Chapter 4 Take Care of Her!

Annalise's POV

The weight of his question still echoed inside me. Who are you? It was not asked with curiosity, but with the authority of someone who could quickly rip me open if I dared answer wrong. The words felt like claws in my throat, demanding truth, even if I had none to give. Before I could even form the thought of a reply, the sound of heels clicking against marble shattered the fragile silence between us. His mother. Queen Seraphina of the BloodHowl Kingdom. Regal, untouchable, cold as the steel that crowned her throne. Her beauty was the kind that cut, not warmed, and when her gaze landed on me it was not with affection but calculation. She didn't wait for permission. She swept forward, her crimson gown trailing like spilled blood, and placed her jeweled hand on Alaric's arm. Her eyes flickered to our bound hands, our mingled blood still fresh between us. "Congratulations, my son," she sweetly said, her voice sounded silk over a sharp blade. Then, her gaze slid to me. "And to you... our little bride. You wear courage well, I applaud you for that." I held her stare. My tongue ached to lash back, to tell her my courage was not choice but punishment, but instead I lowered my lashes, bowing slightly. That was safer. Always safer. Before I could retreat further, Alpha King Ethan stepped forward. His presence filled the room like a storm-cloud.. commanding, suffocating. He clasped Alaric's forearm, a show of unity for the audience still watching. Then his smile turned toward me, sharp and knowing. "Congratulations on your union," he said, his voice ringing with approval. "May your unity continues to bring peace between the wolf and lycan blood." 'Peace'. A really pretty word for a cage. The priest's table was brought forward, the parchment rolled and pressed with the twin seals of both kingdoms.. the peace treaty. The very reason my life had been stolen and reshaped into this moment. Alaric and I were guided forward. His hand still gripped mine too tightly, and though it hurt, I didn't pull away. I didn't dare. His presence felt like molten steel at my side, burning, suffocating, unrelenting. We signed. His name, sharp as a sword. Mine, trembling but legible. The applause that followed felt hollow, like a mockery of freedom. When it was over, the court began to part. We were to leave for BloodHowl before the moon reached its peak. My stomach coiled. I would no longer see the sunrise of Silver Claw again. We had just reached the edge of the great hall when an annoyingly familiar voice called out, shrill and commanding. "Wait!" Judy. Her footsteps snapped against the floor as she swept toward us, her red painted lips stretched in a false smile. She bowed low before Alaric, though her eyes sparkled with venom when they flicked to me. "My prince," she said sweetly, "before you depart, allow me to send with you one of our serving girls. A companion for my dear daughter." Alaric's brow arched, suspicion sharp in his gaze. "A serving girl? Why?" The silence that followed tightened the air like a noose. Judy didn't falter. Her smile only widened, her voice pitched to carry to every ear present. "Because my daughter is mute," she said smoothly. "She cannot speak for herself. Surely, she'll need someone to interpret her silence." The words sliced through me, hot and cold all at once. My fists curled against the folds of my gown, nails digging into my palms forming crescent shapes . Humiliation prickled up my spine, but worse than that was the raw truth... my secret laid bare for all of them to sneer at. The Lycan nobles that heard her gasped softly, they began whispering behind fans and hands. My cheeks burned, but I did not bow. I did not let them see me break. Alaric's reaction was instant. His jaw locked, his amber eyes igniting with fury. He stepped toward Judy, towering, predatory. The silence stretched taut. "Mute?" he repeated, his voice low, and dangerously lethal. "You insult my bride at my own wedding?" Judy faltered, her smile flickering at the sound of his raging voice. "I.. I only meant what... " "You meant WHAT?," Alaric snarled, "to tell everyone including me of her flaws. To parade them like trinkets before us. To humiliate me. Do you think I am subject to your venom?" The room froze. Even Alpha King Ethan's expression tightened, but he said nothing. Then, out of the corner of my eye.. I caught it. A subtle gesture from Queen Seraphina. Barely a tilt of her head, a flick of her jeweled fingers. A signal... To him. She wanted him to control it. To let the insult slide, or bury it quietly. But it was obvious Prince Alaric was not a man to be muzzled. His lips curled in a humorless smirk as he leaned closer to Judy. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper that still carried across the hall. "Your gift is refused. And your tongue... should remember its place. Else...." Color immediately drained from Judy's face. She quickly dropped into a trembling bow, too cowed to speak further. For the first time that day, a spark of warmth flared inside me. Pathetic, perhaps, that it came from watching him shred her with words sharper than knives. But it was something. A piece of satisfaction carved from the ruins. And though sadness pulled heavy inside my chest, though shame still clawed at my throat, I couldn't stop the faint curl of a smirk from tugging my lips. Alaric saw it. His eyes flicked to mine, brief and unreadable, before turning away. Queen Seraphina excused herself soon after, gliding from the hall like a predator retreating into shadows as she walked towards her carriage ready to leave. Her approval of her son's handling of the insult was evident in the faintest lift of her chin. That left us before the wolves. Ethan, cold and smug. Prince Nathan, eyes softer, searching mine with something that felt like pity. And Troy, my father, silent and broken, his shoulders hunched under the weight of his cowardice. Alaric's voice sliced through the air. "Any more farewell gifts?" Ethan's smirk deepened. Troy bowed his head. Only Nathan stepped forward, his jaw tight, his fists clenched at his side. He met Alaric's gaze without flinching. "Take care of her." The words were not request but command. Alaric's lip curled. Disdain rippled across his face, but he said nothing. His hand tightened around mine instead, punishing, possessive. "And if I don't?" Alaric coldly shot back and Nathan smirked. "We'll see" I lowered my eyes, hiding the storm within them. Alaric and I finally turned, towards the great doors, the sea of nobles parting before us. The weight of their stares pressed into my back, into my skin, into my bones. With every step, the world I had known crumbled further away. My family. My kingdom. Even the last shred of my voice. And yet, when the doors slammed shut behind us, sealing us from Silver Claw forever, I felt it. The truth sinking deep, unshakable, terrifying. I no longer belonged to them. I belonged to him now.