Possessed by the Rogue King

Chapter 8 : His Servant Girl

*Eva*

I stared at my father's warm and loving face. He smiled at me with the same tenderness he had over the years.

We were surrounded by the thick pine and fur trees. We were back home.

The sun beamed down on us and I felt at peace. The heavy weight that had pressed down on my chest the last few days was completely gone.

“Dad," I reached for his outstretched hand. “I miss you."

Tears brimmed my eyes.

“I am always with you, baby girl. All you need to do is think of me." His light green eyes pierced into me like a double edged sword.

“I don't know what to do," I choked out. “I feel like…I feel like I'm drowning."

“Come up for air, Eva."

Then I was pushed backward and I was sent back into reality.

The first thing I noticed was the pain. I could feel it shooting up and down my spine. I had never felt a pain quite like this before in my entire life.

I blinked my eyes open slowly but immediately shut them when the harsh light beamed down on me. I let out a low groan and then I heard the distant voices.

“She is grieving, Alpha." The unfamiliar voice said. “Her wolf is far detached from her. Not to mention the rejection that she is facing. It is not easy for a wolf to heal that."

“What can I do?" Zander's voice reached my ears.

I stared up at the ceiling trying to make sense of where I was. The last thing I remembered was being in the ironing room and arguing with my so-called mate. After that, it all went blank.

“She needs rest and she needs to limit her stress. But her wolf is weak. She won't be able to heal the Luna—"

“She is not the Luna." He spat.

“Forgive me, Alpha." The other man talking to Zander said.

I already knew of our rejection, but always hearing Zander reiterate just how unimportant I was to him still stung. The daggers he had jammed into my heart had not been dislodged, and with every rude interaction or abuse he threw my way, those daggers twisted and embedded themselves further.

The pain in my black intensified and I hissed trying to turn my body so I wasn't lying on my back.

“You're awake."

Zander sounded almost relieved. But I was sure that I was mistaken because there was no world in which Zander would be relieved that I was awake and still alive.

I turned to the side and looked at the two men who stood close to the door. The man Zander had been talking to wore scrubs.

He was a healer.

“Where am I?" My voice was tired and hoarse. My throat felt like I had swallowed nails. “Why am I…"

“You're in my home," Zander said. “I came to get you treated after your little mishap."

I scowled. “You mean when your men attacked me?"

He frowned. “That is besides the point. What matters is that you are alive."

I had to bite down on my tongue. I didn't want to go back and forth with this man, especially right now. My body was too tired and too sore.

“You are not well, Eva," the healer began. “You suffered some significant bruising on your body and you had a small piece of wire lodged in your back."

“I had what?" I looked down at my body. “Where did the wire come from?"

“Most likely from when you slammed your back against the wall," he continued, completely unphased. “But it should heal fairly quickly within the coming days. You need to take it easy for the time being. I couldn't sense your wolf at the forefront of your mind, which means that the healing process will be long and hard."

“Where is Vincent?" I looked directly at the Alpha. “You didn't kill him did you?"

I would not put the violence past him. He was a man who didn't take kindly to being interrupted and disrespected and I was sure Vincent's actions had fallen into one of those two categories.

“I think it's time the doctor left us," Zander said as he stared at me. “I need to have a moment alone with Eva."

The healer looked between the Alpha and I. He inclined his head toward me and bowed to his Alpha. “Alpha, if you need me I will be in the healing center."

“Thank you."

The healer left the room leaving me with Zander. We stared at each other for a long minute. Neither one of us spoke.

“I didn't kill him," he finally said. “Your little friend is safe."

That offered me some momentary relief.

“How are you feeling right now?" He took a step toward my bed. “Do you need the pain meds?"

“Why are you acting like you suddenly give a damn about my well-being, Zander? You didn't care when you rejected me."

He narrowed his eyes on me. “Need I remind you who practically abused me every day in Blue Lake?"

I clenched my jaw shut. He was right. I had been mean and horrible to him because I had thought he was an Omega. I was the Alpha's daughter. I had no reason to be nice to the man. The relationship didn't serve me.

“You made me an Omega, Zander." I spat. “You rejected me as your mate and instead of leaving me in my home, you brought me here and made me your servant."

“I kept you alive." His nostrils flared. “That was a mercy."

“A mercy would have been killing me." I choked out. The emotion had lodged itself in my throat. “What kind of life have you given me? I used to be the daughter of an Alpha. I am meant to be a Luna."

“Not mine."

“Well, whether you like it or not, we have been destined. I don't know why her great divine chose to curse me with a mate like you but it doesn't matter now. I am living in hell anyway. You have taken all the good in my life and snuffed it out. You have ruined me, Zander."

He stood at the end of my bed with his nostrils flared and his hands balled at his side.

“And you think you have not ruined me?" He scoffed. “The moment I found out you were my mate was the beginning of my end."

“What are you on about? I am not the cause of your pain."

“Yes, you are!" His little snap took me back a bit. “I should have killed you that night in your room the day I found out. Maybe then we could have all been spared this agony."

“Then kill me!" I challenged him. “Kill me in cold blood like the monster you are. You would be doing me a kindness."

He stormed toward me with a crazed look in his eyes. “Is that what you want?! For me to kill you?!"

The tears brimmed my eyes as I stared at the man who had taken it all from me. How was he meant to be my protector? My one true love?

He had been the one to jam that knife right into my chest and twisted it at every opportunity he could.

“Kill. Me." I held his heated gaze. “Kill me and put me out of my misery. Be the killer we all know you to be."

His claws elongated from his nails. He leered over me like a menacing villain. I didn't take my eyes off of him for one second. I wanted to watch him do it. I wanted to be staring into the eyes of my killer when I walked into the comforting arms of the goddess.

He placed his hands over my throat. His claws placed on top of my skin ready to strike.

I swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in my throat and blinked, allowing for the singular tear to fall from my eyes.

I could see the heat in his eyes. The rage and hatred that moved behind his irises.

“Kill me," I whispered into the dark room. “Kill me and show me mercy, Zander."

I felt the claws slowly press harder into my skin.

This was it. He was going to do it. He was going to kill me and it would all be over.

I had expected the panic to set in. For the fear to cause me to move out of his hold…but I felt nothing. All I felt was a sense of peace that washed over me like a warm blanket.

It would all end.

The pain. The grief. The loneliness.

I would be free.

But just as I thought he would finally do me this one kindness, he withdrew back and stormed out of my room without a look back.

The door slammed shut and I jumped at the loud crash.

I let out a shaky breath and then the flood gates opened. I cried until all the water in my eyes ran out. I cried until my chest was sore from all the heaving I was doing. I cried until I felt all the pain drain from my body momentarily.

I stared up at the ceiling wishing he had been brave enough to end it all because only the goddess knew that I wasn't brave enough to do it on my own.

***

After crying till I was dehydrated, I hobbled my way to the bathroom. I wanted to see myself. I wanted to see the damage that had been done. It'd been a couple of days since I arrived and I was beginning to doubt if Prince Reagan was ever coming. Maybe he thought I died in the attack too…

I pushed the thought away. The pain of considering if he was alive, or how he must've been feeling about my disappearance, was too much to bear.

When I made it to the mirror by the sink, I nearly gasped at the woman I saw. My eyes were bloodshot and my cheek was this angry, dark purple color. My eyes were hollowed out and there were dark circles that covered the skin beneath them.

My skin was pale and clammy. I looked like the undead. I might as well have been a ghost or a zombie brought back to life.

I wore a hospital gown and my back was left completely exposed to the elements. I felt the draft waft up my back side and I shivered as the chill traveled down my spine.

“Goddess," I braced my hands on the sink. “I look sick."

I was sick. I was sick and tired of this life that I had been handed.

Why could he not have just killed me?

I moved my arm and immediately felt the sharp pain in my side.

The stitches from the wire. I needed to see it.

Slowly, I got out of the gown and stripped down till I was naked. I stared at the bandage that concealed the wound from my eyes. The skin was purple and blue around the injury. I was just about to lift the small white bandage when I heard a knock at my door.

I stilled, hoping that maybe it was possibly just in my mind. I didn't want any visitors and if it were Zander, I didn't want to speak with him.

The person knocked again, this time a little louder.

D*mmit.

I reached for one of the guest towels and wrapped it around my body. I hobbled to the front door to find a woman dressed in a pantsuit. She had her hair slicked back and she wore a serious expression on her face.

“Good morning," she answered with a smile. “I'm here to prepare you."

I looked at her a little confused. “Prepare me for what?"

“Alpha Zander has requested you to be his personal servant within the next coming days. I need to help you prepare for that."

He had done what now?

I was going to f*cking kill him.