Unexpected: Forever His (Book 1)

Chapter 10: Betrayal Speaks Louder than Love

*****King Alexander's disapproval*****

I came to and groaned as the lingering aching in my body once again overtook my mind. Immediately tears came to my eyes as I opened them and took in my surroundings. I was in the same room from before and I was already clothed in a dress that was just as exquisite as the others. I slowly pushed my way over to the side of the bed and slid off so that I was standing on my feet.

I felt much stronger than before, but I felt a huge void. I had lost my pack...my family, but the fear that was much greater than that was the possibility that I had lost Alex. That fear consumed me and I felt panic overtaking me. I fell to the floor in front of the bed and brought my knees to my chest, the aching in my back extremely dull compared to the aching in my thoughts and soul. "Alex...ahhhh...Alex." I cried out to the empty room, or so I thought.

"Now, now, there dearie, whatever 'tis, I'm sure 'tis not quite that bad."

It was the same woman from before, but her words comforted me not.

"He...King Alexander...he hates me. I was his queen, and I shamed him. He is ashamed of me. I..."

"Leave us Reena!"

I jumped and trembled at his voice, but the pain in my heart radiated through my body and I cried out with its devastating strength. I heard the lady stand and scurry out and the door closed seconds later.

A moment or two went by and Alex cleared his throat. "Are you going to stand or are you going to continue to sit on the floor in that position like the coward you were proven to be back in Redwood?"

I sucked in a breath of air and raised my head. "A coward, Alex? I was beaten! He whipped me and collared me with a collar laced with silver! How can you call me a coward?!? He reacted the way you knew he would! You did this to me! You told me to trust you and I did and you...you betrayed me!! Now you call me a coward!"

He was before me in an instant and his hand around the back of my neck brought me up against him. His anger swirled through the room like hot coals burning my skin. It was agonizing and I whimpered.

"And you relented, Kayla! You relented when all you had to do was believe that I was coming for you! You called me. Did you think I would not come for you? You weren't disgraced until you relented. I wouldn't have...now I have no choice. I cannot crown you as my queen now, Kayla. Redwood will spread the news of your disgrace and it will reach my kingdom. I will lose my respect with my people!" He released me and I fell back onto the bed. "You failed me...failed us...when you relented, Kayla!" His anger seemed to recede a fragment and I pushed myself up off of the bed and brushed past him and stepped towards the door. "I don't understand why you brought me here, then, Alex."

"King Alexander, Kayla. You will refer to me as King Alexander from this point on. You are not my queen. You are not of equal status. I brought you here only because I cannot stand the thought of you living a life of misery with that pack. If you wish to return to that, it is entirely up to you."

I shook my head. "I don't want either of those choices, A..." I turned around to face him. "I don't want to be here and not be your queen. I don't want to be forced to see you every day and night, knowing what we could have had and knowing that you don't...you don't want me anymore. How can you blame me for relenting when you know what he did to me?!?"

"You think this is easy for me, Kayla? You think that I would have chosen this? I knew Aiden was a coward, but I didn't think you were one. My queen cannot be branded a coward. You..." He stopped abruptly. "It's done. The decision has been made. Either stay and learn to live with it or go back to your life of hell with Redwood."