The Alpha King's mate is dead. With the one year anniversary of his coronation growing closer, law states that he needs a Queen by his side. Long thought to be cold and empty since his soulmate's death, the court had given up hope of him finding a n...
The night passed by with Rose still in the attic. Ella, who had grown concerned for her friend, had gone to Alex, demanding he tell her what had happened when he escorted Rose from the kitchen. But Alex had just shaken his head, sending her that apologetic smile that he did so well before carrying on with his work.
The King had arrived and gone straight to his room, requesting (if anything from the Alpha King could even be considered a 'request' and not an order) that his food be brought up to him instead of eating in the dining room. The staff, of course, complied and with the food being ready in anticipation of his earlier arrival time, the kitchen had turned busy once again. The staff were forced to begin a new meal entirely from scratch with the higher ups insisting that the old food reheated simply would not do. Not many had dared suggest that, of course. For discarded food usually went to them. And they were not about to pass up food that had once been fit for a king.
Morning came with Rose having gotten little sleep. While the girl would rarely sleep a restful night, she found her eyes meeting the stars more often than usual and it was as if she could count the hours as they went by. The room was cold, although that was to be expected and Rose had grown somewhat accustomed to it. As the night grew darker, the daytime heat that had clung to the air had disappeared and at the beginning, Rose found herself shivering on the wooden floor. She managed to find some scraps of fabric around the little room but they did little to block out the chill. Eventually, however, it was as though she had known nothing other than that bitter temperature and her body felt normal once again.
The next day and night was spent in the attic, also. Rose knew that she was not being kept there simply for the spilling of the sauce but because she could name two Alphas who would rather she not be present downstairs when the King was around. She wasn't sure, however, if this brought her comfort or fear.
She was only presented with food once. In truth, she knew that the staff were probably too busy to remember or have time to bring it to her. They were probably barely eating themselves. But she couldn't help feel a twinge of sadness that her friends had not brought her anything. Alex, who had managed to keep the secret of where she was from the others, brought her a slice of bread and some water on two occasions which she was extremely grateful for. While Alex tended to have a good reputation his reputation would be nothing if questioned by an Alpha.
It was one of the exact Alphas she worried about that came to leave her out.
He pulled the door open, leaving it bang against the wall. Rose was on the floor, hungry and tired and weak. The very sight of him made her blood run cold.
"Well." The single word sent shivers down her spine. "I think it might be time to let you out."
Rose managed to croak out something that resembled a 'thank you.'
He stood by the door, holding it open and motioning for her to walk through it. She wondered how he would let her out that easily but then remembered how long she had been locked up and thought that maybe he realised she'd had enough punishment.
Rose's legs were shaky under her as she pushed herself up, surprised for a moment that she could even hold her own weight. She reached the door, leaning against the wall for support or just a moment before crossing the threshold. But just when she thought she'd gotten out easily, she felt a hand stop her short. The Alpha pulled her towards him.
"You'd better behave yourself. And never mess up like that again. Especially not when the King is arriving."
And with that, he pushed out his claws and pulled them across her face.
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Rose stared at herself in the mirror. The claw marks were deep and bleeding profusely. Everyone in the house was asleep and she had no intention of waking Ella. She could see by the water stains on her friend's skirt that not too long ago she had been cleaning the floors, the soapy water remaining on the thick fabric for some hours afterwards. Even the fact that she was sleeping in her work clothes showed Rose how badly her friend needed the sleep. And she knew if she woke her she'd only fuss over Rose and never go back to bed. And so, the young woman decided to deal with her problems herself.
She tried not to let her gaze linger on it for too long, knowing that the look of it would only upset her.
With the house asleep and no chance of the Alpha wanting to enter the downstairs rooms, she found it easy to make her way to the kitchens.
The cupboards in the building were well stocked with pack members from all across the lands gathering for the King's arrival. And so, with different cultures and the arrival of the King, there were many different ingredients ready in the kitchen's stocks.
Rose knew for a fact that there was some yarrow there.
Her first pack had often had yarrow in their cupboards and she could remember the old nurses grinding it into a powder to place on the wounds of the lower members. Those that would otherwise receive no treatment. Apparently it was supposed to stop the bleeding. She could only hope that knowledge was right.
