Chapter 137: The Request
Chapter 137: The Request
Kaden’s POV
The grand pack hall was filled with noise, music, and the heavy scent of roasted meat and strong wine. Tonight was a grand feast. Long tables stretched across the stone floor, piled high with food, and alphas from neighboring territories sat together, laughing, drinking, and cheering.
I sat on the royal throne at the front of the hall, looking down at the crowd. My heavy fur cloak rested on my shoulders, and the crown sat on my head. To everyone else, I looked like a powerful, untouchable king. But inside, I was a mess.
My eyes kept darting across the room, but the one person I wanted to see wasn’t here. It had been four days. Four agonizing days since I had slammed her against the door, ripped her dress, and let my rage take over. The guilt had been eating me alive. I had intentionally avoided her wing, terrified of my growing softness for her and terrified of seeing the hatred in her eyes again.
Sitting just below my throne was my brother, Kane. He was drinking heavily, a strange, dark smile playing on his lips. Every time he looked up at me, that smile widened. It made my wolf growl with deep suspicion. He was planning something. I could feel it in my bones.
Suddenly, Kane stood up. He held his golden chalice high, silencing the roaring laughter in the hall. The other alphas turned to look at him.
"Brother," Kane said, his voice echoing smoothly across the large room. He turned his eyes up toward my throne. "Do you know what tonight is?"
I frowned, my grip tightening on the arms of my chair. "It is a feast to celebrate our alliances, Kane. Sit down."
Kane chuckled, shaking his head. "It is more than that, Alpha King. Look out the high windows. Tonight is the night of the solar blood eclipse. The night that comes only once every ten years."
A sudden murmur went through the hall. Several older alphas began to nod their heads in understanding.
"The Night of the Slaves," Kane continued, his voice dripping with mock respect. "A sacred tradition older than this palace. On this night, any slave in the territory is allowed to make one request from their master. And by law, that request must be granted, so long as it does not mean their total freedom from their master."
My frown deepened. A cold feeling of dread began to settle in my stomach. "Kane, what is the meaning of this? Why are you bringing up slave laws during a royal feast?"
"Because," Kane smiled, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, "we have a guest who wishes to use her right tonight." He turned toward the grand entrance of the hall and raised his voice. "Come in!"
The heavy wooden doors at the back of the hall creaked open.
Every head in the room turned. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart hammered against my ribs as Rebecca walked into the hall, flanked by her maid, Stephanie.
My blood turned to ice. She looked completely different. She was wearing a plain, faded brown gown that looked like an old rag. Her beautiful hair was unkempt, tangled, and wild around her shoulders. Her face was pale, her skin looked dull, and she kept her eyes glued to the floor, looking entirely broken and neglected.
Why does she look like this? A wave of furious panic crashed over me. I had avoided her for four days, but I had ordered the servants to take care of her! Why did she look like she had been starving in a dungeon? What had happened to my woman?
"Rebecca," I growled, half-rising from my throne. "What is going on here?"
Kane stepped toward her, acting as if he were protecting a fragile flower. "Go on, Rebecca. You are a slave in this palace. Tell the Alpha King your request."
I snapped, standing up completely, my aura flaring out violently. "She is my slave! This is a private matter for my quarters. Remove her from the hall!"
"With all due respect, Alpha King," a high-ranking alpha from a neighboring pack spoke up, standing from his seat. "Kane is right. It is Slave Day. The ancient laws state that every master must listen to the wish of their slave in front of the pack elders. The only way a master can refuse is if the slave asks for total, permanent freedom. And if you refuse a legal request tonight, the law states she walks away from you permanently."
I felt completely trapped. Restless energy vibrated through my muscles. I looked down at Rebecca, my mind racing. What was she up to? What had Kane whispered to her in her bedroom four days ago?
Panic clawed at my throat. If she asked me to remove the magic choker around her neck—I would never do it. Never. I would tear this whole hall apart before I let her take that collar off.
Kane looked at her, nodding encouragingly. "Make your request, Rebecca. The Alpha King is listening."
My heartbeat became painfully loud.
What did she want?
Jewels?
Better chambers?
Her maid?
Removal of the choker?
My wolf snarled.
Not the collar.
Anything but the collar.
My fingers tightened around the arm of my throne until the wood groaned beneath my grip.
Why wouldn’t she look at me?
Why did she look...
afraid?
Rebecca finally lifted her head. Her blue eyes met mine, cold, distant, and completely empty.
"I know the law," Rebecca said, her voice clear despite her fragile appearance. "I know I cannot request my total freedom from Alpha Kaden, my master."
She closed her eyes for a brief second, as though gathering the last of her courage
Then she took a deep, shaky breath, opened her eyes, and locked them onto mine with a sudden, chilling sharpness.
"So instead, I wish to be away from him for one month," she announced to the entire crowded hall. "I request to be transferred to the territory of Alpha Kane. I wish to stay with Alpha Kane for the next thirty days."
The entire hall exploded into stunned whispers.
My heart stopped.
For one terrifying second...
I forgot how to breathe.