Arabella Toussaint.
When I woke up, the beast was gone. For a few seconds, I remained lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Had I been dreaming about him? Who was he? What if he got caught by someone?
And then I sat up straight. What if he is the beast of someone influential? Goddess. Why didn’t I think about it?
But who? A Lycan chef? A warrior?
After breakfast, Helena handed me a large basket, "Farm duty."
I nodded while holding the basket. The morning air felt nice as I made my way towards the royal vegetable fields.
That was when I saw her. The queen. She stood beneath a marble archway, watching me. And the look on her face...
It immediately made my stomach drop in fear. I lowered my head and tried walking past her on my knees. Big mistake.
"Stop!"
Her sharp voice echoed through the courtyard. I gulped and slowly turned around, only to find her glaring at me.
"How dare you walk past me without paying any respect?"
I quickly bowed in panic, "I apologize, Your Majesty."
But her expression? It didn’t soften; instead, she looked angrier.
"You pathetic leech!" she hissed, stepping closer, "Aren’t you getting quite bold lately?"
I did what I was supposed to do in such situations. Staying silent.
"Do you think my son protecting you means anything?"
Protecting? By kicking me with his boots? Is that how royals protect?
"Your Highness. There must be some misunderstanding... I ..."
"Silence!" she screamed, making me flinch. Her hand shot towards my neck as her fingers wrapped around my electric collar. An odd excitement flashed in her eyes.
"Be careful, slave," her voice turned gentle as her thumb brushed over the device, "If you don’t learn manners, I’ll teach you the hard way."
Before I could utter another apology, her hand struck my face. Pain exploded across my cheek, making me crash onto the ground. My head struck the hard floor. For a moment, my vision blurred. However, I could still see her smiling at me.
But then her evil smile was replaced by a frown. She crouched beside me as her fingers grabbed my chin, "What the hell!" she muttered as she turned my face left and then right. Her confusion seemed to deepen, "Didn’t my son injure you yesterday, you wolfless whore!"
My heart skipped a beat. Did she just call me a whore?
And what was she even talking about?
Her eyes narrowed. "You had bruises on your face and hands. Where are they?"
Cold dread washed over me. She was right.
Instinctively, my hand rose to my cheek, which was supposed to be swollen, and then I turned my hand to examine it.
The injuries were gone.
Goddess! The beast from last night! Did he heal me?
The only pain I could feel was the one I got from this fall.
The queen’s dark eyes sharpened as I saw something dangerous flicker across her face.
Suspicion.
And somehow it frightened me even more.
***
The farm sat at the far edge of the pack grounds, surrounded by endless rows of vegetables. The moment I stepped through the wooden gate, dozens of eyes turned towards me.
A broad-shouldered man standing near the cart of freshly harvested vegetables looked me up and down. His mouth twisted in a dirty smile.
"So, you’re the one whose brother killed our princess. Huh?"
Before I could react, he spat on my face. For an instant, I shut my eyes. My fingers curled into fists.
Every insult was now taking a toll on me. How to remind them that I was innocent and didn’t come here to become everyone’s punching bag?
I wiped my face with my sleeve and heard his chuckle, "Row seven!" he barked, "Start pulling carrots. Every single one!"
I lowered my head and walked past him on my knees. He leaned down as his hand struck my ass and squeezed it. My entire body jerked. Did he just...
The workers nearby didn’t seem to notice anything. The man merely smirked, "Move along, slave. If you enjoyed it, let me know. I can do a lot more if you want," He laughed, showing me his dirty teeth.
I started moving on my knees, but then stopped when I felt something strange stirring inside me, like a spark.
My heartbeat suddenly became louder, and for a moment, the air around me felt sharper. For some reason, I could hear the rustling of leaves several rows away. My skin prickled.
For a terrifying second, I wanted to turn around and grab his wrist... make him regret touching me.
I stopped and decided to look at his disgusting face. Swallowing hard, I forced my feet to stop and turn around.
The strange energy sizzled beneath my skin as I eyed the man who was talking to someone. He must have felt my eyes on his face because once he looked up, his smug smile slowly began to fade.
For some reason, he looked uneasy when our eyes met. Gulping down his saliva, he looked around until his eyes found me again.
Then something strange happened. The man staggered back a step. His face had gone pale as his head bowed a little, and then his knees hit the floor. Seemed like an invisible hand was forcing him down.
A gasp swept through the workers, "What the hell... why is he kneeling?" someone screamed.
Before anyone could notice me, I moved away on my knees. The sensations under my skin were no more, and I didn’t want to draw any kind of attention here.
I hurried towards the carrots, not daring to look back.
What was that? What had just happened?
However, I felt a tiny spark traveling through my body, and I swear I had no idea what it was because it triggered something in the electric collar.
It beeped and then vibrated, sending sharp jolts of electricity across my neck and shoulders.
"Ah!" A painful gasp escaped my lips as pain shot through my body, and the collar blinked red several times.