Robbin's POV
I tried so hard not to physically slap myself. Hours were lost when I was talking to "Alec", as he likes to go by, and I lost my window of opportunity. I'd say I'll give it another shot tomorrow, but judging by the look on Xander's face, it's clear I won't be seeing the light of day for a while.
And that look. It was almost as terrifying as his roar, not that I'd let him see any sign of fear.
Alec and I were jolted awake and our eyes set on the Alpha King. His eyes held so much fury, turning a scorching red as they flipped between the two of us. They ultimately glued on me and drew closer as Xander did.
When he finally stood a mere one foot in front of me, he paused; eyes still staring on mine. Then his hand grips my hair and forces me to bend down, my face parallel to the floor.
"Have you lost your mind?" He said in a quiet voice, but it was nowhere near calm.
"You," his voice spitting out venom as he spoke, "Leave."
"Xander, nothing happened," I heard Alec as he defended us, but I knew it was too late, and maybe he did too.
Xander let out a warning growl, the kind that alphas used on pack members to keep them from crossing the line.
Alec let out a growl as well but ultimately left the room, leaving Xander and me to hash this out alone.
Great.
My head was suddenly brought up, and once again his fiery eyes met my hateful ones.
"Out of all of the men you try to sleep with, why did you pick him?"
I was shocked. How can he say that I was some courtesan?. "It's not what you-"
"SILENCE!"His voice booms throughout the house, making even the chandelier rattle and windows tremble as if they feared him too.
"Do not speak to your king in such a way" He gritted out. His eyes held enough anger to start a civil war. They dug daggers into my skull but I refused to back down. It's not in my genes to submit so easily, especially to this mutt.
"Your grace," I dragged out through my teeth, "Please le-"
Next thing you know, my arms are pinned above my head against the doors. Xander moves his face closer to mine, his breath bouncing off the side of my face as he leans down to whisper his next threat. "No," he growled out. "No more speaking from you. There are going to be consequences for your actions today, little dragon."
Looking up at my face once more, our eyes locked in the deadliest battle there ever was. Neither one of us broke contact. Our pride just wouldn't allow it.
Xander pulled me out of the room, my feet almost dragging because of the force and speed. As we walked through the halls, many guards and pack members bowed at their king and luna when we passed them, it came with a few stares.
We turned a corner and I instantly knew where he was taking me. The dungeon.
Words came to the tip of my tongue but none managed to escape my mouth. I didn't want to go back there. I couldn't. I hate being locked up. All those years spent on that island taught me one thing: freedom is a privilege. I deserved to be set free. I'm innocent for fucks sake! And I'm innocent of this as well.
No part of me wanted to be intimate with anyone, even when I was in the Westerlie kingdom. I just never had the urge, I suppose. It came normally to everyone else I knew though, and it's not a genetic thing. My brother was "seeing" women by his fifteenth summer solstice. By the noises they were making, it was clear he had a serious sex drive.
We enter the dungeon and I expected us to head for my old cell but was confused when he led me in another direction. We walk down a few more stairs and the temperature starts dropping rapidly.
Xander and I approach two guards and they bowed to him. He gave them a small nod and they opened the steel door behind them. What was inside froze me to the core, literally.
The room was just a big empty cube, but the temperature was so far below zero, it could shatter me into millions of pieces.
Xander tries to walk us in, but I keep my feet planted to the ground. I can't go in there. Xander grips my arm tighter, blood slightly leaking, and drags me inside.
"What's the matter little dragon? Afraid of the cold?"
Of course, I was! Dragons aren't fond of anything that's not hot. And he knows this. Why else would he put me here? Maybe to mock me, but this is horrible for anyone. At least the island wasn't frozen over. It was always raining and windy, but never anything like this, despite being so far up north.
"Please don't." I didn't want to beg, but I didn't have an option.
Xander brought me to the wall facing the door and grabbed the chains attached to it. He pushed me down and cuffed both my arms and legs.
I'm not in the mood to deal with you. You'll stay here until you learn to obey."
"But I didn't do anything! All Alexander and I did was talk! There was no intimacy between us. Xander please."
Okay, now I was begging.
Xander bent down and gripped my chin bringing it closer to his. "You're mine. You're not allowed to touch or look at another man." His eyes were colder than the tundra room we were in, but I wasn't sure if they held anger.
"And this rule applies to you as well? Or are you blinded by your double standard?"
I didn't care at this point. What he said was completely outrageous. I was hoping to get a reaction out of him, but he just let go of my face and headed for the door.
When he walked out without another word or look, enough anger boiled inside me to keep me warm. Let's just hope it lasts long enough for the remainder of my time in this hell hole.
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I counted the hours I was in that room. The minutes that passed by, the seconds. It was the only thing I could to keep myself sane. That's what I did when I was first banished. I was scared of losing my mind from the solitary.
It helped for some time, but there was a day when I just...stopped. There was no hope for me. On the outside, I accepted my fate, but deep, deep down, I still had faith. Not in anyone other than myself.
I was desperate to leave my latest prison, but that doesn't mean I was willing to submit. One of the guards brought me food once a day, and I contemplated whether on eating it or not. In the end, I knew I'd need all the strength I could scramble up for my next attempt at an escape.
One week, six hours, forty-one minutes and nine, ten, eleven. . .
The steel door swung open and in walked a soon-to-be-dead man.
Xander quickly strode towards me. When he reached my feet, he pulled out a tiny key and dangled it slightly once again, mocking me.
No words were spoken between us, but I knew the reason for his silence was to hear me say the words.
Unfortunately, I'll never give him the satisfaction.
I didn't even meet his eyes. The counting didn't stop in my head. I knew my next action would lead to more time spent in here. I knew what I was going to do was wrong, but I couldn't help myself. I'm a dragon goddammit. I need to act like one.
I looked up and met his amusing eyes. This was just a game for him. He thinks he's the only one to play such a game, but now there are two players, and now thanks to him, there are two kings on the same side of the board.
The spit flew from my mouth faster than I thought it would. I used up a decent amount of energy, but it was well worth it.
All he did was look down at me, which is probably what he does to everyone. He didn't even wipe my saliva from his chin.
Xander put the key in his pocket and walked out.
It was worth it. I kept telling myself between my counting intervals. Xander needed to know that I don't crumble so easily, not at all. As I said, there are two kings now.
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I didn't see Xander for four weeks. I didn't see anyone. The food came every other day, now. It seems Xander was punishing me for not tucking my tail between my legs like the mutts he knew. And who knows? Maybe it would've better if I had submitted then and there. Maybe I should just accept this fate I was given-no. I cannot accept that. I will not accept that.
My role isn't here, not running with the wolves. It's high in the sky, flying with the dragons.
Once the fourth week of my extended imprisonment ended, Xander finally returns. The sight of him made me shiver, even though the cold. He once again approaches me, and I don't hesitate to break eye contact.
It's for my good. I'll figure this out, but I can't do that from here.
My head instantly bowed at the sight of the key he pulled from his pocket. I could hear the smirk growing on his face. Xander bent down to unlock my chains. When he was done, he shifted so he was kneeling in front of me. My eyes still didn't meet his, partly because this was humiliating. I can't believe I was doing this for my freedom.
Xander grabbed both of my elbows and motioned for me to stand up. I made it just past my knees when they started to give up. Dammit. I've been in this pretzel position for five weeks. There's barely any food in my system and the cold, oh damn this cold. It did something to me.
It affected me differently than others. My body works in two ways. It attracts the heat and repels out the cold. Heat brings me strength; it enhances my abilities. But the cold, it drains me. The first two weeks were bearable, even without my power. But now, I was just skin and bones, figuratively, but with the lack of meals, now literally.
When I couldn't keep myself up, Xander scooped me in his arms. I guess the sudden rush from being lifted was enough to knock the wind out of me because the last thing I remembered was the somber look in his eyes.
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I wake up when I felt the blood run through my fingertips. My eyes flew open and I entwined my fingers to see if the sensation was real. It was. My eyes scan my surroundings. I wasn't in that room anymore, but a small bedroom. I wanted to get out of bed and stretch, but the piercing headache prevented it.
At the edge of the bed was a tray with wrapped rectangles and a "bottled" liquid. Yeah, I'll never get over that.
Along with them was a note telling me to eat the fiber bars and drink the green tea. I obeyed the note and waited for the food to give me enough energy to get out of bed.
When I had the stamina, I made my way over to the door but was disappointed to find it locked. There was a small window but bars covered both sides of it.
There was still light in the sky which meant there's a possibility someone might visit me soon. I decided on taking a shower since I haven't felt the cooling feeling of hot water run down my body.
The door on the left of my bed led to an even smaller bathroom that luckily has a shower. I stripped from my clothes and glanced at my appearance in the mirror. It was horrifying. My hair was tangled in knots, the color on my face was drained, and my body...was shrunken. There was no meat on my bones. Even my skin was gone. I felt..gone.
After my shower, I rummaged through the room for clothes. The trunk at the edge of my bed kept uniforms and a few loungewear clothes with undergarments. I threw on the more comfortable clothing and went back to the bathroom to work on my hair.
Once I was done with that, I made my way to the bed to get some more rest, only to be stopped with a knock at the door. I couldn't open it, so I just stood there, not knowing what to do.
I heard keys jingling from the other side and the door creaked open. In walked a young girl, maybe still in her teens. She was wearing one of the uniforms from my trunk and I realized what it meant for me.
"Luna." She bowed and said simultaneously. "Alpha Xander wanted me to brief you on your role hear for the foreseeable future."
"My role? Are you going to teach me to be an omega?"
"Yes, ma'am."
I knew it. It seems my punishment isn't over.
"Please follow me."
She led me through the narrow hallway and to the staff kitchen. "Alani", which is her name, gave me a list of chores I needed to complete.
Make all beds on the second floor, east wing.
Polish the floors on the first and second floor, east wing.
Vacuum board rooms, west wing.
Evening kitchen duty.
Curfew is 10 pm.
The list was short, but the chores would take hours to complete.
During the time I've spent on omega, I found a certain rhythm. I would wake up at four in the morning and polish the floors first. By the time I was done, the bedrooms were empty as people began to start their day and I made all fifty-seven beds. Vacuuming the floors was the scariest part of that list. I nearly shit myself when that monstrosity became alive.
By the time I was done, I ate dinner with the other omegas. They weren't allowed to eat with that pack in the dining hall. We all ate in a room next to the staff kitchen. Once we finished, we had to clean the mess in the hall and put away the dishes.
I made it to bed by 10 pm and was constantly exhausted. Sometimes Sage would find me and mock me, spilling drinks on the floor and watched as I cleaned it up. I knew it wasn't wise to pick a fight with her. She was close to Xander and could cause more problems than I already had.
After four weeks, I was summoned by Xander. A guard brought me to one of the board rooms I had to clean. It was a grayish room, the walls were dark and the table along with the rest of the furniture was wooden. There was a large floor-length window facing the small length of the table.
When I walked in, Xander was sitting with his back facing the windows.
"Sit." He commanded and I obliged, taking a seat on his left four chairs away from him.
He was quiet for a moment, his eyes studying my face.
"How have you been?"
"Tired, but I'm managing." What the hell am I saying? This isn't like me at all.
"That's good."
Xander looked uncomfortable, so I decided to stir the pot. He doesn't get to play this card.
"When are you going to end this?"
"End what?"
I gave him a look of confusion mixed with boredom.
"This." I motioned between us. "This game is growing tiresome. This mate idea that you've come up with is a mistake. Our personalities don't clash well."
"They don't have to clash at all. Your submission is the only thing that's needed, then we can move on."
"I won't submit to you, Xander." I lean forward and rest my arms on the table, not once breaking contact. Seems like he needs a refresher course on our different species, and I'll gladly educate him.
"There's a distinct difference between dragons and werewolves, your grace." There was a bit of resentment and sarcasm while I formally addressed him. He is not my king, and will never be considered as it."You may be able to calm the wolf inside you, but no one can tame a dragon." A cocky smile creeps along my face. This mutt thinks he's the strongest ruler in all the five kingdoms. Think again, you fool.
"Oh really?" He scoffed out while his eyes held amusement. It was as if he thought I was still a child who believed in three-headed scorpions. "Then tell me how your people can breed and train dragons? How can that be possible without getting them to submit to you?"
"Dragons have been here long before us Xander. And even though there's a possibility that they'll be the end us all, it is our job to ensure they'll be here after we're all gone."
"What's your point, Robbin?" He leans back into his chair with a sigh. He's getting bored with this conversation. Maybe his tiny wolf brain can't handle so many facts at once. I smile inwardly at the thought but continue our conversation.
"My point is that dragons are wild. Their primal instincts go back a millennium. They weren't bred by humans at the beginning of their time. They weren't trained. All they knew for so long was how to be wild. And how not to be tamed." I spoke with such pride when it came to dragons. They were part of me after all, but have always been more powerful.
"Okay. So you can't tame them, but you train them instead." It almost sounded like a question as he leaned forward; as if he was trying to get the correct answer from me.
"Exactly. But not just anyone can train them. Dragons are very stubborn. In a way, they're submitting to us; they know that, but they won't deny our tutelage. Not if their trainer has dragon blood in their veins."
This is where I saw his skepticism arise in his eyes once again. He seems to still think I'm not who I say I am. I notice his eyebrow cock up as he asks his next question.
"And you're one of the few who has their DNA?"
"Yes."
"But you can't prove that because you've been separated from them for so long."
And there it is.
"Well, yes, but that doesn't ch-"
"And you were also stripped of any power your dragon blood allowed you to have."
"Just because my story doesn't seem credible doesn't mean it's not true!" I was livid. How dare he question my bloodline. My power! I stood up stared at him until holes drilled in his eyes.
"At my strongest, I would've been able to turn your kingdom to ashes! You'll regret disregarding my status. I guarantee you that."
And with that, I skidded my chair back and left the room. Xander Nightwalker will pay for his actions. His whole kingdom will. And soon, he'll be ruling over ashes.