THE CEO ALPHA KING
Chapter 17: Punishment
Writer’s POV
An hour later, the cell gate opened, and a guard walked in, kicking Serena in the foot and snapping her out of her happy dream. A dream where she was free and living with her brother in a beautiful house.
“Hey, stand up.” The guard ordered. She stirred and turned to face him, almost glaring at him.
“Go out; the king wants you in his chambers.” He sharply said, moving out of the way as she walked out of the cell and out of the basement.
She walked absentmindedly and almost bumped into Adam but staggered backward on realizing pain shot to her neck and caused a groan to slip through her lips.
She looked up at him and watched as his eyes sharply mirrored in on her neck before settling in on her again. Pushing himself off the wall, he stood in front of her, towering over her like everyone else.
“Come on,” Adam hurried and without giving her a chance to respond. He grabbed her and pushed her into an empty room before shutting it.
Serena gasped as she searched the plain room for any danger. She opened her mouth and was about to speak but Adam beat her to it, “Now listen to me and listen very carefully, Serena, or whatever you’re called. Try to stop pissing the king off. He might really hurt you if you continue like this, try to beat for fear for him.” Adam paced about the open space angrily as he warned.
“You helped me yesterday. You stopped the king from choking me to death.” Serena spoke, her throat hurting with each word that escaped her lips.
Adam immediately stopped his pacing and moved closer to her.
“Yes, I did that because I didn’t want to see another dead body of his slave. I did that because the king’s demons might end up overtaking his body if he’d killed you last night.”
“Stop angering him. He is quick to anger, and his anger can burn us all. I know the king; I’ve been his beta for decades. And even though I spend most of my time with him, I’m still very afraid of him. Afraid of his demons.”
“And…”
“I see restraint in him whenever you are around him. I don’t know the details, but I feel that you are someone who will be useful to him alive. So stay alive until this theory is proven. Stay alive.” He finished, his face completely devoid of any emotion as he stared at her.
“Do you understand me?” He asked when she said nothing.
“Yeah,” Serena replied, stepping away to breathe.
“Good.”
“Now go help him run his bath. Greet him immediately when you see him. Do everything smartly without thinking about silly things, and you’ll be fine.” Adam advised.
Serena nodded, feeling extremely weak and cold from sitting on the cold, hard floor all night.
“Now go; someone is waiting for you at the door. She’ll take you to the king’s chambers.” Adam ordered, allowing her to exit.
She got out and walked to the main exit; when she got there, she found the human girl, Emi, waiting at the entrance. This girl, what is it about her? Why do I feel this way about her? Serena couldn’t understand the way she felt about her or why she felt that way.
She had mixed feelings concerning the girl.
“Hi.” Emi waved happily, as usual.
“Hi.” Serena waved back, trying to bite back the awkwardness surrounding them.
“I’ll take you to the king’s chambers.” Emi smiled, leading the way.
“Do you… do you know every route around here?” Serena asked, walking behind her while looking around the familiar hallways.
“Yes, I know every corner of this castle. I’ve lived here for years.” She turned to smile at Serena, and Serena quickly averted her eyes somewhere.
Emi led her to the king’s chambers, stopping a few feet from the door, “You can take it from here.” She smiled.
“Yeah, thank you,” Serena thanked, looking down the path. The king’s door was not far away from where they stood.
“You owe me two now.” Emi giggled before skipping away.
Serena stood there and watched as she disappeared through the corners, taking a deep breath, she approached the guards that were stationed at the king’s chambers.
“The king sent for me.” She said and before they could say anything, the door opened from inside.
One of them immediately urged her in, she nodded and swallowed the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her.
The moment she entered the room, she felt the temperature drop and a deadly aura filled every corner of the room, almost forcing her out.
She looked around the room and found him sitting on a chair close to the window, his back turned to her. The room was dimly lit, so she couldn’t see much of him, but what she noticed was his bare back. He was shirtless!
“Good morning, Master,” she greeted, slightly bowing her head.
“Go prepare my bath.” He growled without turning or acknowledging her greetings.
She could still feel his invisible hands wrapped tightly around her neck. It made her feel uncomfortable.
“Yes, master.” She bowed, entered the bathroom, and prepared his bath very quickly. Hoping that he wouldn’t ask her to bathe him today.
She went back to the room to find him still sitting in the same position.
“Master, your bath is ready.” She announced, standing behind him like an obedient servant, her arms crossed behind her.
“Who are you? What is your origin?” His sudden question caused her to stop breathing momentarily.
His question completely threw her off guard. It was unusual for him to speak to her, let alone ask such personal questions.
But not just her; his inquiries also surprised him. Why was he asking her this? There is something about the girl that he couldn’t quite place a finger on.
“My king.” Serena gasped, growing speechless.
But the king remained quiet, giving her time to arrange her thoughts.
“I am an orphan. I just recently discovered that, but I have two half-siblings: my mother is a human, while my father is an Alpha. He is dead. That is all I know about my origin, master.” Serena managed to respond to him before it was too late.
“No wonder you are so weak.” King Zed commented, and her heart sank to the floor at his words.
He suddenly stood up on his feet, and his movements caused Serena to back away; power bled out of him, almost forcing her to submit.
“You can leave. I no longer need your services,” he ordered, as he walked into the bathroom, leaving her speechless.
Serena stared at the bathroom door in shock.
Did the king actually hold a conversation with me? After trying to kill me? She wondered.
“You’ll be punished severely if you spend one more minute in my room.” His rough harsh voice filled her head through the mindlink. Serena didn’t waste any more time. She scrambled to the door in fear and tried to turn the handle, but the door refused to answer her.
Right, the king seems to be the only person who has the power to unlock the door.
What should I do then? What should I do? Serena thought as she glanced around for anything that could open it.
While looking around, she heard the locks on the door turn, and it suddenly opened for her. She stepped back in shock.
The King. It’s probably the king’s doing, she thought as she left the room, nodding at the guards who stood outside.
She ran into Isaac, who was waiting in the hallway, and hugged him tightly.
“Isaac.” She cried, squeezing her body against his.
Caught off guard by her sudden affection, Isaac melted into her embrace.
“Hey Sis, I was wondering where you went. Are you okay?” Isaac asked, pushing her face up so she could stare at him.
“Yes, the king called me. I’m just coming out of his room.” She answered before pulling out of the hug.
“Are you okay?” Isaac implored after noticing the eye bags under her eyes.
“Yes, but guess what?”
“What?” Isaac narrowed his brows in curiosity.
“The king spoke to me.”
“Really? About what?”
“He asked me about my origin. Isn’t that a bit strange?” Serena asked, biting into her nails.
“Yeah, it is. So what did you tell him?” Isaac probed, not liking where the conversation was leading.
“The truth.” “That I’m an orphan, and I have two half-siblings. But then he called me a weakling after I told him that.” Serena’s smile dropped. Isaac reached out to her, grabbing her shoulders. “You aren’t a weakling. Get that off your head, okay?” Isaac cooed playfully pinching her cheeks.
Serena smiled.
“Yes. Of course.”
“Okay, so I’ve moved your things to your new room here in the castle. The king’s order. But you won’t stay long.” Isaac assured, whispering the last part.
“Okay, I understand. Can you show me my new room?” She begged, getting excited at the idea of a new room.
“Of course. Follow me.”
**
Right outside the castle, the gate opened, and an expensive white car drove in. It stopped in the middle of the garage, and the driver stepped down; he walked to the back door and opened it for its occupant.
A few seconds later, a lady in a red-fitted dress and a fur jacket that hung perfectly over her slender shoulders stepped out. With a perfect figure, beautiful blonde hair, and blue eyes that were as deep as the ocean, she surveyed her surroundings before settling her gaze on the guards.
The guards lowered their necks in submission as she walked into the king’s castle and went straight to his chambers.
“Your Highness.” She called once she was outside his door.
“Come in, Elena.” The king answered, opening the door to allow her passage.
She majestically walked in to see him coming right out of the bathroom, a towel tied loosely around his waist. But she made no effort to look away.
“You summoned me, your Highness,” Elena bowed, watching the droplet of water trailing down his torso and escaping into his lower region.
“Yes. Sit.”
With a curt nod, Elena walked to the three-in-one sofa by the side of the room and took her seat.
She settled in comfortably and watched as the king searched his closet for something to wear.
“I have a problem.” King Zed complained.
Elena cocked her head in shock. A problem? The king?
“What?”
“You have a problem? The king has a problem.” She stated in disbelief.
“Yes. And that is the reason why I summoned you here.” King Zed groaned.
Then he continued, “I know you’ve read all those history notes and ledgers. You might what the problem is.”
“Okay, what is going on with you?” Elena implored, looking worried.
King Zed selected his clothing and got dressed before walking to the window.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand what it is or why it is happening. My wolf and I are not on good terms because of the new changes that we are experiencing. It should be a supernatural problem that needs balancing.”
“Okay. But, your Highness, you’ll have to elaborate on this one. I need more explanation to figure out your problem, or search for it.” She said, standing to her feet, she couldn’t stop the rush of excitement that flowed through her veins as she stood.
“It’s the half-breed. My wolf wants her, but I don’t. She is just a weak little thing. Why would Damon want a weak little thing like her?”
“Um, when our wolves want someone, then it means that we are mated to that person. I can’t say that is your case because you have already met your mate.
The situation is quite complicated, I can’t place my fingers on it. Maybe she is a second mate. You can ask your wolf, your Highness.” Elena suggested.
“I already blocked him out. He won’t answer me for sure.” King Zed confessed.
Elena opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it again. Unbelievable!
She couldn’t believe it. The king’s wolf was attracted to someone!
“Um…” She lifted her head but didn’t but couldn’t meet his gaze.
“It’s okay. I permit you for today.” He noticed her hesitation.
“Thank you, my King.” She bowed finally meeting his cold gaze.
“Who is this half-breed, and what exactly do you feel when she is around you?” Elena inquired as she took a step towards him.
“You don’t need to know her, Elena. She is not your concern.”
“My apologies, your Highness, but you need to open up to me. I’ve known you since we were kids, I mean no harm.”
“And that is exactly why you are here, Elena. It’s because I know you and I feel more comfortable around you compared to others.” He interrupted her angrily.
“Yes. But let’s talk about how you feel when she is around you.”
“I’m not sure. I know there is something, but I am not sure what it is. Not knowing what that half-breed will or already means does not sit well with me. It is driving me crazy, and I want to kill her for it, but I can not because Damon would be furious. He will take over my body, and when he does, many humans and wolves will die. King Zed explained.
Elena shook her head, understanding.
“You want her dead.” “But your wolf wants her alive.” She repeated.
“I dislike her; she is a nuisance. Weak and constantly scared. This makes me want to get rid of her even more. She does not even know how to follow basic rules. King Zed groaned and returned to the window.
Elena grinned.
“It will be a very good thing to keep her around, your Highness. With her around, we will be able to learn more about who she is; she could be a weapon to destroy you, or a savior sent to save you.”
“You are hiding something from me, Elena. “Spill it!” He fixed her with a stare.
“Your Highness I can not tell you right now until I am certain, even if it means killing me. I will not tell you until I am certain.” Elena declined.
King Zed scoffed and turned back to face the window.
“One more thing.” Every little mistake she makes enrages me. I want her far away from me. But I also want her close to me, and I want to learn more about her. You should add that to your theory when researching.” King Zed said.
Elena smiled before slightly bowing.
“I will take my leave now, your Highness. Please be well.”