The Prince's Mate

Chapter 29

Time passed achingly slow while I was collared. All I could focus on was the pain. The agony had spread through my body as the silver slipped into my blood stream. Most days I hardly lifted my head from my paws and because of this I was getting covered in the cold December snow. I was losing weight, my body fat being burned away from barely eating anything while only led me to be colder and weaker against the harsh winter weather.

Bennett tried to take care of me. He would sit beside me brush off the snow, pleading with me just to submit to him already, but I always refused, the thought disgusting me. I wasn't so opposed to mating with him anymore, it seemed like it was going to happen eventually. But I was thoroughly against being bred like an animal in front of hundreds of people, losing all my dignity in one day. And there was no way I was letting the king win this battle.

Bennett would eventually give up and give me a chunk of food he smuggled over for me. Giving me food or water was forbidden, it would only prolong my resistance and no one was willing to risk being charged for treason. As much as the king might've liked to deny it, I was an example of his power and what happened when he was disobeyed.

Days passed and those days bled into weeks. I wasn't keeping track anymore. Some days I didn't even wake up. I was tired, I was hungry, and I was terribly cold on top of all the pain. Sleeping, even if it was a nap near death, was far better than being awake. I had lost almost all of my fat, now my body was consuming its own muscle mass and I was growing weaker by the minute. I knew that I was going to die soon; I was too worn out to fight any longer. Hell, I didn't even have enough energy to keep my own body warm. Sometimes I woke up and I wouldn't be able to feel my legs or my tail.

"Brook, please, God." Bennett whispered, brushing the snow off my face. His eyes were red as if he was close to crying, "I know it's not what you want, and it's not what I want, but I can't leave you out here for another night." he blinked hard and looked away, fighting the tears, "Everyone says you will be dead in the morning, please."

I just huffed out an exhausted breath and laid my head on his lap.

"If you don't submit by tonight I'm going to call your family and tell them to start arranging your funeral." He whimpered, gently tracing my flopped ears. There was quiet sniffling for a second then he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head, "And if that's what you want, if that's what you think is best then I won't fight you on it, okay?" he murmured, the tears evident in his voice.

I was so tired I almost tried to tell him to just let me go but it just came out as a wheezing whimper. And even if I was in human form and could talk it wouldn't do either of us any good. If he let me go he would be found guilty of treason. Maybe his father liked him well enough now, and maybe he wouldn't kill his only son, but no one really knew for sure. And once Bennett was dealt with all of the werewolves would know my face, and there would be a high reward for turning me in. if I was turned in I would probably be praying for the collar as opposed to my other punishments.

"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to. It's your choice." Bennett whispered. He carefully lifted my head from his lap and stood up. I expected his to reach in his pocket and discretely feed me some food, but he didn't. I guess he was also starting to think that there was no point in prolonging my suffering. Maybe he thought it was better that I starved to death than froze to death. He gave me one last tearful look before he lowered his head and walked away.

The day trickled on slowly. I was freezing, I wished I could just fall asleep and never wake up again, but my brain was too restless, Bennett had stirred a lot of thoughts in my mind. He was giving me choices, which I never thought he would. I assumed he would be like his father, let me get horribly weak and near death then take me in front of the whole pack while I was half conscious. But he hadn't.

He had brought up my family though. I had prayed that my father assumed I was happy and healthy with the prince. I wanted him to think that I had the perfect life right now, that I had never been happier. But if he was told that I had died in the most painful and slow way he would be crushed. He would blame himself for not only failing his beloved wife but for also failing one of his daughters. He would crumble even more than he already had. And Cassandra. Cassandra would be left with no mother, a shelf of a father, and a disgrace of a sister. I couldn't do that to my family.

And I couldn't do that to Bennett. We hadn't started off great, or even well. But I could see now that he was trying, that he didn't want to be anything like his father even though he had been raised to be just like his dad with all his values and ideologies. Now I saw that he truly cared for me, maybe not in the romantic hand-holding, candle-lit kind of way, but he loved me. He loved me enough to let me go when he thought I wasn't going to be happy with him and he loved me enough to let me make my own choice in regards to our current situation. Even if it meant his unhappiness for the rest of his life.

If I stayed out here, if I died tonight like everyone said I would, the king would win. Bennett would not have a true mate and the king and queen would either have to have another child or the king would hand pick someone to be the next king. Then the king's awful ideas about women being weak and needing to be submissive would continue and every woman from now on would be treated like filth. The king would win in the end. But there was no way in hell I was letting that bastard ruin more women's lives and vandalize she-wolves' lives.

I lifted my head, shook off some of the snow and howled loudly into the sky. The king would not win.

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