. It was one of the King’s men and he had sandy brown hair as he stared at me suspiciously.

  “No one is allowed to leave the village until we find the culprit we’re looking for. It ain’t our order but that of the Alpha King.”

   I nodded and he went on. “Have you seen any strange women around?”

   I shook my head negatively. My heart thumped loudly in my chest like it was going to combust.

  “Why don’t you speak and why is there a shawl on your face?” He’s getting too nosey and if I don’t escape he’s going to find me out. 

    “Answer me. Get the shawl off.” He raised his hands to yank them off and I was swift in slashing his fingers with my sword and heard him scream holding onto the mutilated hand while I darted off hurrying to check for my sister’s if they had left the river.

   I won’t care if they escaped, leaving me behind. Their safety means the world to me.

  The next thing I could remember was hitting a hard chest that had me falling to the ground and before I could realize what was happening I was shoved angrily to the floor again and again which made me lose my breath.

      “Talitha!”

  That voice banged in my head and with determination, I looked up and saw Diana running towards me. Oh no! What’s she doing here? Who will lead the others safely away from this ongoing pandemonium?

   “No!” I screamed with all my might at the top of my lungs from the sight before my eyes. A soldier pierced his sword right into her stomach and she fell to the floor metres away from me with an outstretched hand beckoning to me before her body turned limp.

    Rage, pain, and agony tore at my heart. 

  “You thought we won’t find you.” A voice laced with mockery says and suddenly a sac was placed around my head and I struggled to be let out writhing and fighting the grip of the man holding the sac before my head exploded into nothingness. 

 My world felt hazy and my eyes couldn’t stay open. Soon I slipped into darkness oblivious of my surroundings as the world closed in on me.