Midnight Blue

15 / The Hallway

Unlike most things, sleep never came easy to the Alpha King. That night, he found himself lying awake yet again. He glanced over at the window where the curtains were parted just enough to let a sliver of moonlight creep in. It was times like this that solidified his hatred from trips away from the palace. Everything was different here, even for the highest monarch in the land.

He rolled over , pulling his watch from the bedside table and squinting down at it. He hated lying in bed when he wasn't sleeping. Tossing and turning never did him any good, he had to get up and walk.

He was about to do just that when a commotion outside caught his attention. He froze, feet placed firmly on the floor, covers pulled half back. His hands made their way to his hair before balling into fists. One, two three. He shut his eyes, allowing his breaths to push back his rising anger. What were those guards doing if not their jobs?

A few moments passed before he decided to make his way to the balcony, letting the world outside the door settle in the far corner of his mind. He wasn't worried. Why should he be? He was the Alpha King, no one could touch him.

But then a blinding scream cut through the night, penetrating his brain and bringing him to a different time. Lost in a memory, his feet took him to the door.

His hand stopped on the door handle, listening to what was happening outside. The first thing he heard was a slap, then a choked sob, the sound of screams being forced back.

"Get her up."

Another scream-he realized it to be a scream of pain. It  echoed in his mind.

"Shut up, Mutt" -another voice.

Then, "Against the wall."

He knew what would happen next. He was, after all the one that had created such. rules.

The screams refused to cease and some unrecognised thing within him made him slam the door open.

The power that radiated off him was enough to make the guards to face him.

He watched as they struggled with the body between them, forcing the person to the ground so that they were kneeling, a hand forcing their head down, another covering their mouth to muffle the agonised screams that made their body shake.

He recognised something about the figure but the pain rolling off them was overwhelming his senses to a point where he could figure nothing else out.

"Do you care to inform me what exactly is going on out here?"

Something in the figure shifted as he spoke and one of the guards - a particularly gruff  man with more muscles than brains - pushed them further to the ground.

The Alpha King watched him steadily, letting the constant screams filter out, tuning instead into the quieter noises in the hallway, letting his senses focus. The men in front of him fumbled. "Sire."

He turned his attention to the head guard who's sword was still unsheathed. The guard bowed slightly at him, keeping watch of the figure out of the corner of his eye. "This filthy...thing," he spat the word with disgust and the king didn't miss the fact that he was aiming at the whimpering body, "came up here. Said she needed to see you. She was threatening you, sire. I was about to deal with her accordingly when she started screaming bloody murder."

The king took a moment to observe the scene before him. He took a step closer. "Reveal her."

The guards did as they were told, forcefully pulling the figure so they were near dangling the ground, pulling their head up by their hair to face the king. The screaming never stopped.

The interaction had taken a mere minute but in that moment it was as if the world slowed down.

"Rose?"