Chapter 2- Killian

I watch Clara sleeping on the floor shivering from the coldness of the room. She is human, she doesn't have a wolf to keep her warm. The cold is nothing for werewolves, but for a human it can be deadly. Rising from my desk I drape a spare blanket from the bed around her. I look over at her trying to see if she really Claret. I’ve been searching for her to repay her for her kindness, to make sure she was okay, to help her if she needed me. Truth is there was something about Claret that drew me to her. 

Nora always came with the mystery burned cloaked slave. I never even knew her name till that night. We all just called her the burned girl. I always was grateful for the pair for taking care of my pack. Nora was a member of my pack and I assumed that the other girl was as well. I know where Nora is and I know she has been asking to see me since we took over.. Perhaps she is really trying to meet with me to plead for her former mistress. 

Walking away from Clara because she is just as confusing as Claret. No one could ever find her. She was never around during the day time. No one saw her in the castle, the frields, mines, anywhere. She was only ever seen at night. I just assumed that  King George kept her hidden due to her deformities from the burns. My mind refuses to accept that Clara and Claret are the same person even if there is part of me that admits it makes sense. The way Clara flinched at my hand. I wasn’t even going to hit her, but she thought I was. Her movements were those of someone who was hit in the past. She had the reaction of many slaves who have been hit. 

I never expected her to tell me what she did. I knew she would plead for her life, beg me not to take her body. I was prepared for that, but I was not prepared for the words that spewed from her mouth. I was so outraged that she was lying. I really was going to whip her, but she was right. I would be no better than her father if I didn’t at least try to find the truth. Tomorrow I will meet with Nora. I will find out the truth, but what do I do if what Clara says is true? Did I make an innocent woman a slave? I had the impression she was just like her father. They always appeared to have a wonderful relationship. George never stopped boasting about his pretty daughter and her talents. 

When I was in the courtrooms serving for events and Clara was present I couldn’t stand watching her smile as her father spewed lies. I assumed she was cruel like him, after all she is his daughter. Cruelty is taught and I assumed George taught her to be cruel to her slaves. I always worried about Nora and Claret. What would happen if they got caught? I knew Nora was Clara’s slave. I never could understand how Nora was always so confident with her sneaking us supplies, food, and medicine. If she was with the princess then she wouldn't need to fear. 

Morning comes and Clara stirs on the floor. I didn’t sleep much, I usually don’t. I really can’t afford sleep now as I set up my freshly established kingdom. It’s a lot of work, lots of politics, and it consumes my time. It also is frustrating which is exactly why I wanted Clara to be my slave. I could take my anger, revenge, and frustration out on her because in my mind she deserves it, but then again perhaps she doesn’t . 

“Good morning, master. Thank you for letting me stay.” 

“You can clean yourself up in my washroom. You will stay here in my chambers till I can talk to Nora. Don’t leave.” I say as I head towards the door. 

I inform the guards to keep an eye on Clara as I will be out and to not touch her. As I make my way to the gardens where I plan to meet Nora Iris finds me. Iris is decently attractive. She escaped with me and would keep my bed warm at night. I know she hopes I make her my Luna Queen, but I don’t not see her that way. She was a friend who happened to entertain my sexual desires because I was her Alpha. 

“How did last night go? Did you take her without mercy? I wish you would have let me and Emmet watch. When can I get a torutre session? I’m itching to take some revenge out of that bitch.” Iris fires her questions and statements in rapid succession. She is taking joy in Clara’s pain and I’m not sure how I feel about that. 

I was savage last night with Clara, but that was holding back. I didn’t plan to let her be lubricated knowing it would hurt her more that way. I wasn’t going to take her on the bed either. My plan was to fuck her over my desk. I changed my mind when she told me what she did. I wasn’t even going to look at her while I fucked her. I was going to take her from behind. Instead I let her touch herself. I have to admit I enjoyed showing her how to touch herself. Watching her discover what her pleasure spot could do was a major turn on. 

“I was savage with her. I’m not sure you or anyone will be getting to hurt her. I found out some possible information that might change things. I’m going to clear it up right now. Once I know the truth I will let you know what you can and can not do with my slave. Don't forget, Iris, she is my slave, not yours. She is my property and only I have the say as to what is done with her. Don’t touch her without my permission.” I warn. 

“What? Don't’ protect her like that. She is a wretched person and she deserves to suffer. I want to watch as the warriors and gurads rape her like King George guards did to me. I want to beat her, make her bleed.” 

“You will wait for my orders on what to do. Don’t touch her till I say. I’m serious. If what I was told is true, Iris, she might not be a horrible person. We might be wrong.” 

Iris scoffs. “She will pay for her fathers sins. Someone must pay.”

“Just wait for me. I will seek you out later on. I’m late for my meeting. I will see you later.” I stated walking away from Iris. 

I’m not sure why Iris’s words rubbed me the wrong way. I shouldn’t care what happens to Clara. I should let Iris torture her. I should let my warriors have their way with her. I should let my Beta Emmett enjoy her body for his pleasure, but somehow it all doesn’t feel right anymore. For the first time in my life I’m torn. I want to hate her. I want to destroy her. I want Clara to suffer like I did and I had planned for all of that. If what she says is true though I’m not sure I want to destroy her like that. 

Nora is standing by the fountain. She is in a simple brown dress. When she sees me she makes her way quickly to me. I know Nora well. I got to know her when she brought food. I also got to know Claret, but she was always so quiet. She barely spoke. She also didn’t always come with Nora. I have great admiration for Nora for her helping her people out. I planned on rewarding her as well as Claret except now I may have damned claret to live life as a slave. 

“Alpha, oh thank you for seeing me. I’ve been trying to meet with you.” She is practically hysterical. 

“I’m sorry, Nora, I’ve been very busy.” I’m sincere with my apology. 

“I know. Alpha, I need to speak to you about Princess Clara. I know you enslaved her and I’m sure you hate her, but you must not be cruel to her please. She has faced so much heartache and cruelty already. She isn’t her father. She is the exact opposite of him. Oh please tell me you haven’t tortured her or done anything horrible to her.” Nora’s eyes water with tears. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Nora cares about her former mistress.

“Why should I be kind to a slave whose father wrongfully enslaved our people and did unspeakable things to us for decades?” I question with a raised eyebrow. I don’t want to let her on to the fact I already know why. I want her to tell the story on her own. I don't want her to be influenced in any way. 

“Princess Clara isn’t her father. I promise you she doesn’t deserve your hatred like you think. Do you remember the burned cloaked girl, Claret?” I nod my head and I can already sense that I’m not going to like what I hear. I spent all night convincing myself Clara was lying to me and now I fear I may have been very wrong. “That was Princess Clara. I helped her disguise herself while we were in the slave area. She is the reason I was even able to bring anything to you at all. Without her I wouldn't have been able to do it. It was even her idea. I was sad one day about everything. I had been with the princess for many years at this point. She comforted me while I cried for our people. I expressed that I wanted to help because I knew I was the luckiest slave in the world to have as a her as mistress. I knew many were not as lucky as I was.” 

Damn it! “So, what she told me last night was true. What about the abuse from her father?” I had to be sure she wasn’t feeding lies with the truth. 

“He was horrible to her. His words always sliced her apart. He would tell her he should have killed her with her mother. He hated her for being a girl and not a boy. He’d slap her face so hard over and over again till it was red, swollen, and almost bleeding. He broke two of her ribs once. He locked her away in her room unless he needed her for a social event.” Nora informs me. 

“Did the princess ever mistreat you?” I have to ask because I’m hoping for a reason to keep hating Princess Clara. 

“No, never. I’m still a virgin because of her. She protected me from the guards so that they wouldn’t hurt me or use my body. The king once tried to summon me to his chambers and Clara refused to let me go, that night he broke her ribs because she was protecting me. He never came after me again. She is my friend, alpha. She was incredibly kind to me. She treated me with such care. I probably lived the best life a slave could. I always had food, clothes, shelter, medicine, anything I needed or wanted she would get for me. Please tell me you haven’t done something horrible.” 

“I haven’t. I’m the only one who's touched her and no one has hurt her that I know of.” 

“Good, please don’t let others use her. Don’t torture her. She doesn't deserve it.” Nora pleads with me. She really cares about the princess. She even called her a friend. 

“Nora, I wanted to offer you a position as my secretary, you can keep an eye on Clara when she isn’t working in the fields. She will go there tomorrow.” 

“No, don't do that please. She will be miss treated you know that. Give her a job she can do. She is very book smart. She can read, write, and she even knows five other languages. . She is actually very smart and clever. Use her as a scribe.” 

Thinking about those types of skills would come in handy. I know the basics of reading and writing, but my education was cut short thanks to King Goerge. “Fine. I won’t send her to the fields. I’ll use her mind during the day and her body at night. Is that fair?” 

“Yes and thank you, Alpha.” 

“You’re welcome Nora, you can report tomorrow morning to my study. I will have a room set up for you in the royal corders. Clara can stay with you there. If I put her in a cell the guards might harm her.” 

“Thank you, Alpha.” 

“I’m only repaying you for your kindness and because I consider you a friend as we’ve gotten to know each other.” 

Nora opens her mouth to say something and then shuts it. I know what she wants to say. She wants to ask me ‘what about paying Clara back for her kindness’. I may have compromised with Nora on Clara’s treatment as a slave and giving her a better job, but she isn’t happy I made her a slave at all. The unfortunate part is, Nora has every right to ask me that question. It’s the same question I’m asking myself.  

Nora leaves and I’m left standing in the damn gardens as conflicting emotions course through me. My hate for King George is strong. My hate was always at his daughter as well, but now I’m not so sure I can hate her. She helped my people, she helped me, she even kept her mouth shut when I told her of my escape. Fuck!

Originally had a lot of horrible plans for Clara. I told both Emmett and Iris they could do whatever they wanted to her, they just couldn’t kill her becasue if anyone is killing her it’s fucking me. I had plans to let my warriors have fun with her. I was even going to force her through a slave introduction. Sometimes slave owners make their newly acquired slaves have an introduction. They are striped, put on display, and a few high ranking members of society can do what they want with the slave with limitations. No death, nothing that will leave scars, and they can’t be taken into a private area. Everything that is done to them is done in the open of the king's court. I had to be introduced, so did Emmett and Iris. Our introductions were brutal. Forced to do sexual things we didn't want to do. We were completely humiliated. I planned on torturing her and letting others do it. I was going to let as many people get their revenge on her as possible. 

Now, I don’t know what to do. I still want to make her pay even if it’s just a little bit for her fathers sins, but now I’m asking myself if she deserves it. It’s not like she could have stopped her father. At least she protected Nora and helped where she could. I still can’t believe she is Claret. It bothers me because I felt some connection to Claret especially that night she tended to me. She kept me alive, cleaned my wounds, gave me water, and kept applying cool wash clothes to my body when I was feverish as my body tried to purge the poison in me while trying to heal. I clung to her that night. I thought of her as an angel of mercy. It seems I’ve condemned my own angel to live in hell and I’m the damn devil. 

Years were spent plotting my mutney. I had planned to escape for years and it took many of those years to come up with an actual plan that worked. It wasn’t easy, but me and a dozen others escaped to an island off the coast. It was a safe haven and King George could not find us there. Iris and Emmett were with him. He had wanted to take Nora, but even back then she refused to leave her mistress. I personally found it strange when she said the princess needed her. I thought maybe Clara had brainwashed her, but the fear I saw in Nora’s face when she thought I had already done horrible things to Clara was not fake. Neither was the admiration and care that I saw. Everything about her emotions were genuine. I’ve seen the brainwashing of slaves and Nora was not brain washed. Also knowing that Clara was truly the burned slave shows that she wouldn’t do something like brainwash a slave. 

During the years on the island Iris and I became lovers. I’m not particularly attracted to Iris. Not that she is bad looking, but she isn’t Clara’s level of pretty. Clara is a true beauty which is partly why I wanted to fuck her. I knew I needed to have her at least once. I couldn't very well do that as a slave, but I could has Alpha King. I knew this. I thought of the ways I would brutally fuck her. Torture her with the pain of coming close to an orgasim only to never finish leaving her constantly frustrated and telling her should could touch herself to get satisfaction or else I’d punish her. I had so many devilish plans for her and I’m not the only one with malicious intent. 

When Iris and Emmett found out I planned on taking the princess as a slave and pay her back her father sins, they both jumped on the bandwagon. So when our insomonina would get the better of us because the demons of our past and trauma were haunting us we would sit by a fire and plot all the revenge we wanted. It wasn’t just on Clara. It was also the king and the guards that harmed us. The first few nights I didn’t even get to do anything with Clara. I locked her in a dungeon and told everyone to leave her alone till I gave my word. Fuck, I promised they could have revenage on her.

I still want my revenge on her, but now I find myself questioning it. For fucks sake the girl saved me from the brink of death. She was the one who made sure I got the care and medicine I needed. I still think about that night. She sang songs to me and her voice was like that of an angel which is why I called her my angel. I had always felt this debt to pay to Claret that night. It’s why I was so hell bent on finding her. I also think part of me found her kindness and voice so attractive I almost don’t think I would have even cared if she was deformed with burns. Part of me had thought about making her a mistress or even my Luna Queen if she wanted it. I have no idea why I would ever do anything so rash, but there was something about her that just causes a reaction in me.