Chapter 8

Ava’s pov

“This will be your quarter.” The king said behind me.

Turning, I glanced up at him then asked. “Why?”

He understood what I was asking. Usually servants live together in shared quarters, so having my own room in a different wing in the castle was rather strange.

“You're my personal entertainer, meaning you are under my care and protection now. You will serve me alone, no one else. Hence, you require a certain accommodation.” He said with an unreadable expression. “You are a royal entertainer, not a common one, so you will have some things differently.”

“Royal entertainer, not a common one” is that supposed to make me feel better? Me being a slut for the king… I thought in disgust.

“Care and protection?” I repeated in disbelief. “Is that what you and your people call this? Taking us away from our families, forcing us to be your servant, forcing me to be your—” I couldn't even bring myself to say it.

His jaw tightened, expression turning deadly at the disrespect. He took a step towards me but I refused to move, I remained unyielding and rooted to the ground even though every nerve in my body screamed at me to retreat and cower.

“I am the alpha king, I will take no disrespect from a tiny little human such as yourself. I do not care what you or your people think” he spat, face coming dangerously close to mine. “I only do what's best for I and my people, your people caused this life for themselves when you guys allowed greed and wickedness seep into your souls.”

“They laid their beds and they shall now lay on it.” He finished, his voice a mixture of his normal deep voice and a rougher one which I assumed belonged to his wolf.

Who do they think they are?... I thought in anger.

I took a step forward in anger causing surprise to flash across his face before he masked it with an unreadable expression. Red hot anger erupted within me.

“That war happened centuries ago. People change, humans evolve. We aren't the humans that fought your people nor are you and your people the werewolves of that time.” I said, seething.

“Grow a fucking pair and let bygones be bygones, you guys are just too fucking petty and pained. Weak if you ask me, prying on humans to boost your deflated ego, making us do the work you are all too lazy to do. Disgusting.” I spat in his face.

Taking another step until we were toe to toe, nose brushing each other’s, I continued. “You must think you're so mighty when you sit on that throne barking orders like a loose dog. But underneath all that power, you're nothing but an arrogant prick clinging on to the little control he has because he's scared of losing it. Little pup.”

The last statement I made seemed to have struck a nerve in him as a dangerous growl erupted out of his chest, his eyes flashed gold signifying that his wolf was close to the surface. That was when I realized I had been mouthing off forgetting who was in front of me. He wasn't just any other werewolf, he was the alpha king and I had just called him a little pup.

His fangs grew as blood drained out of my face and my figure began to shiver in fear.

What have I done?... I thought to myself.

My mother has always warned me to think before I speak or better yet, not to speak when I'm in the presence of werewolves but I never listened. I was found of acting and speaking on impulse and this was one of those times when I wished I had thought things through or just kept quiet.

“How dare you?!” He yelled in anger.

My mouth went dry, my mind scrambled for a response, a plea maybe but what happened next happened so fast I didn't realize it.

One moment I was standing in front of him, the next I was sent flying through the air and crashing into what might have been the wardrobe or one of the bedside tables.

Pain. That was all I felt as it burst across my whole body, I screamed. I couldn't move, I felt warm blood seeping out of my head and onto my face. I couldn't move my right arm or left leg, I looked down with the little strength I had and saw that a big piece of wood had impaled my leg and another in my arm although the one in my arm was smaller than that in my leg.

The sight was disgusting, the bone in my leg protruding out as blood spilled out. Crimson blood slowly tinted my silver waist length hair, I watched as the blood from my head dribbled down the length of my hair, slowly coating it.

“What have I done?” I heard the king whisper.

You know they say, when someone's about to die their life flashes before their eyes. At that moment, a thousand memories flashed before my eyes, my mom cooking in the kitchen with me, my dad and I playing on the front porch, my brother annoying me by taking one of my dolls away from me, Sylvia and I gossiping about the village boys and a whole lot more.

With the last strength in my body, I lifted my head, barely, and I looked in his direction as my eyes blurred and he looked visibly not really bothered, that was the last thing I saw before succumbing to the darkness that welcomed me into its cold embrace.

“Ava,” A voice croaked out. “Ava, wake… you better not die yet.” he coldly said, and the next thing I heard was him calling his people for emergency help.

For that moment, I could sense fear from his words, even though his tone betrayed my thoughts.

My hopes of living again seemed tiny, then it went silent…