Screams echoed from the corridor. With each sound of a lash, a short scream followed, then silence. Then the lashing resumed, maintaining its brutal rhythm.
Teary-eyed Leon, the youngest prince, stood just outside the corridor, wincing at every crack. He wasn't the one being beaten, but he felt the pain acutely. How then must Axel be feeling?
When he could no longer bear it, he ran to the queen's chamber and barged in, tears streaming down his face.
The Queen, who was deep in conversation with Beta Orion, paused as he entered sobbing.
Her brows furrowed with worry as she stood. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
Leon continued to sob, and she coaxed him gently. "Talk to me, Leon. Who made you cry?"
"It's you, Mum. It's you," he muttered. Her face tightened.
"Me?" she queried. He nodded. "What did Mum do to make her little king cry?" she inquired, wiping his face.
"Why are they flogging Axel? Why?!" he screamed, dissolving into sobs once more.
Luna Elsa's hand dropped as she heard the reason for his tears, and her expression hardened.
"You're crying because Axel is being flogged?" she asked, surprised.
"It's too much. It's just too much," he sobbed. She rolled her eyes. Of her three sons, Leon was the only one who gave her trouble over Axel. While the others obeyed without question, Leon was always stubborn.
"You shouldn't worry yourself about things like that, Leon. Axel did something very bad," she cajoled. He shook his head fervently.
"Is that why he is being treated like that? I don't like it!"
"Fine. I will go tell them to stop beating Axel. Is that fine?" she asked. He nodded.
He went out and found Darius standing in the doorway.
"Brother," his tiny voice called. Darius turned to him. "I thought Brother Axel was your friend. Mum is making them treat him like an animal," he whined. Darius rolled his eyes.
The truth? Darius had never liked Axel. He was always jealous of his brilliance and the King's affection for him. But his mother had forbidden him from showing any cruelty. "You have to make him think you like him, Darius. Trick him."
Elsa had always told him that, so he went with the flow. There were many times he had wanted to spew out everything inside him, but his mother's words always echoed in his ears.
"He will be fine, Leon. Mum said she will stop it," he answered. Leon pursed his lips.
Even as half-brothers, Leon's resemblance to Axel was uncanny. The intelligence, the wit—it was embedded in Leon, too.
"You keep acting like you don't care. Are you and Brother Axel fighting?" he asked innocently. Darius sighed.
"Let's go play, Leon. Mum will get mad at you if you keep bothering me about Axel," Darius said, and carried him in his arms.
---
IN THE QUEEN'S CHAMBER
"Are you seeing this, or are you just choosing to ignore it?" Beta Orion asked. Elsa hissed in frustration. "I keep wondering why he is so different. Sometimes I wonder if I am truly his mother," she said, banging her hand on the table.
Leon had always favored Axel over his own brothers. He would rather starve than watch Axel starve. He would support Axel no matter what, and it was starting to get on Elsa's nerves.
"Or, do you think Axel did something to him? I don't trust that pup. I don't even know the extent of what he can do," she said, turning to Beta Orion, who watched her with his arms folded.
"You are such a tricky queen, aren't you?" A chuckle escaped his lips, and Elsa smiled.
She had deceived everyone years ago, including her own brother. She could have shared her plans with him, but she did not want anyone to suspect anything, so she had carried them out alone—playing the sweet mother to Axel while her heart ached to squeeze his little throat.
"I am so smart, am I not?" she laughed. The Beta nodded.
"Make sure to keep an eye on Leon. If he grows up with this attitude, he might become an obstacle to your plans for Axel," the Beta said meaningfully. She sighed.
"He is my son. I will tame him, whether he likes it or not. Darius and Zade do not give me any trouble at all."
"Why would they? They took after their mother—the master game planner herself," he praised. She grinned.
"By the way, why do you think the King is taking so long to return from his visit? It has been four days," she asked. Normally, when the King went on such visits, he was back in three days at most.
"Is the Queen worried about her Alpha?" the Beta teased. She smiled. Her love for the King was pure and undiluted, and that was the exact reason she would get rid of anyone who tried to come between them—whether a woman or a child.
"Of course. Shouldn't I be worried about my husband?" she said. The Beta nodded.
"The King sent word yesterday that he would be running late. He said something came up that he needed to attend to urgently," the Beta explained. She rolled her eyes.
"Why was I not informed?" she arched her brows. The Beta cleared his throat.
"My apologies, Luna."
"Sometimes I wonder if you are truly my brother. How could you keep such important information from me? I need to know his exact time of arrival so my plan will go smoothly," she hissed. "Everything works with timing. Timing is key," she added.
---
Axel groaned as blood seeped from his injuries. He was breathing hard, and tears streamed down his face.
What he did not understand was why he was being treated this way—why he was being treated like a criminal. He knew the Queen was not his mother, but was that the reason? Or was it because he was different from the other pups? Why was everyone treating him like a slave!
He cried out again, and his wail cut through the silent air.
Click. Click.
He gulped as he heard the sound of the gate opening. They had stopped beating him an hour ago, so who was here now? Were they here to resume the lashing?
"Hi, son."