Chapter 4. Nightmare

Talitha’s POV

‘Mother!’ she was here. I missed her so much and it was not up to me lest she’ll be knitted by my side like a doll.

But it wasn’t the time yet, it was the festive season and that meant more booze, lavish parties, and fancy displays of exotic meals with women to warm the Alpha’s bed. What was she doing here when she should be there?

“Talitha my darling. I’ve missed you so much.” She pulled me into her loving embrace patting my back softly and a few minutes later after our touching mother-daughter moment she pulled away softly and pecked my cheek making a blotch of pink.

“The king will be mad if he sees you out of the castle you have to go back in there.”

“I hate him. I hate the fact we don’t get to live our lives and we became his stupid doormats. He tells us how to live, when to eat, and…” Her eyes wander to the camp around us. We were given a separate land to live far from the others in Arni, it was our little haven, where we eat, cook, and are welcomed by our kind with no judgment or vile words.

“We are sent here to live in the slums. Where our health is threatened, our safety and our tents unable to protect us from the storms.” Mother complained bitterly. She was right it was a known fact but sincerely no one cared.

“Mother everything will be alright. We are together in this soon the gods will hear our cry and grant us our heart desires. We will dance with joy, sing and be free from judgments and kings who are full of hate and segregation.” I muttered.

Mother looked at me, blinking her long lashes. We could be mistaken for twins as I had all her amazing features, long blonde hair, long lashes, straight nose, tall and curvy body but except for the eye colors hers were grey but mine was crimson.

It was strange and rare but what I’ve been told is I was born that way and most times I used a shawl to cover my face except when I’m close to Diana or others of my kind.

Mom straightened and ruffled my hair lovingly. “No one can give me justice, not even the gods. If I want justice I take justice. I’d rather die a witch than my voice unheard and left to rot with this evil wolf hierarchy. I bloody hate them and can’t wait to thump our flags on their soil ruining their Castles while they beg for their sorry lives. They will all pay with their blood; every one of them no one will be spared.” She sneered with an evil smirk.

I didn’t feel good about her outbursts before I could say anything. She pecked my cheek and dropped a basket of fruits before rushing out of the tent disguising under an ivory shawl.

That was the last time I saw my mother. She belonged to a group of dancers that entertained the king (past Alpha) and it wasn’t just derogatory to us but an insult to the kind of witches we were but mother had no option but to work. He couldn’t be turned down unless that meant war on us.

I didn’t see my mother after that encounter and one night. I heard the chants of soldiers and the galloping of the horses around our tent.

I know too well the hooves of the horses weren’t the sign of anything good but war. I’ve been shielded and protected most of my life but tonight felt different.

“Ahh!” I screamed when the rooftop was burning. What was the problem? The king’s soldiers were after us and this time he was burning up where we camped.

The sound of women screaming permeated the air as I ran out from the tent and met the heavy fog of smoke and squinted my eyes and saw the soldiers capturing our women, beating up some, and the others who tried to fight getting killed.

“Find the daughter of the head witch. She has been hiding somewhere capture her alive!” A commander of the soldier orders his voice echoed amidst the ongoing pandemonium.

There was only one head witch and that was my mother- I came from the line of witches that produced head witches over the other witches and listening to the order meant they were out for me.

They had a need for me to capture and make me their dog just like the others they have gotten in the past. Where was my mother? Did they get her too and if they did that means I need to fight to free my mother from their clutches.

The sight of the other witches getting brutalized was heart-wrenching and before I could get in to fight. A hand gripped me pulling me backward.

I turned to look and see it was Diana.

“Let’s escape with the others. We can’t fight, we’re outnumbered.” Her face was covered in ash, her dress ripped to the sides as she clutched the side of her stomach which was bleeding from a stab wound.

Why didn’t I see her getting hurt?

“Trust me we can save them. They’re going to die if we leave them.” I persisted in the need to save my kind from these oppressors overriding my logical thinking.

My powers weren’t in full swing. I’m not of age yet and there was relatively nothing I could do to help impressively but I wanted to try rather than do nothing at all.

“There’s nothing we can do.” She pulled me strongly and the tears began to fall as I saw one soldier chop off the head of another witch- Samantha the best dancer amongst us as she fought bravely but too bad as her headless body fell to the floor before we ran away with pain in our hearts.

It won’t continue for long.

***

“No! No! Let’s save them.” I jolted from sleep drenched in sweat and realized I was in captivity. My gaze wandered around the empty cell.

It was midday as I dragged my feet lazily and rested my back on the wall. It has been two weeks since the day I was sent here and I’ve been losing my mind.

I knew the end of the day by the darkness and the birth of a new day by the chirpings of the birds and lighting that streaked through the small bar window.

Most nights I cried and most mornings it was a new day to continue my afflictions.

The guards from time to time sent in gourds of water and stale bread which I hungrily nibbled on them without a choice but still, I wondered why I haven’t died from the hunger that panged my empty stomach.

Where did all this begin? I was happy and filled with relief that we were far away from the Kingdom of Arni and when news got to my hearing of the demise of the previous Alpha I was filled with joy. It was unlike my character to be happy for one’s misfortune but this wasn’t a misfortune it was our freedom.

But unbeknownst to me the Alpha’s son was as deadly and more passionate in crippling and destroying my kind. He sought us everywhere we went and now he finally caught up.

My fingers poked my ankle and a slight whimper escaped my chapped lips in a painful moan. My ankle has gotten worse due to the absence of medicines to aid in healing.

My throat was extremely dry as my fingers rubbed my throat softly and moved towards my hair and I felt the brittle wispy strands. It has been smudged from sleeping on it from the lack of pillows. Most nights I shivered when the rains fell far into the night and the cold came calling and most days the sun was so high and harsh that it had sweat dripping into my dirty clothes.

I stank badly and needed a thorough wash to clean up the dirt that has stuck to me like a second skin morning after morning waiting on the day death would come knocking.

Thoughts of Alpha Hades Infiltrated my mind. Why was he keeping me alive? He hates me and my kind so what’s stopping him from executing me an order the Alphas of the past would have carried out without much hassle?

My thoughts were put to a halt when I heard the clinking sound of the keys. It wasn’t time for my water yet. I had water twice daily, one in the morning and once at night, and now it was midday. Was I getting executed? The thought of that had fear coursing through my veins and I bit hard on my bottom lip so hard that a bittersweet metallic taste coated my tongue.

The cell door was pushed open and the soldier who captured me came into view. “Come with me.”

“I can’t walk, my legs are bad.” I pointed at my swollen ankle which had turned pink and infected.

His tensed shoulders relaxed and he let out a few cursings under his breath and walked over to me and next I was flung over his shoulders. “You stink.” He snarled.

***

Sitting on a stool with a faraway look as the maids concentrated their full attention on my hair, my skin covering them up with healing balms, the parts that had blisters on them and my body draped over a flimsy gown that had me looking like a seductress. To steal the hearts of men but all I wanted now more than ever was to put a sword through the Alpha’s heart which will fill my bones with vigor and my heart with joy at the quest to end our sufferings as I watch him take his last breath till he turns limp and cold.

The fancy gold dress showed a major part of my cleavage with my full bosom out on display with only the nipples areas covered and the sides were cut open leaving nothing to the imagination as I gawked at the mirror.

The slit ran far into my waist bare and exposed with my lack of panties other than the slutty dress wrapped around my skin.

My eyes met the collar on my neck covered in blue gemstones, I was no fool to understand it imprisoned my powers and the thought of it had rage building in my blood.

I must commend his smartness. He knew quite well the need to get a magical collar to keep me and my powers under his control but soon for Diana and everyone who has lost their lives justice will prevail.

Staring at my radiant glowing skin I just had the best bath in weeks and it felt magical as my swollen legs began to feel much better with my sore aching ribs and cranky limbs.

“You’re ready.” One of the older women with short brown hair and round cheekbones says with a proud smile from her hard work.

I simply nodded with a fake smile and faced the mirror.

A knock came at the door and the women stepped aside with their gaze to the floor as a familiar footstep pushed the door open and walked into the small dressing room.

From the corner of my eyes, Abel came into form with an air of superiority as the women stepped out one after the other leaving the two of us here alone.

The Alpha had given instructions to Abel to make sure I was ready tonight to come over to his chambers and here he was to take me to him as an offering.

I watch him lick his bottom lips with lust dancing in his eyes as he takes in my appearance before he clears his throat.

What does he want? I knew that answer and it filled me with dread.

“I can see you’re ready. The Alpha wants you now.”

My head exploded.

The. Alpha. Wants. Me.