130. In His Grasp

YILEYNA"Well, well, well… we meet again."

I tried to control my anger as I stared at the man before me. I was chained to the wall, the taste of blood in my mouth almost making me sick. Once again, I was in the cells of the castle of Westerfell.

"Inevitably, we were going to," I spat, looking at none other than the monster Theoden himself.

I had been dragged back there several days ago, and every day they tried to break me or demand to know who was with me out there. Arabella was no werewolf, and she had not smelt Theon from me, but even when I had been beaten, I refused to speak. They could whip me and beat me, but nothing could break me, or so I thought.

That was when they stooped lower and threatened to kill children from the Silver Storm. I knew they would follow through on their threat, so I said it was Hunter and one of his men because I had a feeling Arabella had seen Hunter since he had been stabbed. It was safer to give them a partial truth than a complete lie. They had bought it, and I was relieved. I couldn’t let them know that Theon was out there and that he knew the truth.

"Ah, well, what a shame that fool was unable to protect you. I'm sure this wasn’t the way you thought it would be," Theoden sneered as he stepped closer.

I smirked bitterly, "Well, I outsmarted your son, I will outsmart you, too," I spat. He looked at me sharply. I kept a look of pure hatred and contempt on my face, praying he bought it.

"Theon found you?"

"Almost, but he wasn’t fast enough, now, was he?" Theoden slapped me across the face hard, and I clenched my jaw. I hadn't been given anything to eat or drink since I came here, and I was greatly weakened. "What’s wrong, Theoden? Angry that you and your son have nothing on me?"

"I have the kingdom and your people before me. You are the one with nothing. So, I have a proposal for you. Marry me and be my Luna or the consequences will be great." His words made my stomach twist sickeningly and my heart plummet.

No. Goddess, no.

"Never," I hissed, my eyes flashing despite the silver and poison running through my veins.

"Oh? I will give you one day. One day for you to change your mind, or the streets of Westerfell will run with the blood of the children of the Silver Storm Pack."

"No king treats his subjects like this! Those children are yours to protect! You are already king, Theoden, aren’t you enough without me? Why do you need me by your side?"

His fist met my face, and I felt something crack, excruciating pain rushing through me. I wished I had been able to contact the Sirens… we were right on the coast… I had seen what Theoden had done to his own pack, not to mention his wife and daughters. No one was safe from his barbaric ways.

"Do not speak back to me! If you hadn't been the heart, I would have killed you the first time you started to seduce my son," he hissed, grabbing my face. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him any satisfaction that he was hurting me, and glared coldly at the man before me.

"Killing everyone who may pose a threat to your plan is your go-to option, is it not, Theoden?" I asked icily.

"Not you… you will be by my side whether you want to or not," he growled harshly. For a moment, his gaze raked over me, lingering on my breasts, making my skin crawl. "I cannot blame Theon for being tempted."

"Fuck off," I spat. His eyes blazed, and his grip on my face tightened. Painfully tight.

"Heed my words; you have until dawn to change your mind. Oh, and if you don’t obey, I assure you I have other methods. Did I mention that I found a rather pretty orange rose? One that I'm sure you won’t want me to kill."

With those words, he slammed my head back against the wall, and my vision darkened. Orange rose… Charlene… Did he have her?

My heart squeezed with anger and helplessness. The fear for my people’s lives hung in my answer. What do I do? If I agreed, what did it mean? What would he try to use my powers for?

Darkness enveloped me, and I fell unconscious once more…

-----

The sound of crying reached my ears, and a bucket of scalding hot water was thrown over me, making me scream as my eyes flew open. The sound of my voice rang in the cell as I looked around, the boiling water burning my skin. The pain enveloped me like a blanket I could not get away from. My heart thundered as I looked at the two young children that stood there, holding hands as Theoden and three of his men watched with eyes that were emotionless and hard. I smiled gently at the kids, trying to ease their fear.

"Your time is up. Now, do you agree? Or shall these two mutts be the first of many?" Theoden was not a man who cared for anyone but himself. I couldn’t risk the life of anyone else.

"I agree," I said emotionlessly. My heart was hurting, but more than my own wellbeing, I wanted these kids far away from Theoden.

It’s going to be okay.Theoden let out a raucous laugh as he came towards me, grabbing hold of my hair and yanking my head back.

"I have a queen!" He roared as his men smirked, men he had purchased…. These men were trained monsters, not beings with compassion.

I will destroy you all… for the crimes you have committed.I looked at Theoden, but I didn’t speak. For now, I would submit, because the lives of those children were far more important. He simply smirked, letting his gaze fall to my neck. He leaned in, and I clenched my jaw, trying not to recoil as I swallowed hard.

"I will look forward to marking you," he whispered menacingly before he looked at his men and gave a nod. One man stepped forward, unsheathing his sword.

Was he going to break my chains? If so, they would regret it; I could take them all. But to my horror, I was so very wrong. Without even a flicker of hesitation, the man swung his sword. I screamed in agony as I stared helplessly at the scene before me. He cut off the heads of the two children in a blink of an eye. I felt the snapping of the link that tied them to me break as burning fury enveloped me.

"You will pay!" I hissed, my voice a Siren’s shriek as I glared at the man who had killed them. "How dare you! I agreed, Theoden!" My powers fought against the bindings, but despite the ice that spread across the ground of the cell, it did nothing to affect the men. Theoden grabbed me by the hair once again, smashing it into the stone behind me.

"You agreed now, but you disrespected me yesterday! Take this as a warning, never disobey me! Among the next victims, there will be Raiden Bolton and Charlene Aphelion," Theoden spat before he walked out of the cell, leaving me seething and heartbroken for the two children who lay on the ground. Their heads lay far from their bodies as blood seeped across the floor.

I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…Tears stung my eyes as I stared at their lifeless bodies. The pain and anguish I felt were so intense. Theoden deserved the worst kind of punishment, and I promised I would make sure it came to him.

-----

Hours passed, yet no one came for the children, and their bodies no longer bled. Their bodiless heads lay to the side with expressions of shock frozen on their faces. It was a memory that would always remain in my mind. I was meant to protect them, yet right before my eyes, that bastard beheaded them.

He will pay.The sound of heels echoing on the stone floor made my head whip towards the bars. The rancid darkness that accompanied her told me who it was, and moments later when she came into view, our eyes met. Arabella.

"The King sent a ring for his bride," she said in her voice devoid of life. Was it me, or did she seem even weirder lately…

"Oh, does he know? What is it? A slave's collar or a ring to suppress my powers?" I asked coldly.

Our eyes met, and she lifted her hand that had been hidden under her black cloak. There it was. A black collar with symbols I did not understand marked along the entire band. As I thought, a collar to suppress my powers. But how good was it? Maybe they’d underestimate my abilities… I could hope, and I was surely going to try.

She came over to me and whispered a spell. I suddenly felt a sharp pain within me.

"I know how your mind works, Heart of Kaeladia. This collar… do you see the blood?"

I looked at her, trying to stay conscious, as she removed the silver collar that had been coated in poison and replaced it with the black one. It was thicker, heavier, and wider, restricting my movements, and I could feel the darkness embedded in it.

"What blood?" I growled as searing pain spread through me from the collar. I looked down, seeing symbols similar to those that covered the collar beginning to spread over my body in what smelled like blood. What was this?

"Blood of your people bound to their Alpha. Now, let us have you washed and bathed for the king," Arabella said as she unlocked the rest of the chains, and I fell to the ground. So, they had thought it all out. I got up onto all fours, coming level to the headless bodies of the children.

"Can I… can I place their heads by their body?" I whispered, trying to hide the pain inside.

"No," she said. Raising her hand, a black flame enveloped the bodies.

"Stop it!" I shouted, about to summon my powers when Arabella snapped her fingers, and the bodies disintegrated. My heart pounded as I let out a cry of frustration. She crouched beside me and caressed my hair.

"I wouldn’t use my abilities if I were you. Those runes are tied to your people. Remember, if you try to fight the seal, they pay."

"Meaning?" I asked, feeling my stomach twist with dread. I looked at the charred floor where the bodies once lay, feeling devastated, but it was her next words that chilled me to the core, a dark reminder that I truly was powerless.

"Meaning every time you use your powers, your people will die, from the weakest to the strongest…."