“Please, no.” I sobbed. “Please leave!”
Papa’s eyes finally met mine. I could see his sadness. I could see the regret. The regret of not being able to save me ten years ago…
“Okay.” Papa said, his voice strong and his head held high like a true King.
“Please don’t.” I begged.
“Shut up.” Xillian ordered and my lips sealed shut.
A man came and ripped Pap’s shirt off.
I cried but no voice came out of my mouth. I tired to scream, to stop them but still… no words escaped my mouth.
He then handed Xillian a whip that was entirely silver except the handle that was black.
I tried to use my powers, to get up, to somehow stop him but my body protested and I stayed kneeling on the elevated floor.
Xillian moved and my heart squeezed.
I closed my eyes. I can’t see it. I just can’t.
I heard the swoosh of the whip in the air and then the sound of the whip meeting skin. Again and again.
The smell of his skin burning, the sound of it sizzling made me want to hurl.
I started crying, supporting myself up with my hands.
What had I gotten myself into?
What had I gotten Papa into?
Why do I always have to spoil everything?
The continuous sounds of lash meeting skin hit my ears along with painful grunts of Papa that turned into heart wrenching screams.
I felt my heart shatter. I keep on hurting the people I love. Even though it’s unintentional, the people I love keep getting hurt.
I don’t deserve to love anyone. I don’t deserve to have such a nice family. I don’t deserve to have such a nice home, such a nice pack.
I certainly don’t deserve to be the Queen. No Queen would let her own Papa be hurt like this.
I watched as Xillian destroyed Papa’s body with the silver whips. Without doing anything, without speaking anything, I watched Papa’s blood spray around the ground.
He screamed and grunted and cried in pain.
And everyone laughed and cheered. They rejoiced the fall of the true King of Water.
Xillian laughed. His face was splattered with blood. His body was coated with blood. But he only laughed.
I tried to scream but again, hoping that after hearing me object, Papa would tell them to stop and leave, I couldn’t let out a single sound. I tried to focus on my powers. But I felt powerless. I tried to tune everything out and somehow not follow Xillian’s order like I did before, but Papa’s screams tore my heart.
They broke it.
They broke me.
Piece by piece.
Lash by lash.
The worst thing for a daughter in the entire world was watching her father cry. Especially because of her.
“I lost the count.” Xillian stopped. “Was it sixty? Or was it fifty?”
“Seventy eight.” Papa croaked.
“I’m pretty sure it was forty eight.” Xillian grinned.
Papa grunted and spat out a mixture of blood and saliva on the floor.
I sobbed silently.
That’s all I was good for-crying.
“Be a fucking man follow through your word.” Papa grunted, his body all bloody and battered. Tatters of his skin were hanging, exposing his flesh and bones.
No one cared.
Xillian dropped the whip. “You’re right. I should be a man.” He nodded.
A chill went down my spine because of the way he said it.
I saw his fist clench. “Avalyn. Stand up.”
“No.” Papa’s voice broke, his eyes struggling to stay open. His skin was quickly losing it’s colour too.
I stood up, my tears not stopping.
“Undress yourself.”
No.
But of course, my body didn’t listen to me. How much ever I resisted, an external force pushed me to do it.
My hands took off my white dress.
Every single man and woman and child cheered and laughed.
My eyes slid shut.
Please. I don’t want to do it.
No. Please no.
But I couldn’t speak.
Because he had ordered me not to.
And my treacherous body heeded to his command. All because of this collar.
Suddenly there was a commotion and a proud, angry blond wolf with a hundred shades of fiery orange and red came running in.
The colour of his fur was different for some reason. But it was him. I knew it’s him with every bone of my body.