Slave to Destiny

Chapter 13

The ride back from the castle consisted of Daniel and Cole talking in hushed voices in the front of car while I stared absentmindedly out of the window. I was alarmed to hear the werewolves were getting riled up. They could do very stupid things without a true Alpha in command. Once a werewolf was pissed it was hard to cool them down. It saddened me to realize how accustomed I had become to King Edmund and Cole. To be perfectly honest I couldn’t picture myself killing them. All I could picture was ripping Corban’s throat out.

As we pulled up through the broad iron gates I looked up at the stunning castle that stood before us. It was grand. It was gloomy. It was home, in some twisted way. Mistress Abigail, better known as a Royal Steward filling in for King Edmund’s future wife, stood on the steps leading up to the castle waiting. The long full skirts of her dress were splayed to perfection. Her curly blond hair was twisted into a loose bun. The curves of her lips were pointing downward ever so slightly. She was angry. I could tell, but it was a contained kind of anger.

Once again I helped Edmund out of his seat and on to solid ground. Normally he would dart off around the grounds, but not now. Now he stood slightly behind me burying his face into my leg. “Edmund come here,” Abigail snapped in a stern voice. Her face was void of emotion.

Edmund glanced up at me with pleading eyes before sauntering over to her head held low. Abigail set her arm protectively around him before setting her stony eyes on me. “What are you doing slave? Who do you think you are flouncing about outside the castle walls where you obviously don’t belong.”

Her remarks were met by silence. Please Dark Mother save me from the wrath of the Royal Bitch.

“Speak slave. Speak!” she hissed at me.

Daniel’s expression hinted that I should be quite fearful considering he could read her mind and all. His lips were set in a grim strait line. Cole stepped in for my defense, “I told her she had to come to watch Edmund.”

“What were you thinking Cole?” Abigail screamed all composure lost. She was absolutely livid, “He could have been killed. That mutt has no self control. There’s a reason it had collar. Think boy think. If given the chance it would kill Edmund before you could say oops. Do you want another revolt? Do you want the mutts to win?” You would think I’d be able to kill Edmund in a flash, but I couldn’t. As much as it saddened me to realize it, things were far more complex than that. I would have to go at the situation with skill and delicacy.

“They won’t win,” Cole raged. My hear ached ever so slightly to hear those words leave his mouth. Daniel glanced over at me a look of sympathy etched into his features. It wasn’t that I predicted him to say anything else. I couldn’t help but wish at least one of them was on my side.

Abigail gave him one last look of disdain before turning towards me. “Henry will deal with you.”

My heart skipped a beat the moment the words left her mouth. She turned on her heal and led Edmund away. Fear was washing over me in sick nauseating waves. “But it wasn’t my fault,” I whispered stumbling slightly. The picture of the girl’s faces when they came back from Henry was playing over and over in my head like a broken record. They had been human. I was a werewolf. That meant my punishment could be longer and crueler. Even a werewolf had a breaking point. A point where their body can’t heal itself anymore. A point where they fail. The same could be said for vampires though.

Cole stared at my horror struck face for a few long moments before walking away. Daniel followed behind him sending me worried glances over his shoulder.

Have you ever had the feeling that your entire world is crashing down around you? That would be the only way to describe how I felt at the current moment. Wandering around aimlessly through the corridors was unsettling to say the least. My mind was racing with questions. When was it going to happen? How bad was it going to be? Would they use silver? The last thought was truly sickening.

To use silver on a werewolf was cruelty to the infinite degree. The way it singed and blackened the flesh upon first touch horrified me. Of course that only occurred when one was using pure silver. Often silver was mixed with other metals, which only made if mildly irritating to the skin. Of course Henry was smart enough to use pure silver.

The gardens around the castle looked lovely under the moonlight. It was so serene. Rows upon rows of blood red roses were scattered about the lush terrain. Painted red with the blood of my people. I growled under my breath. Something ached inside me as I made my way through the lovely flowers back inside. It was like an invisible pull dragging me inside. I was ready.

“Fear is the mind killer,” I muttered as I pushed myself up the stone steps and began walking towards the slave quarters. Master Henry would be angry I didn’t find him immediately, but it didn’t matter. I needed time to mentally prepare for the task I was being faced with.

Ever sense I was a child my father has had me perfectly sculpted to be a leader, fighter, and victor. In this moment of time I was going to prove myself. Master Henry was speaking amongst some men I didn’t know. I walked right up to him with my head held high. I wasn’t going to hide. I wasn’t going to be weak. I wasn’t going to cry. I was going to endure it like any princess should. I wasn’t afraid. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear and let it pass through me. When my fear is gone only I will remain. - Dune (movie).