Time flies as Arianna remain in the cold room, having only one thing in her mind-- To escape and find her sister.
Her mind was in turmoil with the thought of what Kael might do to her. Knowing the fiery spirit of her sister, she knew Lylah would undoubtedly provoke Kael, not knowing she was still alive.
She needed to escape. To leave this cold walls, that seems to suffocates her.
Every minute that passed by only heightened her urgecy.
Her thought, unbidden, wandered to the king. The cold beautiful devil who had taken her in his rut.
Arianna knew she was crazy to let this slipped through her mind, but she couldn't help it.
According to Dalia and Nadia, she had escaped death. She had escaped a brutality of her limps getting ripped apart by the king feral desire.
Yet, the night with him was abnormal. It stirred something different. Intoxicating. The way his skin felt under her touch, when she dared reached to explore his handsome face. His eyes...
Terrifying, yet surprisingly exciting.
'You're insane Arianna,' her mind whispered. She should be thinking of escaping this hell hole, not this.
A quiver rippled through her body as the door creaked opened and the head maid Selene stepped in, her expression blank.
"You're being summoned," She announced.
Selene led Arianna through the Upper West Wings, where the higher rank individuals were located.
The place was exquisite, clean, and well-furnished on every corner. Spotless. Servants and guards weaving their way as they work.
Finally, they stopped before a large, imposing door.
Selene faced her "Get in. She doesn't like waiting."
Arianna struggled to suppress her disdain for Selene. After all, the head maid was only following orders, after all.
Taking a deep breath, Arianna pushed the door open, and her eyes settled on the elegant, tall figure inside.
The maids were busy dressing her, as if she had just taken a bath. The young woman moved with such grace that Arianna wondered who she was.
But when she caught a glimpse of her face, she immediately recognized her.
Valkyrie. The only daughter of Alpha Magnus, the leader of the Black Iron pack, and more importantly, she was rumored to be the Lycan King's betrothed.
Arianna had met her once, a long time ago when her father had Alpha Magnus as a visitor. She had caught a glimpse of Valkyrie, but they had never spoken.
Now she understood where the hatred was coming from. As the only one to survive the King's rut, Valkyrie was bound to resent her.
Now, all the pieces fell into place.
Valkyrie was trying to hide the fact that Arianna survived the king's rut.
"How has the life of a slave been so far?" Valkyrie dismissed the maids, and turning fully to face Arianna.
"One could only knows if one tries it," Arianna clenched her jaw.
Valkyrie signaled to the guard at the door, and before Arianna could comprehend, the guard punched her hard in the stomach, making her drop to her knees.
"You need to understand that you're not the Luna of your pack. This is not a place where you can defy me. Here you are nothing but a slave. A Traitor-far too worthless to breathe the same air as me."
"I'm not a traitor!" Arianna growled gritting her teeth. Every fiber of her being hated that title.
Valkyrie signaled the guard again. Arianna was pulled to her feet, and another hit landed in her stomach, making her spit blood.
"You should watch how you speak to me, slave," Valkyrie crouched down, her finger graps Arianna's chin and forcing her to meet her gaze.
"I can kill you with a snap of my fingers, torture you with my words, and make your life miserable."
Arianna groaned. Oh heavens, she missed her wolf to heal. The pain was unbearable.
Valkyrie stood upright and walked around Arianna, like a predator toying with its prey. "Tell me filthy one... How did you survive the King's rut?"
Arianna's jaw tightened. She had expected this question.
"Are you a witch?" Valkyrie taunted, grabbing a glass of wine from her table and faced Arianna, who remained on her knees. "Oh, I'd love to see you burn alive."
Arianna suddenly chuckled. "Are you afraid my survival is going to make the king reconsider taking you as his Luna?"
Valkyrie's smug expression disappeared, replaced by pure anger.
"I survived the rut. Something you can never do. You're trying to hide my identity, not wanting the king to know I'm alive," Arianna scoffed.
"Perhaps I should cut off your tongue too," Valkyrie warned.
"No, you won't. You need to know how I survived the King's rut. You need me, do you not?"
Arianna had no idea how she had survived either. The night with the king had been terrifying, but it remained a mystery to her.
"So tell me how you survived, especially considering the fact that you have no wolf."
Arianna guessed that Valkyrie must have witnessed the brutality of the King's rut. Perhaps she almost lost her life while forcing herself to satisfy the king-and that was true.
"I need to meet the king first." Arianna had heard whispers that, despite being called a ruthless monster, according to history, the king had saved the whole pack from dark forces a long time ago.
Valkyrie snickered. "You think I'm stupid?"
"I have no romantic interest in the king, if that's what you're worried about, I just need to clear my name and go back home."
Valkyrie's face darkened, her eyes flashing yellow. "How dare a slave try to bargain with me? I knew you would be like this."
She dropped the remnants of wine and clapped her hands twice. "So I brought a surprise for you."
The door swung open, and a tall, imposing guard stepped in with Nadia, who was pushed onto the floor opposite Arianna. Confused, Arianna wondered why they had brought Nadia.
"Please..." Nadia's lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. She clasped her hands together before Valkyrie. Her trembling voice, desperate and urgent.
"Whatever my sister did, please forgive her. I heard her scream throughout the night, the guards was doing all sorts of things to her. Terrible things. Please forgive her. Let her go... I'll do anything."
Arianna eyes narrowing. They did something to Dalia?
"Of course. I'll send her back to you," Valkyrie smirked, a hint of sarcam in her voice. The door opened again and Arianna's jaw dropped and her body went rigid at the sight.
Dalia lay lifeless in the arms of the guard who stepped in, her naked body covered in bruises and dry blood. Arianna could only imagine what they had done to her.
Cruelty was an understatement.
The guard dropped Dalia cruelly to the floor, and Arianna's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Nooo!!!" Nadia shrieked, rushing to her sister. She called her name repeatedly, confirming that she was dead.
"Why?!" Arianna yelled at Valkyrie, who simply smiled, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"They are the only slaves who knew of your existence. This is how far I'll go to keep the king from knowing you exist," Valkyrie's voice was calm as she glanced over Nadia's broken figure.
"Don't worry; they were supposed to die that night, but you saved them."
The guard pointed his sword at Nadia, who lifted her tearful eyes to Arianna, clutching Dalia close.
Valkyrie continued, "One is dead, and the other's life is in your hands."
Arianna's jaw tightened. These girls were innocent; why kill them for such a selfish reason?
"Now tell me..." Valkyrie tilted her head, her voice impatient. "How the hell did you survive my Darling's rut?"
Tension swallowed the room; the only sound that could be heard was Nadia's soft cries.
Arianna could not wrap her head around the pain Nadia must be feeling at the moment.
Losing the only family, you grew up with was terrible. The only refuge you could rely on was taken.
Arianna's blood boiled with rage; fists clenched until her knuckles turned white at the sight of Nadia cradling her sister's lifeless body.
Valkyrie suddenly grabbed her hair, yanking it and making her stand to her feet. Her grip was so hard it ripped little strands of her short, jagged hair.
"I asked you a question. Answer, or I'll ask my men to fuck and kill her just like her sister, right before you."
It was at that moment that Arianna lost it. The last thread holding her composure snapped. Her senses blurred with fury.
With a sudden burst, Arianna spun, wrenching free from Valkyrie's grip, and before she could stop herself, her hand shot out, colliding with Valkyrie's face with a satisfying crack that echoed through the room...