Chapter 45
POV: Leah Darkwood
A loud whooshing of that thin leather material had cut her skin sharply blood trickled down, covering some of the dried ones. She wasn’t screaming anymore because it wasn’t affecting her not anymore.
Basically, she had experienced worse than that. She was already used to it. She was.
Besides, she already had a lot of scars from that particular object if it wasn’t for the cream that Aeron had given her to erase the evidence from her skin.
But now, she might not be getting any cream from him anymore for she failed to be the Luna Queen.
Leah swallowed hard, but her mouth was too dry now.
Bitterness started to drip into her system. It was cutting her heart deeper that the whip that her mother had been giving her.
The deep wrath reflecting from the King’s eyes was enough for her heart to break apart and make her emotions void.
All of her dreams crumbled down in front of her very eyes. Everything that she had been hoping for since her young heart finally found it’s beat vanished in just a snap.
She firmly closed her eyes as she gritted her teeth trying to stifle her inner wolf, who was too tired to even take over her humanity.
Another just hit her back and she pursed her lips together.
If it wasn’t for Tamara Davis everything would have turned out fine for her.
How could she have failed to realize that the long-lost sacred emissary was her?!
She had just been hearing about it, but who dared to make it the last part of the round? A compatibility test?!
Leah cursed loudly inside her head.
Her inner turmoil was deep rooted, and she just felt so disheartened to the core.
Now, everything was a mess.
No, everything was just too broken, and she bet it wouldn’t be an easy one to turn the result upside down. Everyone was present at that party. Everyone witnessed the devastating outcome.
And she knew not every pack who attended would tolerate their pack once a commotion happened.
She wanted to cream her heart’s out.
Tamara Davis.
A lone tear escaped from her eye reflecting her savage fury and resentment for that particular name.
Her inner wolf was a bay as she tried to take over her humanity, but her frail body was just too exhausted to follow its whims. It ended up growling in dismay and pain inside her and so was she.
Another blow had hit her again and again.
Her mother’s wrath had no end she knew that. Especially now that she had failed her, too. She had failed her family. She had failed her clan. She had failed their pack.
And she had failed herself. One thing that she loathed the most.
One after the other had made that whip taste her skin letting her blood flow freely.
Her eyes weren’t exhausted from letting her tears fall. However, she was silent from everything that was happening. Even from her uneven breathing, she just couldn’t feel anything but she knew that she was still alive… almost but not quite.
But that fact didn’t stop her mother from punishing her.
Well, what else could she expect?
She had been this way since they were young. Mostly, this was just a simple punishment from her. This was just the lowest form of punishment that she had given her.
“You are a disgrace!” Her mother shouted with her throat almost getting gruff deep fury and ferocity was laced in her heavy think voice.
Leah didn’t know how many times she had told her that. And even though, her mother wouldn’t tell it to her she knew. She was certainly a disgraceful part of the pack. And she hated that fact. She had been doing everything to prove to everyone that she was the best.
And yet…
Leah firmly closed her eyes as she tried to stop her mind from thinking any more.
But it was such a bitter pill to swallow but she was still refusing to do so.
No. She won’t, and she would never be.
She had been lashing her with that whip for more than two hours now if she might guess it right. She just lost count after a while anyway.
No one dared to stop her she was vicious and merciless, and no one would ever dare. Even her father whom she knew was just watching her intently from the other side of the room pouring her wrath and disappointment from her. She knew, she could smell him and Aeron amidst the smell of her own blood.
Well, it wasn’t surprising, though. Through the hellish years, being part of the family, whenever they committed mistakes, they would be punished accordingly. And her mother would always be the one doing it. Their father just watched them without any reaction at all like they deserved what had been sentenced them to.
She tried to lick her dried lips, but all she could taste was her own blood.
Another beating of the whip cut her back and she almost held her breath not because of the pain, but because of the heaviness and strength she had felt from her mother.
Lamina cursed loudly where her annoyance, anger, and devastation were etched with every swear that she said.
“M-Mother, p-please…” Aeron who was standing at the darker corner spoke with pleading in his voice.
She weakly smirked at her younger brother but she just couldn’t because of enervation. Her lips just twitched a bit instead, but no one even noticed at that.
Lamina stopped her tracks and growled in pure vehemence and rage. She could feel her inner wolf resurfacing. Her eyes were pitch-black illuminating from the small lamp under her reflecting the cruelty she had just done to her.
She felt a sudden pang of solitude filling her heart.
She couldn’t stop herself from thinking of when this would end?
Leah firmly closed her eyes as she tried to shut down every bit of her being, but she just couldn’t. Maybe because she was just too engulfed with exhaustion now that even shutting herself from this drama was already too energy-consuming for her.
“Lamina…” His father’s low and deep voice reverberated into the four corners of the room.
It was laced with annoyance, fury, and more unknown emotions that she couldn’t comprehend.
This scene wasn’t new to her already. She was guessing that their father was already done dealing with their mother’s maddening rage towards her.
Although she knew that he also bore the same reason and he wouldn’t care less if she got hurt.
Besides, she was a failure, right?
There should be no room of failing nor doing mistake in their plan. There should be no room for error, nor of incapability. There should be no room for another chance so strike at the very best timing that you have at hand.
Because once a step was taken there’s no turning back, and there’s no redone of it all.
She had no reason for her losing the competition. She had been given a lot of assistance. She had been given all that she needed to just for her to win.
And yet, she lost it.
However, she didn’t want it to happen.
How could she, if she had longed dream of being the King’s Regina from the very beginning?
And how could they have thought of her feeling could be invalid?
How could they not have thought that even if it was part of the plan, she had also the fair share of losing everything in this competition? Losing her own heart at that?
Oh, how could she have asked that?
Heart and emotions weren’t even a good reason for her to sustain her lose.
She was a loser, and nothing could change that.
Punishment comes with making mistake.
No other things.
Besides, it wasn’t as if her mother would think of her feelings nor her heart.
She mentally let out a bitter smile at her thoughts. Her deep thoughts that had been lingering inside her for many years now. Thoughts that no matter how much she tried to stop it was always trying to make its way to her mind.
“Just stop.” His father’s voice was intimidatingly low yet it undeniably held power and authority.
Lamina loudly growled and her human form stayed, but her dress was slightly ripped from her almost transformed wolf form. She clenched her jaw as she moved in front of her with furious-looking eyes.
It didn’t shock her anymore.
“Do you know how this would affect us, Leah?” She angrily snapped at her, but she just bowed her head never wanting to cross her mother’s wrath.
She didn’t want to make it worst anymore. She didn’t want to be punished any more than she already had now.
Lamina groaned in deep frustration.
“Aeron!” She snapped at her brother whom, she might be guessing, and flinched at her mother’s sudden outburst while calling his name.
“Y-Yes, M-Mother.” He nervously stammered as he answered their mother’s raging voice.
“Did you gather all of the men who went with the rogues that day?” Lamina furiously asked.
“-Y-Yes, M-Mother. Although they were just the only o-ones who were afar from the s-scene where T-Tamara and S-Shahara fell. They were the l-lucky ones to escape the K-King and the P-Prince. They were in the c-cell now, M-Mother.” Aeron anxiously replied.
She gritted her teeth as she heard those words.
The King was there?
He had saved Tamara?
She clenched her jaw causing her to groan inwardly.
Why should she be surprised anyway?
It wasn’t the first time he had done that.
Leah felt the heaviness in her heart but pure rage and aggravation resurfaced from every emotion that was slowly rising into her system and burning her.
“Lucky enough, huh? Let’s see…” Her mother ruthlessly stated before she went out of the room leaving her alone… finally.
Aeron let out a deep sigh before he went near her.
“I’ll call the omegas to help you. I’m sorry for being such a weak brother, Leah.” His voice was soft and soothing.
She tried to smile at him although she knew that it just turned out to be a grimace.
Aeron tsked before he let out another deep sigh before walking out of the room to follow their parents.
They both knew that they couldn’t do anything about what had just happened. If he did, he would probably be at her position, too and that was the least of the things that she wanted for her brother.
Their parents were cruel and merciless even to them.
That was the sad truth.
And her rage turned to the only reason why she was punished, and she lost her chance to be with the king.
Tamara Davis.
She gritted her teeth as her inner turmoil and fury arose from within.
Leah was being furious and losing herself slowly into the depths of vileness and insecurity.
And little did she know; she was slowly being blinded by her own wrath and unlawful revenge.
***
POV: Tamara Davis
She was standing beside her parents’ bed real parents.
Yes.
She was a Vikesh.
And she just found it out after confirming it to Kage and Doc Dreyson.
She knew that her memories were still vague, but she had bits of it already. Doc Dreyson told her that in time she would remember all of it already.
Her heart hurt as she thought of her old memories that were slowly crashing into her mind.
Uncle Lorenzo and Aunt Rania were sleeping soundly in the hospital bed peacefully. But the bruises and wounds in them say otherwise.
Tamara gritted her teeth.
“Don’t let your anger fuel your mind.” A deep and stoic voice coming from the King himself shocked the hell out of her.
Her body began to burn as she stared at his pitch-black eyes. She didn’t even notice that he was already inside the room. She might be too indulgent about her parents.
Tamara let out a deep sigh as she looked away and gazed at her parents instead.
As if she was trying to stifle the emotions that had been suddenly awakened by the man a few meters away from her. His scent was totally making her senses in chaos!
“They aren’t awakened yet.” She said using her soft voice.
“I’m sure they will be soon. For now, I needed to talk to you… about some important matters.” King Hades seriously told her.
Tamara swallowed hard as her heart beat intensified.
Her eyes turned into its lighter shade.
“Can we talk about it h-here instead?” Her voice was laced with nervousness.
King Hades stared at him, and his lips rose a bit making her breath hitched.
Oh, my holy cow! Did he just smile?!
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“We need to talk in a more private place. Not here.” King Hades cleared his throat as he looked away.
She swallowed hard once again.
“O-Okay…” She hesitatingly replied making King Hades storm out of the room quietly.
She took a glance at her parents as she slowly followed the king with her trembling hands and wobbling knees because of a mix of excitement and nervousness.