7
NAOMI
"Naomi, you have to eat."
I stared at the food before me, unable to even attempt to eat despite how hungry I was.
The images of the previous night seemed to merge with the food. I stared at the coleslaw before me, and I was looking at the face of Alpha Lockwood as he kissed me repeatedly, and reminded me of the fact that trying to deny him what he wanted was going to end up in getting my father killed.
And for the sake of my father, I had spent the night with Alpha Lockwood, with a man I barely knew, a man I hated.
I had practically warmed the bed of the man I hated most in the world, the man who had taken my place from me, the man who had rendered my status of being a Princess ineffective.
I looked at Agnes, and from the way she looked back at me, I could tell that she knew why I wasn't eating.
"You need your strength, every bit of it."
I glared at her, angry at the way her voice reminded me that I wasn't in my father's home.
"He might ask you to warm his bed again tonight…"
Fuming, I grabbed the plate before me and flung it at her. She dodged the plate missile that I had launched at her, then laughed.
Her laughter mocked my attempt at trying to harm her, when she wasn't even the cause of my misfortunes.
"You can be angry at me all you want, Naomi, it still doesn't change what I said. You're not the first woman he has brought to the palace. And you won't be the last. If there's anything you'll need, it's food. Remember, you must do whatever he wants, or you risk being dead."
I bit back the tears that threatened to cascade down my cheeks.
I was a princess. Agnes had already seen enough of my weakness. Like my mother would say, crying wasn't going to solve anything.
"But why?"
Agnes picked the now empty plate that had once contained food from the floor and placed it on the table before me.
"Why what?"
"Isn't Cecilia his wife? Why does he take another woman to bed when he has a wife?"
Agnes's smile was a tired one, as if she had replied to that particular question a lot of times.
"You heard Alpha Lockwood yesterday, Naomi. He calls himself a king, an emperor. He's a man that believes he cannot be stopped. If he doesn't want his wife to warm his bed on a particular night, then he'd find another woman to spend the night with him. She can't do anything about it. That's how powerful he is."
I looked at my feet, disgusted at the thought of Alpha Lockwood touching my legs.
I had taken my bath twice already, but the feel of his coarse palms on my skin and his breath at the back of my neck still lingered. No matter what I did, it never seemed to go away.
"His power will be the end of him." I muttered beneath my breath.
Agnes chuckled while she replaced the food that had been on my plate.
"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not the first person to pray that something bad happens to him. It just doesn't work that way, I'm afraid. The world is a cold and cruel place, and our wishes never come to pass."
Agnes's words made me reflect on my refusal to eat. What was starving myself going to achieve? What point was I aiming to send across?
"Now, eat, Naomi. I don't like what has happened to you, and I'm sorry you're at the receiving end of it. But that's life. It's never fair. What you have to do is be stronger, dust yourself and refuse to stay down."
Without being told, I began to eat, slowly at first, but faster when I realized that I was indeed hungry.
Promising myself that I would think properly later, I began to wolf the food down.
*
Agnes's room was a small one.
Despite its size, it had a good number of books in a corner. I smiled when I recognized that she even had one of the recent books from my favourite author.
How was the head of affairs able to afford such a book? And why was she even reading them in the first place? Were there not better things to do with her time? Where did she even find time to read as she was so busy supervising everything that went on in the palace?
These thoughts swarmed my mind as I made my way towards the window in her room, which was directly above the swimming pool, and from where I was positioned, I could see some workers cleaning the dirt that was lying around the pool.
I had a book in my hand, and for a moment, I was transported back home, to my father's library and how much time I loved spending inside there.
I missed my parents and the Moonbane pack dearly and would do anything to go back home, even if it was just for a moment.
The door opened, interrupting my thoughts. Thinking it was Agnes, I turned, smiling, about to ask her why she had so many books in her room.
The smile on my face froze when I saw who it was.
Queen Cecilia.
She was in the customary royal purple gown that was reserved for royal families–I had one back at home, but this time without a crown on her head. She looked at me, her eyes boring into mine, and when she spoke, her voice was eerily calm.
"I thought I would find you here."
I bowed, not knowing what to do at the moment.
"How are you, Naomi?"
I stuttered, trying to understand why she wanted to know anything about my well-being.
"I'm…I'm fine…"
"Sit down." She pointed to the bed, a cold smile on her lips. "There's something I'd like to tell you."
I sat down, too dumbfounded to even protest. What did Queen Cecilia want to tell me that was so important that she had to come down to Agnes's room?