The Triplet Alpha Kings’ Plaything

Chapter 4: Three Cold, Condescending Eyes

Zora’s POV

I was used to having nightmares. Maybe it was because of the way I had lived everyday under my mother and sister’s thumb, wondering what horrors they would show me by each time, the horror that unfolded took on a chilling twist, a cruel reflection of my deepest fears. In the dream's twisted narrative, the role of the victim shifted, replacing Ethan with my own fragile form.

The raw emotions that surged within me were almost too much to bear as I watched myself being struck down, the weight of death's impending embrace hanging heavily in the air.

The terror coursed through me as I experienced the agony of my own demise. The helplessness that had once gripped my heart when I feared for Ethan's life now clung to me, a vice-like grip that refused to let go. The boundary between reality and the nightmarish scenario blurred, plunging me into a maelstrom of despair.

"Help me! Somebody, help!" I screamed as I tried to see through the relentless darkness.

As the dream's canvas shifted once more, I was transported back to the sacrificial arena where I was to be given up , and with every step I took, I dragged on, trying my best to make sure that I didn’t get to the stake but my hands were bonded together and my feet were also in shackles, making it slightly difficult for me to walk properly. The air was thick with foreboding, and the haunting chants of the congregation reverberated like a dirge, echoing the inevitability of my sacrifice.

The absence of Ethan's reassuring presence amplified the stark reality—I was utterly alone in this world now. No hero was coming to rescue me, no hand of fate would intervene. It was a grim realization that cast a dark cloud over the already suffocating atmosphere.

"Please, someone save me!" I cried out, my voice echoing through the darkness.

Yet, amidst the suffocating darkness, all I could hear were chants over and over again, the tempo increasing as my hands and legs were tied to the stake and the fire was set to burn me alive. I kept screaming, trying to challenge the boundaries of this nightmarish construct, to shatter its grip on my mind.

I screamed as the priest kept coming closer with the stake.

WAKE UP!

A jarring sensation wrenched me from the clutches of the nightmare, and I was thrust back into the reality of consciousness. My chest heaved with the remnants of fear as I tried to steady my breath. But before I could fully collect myself, the scene before me morphed from the twisted tendrils of the dream to a harsh reality that was just as unsettling.

Three pairs of eyes—cold, condescending, and indifferent—peered down at me. It was as if I was an abnormality, an insect under a microscope. My heart tightened erratically as I struggled to process the abrupt shift. The world around me was no longer one of twisted horrors, but the tension in the air was just as palpable.

"What do we have here?" one of them sneered and her question cut through the air like a blade, her voice dripping with cold authority that sent an involuntary shiver racing down my spine.

"I'm Lilith," she declared, her name igniting a spark of recognition that was anything but welcoming. It was a name that carried a weight of dark familiarity, a stark reminder of my sister’s name and a past that had been forcibly dragged into this unsettling present.

A whirlwind of thoughts swirled within the depths of my mind, each fragment a vivid piece of a puzzle I couldn't help but piece together. The memory of my family—my sister's angry face whenever she asked me to do her chores, the heinous responsibilities that defined my days—flooded my consciousness. As I lay there, grappling with the reality of this new world, I couldn't shake the questions that gnawed at my heart. How had they fared without me since they practically gave me up to be sacrificed like I was no little more than a goat? Had they struggled to fill the void my absence undoubtedly left behind? The relief that took hold when I remembered that I was free of them suddenly turned to fear that was a sharp, persistent ache—I was an unwelcome companion in a place already brimming with uncertainty. Saved by people that had asked me to be their plaything or burn with the fire.

The image of my family's faces loomed large in my mind, the roles I played within our unit now disrupted by my abrupt separation. I could almost hear my sister's voice, laughing at my new reality. Because plaything was just a formal word for a househelp. A slave.

Lilith's impatient growl pulled me from my thoughts, snapping my attention back to the present. "Stand up," she commanded, her tone laced with a steely authority that brooked no defiance. With a trembling sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, my gaze flickering nervously between the trio before me.

Immediately I did, I looked around and studied the room. There was at least five other beds in it but it was much larger than the small room I had been forced to live in back at home that didn’t even have a window.

As I rose, the second girl's mocking grin etched her features with cruelty, and a sharp, scornful laugh ripped through the air. The sound was like a blade slicing through the remnants of my already fragile composure. I battled the surge of humiliation that washed over me, my cheeks burning as the weight of their contempt settled like a heavy shroud because I was still dressed in the white gown that I had been forced to wear for the sacrifice which was covered in mud. But then, like a ray of light in the darkness, an unexpected glimmer of compassion emerged.

The third girl, her eyes kind and understanding, offered a gentle smile that pierced through the sea of hostility. In her expression, I caught a fleeting glimpse of empathy—a lifeline amid the relentless tide of their disdain. Her warmth was like a lifeline, a reminder that beneath the surface of this cold façade, there might be glimpses of humanity.

They were all wearing the same type of blue dress with something that looked like a white apron in front and I concluded that they were maids that served this household and that this must be the servant’s quarters.

The three intimidating looking people that had rescued me from my near death experience were nowhere to be found. I didn’t even know if I had even imagined the little encounter I had with them at this point because everything that had happened, right from when Ethan was murdered were memories that I wanted to forget.

Lilith's voice cut through the air once more, each word a shard of ice that pierced the tension. "Welcome to your new home, little lamb. You got it, right? You being almost sacrificed and all.” She and the second girl cackled and the third girl merely looked away.

When she saw that I wasn’t finding her remark funny, Lilith cleared her throat “Gwen, take her around the mansion and when you’re done, give her a uniform and show her where to shower. She stinks." she commanded, her tone sharp enough to shatter glass. I watched as the third girl who I now realized was Gwen’s nodded, her compliance evident and a flicker of curiosity ignited within me, wondering about her role in this enigmatic group and whether her kindness was genuine or a facade.

The two left and Gwen handed me a dress. “Put that on first so that I can show you around.” She said and by the time I was done changing, the weight of the questions that had been simmering within me became too much to bear.

"Who are you? Who saved me?" The words tumbled out, as we headed out and her hand paused on the door knob.

Gwen's expression shifted, caution clouding her eyes and her response was measured, her voice a delicate balance between concern and restraint. "Zora, the first thing I need you to know so that you’ll survive here is this. Don't ask too many questions," she advised gently, as if whispering a caution against unseen dangers. The softness in her voice only deepened the mystery, making me wonder about the secrets that might have been woven into the very fabric of this place.

"It's for your own good," she added, her words carrying a weight that lingered in the air. The implication hung between us, a reminder that there were forces at play, knowledge best left buried. As her caution echoed in my ears, the ember of defiance within me began to glow brighter.

There was no way I was going to stay in this place. I needed to start planning to escape because I had no plans to escape being a slave only to end up being a plaything. I was going to run and as soon as possible.