Mia
It was the fourth day that we were here without food and water. My stomach cramps were getting more painful and it was getting harder to keep how I felt away from the boys. They were going to beat themselves up and feel guilty all day about me being in here and in pain.
I didn’t want that, not for them and not for me. It was bad enough that we had to be here in an unpleasant cell, I didn’t need to stand their guilt while in here. I was going to choke up to my death if I had to stay in here and feed on their guilty emotions instead of food.
They had said that my transformation wasn’t going to be fully complete until I shifted into a wolf but I had started to change and I knew it.
I could feel myself getting stronger and I knew that I wouldn’t have been able to endure this long stretch of hunger and thirst if it hadn’t been for their venom running in my veins. I would have been tired more than this if I was still human. I could feel emotions now as well. It felt strange and thrilling at the same time. I could sense all the emotions of the men who were with us in the dungeon. Some felt fear, some felt anger and some had despair in their hearts.
It had been shocking the first time I sensed those emotions. It had been a rollercoaster of waves and I felt disoriented that day before I learned how to ride the waves and control my emotions.
At first, I had wanted to cry with those who wanted to cry, scream together with those who were sad and smash the cell door together with those who were angry. It had been a rough ride but I had done it. I had done it on my own without letting the boys have any idea of it and I felt so proud of myself. I had learned to control what I felt and differentiate between what I felt from others and what I felt by myself.
I was also able to hear clearly what people whispered among themselves. I could hear them debating on what Quinn had told them and wondering if they should believe him or not.
We were now many in the dungeon with three or more people in each cell except ours. I guessed the vampires still couldn’t stand being so close to us, not even when their pride was already stripped away as prisoners.
Us? I gasped, my eyes widening that I had used that term. I was glad that I was finally able to associate myself with them.
I looked at Quinn and hid a smile to myself. I knew he could hear all what the vampires were saying about him but he pretended as if he couldn’t hear. This was crazy. His expression was as blank as a white board and I knew I wouldn’t have known of what the vampires were saying if I hadn’t started to hear them myself.
I knew they were all keeping their expressions blank to because of me so I wouldn’t know anything. That was their own idea of protecting me. I wondered what they would do if they knew that I could hear everything that was going on.
The door to the dungeon opened and we all sat up, looking at it and wondering who the next prisoner was going to be.
It was a surprise to see Rudolph walk in with two guards carrying trays of food behind him. I was confused. They had already shared food to the prisoners except us this morning and I couldn’t imagine who that was for.
Did he want to have his meal in here? I found that hard to believe.
He raised a hand in the air and the guards paused in their tracks. He moved away from them and walked to our cell. Quinn got on his feet as he approached and I looked at him, realizing at that moment that he had always wanted to meet the king’s right hand man. Quinn seemed determined to make use of this opportunity and I hoped that he had a chance.
“Good day, werewolves.” Rudolph greeted as he got to our cell.
“Vampire.” Quinn replied curtly.
Rudolph chuckled. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
Quinn gave him a half smile. “I actually do and I have a lot that I would want to talk about with you.”
Rudolph looked at him for some minutes and then nodded. “I heard you have been telling the men in here that the king is possessed. Be careful of what you say, werewolf. The king is not in a very good mood and so am I. You can say that to the men to entertain yourself but you don’t want to say that to me.”
Quinn, as expected, wasn’t bothered by his threat. If Rudolph had known who Quinn was and how stubborn he was, he wouldn’t have bothered to threaten him because he would have known that it wouldn’t work.
Quinn snorted. “Am I supposed to feel scared with that? I’m telling you the truth. The king is possessed. My family has spent decades fighting that evil in him so I know what I am saying. Do you think it was a coincidence we weren’t around when your people attacked our home?”
“Don’t!” Rudolph hissed out a warning.
Quinn sighed. “I guessed you all would rather believe he is crazy than accept a truth you find impossible. I guess the doctor told you that he is fine, both physically and mentally. Don’t you wonder why he is then like this if he is okay?”
Rudolph blinked and Quinn moved away from him. He had made his point and hit the mark. There was no doubt that Rudolph would think about that. Quinn didn’t need to pressure him again.
I saw the curve of a smile on Quinn’s lips and I knew he was glad that he had finally done something. I was glad too.
Rudolph waved his hand at the guards and they moved forward. Another guard who wasn’t carrying a tray moved forward and opened the door to our cell. The other two moved in and dropped the trays before us and moved out, locking the door behind them.
Quinn looked at Rudolph. “What is this? Are you trying to kill us because we have been telling people that the king is possessed?”
Rudolph snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh! Don’t be dramatic. Why would I want to poison you? What do I want to gain from that?”
“Silence.” Quinn said without blinking.
Rudolph snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t work that way. Do you? I would rather kill you myself if I needed you to be silent instead of using poison to do my dirty job.”
“Why are you giving us food? I know that the king said we mustn’t be fed.”
“He is not here, is he?”
Quinn chuckled. “You are daring.”
Rudolph chuckled. “Are we good now? Do you trust me enough to eat now?”
Quinn shrugged. “Not until you tell me why you chose to defy the king’s order.”
Rudolph sighed. “You are exasperating. Most prisoners who have been starved for days would have jumped at the meal without any questions.”
Quinn grinned. “We are not most prisoners.”
“I think I noticed that.”
“Good. So?”
“The king is getting married to his mate soon and as our custom dictates, everyone should be present as witnesses including the prisoners. You will all soon be dragged out in the next few hours and I thought it wise to feed you before you get to the party. I don’t want a scene that would ruin the day for the king and I decided to feed you against the king’s orders to avoid that. It would be a disaster if any of you faint at the wedding venue because of hunger.”
I nodded. That was believable. “Are you okay now?” Rudolph asked.
We nodded and he smiled as he walked away. We ate the food and I felt better than I had been in days. The food was much that we all had more than enough. I was glad that the boys wouldn’t need to go hungry because of me. The food was much that they hadn’t needed to tell me to have my fill before they start eating.
Just as Rudolph had said, we all were dragged out to the wedding venue in exactly two hours after he came. I was glad that he had brought the food. I didn’t feel dizzy as we were being walked and pushed outside. With that meal that we had eaten, I could go on for the next four days continuing our hunger strike and hopefully, we would have found a solution to this predicament.
I wasn’t sure that we were going to eat again after this unless another official had a mating ceremony.
The wedding was going on peacefully and I couldn’t help smiling even with the chains around my hands. The bride was beautiful and looking at her seated with the king, I admitted that they looked good together.
Suddenly, the king turned to her and slapped her hard across the face. The bride looked at him, stunned. The crowd gasped at what he had done in disbelief.
I couldn’t believe it too. Everyone had gushed on our way here of how much the king loved his mate and was protective of her. No one would ever have thought that he would slap her, on their wedding day and out here in public.
We thought we were done with the shock until the king gasped as if he couldn’t believe what he had done, went down on his knees and started crying and begging his bride.
“Maybe the king is indeed possessed.” I smiled as I heard someone say that behind me in a whisper to himself.