George remained bowed before us in the throne room, his head pressed against the marble floor. I watched as Jack raised his chin, his alpha authority radiating through the chamber.
"You were one of my trusted warriors, but today I will reduce you to nothing. I will cripple you and make you useless to yourself and to those who bought your loyalty," Jack declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
My whole body shivered. He wanted to cripple George because of that woman who tried to poison me. How could I be with someone so ruthless? I had tasted his cruelty before and knew he would follow through. No one in this kingdom would dare interfere with the alpha king's judgment. What could I do to stop this?
"Pluck out both his eyes and leave him to bleed on the palace steps. Throw him outside the gates and leave him to fate," Jack announced.
He turned to Jerome, the other guard trembling nearby. Sweat covered Jerome's face. If George received such a brutal sentence, what would happen to him? Being crippled, eyes removed, left bleeding on the steps. It was a horrible way to die.
"I will spare you this time, Jerome. But if anyone tries to make you breach your loyalty to me again, I will kill you as well," Jack warned.
"Please, Alpha King, spare me. I beg you to spare me. I will never betray you again," George pleaded, crawling forward on his knees.
Jack showed no interest in his pleas. George crawled toward me and grabbed my feet, his hands shaking as he hugged my ankles.
"Plead for me, Miss Bluey. I was wrong. Please speak on my behalf," he begged.
Jack yanked him backward and kicked him hard in the stomach. George rolled across the floor.
"How dare you touch my mate? How dare you lay your filthy hands on her?" Jack roared. He kicked George again in the chest. The warrior coughed up blood, his eyes turning red as he tried to crawl away.
"Listen well, everyone," Jack announced to the assembled pack members. "Miss Bluey is my woman, my chosen mate, and the future queen of this kingdom. She is the mother of the young prince. You will show her the same respect you show me. If I learn that any of you disrespect her, you will not only lose your position but I will completely destroy you."
Every head in the room nodded. I stepped forward and wrapped my hand around his bicep, feeling the tension in his muscles.
"I ask that you spare George for my sake. He can become my personal guard and serve me directly," I whispered, keeping my voice low.
Jack glared down at me. Several seconds passed in silence. Finally, he turned back to George, who was still writhing on the floor.
"She pleaded for your life and asked me to spare you. You will become her personal guard and remain loyal to her for the rest of your days. If you ever touch even the hem of her dress again, I will castrate you," Jack declared.
Silence filled the throne room. George dragged himself back to his knees and bowed before us both.
"Take him to the dungeon. His training needs to begin again from the start," Jack ordered, gripping my wrist as he led me out of the throne room and down the corridor toward his private chambers.
"Kindness is a weakness. Why did you stop me?" he asked, turning to face me once we were alone.
I pulled my hand from his grip. "I cannot stand watching torture. That man would have died."
"I know. I wanted him to die. He betrayed me, and the punishment for betrayal is a slow, painful death," Jack replied, his golden eyes hard.
"That is not punishment. It is inhumane. No matter what he did, the sentence should not be death. You trained your warriors to be emotionless, to forget their humanity when they serve you. Remember that day," I started to say.
"Do not lecture me," Jack interrupted. "The world itself is cruel, and you expect me to be soft with traitors? Your compassion will lead to your destruction. You must be a queen with an iron fist. Do you understand me?"
"No, I do not understand how to be cruel. I want to remain who I am. Do not make me afraid of you," I snapped back.
"I think you should be, my love," Jack said quietly.
I turned away from him and stared out the window at the palace grounds. The carriage that would take us into town waited below. Neither of us spoke.
In the eastern wing of the palace, Ethan stood from the breakfast table. Daisy blocked his path.
"You and I need to talk," she said firmly.
"Not this morning," Ethan replied sharply. He had pack business to attend to and no interest in conversation.
"I am asking you to meet me for lunch today. I need to discuss something important with you," Daisy explained.
"Send word twenty minutes before lunch, and I will arrange my schedule," Ethan said, stepping past her.
Daisy watched him walk away. When had he become so distant? He used to be warm, attentive. His coldness started after that day we encountered Aurora in town. The whispers from the pack members still echoed in her mind. Was that the reason, or was he drawn to Aurora again? After the attack, he had become a complete stranger. He no longer touched her, no longer shared her bed. She would have to seduce him or accept her fate. But perhaps lunch would help. Perhaps they could find their way back to each other.
Jack turned to me and broke the silence. "I am sorry, my love."
He pulled me closer and kissed me briefly. "This will be your first day back at court. I want it to be different than before."
"I need a favor. I do not want anyone to know we are together yet. Treat me like any other court member during official business. When we leave the palace, I will be your Aurora again," I requested.
Jack considered this. "If that is what you want."
"I will use the royal entrance and stay near your advisor. I will arrive a few minutes after you," I suggested.
"Agreed," he said.
Across the kingdom, Rosalinda stared at the message John had sent. She sighed deeply. Should she meet him or ignore his request?
The decision weighed on her mind as morning light filled her chamber.