Chapter 3. Punishment

I gasped when Papa slapped my cheek, meeting his eyes burning in rage. "Did you just do that to him, Dominixe Lilith Cantavalle?!"

I bit my lower lip when he slapped me again. This time, I was shoved to the floor. I couldn't utter a word as that would be disrespectful since he was already furious.

He grabbed a handful of my hair and coerced me to look at him. "Say... Are you retaliating since I made you kill your Alpha mate, Domi? Is that what you are planning? Is this what you are going to do to your father?"

I hated this. I did not even want to be wed to that man! I only wanted Valerian Leveaux as my husband! I wanted to be with him and followed him.

But no words came out of my mouth, as usual.

"Do you even know who you just tackled down, Dominixe? Do you? He shall be part of this family! We need his resources!"

I accepted how he kept slapping my face. I endured all the pain searing on my cheeks. I didn't shed a tear but was devastated that this was happening to my life.

Was this karma I got for killing all the Alphas Papa had sent me for missions since I was 12? Or was this karma from betraying the love of my mate, who I could never fight for being a scared little girl?

"Lock yourself in your chamber, and you cannot be fed for a week. Do you understand me?"

I mustered up all of my strength to stand up and curtsied even though my face was bathed with my blood. "As you command, Papa." I glanced at his furious expression before I turned around to leave.

But I happened to meet Zoey, Papa's 1st wife, who was already at the door watching how Papa punished me.

"Next time, you should learn manners, Dominixe." Her lips were stretched out to a smirk.

I ignored her and stormed out of the study room. I sauntered to the staircase and met Maria, who looked like she was waiting for me.

"Looks like you have fallen out of favor, 1st sister." She stuck her tongue out to make me irritated.

I walked past her and didn't say anything.

This was what they wanted. I was Papa's favorite, and he always focused on me. However, ever since I met Valerian, I have started to learn what it felt like to be a human being.

I learned to feel emotions other than resentment.

I had changed for the better, and Papa did not like what was happening to me when he knew that he saw his daughter fated to an Alpha he did not expect that Valerian would be my mate.

When I was near my chamber, I creased my forehead, seeing Niccolo looking like he was waiting for me. "What the hell is this stalker again?" I mumbled, frowning. "What do you want?" I asked in a hostile tone. "Don't you have anything to do? Britanny is going to look for you!" I hissed. "Out of the way!"

I was about to open the door, but Niccolo offered me a first aid kit. "If you may, please use this, Lady Dominixe."

I looked at him in disbelief. "You certainly do not understand that you are making it worse, do you?" I pointed at his forehead and pushed him away so he could distance his creepy face from me.

But his face was never creepy. He was actually handsome. Handsome enough for Britanny to be obsessed with him.

I had a small crush on him, but I must distance myself from him since my second sister was quite territorial with her toys.

Before I slammed the door, Niccolo's melancholy expression was what I saw.

Suddenly, that expression made me remind about Valerian... It was the time when he knew that I did not grow properly in our noble household. Back then, I opened up to him when I infiltrated his pack to pretend I was head over heels for him.

At first, that was supposed to be the plan by playing his feelings even though we were each other's mates. But as soon as I realized how lovable person and quite cruel he was, I had come to love him at the time I was staying at his mansion.

Remembering how he hugged me and adored me by that time had made my heart wrench. I couldn't help shedding tears.

The pain of losing Valerian was more anguish than being scolded and punished by Papa. Had I known my life would be like this after fulfilling my last mission in the Nocturnal Crest pack, I should have tried to defy my father.

"Honeydew, I missed you..." I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle my cries. I did not want to displease Papa anymore if he happened to know that I was crying about Valerian again.

But I missed him. I missed the only person who never treated me as a tool...

I did not get to see his dead body being buried. I was even too late to admit and tell my feelings about him when I took everything from him.

It was so painful I wanted to die right now.

I endured the one-week punishment. I had never gotten to eat a proper meal, but my maidservant, Anita, tried to sneak some food into the kitchen so she could bestow them to me.

"Lady Dominixe, please..." Anita pleaded when I ignored the apple she offered.

All I could eat and drink was water. That had kept me living.

"You must leave before Papa finds out you are defying his orders..." My stomach grumbled after that.

"Please... At least, eat this..." Anita gave me the apple and placed it on my hand before she stood up.

When she left, I stared at the apple seeing how red and luscious it was. My mouth watered seeing it.

Tempted, I ended up eating it before I threw the remains outside the window. It was then I looked down and saw the creep who was looking up at my balcony. His emerald green eyes had this kind of adoration, looking at me, worried.

I was getting frustrated every time I would see Niccolo. The emotions he was showing had similarities with Valerian. But I felt like Niccolo. He pitied me and said that I was being mistreated.

This was so annoying...

Shaking my head, I returned inside and sat on the couch. I had contemplated for almost one week that my life would never be the same again. I should blame Valerian for this.

The only thing that would make me remind of him was the few strands of his hair I cut and placed in a small compartment with a transparent cover. I stared at it over and over until I fell asleep.

I became alert when I heard a knock on my doorstep and quickly hid the small box under the couch. I carefully stood up, supporting myself. I felt quite dizzy from not eating anything for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow, my punishment would be lifted. I must apologize to Papa if that happened.

"Caroline?" I was surprised to see her.

"Sister..." She looked worried when she saw my state. "You have gone thin..."

I smiled bitterly. "I know... So, what brings you here?" It was only then I realized that my nostrils reached the smell of something good food.

"I brought you something." Behind her was her maidservant, Ronin, who had a tray of delicious dishes. "Ronin."

"Yes, my lady." Ronin entered.

"But why?" I turned at her. "Papa is still punishing me..."

She hushed me. "It's already midnight, Domi. It means your one-week punishment is over." She was the one who closed the door when Ronin left.

"But..."

"Now, now... You must eat." Caroline ushered me to sit. "You must look well later this morning."

I did not have a choice when she served the meal. My mouth watered, and my stomach grumbled upon seeing some soup, honey-grilled steak, macaroon, strawberry parfait, and salad. "C-Can I eat them now?"

Caroline smiled. "Of course. Eat to your heart's content, Domi."

I dug in, not minding my etiquette. I was so famished, literally hungry. I had experienced worst than this, so I managed to outlive the punishment Papa had set on me before. 

"Also, Britanny's pet wants me to deliver this to you." Caroline showed me the woven bracelet and put it on the table. "Looks like that rogue Alpha really likes you, Domi." There was a teasing tone in her voice.

My face contorted before I checked it. It somehow made me feel empty remembering that Valerian used to make me this. I used to have a woven bracelet that almost had the same design as what Niccolo made. It was lost now when I ruined it the day I attacked Valerian's pack.

Also, Niccolo was Britanny's pet. He happened to be in the pack she was conquering to massacre it. She believed that Niccolo was the next in line of the Alpha, which was why she had killed the former Alpha and brought Niccolo to be her slave, which Papa approved.

His highlight feature was his handsome face. His captivating chartreuse hooded eyes with gold flecks, rosy bow cupid's lips, and contoured nose were his robust features with the hint of sunkissed body.

It was why Britanny was head over heels for him. 

However, I noticed that he had kept eyeing me since he arrived here. He kept watching what I was doing from afar as if he was some stalker.

I huffed and set it aside. "He is seriously making me trouble knowing Britanny is obsessed with him." 

Also, his arrival was a month after I had finished my mission by slaughtering Valerian's pack members. That was eleven months ago. That man witnessed how Papa scolded me so badly for allowing me emotions and letting my mission almost fail.

That was why I hated him since there was a familiar emotion that looked so familiar. And he reminded me about Valerian.

"But her pet is a rogue Alpha, Domi."

"Look how Britanny takes revenge on me. She even made out with Warren." I rolled my eyes. 

She chuckled. "But I think he is much better than your deceased Alpha mate."

I clenched my hand, not liking where this was headed. "Halt it. I am not interested in any man. Even to that fiance of mine. Papa should have engaged Britanny to him, not me." I couldn't help myself telling what I had on my mind. "There was chemistry going on between them, I must say."

"And you know our 2nd sister is only after for fun." Caroline chuckled. "Would you like some peppermint tea? This is good for digestion," she said softly as she poured my teacup into the tea she served.

"Thank you, Caroline." Even though there always seemed to be competition for all of us since we wanted to earn Papa's favor and be an heir candidate for the House of Cantavalle, we would always be there for each other. 

However, soon enough, we would start killing each other over who should be the real heir.

When I took more sips of my tea, I started coughing. I was horrified when the hand I used to cover my mouth was bathed with my blood. I even tasted the rusty, metallic blood in my mouth as my vision blurred.

"What is... What is happening?" I stood up in no time and heard my chair fall to the floor. 

I continued coughing until I looked at the tea I had been drinking earlier. Horrified, I glanced at Caroline, who was smiling from ear to ear. "Is there a problem, sister?" she asked in her oh-so-sweet tone. "You are bleeding. Shall I help you?" Her tone changed into a concerned one.

"What have... you done?" I stepped back while I could feel my body getting weak until I dropped to my knees.

Caroline smiled and coerced me to look at her. "Now, your suffering shall be over, dear sister."

"Why did you... do this?" My breath hitched when she pushed me back. My butt landed on the floor as I couldn't believe Caroline would do this to me. "I thought we were... on good terms, Caroline..."

She snorted and roughly stepped on my stomach with her heel. I didn't shout in pain, but that almost made me grunt. "Who says that the Cantavalle siblings are on good terms, Dominixe? You know that we are only born to kill each other. Do not be absurd." She even kneeled on one knee and held my chin.

I wanted to fight back, but my body was paralyzed. Shit... This was one way to ruin everything. She was using the methods how we used to kill people and Alphas.

"It seems you already know what is happening. But fret not. I used high-concentration potions since we all know that we grow to have high resistance from poison." I gritted my teeth and did my best to bite her hand. Caroline hissed and squinted her eyes before she grabbed my cheeks. "Your position as one of the heir candidates shall be mine. Farewell, 1st sister."

With that, she left me, leaving the door wide open. I wanted to mind-link Anita to summon for help, but I couldn't reach her. I couldn't even smell her scent.

Did Caroline... kill her?

I slowly heaved in and out of my breath to delay the poison from bestowing me in a fatal state. If I was not resistant to poison, I must have died earlier.

I just need to grab the antidote for... this situation. I had come to prepare for it.

But when I reached for the drawers, I was horrified when the vials were not there.

Who took them?! Was it Anita?!

"Nixe...!" I weakly turned my head and saw Niccolo rushing beside me. He looked so worried when he cupped my cheeks. "Who did this to you? Tell me..."

I grabbed his collar when tears fell from my eyes, realizing Anita had betrayed me. "They took... ...my antidote."

I inhaled sharply when I was near my death. I could feel it. My breath was faltering... Even my vision was blurring more.

"No... Domi, do not close your eyes. Dominixe... Please do not die..."

I slowly peeled my eyes open, hearing how his voice croaked. Somehow, I could hear Valerian's voice from him. Or was it my imagination?

Or perhaps, I was being called now by my beloved Alpha mate.

I wanted to take my revenge against those who hurt me, but if this were how I would be with Valerian, then so be it. I wanted to die now.

I would be free from responsibility. I would never be happy if I kept living—

"Do not leave me, Dominixe!"

"You're too loud..." However, my heart broke, seeing that he was crying.

Was he crying because he pitied me or worried sick about me?

"Dameta! You said that you could help me! Please help me here!"

I creased my forehead as I was gradually faltering. I could faintly hear him muttering something as he kept tapping my cheeks.

Then Niccolo hugged me so tight. His anguish tears smeared on my shoulders. "No... Please, I love you, Dominixe..."

My eyes widened. There was a short moment when my hearing was not fine until I heard his words.

This man... loved me? This rogue Alpha loved this Alpha slayer? Was he serious? 

"Dameta, please help me!" Niccolo muttered the words I couldn't comprehend.

"Dameta...?" There was a shadow appeared in front of us. I even managed to look up and saw a woman figure and her face who... looked exactly like... "You are..." I couldn't finish my words. She looked so godly, as if she was a... goddess?

She smiled at me and looked up at Niccolo. "I have come here now as you wish. What is it that you want?"

I did not know what that woman uttered, but I remembered I would be with Valerian now. I would come to love him again.

If Valerian and I were going to be reborn, please... I shall show you to love you, Valerian. I would protect you.

I looked up and attempted to touch Niccolo's face, who looked like he was having a negotiation with that woman who looked like me. "Why did you have so much resemblance to my honeydew this time?" I didn't know what I was saying right now. I did not even know what was coming out of my mouth.

I felt his gentle caress as if he was caressing a baby pup. He was even looking at me lovingly as if I was his mate.

"Let's find each other again, Lilith."

That was the last thing I heard before I welcomed death. And those words were what I wanted to say when Valerian closed his eyes before me...