Chapter 34 SABRINAâS POV There comes a time when itâs the right thing to do.
âTo say âfuck itâ And do whatever the fuck I want to do. Today is one of such days.
I woke up in my bed, magically transported there by someone I didnât want to know. The last thing I remember was scrubbing and cleaning and then in in my bed.
1 rolled over in bed, my eyes focused on a scorch mark on my wall. I felt numb inside. Like my heart had turned to lead. Heavy.
Oh so very heavy.
His majesty didnât dismiss me. Iâm very sure of it. In fact, I didnât see a glimpse of him the entire day or should I say night. I worked till I dropped. Literally.
I think I knew him in my past life. And in that time, I had committed a grievous act against him, and that now led him to have so much hatred for me. Coupled with the crimes I committed in this lifetime which I didnât do, but he didnât care to listen I doubt thereâll ever be a time when he will forgive me for them.
I rolled over on my stomach. I knew it was early morning. My body clock had been wired to serve his majesty as his slave.
I should get up. I should start getting ready to the work day.
But I canât. I canât bring myself to get up and care.
Everyday without fail, I woke up and went over, and did my duties, and endured the ridicule and simmering hatred from the king Fuck it.
Iâm not doing that again. I donât care whatever the outcome may be. Im not going to slave away today. Just one day. Let me have one fucking day to myself.
I laid in bed till I felt mentally prepared enough to get up. I headed down to the bathrooms and took a long cold shower that did a bit to soothe the ache in my muscles. I was still very tired, dragging myself back to my room to get ready for the day. I had breakfast at the dining halls, and thankfully no one bothered me at all. I also didnât see last Nifra. Perhaps she was at the kingâs private wing already Not that I cared.
âRina?â
I turned around to see Caldan. Ah perfect, just who u was looking for. âSir Caldan,â I said with a smile. He walked up to me, his eyes clear and sparkling.
âYouâre still here?â He asked.
âYes.â I looked around the gardens. âI have the day off. So I thought Iâd spend it reconnecting with nature.â
I donât have the day off. Iâm intentionally not going to work.
âThatâs perfectâ He said. âCome with me, I have something to show you.â
âSomething?â I asked with a small frown. âI hope itâs not lady Nifraâs gardens again.â
âOh no,â he laughed softly, strands of hair falling into his eyes. âIn the city, I want to take you to the city.â
My heart skipped.
I hadnât been to the city. All my days have been within these walls.
âIs that a good idea?â I asked in a quiet tone.
âYes. We could spend the whole day there, Iâm sure it will be a nice change from being here all the time.â
Clupier di All the other girls are allowed to go into the city. Why should mine be any different?
âSure thing.â I smiled brightly at Caldan. âLetâs go.â
What do I have to lose?
Is this a date? I kept asking myself as I and Caldan strolled through the city.
Everything was so bright. So warm. So loud A lot of people, I wasnât expecting that at all I was used to the girls of the harem, nothing prepared me for coming out to the city.
But my, it was lovely.
Caldan and I walked hand in hand through the streets. I was shocked to see that a lot of people recognized him and came forward to greet him. I felt a bit self conscious standing next to him. It was clear that he was well respected, and well known.
He held my hand when I tried to slink away from the public eye. I watched as he interacted with the people, and my heart warmed. Like a true leader, even if he was only standing in for the king.
The king.
I wonder whatâs going on back at the pack house now. Is anyone looking for me? I doubt that.
We had lunch at a quaint restaurant that made the best meat loaf ever. Caldan said he knew the owner, that they were friends.
âYouâre glowingâ Caldan said as we ate.
âGlowing?â I burst out laughing. Tim overwhelmed. Everything is too much and too little all at once.
He smiled, and his eyes shone. âWe should come out to the city more often.â
Tagree with that.â
But will I have the time? I doubt it: But instead of focusing on my depressed thoughts, I focused my attention on Caldan.
Towards evening, it started to pour. The day that had been sunny turned cloudy and the rain came down without any warning.
People hurried out of the streets, seeking shelter from the cold droplets of rain.
Not me.
I stood still, my face turned to the sky.
When was the last time I felt rain on my skin? I couldnât even remember. It felt cold. But good. The entire day had felt strange But so good. Itâs been a while I smiled as much as I did today. Itâs been a while I had the chance to just breathe.
I closed my eyes and let the rain beat me. My clothes stuck to my body, and my hair hang in rattails.
I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Caldan. âYouâll catch a cold.â He said, taking my hand in his.
âItâll be worth it.â I said.
âMaybe,â He pulled me closer to him. âBut not today.â
I laughed softly. âFine. Letâs go.â
Holding hands, we ran into a sheltered alley. It was fast getting dark, but the rain didnât reach here.
âDo we wait it out?â I asked, looking out at the sky that didnât look like it was done anytime soon, âYes,â Caldan said, and I noticed how close he was to me. His breath fanned my neck, hot against my cool skin. I turned to him, and my eyes were instantly drawn to his lips.
âSir Cablan âCallan jour Callanâ He san Ican feel his warmth. And it feels good to my soaked skin. Fuck. What am I even thinkingâ
T...I canât do that.â
âWhy not?â
âWeâre not close enough for me to address you by your first nameâ
I shouldnât be delusional. Caldan is royalty. Iâve seen it today. People how to him. They respect him. Heâs in a much different league than I am.
His hand came up to my face and gently grasped my chin. Shivers ran down my spine, the warmth of his fingers transferred to my cars and checks.
âWill this make us closer?â He said. And before I could ask what he meant, he bridged the distance between us and his lips.
brushed mine.
An innocent gesture. Hardly enough to be called a kiss He pulled back and looked at me. A shadow had fallen over his eyes, my heart skipped a beat with how intense his gaze was.
âNo,â I said in a breathless whisper. â...â
His hand moved to the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him. I gasped, the very same moment his lips crashed into mine.
Panic surged through my veins.
Heâs kissing me! What do I do?! What do I do now?!
My head spun, and goosebumps covered my cold skin. His lips were warm and soft, loving over mine with gentle caution. My eyes fluttered shut and my hand came up to hold his wrist. I kissed him back, trying to mirror his moves.
My face put a tomato to shame with how red it was I felt him smile against my lips, and my goodness that was so fucking hot.
I pulled away first.
âAre we close enough now?â He asked, his head tilted to the side.
Oh my goodness.
We just kissed!
I m And I liked it. I liked it more than I could hope for. My heart is doing somersaults in my chest. I can still feel his lips on mine.
Does this mean I like him?
âYes,â I said, my voice low. âWeâre close now.
Okay, maybe taking the day off was a bad idea.
His majesty the king stood before me. And I couldnât breathe. I couldnât draw in a breath no matter how hard I tried. It was like all the oxygen in the air was gone.
The king glared at me. His eyes blazed a frightening crimson, like the fires of hell itself. His lips were set in a deep frown, his brows scrunchies in anger.
I could feel his anger. It was a smoldering heat, taking up all the oxygen. His alpha aura was choking, every cell in my body streamed for me to prostate myself before him, to run, to seek forgiveness I felt lightheaded, any more of this and I would pa pass out for sure.
Chapter 3 âYou dared to disobey me!â He asked, his voice like distant thunder that threatened a hail storm. Goosebumps covered my skin and I shuddered.
I couldnât speak. My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth. I thought I was able to handle anything that happened for skipping work yesterday, nothing prepared me for this level of anger.
I was fully convinced that he would hit me. And if he did, I just knew I wouldnât survive it.
âIf this ever happens again, by the time Iâm done with you, youâd be begging me to kill you,â
I couldnât hold his gaze. I felt like I would go insane if I dared to look him in the eye. I could only imagine the depths of pain he would subject me to.
But come on, it was just one day.
âYou will do todayâs tasks and yesterdayâs tasks. And you will not leave this place till they are all completedâ. Am I clear?!â
âYes.â I said quietly. Your majesty,â I added out of spite.
âGet to it.â He snapped. I heard his footsteps recede, and only then did the oxygen return to the air.
My knees gave way and I fell to the ground. I inhaled large gulps of air, struggling to breathe.
Why was he so angry? It was just one day. I slave away for him every single day.
My hands curled into fists, and anger sparked inside me chest.
But on the bright side, I got the day off with Caldan. And not just that, the day ended in the most perfect way possible.
I should count it a win, right?
I got to my feet and brushed my clothes up. More work for me. How wonderful.
So I got started on my work for the day. I worked till nightfall. Making sure everything was clean and in order.
Only by dinnertime did I pause for a quick dinner. I decided to bring my own dinner with me, since I donât have the time to back to the dining halls.
I sat in one of the rooms to eat. Halfway through my dinner, I noticed a tightness in my chest. I drank some water, thinking that it was spice.
The tight feeling got worse, and with it came a burning in my throat. I began to choke, coughing and hitting my chest.
It burned.
It felt like I had drank liquid fire.
I didnât know when I slipped to the ground, still coughing violently.
I felt the kingâs presence in the room. Oh fuck, he must think Iâm slacking off.
âWhatâs this?â He asked. âYouâre pretending to die just so you can get off work today?â
Iâm not! I tried to say, but my voice wouldnât cooperate. It hurts!
âRina!â I heard Caldanâs shout. The next thing I knew he had rushed over to me and carried me up. you. sheâs choking. And you think sheâs pretending âCaldan, that is uncalled for.â
Your majesty, how can Caldan crouched low, carrying me in his arms. I grabbed his shirt, trying to tell him something, anything.
He dropped me on the ground and walked off after briefly sniffling at my breath, and when he returned, his eyes full of concern.
âHere,â He said, shoving a leaf into my mouth. âSwallow it.â
I swallowed the leaf. The effects were almost instant. I had barely pushed him away before I was throwing up my guts all over the cleaned floor.
âShe was poisoned.â Caldan announced.