Where Flowers Don't Belong

Chapter 7-My Mate

My eyes met his and, although I felt numb, I couldn't stop myself from feeling the tiniest bit of fear when I saw the fury in his expression.

"I asked you to kill me. I am pleading with you not to wait any longer," I said.

He growled loudly. "I am not going to kill you," he said, his tone like gravel.

"Please, your majesty," I begged, desperation strong in my voice. "I can't handle any more tests. I cannot go to sleep now, knowing that tomorrow will be like this. I have known for a long time that I would die due to my lack of intelligence and inability to follow rules or do things right. I know that what I have done tonight has finally tipped the scale. I ask you—plead with you to have mercy on me, your majesty. Do not wait any longer. Although I know my infringements may be grave, creating cause for a drawn out death, I beg you not to play with me anymore. I do not deserve to be in this world any longer, this world where I cause so much unhappiness to others—and to you. Please end my life so that my misery and unhappiness I cause others and myself may end."

The king didn't move for some time after my short speech. In fact, he processed my words without any sort of violence or growling for the first time that night. I found myself wondering, had I finally said the right thing? Was he going to grant my wish?

But as a few more seconds ticked by without any sort of answer, I couldn't stop myself from looking up in curiosity. And what I saw when I met the king's eyes was what surprised me most that night.

The king was crying. Large tears were rolling from his eyes and down to his neck.

He took in a deep breath when he saw me look up. He opened his mouth and then closed it, looking for the right thing to say.

Finally, he asked, "You thought I was going to kill you?"

I nodded without hesitation. "There is no other punishment worthy of upsetting the king."

His brows came together in confusion. "You didn't upset me."

I frowned. "I apologize, my king, I do not mean to disagree with you or correct you, but I am most certain I did upset you. You have almost shifted multiple times tonight, each shift caused by something I did or said."

He touched my cheek gently and immediately shook his head. "No, no, baby girl. None of my anger was caused by you. Not one bit. I can't believe that you've gone this entire night thinking that it was. I was angry because of the horrors that have been inflicted upon you by this monstrosity of a pack."

My heart rate picked up. "You are mad at my pack?"

I would have much rather he be mad at me. I owed everything to my pack. They had cared for me since I was a child, clothed me, fed me, provided me with work. I would be dead if not for them. I couldn't let the werewolf king be mad at my pack for something that I had done.

"Please, your majesty. I apologize for making any sort of requests of you, but please do not bring harm to my pack because of my stupidity. It is not their fault for training such a disobedient slave like myself. They truly trained me well. It is I who have failed to listen. Any punishment should be inflicted upon me."

"Trained you?" the king barked out. "You call what they did to you training?"

I flinched. I swallowed down my tears. "You are correct, your majesty. There is no evidence of training in my actions or in my seemingly continuous need to argue with you and talk out of turn. And for that, I am unbelievably sorry. But this is not my pack's fault. It was I who did not listen. It is I who made the decisions that lead to the situation we are in now. This is why I beg of you to kill me and not bring harm upon my pack. Please, your majesty."