8
NAOMI
"You're very beautiful, are you aware of that?"
I nodded shyly. I had been told a couple of times, but hearing it from a woman who I assumed was also as beautiful as I was when she was younger was just different.
"And I imagine you'd love that beauty of yours to last."
Now alarmed, I sat up. What did she mean by my beauty lasting?
"I…I don't understand, my lady…"
"You will address me as my queen. For the record, you are no longer in your father's palace. I'm sure that this is a rude awakening for you, but that's what the world is. It will only make you stronger, believe me."
I nodded, swallowing hard.
"I know your father. He's one of the most transparent and honest leaders in this country. But sadly, honesty and transparency doesn't give you power. He might be a good man, but look at where he is at the moment. Your father is at the bottom of the food chain. He has no soldiers, has a pack filled with injured and dead men, and has a daughter in a strange land."
I stared at her, wondering where she was driving at with the brief history she had just given me. So far, she was skirting around the topic, and it only succeeded in making me even more anxious.
She looked at me closely again before continuing.
"Like I said earlier, I'm sure you want your beautiful face to last."
"I…I don't understand you, my queen…"
She smiled before answering.
"When my husband will call you to warm his bed tonight, Naomi, you're going to refuse."
At that moment, it all seemed to click. Was she here because she didn't want me sharing the bed with her husband, Alpha Lockwood?
When he had made his intentions clear yesterday, I was surprised that she hadn't uttered a word. But now, I knew that her silence had spoken volumes. She wasn't immune to what her husband had done. She had hated having to endure every second of it.
And now, she was practically telling me that if I still loved my face, I was going to refuse Alpha Lockwood's request.
"My queen…" I began, biting my bottom lip as I searched for the perfect words to reply to her with. "You know the type of man Alpha Lockwood is. He doesn't take no for an answer. Anything he wants, he gets."
She stood up, her face grim and cold, calculative even.
"When I came into this room, I asked you if you wanted your beautiful face to last, and you replied yes. I'm starting to think you don't want that privilege again."
I shook my head in disagreement. What had I gotten myself into? I had barely lived in the Lockwood pack for a week, and my life was already filled with uncontrollable chaos.
I was being threatened by the wife of Alpha Lockwood, a woman whose rumours I had heard about time and time again.
I didn't know what she was capable of, but I knew the Lockwood family as a whole was a family to be feared.
"My queen, I don't mean no harm…I'm only doing as the Alpha commands…"
She stood up, and from the cold look on her face, I knew the conversation was over.
"You'll do as I say, Naomi, or you'll have yourself to blame."
Minutes later, the door closed behind her.
I stared at the book in my hand, and knew I wouldn't be able to go back to my reading anymore.
Not when I had just been threatened by Queen Cecilia herself.
*
"She threatened you?"
I nodded as I watched Agnes help me zip the new gown she was helping me to put on.
When I had asked her where the new gowns were from, she said it was funded by the Lockwood family. Alpha Lockwood preferred his women to be well dressed and ready for him. He never entertained a woman who wasn't in a beautiful dress.
"Yes, she did. She said that when Alpha Lockwood calls on me tonight, I should refuse the call. She then said something about me not wanting my beautiful face to last."
Agnes turned me around to face her, and I could see the pity in her eyes once more.
"Queen Cecilia might not be much of a talker, but here's one thing I know, she is extremely dangerous. I'll advise you to take her words seriously."
I sighed, wishing I was home, with my parents and in my beautiful room. Why was I here, having to deal with Cecilia and her husband's infidelity? Wasn't death better than what was happening to me at the moment?
"What should I do?"
"When Alpha Lockwood sends for you, you will tell him that you're ill, okay? He'll let you off and suggest you come back the next day. That buys us more time to think about this properly. For now, tell him exactly what I've told you."
I nodded, wringing my hands in fear, hoping that it would all work out as Agnes had implied.
*
"You're what?"
Alpha Lockwood stood in a corner of his huge chambers, his back turned to me, staring out of the window.
When he turned to me, there was a smirk on his face.
"I'm not feeling too well, my lord. I'm a bit under the weath…"
I watched him come forward, and the coldness in his eyes and the determination in his stride made me lower my head in fear.
"Look at me, Naomi."
I did as he commanded, watching his green eyes bore into mine, arresting and keeping me in place.
"Do I look like a fool? I buy you new gowns, feed you and allow you to share my bed, and you think a lame excuse like being sick is going to stop you from making me feel like a man tonight?"
He chuckled, and without warning, pressed his lips to mine. I stood, rooted to the spot, disgusted, but unable to do anything.
When he stopped, he was grinning, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
"Get on the bed, Naomi. I am your lord and master, and you will do exactly as I say."
I made my way towards the bed slowly, Queen Cecilia's threat rewinding like a tape in the back of my mind.
I was between the devil and the deep blue sea.
And without thinking, I had chosen the devil.