The Alpha and the slave princess

Multi-faced Alpha

Elara’s POV

The floor was freezing against my skin, but the heat of the bruises forming on my ribs felt even worse. I stayed curled in a ball, my breath is now coming in shallow, jagged hitches, and my mouth started to taste like copper and dust. I didn't dare move. Every time I tried to shift, its the like the whole world was not on my side.

My dress is now completely shredded, it's now looking like an expensive rag clinging to my sweat-slicked body.

As I heard the heavy, rhythmic thud of Julian’s boots in the hall and the entire hall being so silent I could clearly hear the crackle of the torches. I waited for the final blow. I waited for him to finish what the guards had started.

Instead, I heard a high-pitched, melodic cry sound. “Julian! Oh, thank the Goddess you’re back!"

I squinted through the pour of my hair. Salsa had scrambled toward him, her face carried a fake mask of distress. She reached out and locked her arm firmly with his, leaning her body against his side as if she were the one who had been attacked. Her fingers clutched at the expensive fabric of his sleeve, her voice turning into a sugary, trembling pout.

Oh please! Here we go!

"It was horrible, Julian," she whimpered, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes. "I was only trying to represent the alliance. I was speaking to the slave, reminding her of her place, and she... she struck me! Right across the face! In front of everyone!"

She touched her cheek, which was indeed red from my slap, though it paled in comparison to the blood pooling under my eye.

"I was only teaching her a lesson," Salsa continued, her voice gaining strength as she saw that Julian didn't pull away from her. "The guards were helping me maintain order. You can't have slaves thinking they can lay hands on a Beta. It’s a disgrace to the Eclipse name! She’s a wild animal, Julian. She needs to be broken properly."

I looked up at him. My vision was swimming, but I could see his profile. He stood like a statue, his jaw set so tight the bone looked like it might snap. He didn't look at Salsa, but he didn't push her away either. He just stood there, towering over the room, his eyes fixed on me.

He didn't move towards me nor did he reach down to help me. He didn't bark an order for a healer. He didn't even tell the guards to get their boots off my hair. He just watched me bleed.

I felt a cold, hollow laugh die in my throat. What was I thinking? For one insane, desperate second when I heard his roar, I actually thought he was there to save me. I thought the mate bond. . . that cursed, mate bond had pulled him back to protect his own.

But I was wrong, so incredibly wrong.

He wasn't roaring because I was hurt, he was roaring because there was chaos in his hall. Of course, he is the Alpha of the Blackwood Eclipse, he hates disorder. He wasn't worried about the slave bleeding out on his floor, he was worried about the Beta of an allied pack being insulted.

I was just a trophy. A piece of property that had been damaged. You don't comfort a broken chair, you just decide if it’s worth fixing or if you should throw it in the fire.

"She’s dangerous, Julian," Salsa whispered, her hand sliding up his arm to touch his shoulder. "You should let me take her back to the Red River Pack. We know how to handle Silvermoon rats. I will make sure she never raises a hand to anyone ever again."

I tried to push myself up. My arms shook violently. The collar felt like it weighed a thousand pounds all of a sudden, dragging my neck down toward the floor. I managed to get onto my hands and knees, my head hanging low. A drop of blood fell from my nose, splashing onto the gold fabric over my thigh.

I looked at his boots. They were polished, black, and perfectly clean. Mine were bare, bruised, and covered in the filth of his floor, our positions are different, and it's so obvious.

"Julian?" Salsa prompted, her voice sounding impatient now. "Tell the guards to take her back to the dungeon. She shouldn't be here. She’s ruining the mood of the ball."

I waited for his command. I waited for the guards to grab my hair again and drag me away. I didn't even have the strength to fight anymore. If he sent me to the dungeon, maybe it would be over faster. Maybe I would finally see my father again.

"Is that so?" Julian finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it made the guards step back a full foot and it was deeper than before, vibrating with a tension that made the air around him feel thin.

He finally turned his head to look at Salsa. His eyes were still that terrifying, flat white, devoid of any human emotion.

"She slapped you," Julian said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes! Right here!" Salsa pointed to her cheek again, leaning into him. "I want her punished, Julian. Publicly."

Julian didn't look back at me. He kept his gaze on Salsa. He looked at her hand on his arm, then back at her face.

"You ordered my guards to beat her," Julian said, his voice as cold as it was before.

"I... well, they were assisting me," Salsa said, her smile faltering just a fraction. "She was being defiant. I was helping you, Julian. You know how much I care about your pack’s reputation."

I stayed on my knees, my breath hitching in my chest. I couldn't understand the tone of his voice. He didn't sound like a man who was defending his guest. He sounded like a man who was counting the seconds until a bomb went off.

I looked at the crowd. The guests were leaning in, their faces full of sick curiosity. They wanted to see what their Alpha would do. They wanted to see him side with the beautiful Beta and discard the broken slave. But of course, that's the most reasonable thing to do.

I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a path through the dirt on my face. I was so tired. I was so tired of being.

Just do it, I thought, looking at Julian’s boots one last time. Just kill me and be done with it. Stop playing with me.

But Julian didn't move to strike me. And he didn't move to comfort Salsa, he slowly reached up and unhooked Salsa’s arm from his, his movements were deliberate and he didn't do it gently, he gripped her wrist and moved her hand away as if it were an annoying insect.

"Julian?" Salsa asked, her voice turning sharp and confused.

He still didn't look at me. He didn't give me the satisfaction of a single glance. He just stood there, a wall of black silk and fury, while I bled at his feet.

"Silas," Julian called out, his voice echoing.

The Beta appeared from the shadows immediately. "Yes, Alpha?"

"The Mating Ball is over," Julian said.

A collective gasp went up from the room.

"But the Mating Hour. . . " Silas started.

"I said it is over!" Julian roared, the sound making the gold plates on the tables rattle. "Everyone who is not of the Blackwood Eclipse is to leave. Now. If I see a guest in this hall in five minutes, they will be considered an intruder."

Salsa’s face went pale. "Julian, you can't be serious! My pack. . . "

"Your pack will understand that their Beta has overstayed her welcome," Julian said, finally turning his eyes to her. The look in them was so predatory that Salsa actually took a step back, her confidence vanishing in an instant. "Get out, Salsa. Before I forget the treaty your father signed."

Salsa looked at him, then at me, then back at the silent, shocked crowd. Her face turned a deep, ugly purple. "You’re choosing her? This... this piece of trash?"

Julian didn't answer. He just stared at her until she let out a frustrated shriek, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the hall, her skirts snapping behind her.

The guards began to clear the room, pushing the confused and grumbling guests toward the exits. Within minutes, the Great Hall, which had been full of music and light, was now empty.

I was still on the floor. I couldn't get up. My ribs felt like they were rubbing together, and the world was starting to go dark at the edges.

Julian stayed standing right where he was. He didn't move toward me. He didn't call for help. He just stood there, looking at the spot where Salsa had been standing.

"Get up," he said.

I tried, I really did. I pushed with my arms, but they gave out halfway, and I collapsed back onto the stone with a pained whimper.

"I... I can't," I whispered.

"I said get up, Elara," he repeated, his voice harsh. "You had the strength to slap a Beta. You have the strength to stand."

I looked up at him, my heart breaking all over again. He didn't care that I was hurt. He didn't care that I was his mate. He just wanted me to be here so he could break again.

"I am not your toy, Julian," I croaked out, my eyes blurring with tears. "I am not a chair you can just order to stand. I am bleeding and I am broken. Are you happy now?" I don't understand why I am angry! I don't have expectations from him, so why am I pained by his actions?

Julian finally moved towards me and then came to a stop right over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. He reached down, and for a second, I thought he was going to hit me.

Instead, he grabbed the silver collar and held it, his fingers brushing against the burning metal, and he leaned down until his face was inches from mine. I could smell the wine and the cedar on his breath. I could see the pulse jumping in his neck.

He gripped the collar tighter, his knuckles white. “I am the Alpha of the Eclipse, Elara. I have a pack to lead. And when I tell you to do something, you will do it without questioning me. Do you want me to burn it all down?"

What does that even mean? I asked myself. Talking to him is just a waste of time.

He suddenly reached under my knees and my back, hoisting me up into his arms in one swift, brutal motion. I let out a cry of pain as my ribs shifted, but he didn't slow down. He turned and began to walk toward the private wing, his grip on me so tight it felt like he was trying to merge our bodies into one.

"Where are we going?" I gasped, clutching at his shirt for balance.

"To my room," he said, his voice dropping to a dark, jagged growl. "And this time, Elara, the door stays locked. For good."