Pretty Red Eyes (previously "KING, AGAIN")

09| best friends tell

09; best friends tell

The tray wobbled slightly as Chelsea made her way towards Alpha Valius's personal chamber.

"Take the stairs to the third floor, turn to your left and walk towards the end." Madam Chrisell had instructed her before she left.

On the left-wing of the third floor, the long hallway had seemed so dark and empty. The only light source had come from the large ceiling to floor window on the other end of the hallway. The night was bleeding into the day, the darkness slowly but surely overwhelmed the bright sky until the only light left was reflected from the moon hanging above.

What are the dos and don'ts of a maid? Chelsea wondered as she carefully stepped into the dark hallway.

Was she supposed to knock on the door and leave the tray on the ground outside? Or did she have to bring it in and set the table for the King?

Madam Chrisell did not clarify but she would much rather be doing the former.

The last time she encountered the King was in the dungeon cell earlier today. It had barely been more than nine hours since they last saw each other. And quick frankly, Chelsea had no desire to see his stupidly devious face.
The same face that collared her during their fight, Chelsea thought bitterly.

That bite on her neck was still tender and red. It might be turning pink now since werewolves healed fast but she was not about to let this incident go just because her wound was healing.

Who would have expected that hours after he had collared her, he would have made her a maid who was now carrying his dinner to his room?

Chelsea's inside boiled at the very thought. This man, this awful man who was King, was out to make her life hell. She had remembered seeing the rage in his eyes when they first found each other. If he had been as much of an unwilling party, when couldn't he just let her leave?

They have both went through werewolf education when they were younger. They knew, briefly, how the mating process would be carried out. Having a found mate around for too long would strengthen and deepen the mate bond, which would bind them closer to each other possibly forever. That could not happen.

Chelsea needed her freedom to return. She became a rogue to be free, to live spontaneously. Having a mate would tie her down, he would be chained her up and lock her in the room forever. She would be used as a breeding machine to produce dozens of little heirs. And she might never see light again unless it's the artificial one on the ceiling of her given room. That was not the life she intended to live. She would not give her freedom up just to be with a mate.

But yet, she was on her way to serve the King his dinner. With all that feminist thought in her head, she was about to contradict herself by acting like a servant to the very man who had ripped her freedom and pride away.

Madam Chrisell had appeared to be slightly horrified when she had called out Chelsea's name and duty. Could she have known about the collar?

The maid's uniform had made it impossible for her to see the bite mark on her neck. Chelsea had made sure she fastened every button on the white little blouse. The collar of the white blouse only stopped at the beginning of her neck from her shoulders. It was not long enough to cover up so beta Ryan had suggested she wore lace lingerie under her clothes since it offered a higher white laced collar that could hide the bite. He added that it was fashion too. Chelsea pursed her lips at that, she highly doubted maids were allowed to spice up their own uniform with fashion.

When Chelsea finally reached the last door in the hallway, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Whatever awaited before, was something she could never prepare herself for.

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Alpha Valius fell onto his chair, sighing loudly as he did. He rubbed his temples with a hand.

What had he done?

He rewinded everything that had just happened in the dungeon in his head, trying to justify his every decision.

When she attacked him, she had been testing the Alpha and King within him. Disrespect was a form of sin that needed punishment in the werewolf community. Alpha Valius had to put the little rogue back in her place, she was nothing but a trespasser on his land.

Collaring her during their fight was not in his intention of punishing her but it had happened in the moment. His wolf claimed control over him and sank his teeth into her flesh. It had made him felt quite satisfied in a sick way. People would know that his female was claimed with his bite. It was not the conventional way but it was a form of a mark, still.

Putting his bloodied crown on her pretty little head and making her a Palace maid was uncalled for. The beast within wanted that to happen, he wanted to see her in his crown. He wanted his queen on the throne beside him, or on his lap. He didn't mind either. The world would know the King has found his queen. He wasn't mateless because of his cruel executions. He was, after all, still a wolf that craved affections from time to time.

A door slammed against the wall loudly, yanking him out of his long train of thoughts. He returned to reality, to find beta Ryan standing before him with a thin folder in his hand.

"Chelsea Valaney. Rogue by choice at sixteen. Visited numerous packs over the years." he reported monotonously, setting the folder on the desk between them.

Alpha Valius's brows furrowed. "Who?"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence that followed as alpha Valius racked his brain to put a face to the mentioned name. Beta Ryan narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Who's that?" alpha Valius tried again. Was Beta Ryan going to tell him or what? He clearly had no idea who this Valaney is.

A side of beta Ryan's cheek sucked in and he just stared at Alpha Valius, unamused.

Alpha Valius figured he was not about to tell him himself so he reached forward to take a look at the folder on the desk. Before he could grab hold of it, however, beta Ryan slammed his hand on the folder and pulled it back.

A mischievous spark flashed before beta Ryan's eyes as his lips curled up into a cheeky little smirk. Pulling the folder back, he hugged it to his chest protectively.

"Nobody important." he finally replied, "I've got it settled."

He started to move over to the couch by the side of the room and toppled onto it. "So, why didn't you tell me you found your mate in the woods?"

Alpha Valius grumbled under his breath at the sudden change of topic. The problem with having a friend as your beta was that he could be unprofessional almost instantly if he felt like it.

"There's nothing to tell."

Beta Ryan sat up immediately at alpha Valius's words. With a hand gripped onto the armrest of the couch, he looked ready to jump Valius.

"I thought we tell each other everything?" hurt and shock filled his voice as his words came out. Only Alpha Valius, who was his longtime friend, would be able to tell that Beta Ryan was mocking seventeen years old him.

When Alpha Valius only responded with a sound close to the annoyance he was feeling, beta Ryan laughed and got up to leave.

Before twisting the door knot, he turned back to look at Alpha Valius again. The smirk he wore only widened as he bowed deeply to his friend.

"Enjoy your dinner, my king."

.    .    .

a/n;

Perhaps I should write out a bonus scene to share Alpha Valius and Beta Ryan's little inside joke🤔, thoughts?