The Elite: Maxon POV

Chapter 22

TW * this chapter contains violence and abuse *

Maxon POV

Warning. This chapter may be sensitive for some viewers as it contains a lot of violence.

He slammed the door so hard it nearly splintered as it met the threshold. He locked it and turned to face me. His eyes were cold and his face stony. This was the worst type of mood. There was no way for my body to brace for his emotions if I couldn't read them. Most of the time it was anger, but when it was rage I knew it would hurt more. If it was disappointment it typically hurt less and was less lashes. When he was like this, I couldn't tell if it would be a belt or the extra wire-like tassels he kept from a curtain set. The tassels hurt a lot more but it would be over in fewer lashes whereas the belt took at least half an hour to make decent marks.

"Explain to me what you were thinking when you gave that girl the diary," he said cooly. He walked past his bed to the enormous closet it led into. If he was going to do it here, he must have been certain my mother was occupied. He would never let her know what he's been doing to me since the age of 14.

"It's just- she wanted to know about Halloween and I suppose I wanted to impress her so I took her to the chamber with a computer." His nostrils flared but he kept his face the same. "While we were in there she saw the diary and I don't know what came over me. I just said she could borrow it. She promised to keep it well hidden. I never thought that-"

"Are you in love with her?" he asked.

"What?"

"Are you hard of hearing?" He exited the closet without his suit jacket on and his collard shirt was slightly unbuttoned. He had removed his belt as well but it was nowhere in sight. "Are you in love with her?"

"I..I well. She," I stuttered.

"Because that is the only explanation I can think of for something something so fucking foolish," he said straining his words. I flexed my back muscles and gulped.

"Father, I beg of you please do not blame her for my stupidity. She was upset with me over an entanglement I had with one of the other Elite."

"And so that should excuse her for almost exposing half our most guarded royal secrets to the country?" I let my head fall.

"No sir."

"And talking back at me again, this time in front of all the camera staff, the Elite, your mother, goddamn Gavril!" He yelled. I didn't flinch. If I made a sudden move....He took a deep breath.

"Maxon, you know that I love you as my son. You know that. And I know that I am harsh on you and I scold you for things you don't think matter, but you are the future leader of this country. I have to take things into my own hands when you don't behave like one. Go get the black one," he said gesturing to the closet. I went to get the black belt and when I came back out he was holding one of the tassels.

"Take off your shirt and trousers," he demanded. I obeyed. Before he could ask me to I knelt in front of him, back exposed. I placed the black belt between my teeth and held my breath. In these moments I was sure he would admire his previous work. Any second now the first lash would come.

"This," he said bringing down his arm as the tassel made contact with my skin, "is for disobedience." I hissed in pain.

"This is for lack of initiative," he said bringing his arm down once again. This time I yelped in pain and for that he made the second lash a double. He continued his speech, raining down his hand at the beginning of every remark. I began to sweat. The belt's material made its way into my mouth from the amount of pressure I was putting on it.