03. Disappointments

I tried my hardest to be comfortable along the journey, but everything failed—the discomfort of not having underwear finally sept in. With no clothes to borrow, I had to endure the discomfort until the Lycan King, and I reached the palace.

I did not know if King Elio was a fool, but sleeping with a stranger in his carriage was not the most brilliant job to do. Given his history of being bloodthirsty, of slaughtering all his enemies without batting an eye while smiling as they took their last breath, anyone who held a grudge against him would tempt them to kill him now.

I gritted my teeth while glaring at him.

The bastard was peacefully sleeping while sitting, snoring. 

He was indirectly the reason for Sabrina's disappearance, and after what he did to my family, he deserved death. He was lucky I was still not on the move of getting my revenge. I was still not sure of my sister’s whereabouts or if she was alive or not.

“Are we there yet?” I asked the driver, trying to break the silence. I hated it when I was not talking. Evil thoughts kept on rushing in. “I am asking you, sir,” I repeated.

“A slave has no right to talk to a noble.”

“A noble, you say? How come you became a lap dog of the Lycan king?” I asked. 

It was true that there were nobles who were willing to serve the Lycan king instead of asking their slaves to do it for them. Serving the king would be a boost to their status, and if the Lycan king would be satisfied with their service, he may grant them lands, wealth, or anything that they could ask for.

“Close your mouth, slave!” he growled. 

I folded my arms in front of my chest. “Slave? I am not,” I answered.

It was true. Sabrina and I were the daughters of a pack doctor. But even his status in the pack did not help his daughters. 

“You are. You were sold in the auction house.”

And it was because of King Elio. I hated this man, and whether he would reject me or not would not hurt me at all—only my wolf.

I was silent for a moment, gathering my thoughts when the carriage came to a complete stop.

“What happened?” I asked the driver.

I looked outside and saw a group of men carrying spears and arrows.

I sniffed the air, and their putrid scent hit my nose.

Werewolves. Rogues. Rogue bandits.

I gagged and wiped the corner of my mouth. 

Damn!

Why did they have to show now?

The Lycan King was still fast asleep. I was conflicted as to whether I should wake him or not. However, if it were him, fighting the rogue bandits would be a piece of cake.

‘The Lycan king is still undecided. Prove your loyalty to him,’ Iris, my wolf, said. ‘I don’t want him rejecting us, Flora.’

‘How will I prove my loyalty to the person who was the reason why Sabrina was missing?’

‘You judge King Elio too soon. We need to investigate first.’

When it comes to their mates, the beasts will become irrational. But not me. I would never let my emotions cloud my judgments. 

‘Investigate? He is the reason why every woman in our pack was suddenly either killed or sold! Don’t you care about them?’

‘Be rational, woman!’ Iris said, growling back at me.

I scoffed at her. ‘You’re defending him even if we barely met him? You have to remember the rumors around him, Iris. This man is a murderer!’

‘In his past. But there was no news about that in his present life. Defend him with all your life, Flora, or I will leave you forever,’ Iris threatened. ‘He is a changed man. He focused on making the kingdom prosper. He is doing the best job, Flora.’

I stared at her in disbelief.

Fudge! Why did my wolf side with a murderer?

My head whipped to the other side when I heard shouts. The rogue bandits were advancing towards us! 

I shook King Elio. Good that he uncuffed me earlier. 

“Your Majesty!” I called, trying to awaken him. 

He groaned in reply but never opened his eyes. 

“The rogues are attacking us!” I exclaimed. My eyes kept glancing back and forth outside. My heart was hammering against my chest.  The carriage in front of us (carrying the Lycan king’s warriors) was already fighting the enemies, but it seemed that the latter was growing in size. We were nearly outnumbered. 

He popped one eye and yawned. 

He was a disappointment! 

“What?” he barked. His eyes were hazy as if it did not sink fully into his mind what was happening. 

“The rogues are attacking us, Your Majesty. You have to do something!”

“Why would I?”

My mouth gaped open. “Are you serious? That’s all you can say?”

He heaved a deep sigh. “That’s not how you should talk to your king.”

“Then, it must be true you are mad,” I exclaimed. 

His eyes glinted. “What did you say?”

“Your people need you! They are fighting for you. The least you could do is help them!”

He straightened his back and put one of his fingers on his ears as if clearing it. “That’s why they are here. To protect me.”

A shrill voice of a woman broke down.

It was his attendant! No! I still needed that woman.

“I cannot believe you. My alpha is better than you. He protects his people and will lay down his life for us.” He was nothing compared to you! I wanted to say but stopped myself from getting further. 

He narrowed his eyes, offended at the comparison. “Too bad your bastard alpha cannot save you right now. He was not also there when I punished your pack after they killed Eva. He fled with his tails behind his legs.”

I balled my fist. It shook and wanted to hit this man even one time. I did not care if he was the Lycan king or not.

“Stop saying mean things to him. I know him more than  you.”

The shouts of pain and terror in the background continued. The metallic smell of blood wafted through the air. 

“Here is what I want you to do for me, Flora.”

“Is that the right time for that?” I asked in agitation. “Your people are dying!”

Those words did not register in his mind. 

One rogue was pulling the woman’s hair. Rogues were known to abuse the woman they captivated. 

Fuck! 

“Protect me. Die for me. That’s your job.”

“I won’t protect someone like you.”

“Then, I better feed you to the rogues.”

“I am your mate! Your wolf would be devastated if something happened to me!” I cried.

He smiled. “I don’t care. He stopped talking to me when Eva died. He did not even talk to me when I saw you in the auction house. If my wolf did not care about you, why would I?”

I was stunned at his revelation. Our wolves becoming silent was the worst thing that would happen to us. 

“Go,” he said, smirking. 

Damn you! I cursed inwardly. 

The woman shouted again, and cursing again,  I yanked away the cloak from my body, jumped into the carriage, shapeshifted into my wolf form, and landed on the ground with a thud.

Giving one last glance at the Lycan King, he winked at me, which I answered with a growl.