Chapter 77: Sexual Correction
Elián;
I stare at the dark skinned, grey-haired woman sitting arrogantly on her throne as she stares at me, and rage fills every niche of me.
I feel my nails break through my skin as they sink deep crescents into my palms, and I feel control leave me.
"What did you just say to me, you impertinent boy!?" She screams, and I take a deep breath.
You know what?
I deserve a break.
For once, I should stop trying so hard to... ’behave’
I’m choosing violence.
I’m going to go batshit crazy... and I’ll do it for the plot.
Cause I really want to see where it takes me with this bitch.
"You heard me, your Majesty. Now, tell this cock sucker to stop lying against me, before I break his face!" I scream, and gasps shake the hall.
I hear footsteps behind me, and soon Rhydian is beside me. He grabs my arm and whispers to me.
"Control yourself."
I look up at him in alarm, and just then, his mother speaks.
"How dare you talk to me in that tone!? Who are you to tell me what to do!?" She screams, and my jaw drops.
"You mean, who am I to demand justice!? I didn’t do any of the things he accused me of! I was..." I begin, but she cuts me off.
"Did you hit him last night or not?" She demands, and I pause.
I look up at Rhydian and back at her, stunned by the question.
Of course I hit him, but...
"Are you suddenly deaf? Answer the question. Did you hit Bram last night, or not??" She rages, and my jaw drops.
"That’s not... I didn’t..." I begin, but she cuts me off.
"That is not an answer to the question!" She scolds, and I swallow in annoyance as I realise what she’s playing at.
"Y... yes. We had an altercation." I mumble, and whispers erupt in the hall again.
I feel Rhydian’s grip on me tighten, and I throw my gaze away.
His mother is a fucking snake.
If I had a gun, she would have lost her voice to a bullet by now.
"And did you hurt my son last night?" She questions, and this time, I look up at Rhydian.
"Mother..." He begins, but she snaps at him.
"Stay out of this, Rhydian!"
The hall falls pin-drop silent at the unbridled rage in her voice, and I gulp.
"You’d better speak when I ask you questions, boy. Except you no longer have use for your tongue!" She snarls to me, and I hold my breath as my heart starts pounding in my chest.
"I’ll ask again. Do you claim that you did not hurt Rhydian last night?" She questions, and I take a deep breath before taking a step forward.
"Your Majesty, you know well under what conditions l..." I begin in an attempt to plead my case, but she slams her palm against the armrest of her throne in agitation, and the silence in the already silent hall grows thicker.
"Did you hurt Howleroot’s crown Prince or not, last night!?" She screams, and my gaze slowly falls to the ground.
I know the game she’s playing... and there’s no way out of it. The truth is exactly what she wants it to be. Delicate enough for her to twist.
"I... I did... but by accident..." I whisper, and despite the silence, I can swear I hear Bram sneer beside me.
"What more proof do you all need? Do we need this outsider to try to sway the truth? He committed an unimaginable crime. He tried to kill your Prince!" Alpha Liandria announces, and I shut my eyes.
Alana was right. This witch won’t give me a fair trial. But is Rhydian really going to let this happen??
"What should be his punishment for such treason?" His mother speaks again, and I turn to stone as I hear the words the people start chanting.
"Kill him!"
"Exile!"
"Burn the boy!!"
My eyes widen, and my gaze snaps up at Rhydian in alarm.
Kill me!?
"The stupid boy has some nerve trying to kill our prince!" I hear a man whisper not too far off, and I lose it.
"Are you all daft!?" I suddenly scream as I turn to the crowd, and their chants die down.
"Bram is an Alpha! I’m an Omega. OMEGA!! How could I possibly hurt him this badly!?" I continue, and slowly their gazes avert to Bram, who’s still on the floor beside me.
"And have you so little faith in your Prince that a scrawny nobody like me would be able to attack and even hurt him!? Do you not know how vastly skilled your Prince is!? Don’t you see the insults in these preposterous accusations!?" I continue, and for a moment, I see realisation slowly paint a few faces.
"For what reason would you possibly believe that I can hurt these men?? Just look at our size difference. Alpha Rhydian can snap my neck in a blink, and yet you think I’d dare to attack him? Really?? The truth is being twisted. Can’t you see??" I push desperately, and soon they start whispering amongst themselves.
Some people start nodding, clearly seeing reason in my words, and I stare hopefully at the crowd of colourful wolf ears and eyes.
They need to see the truth. They could be my ticket out of this stupid setup.
"Of course, we have reason to believe that you hurt them both. You are a feral beast." Alpha Liandria’s voice rings, and I can not help but shut my eyes in exasperation.
"I mean, just now, you showed us all just how unhinged you are. You attacked Bram, and Rhydian had to step in to save him from you. So what pity party are you trying to evoke with such spineless words?" She pushes and murmurs, sweeps the crowd again.
"Yes, our Luna is right! He has no regard for Alphas!"
"He also has a big mouth for an omega. No decent omega talks so loosely. He’s ill-trained."
The crowd starts clamouring again, and I bite the inside of my cheek.
Goodness, these people are daft.
There’s no point.
I’m gonna...
"Will my testimony at least matter?" Rhydian’s voice breaks through the commotion, and my eyes fly open.
I look up at him and watch as he walks towards the crowd.
"I am your prince, and I believe you trust me enough to see the truth in my words." He begins, and I hold my breath.
"Elián did not attack me last night. And neither is Bram my lover. Bram is an Alpha who happened to be in my room at that time of night to discuss my mother’s business." He continues, and I swallow as I watch the people’s reactions.
"Last night, Elián had just awoken from a three-day coma after being stung by a deadly scorpion in his attempt to save my life. He was groggy and out of his wits when he came to me last night, and in my attempt to calm him down, I got hurt. It was minor, and as you can see, I am in perfect health. For the scars on Bram’s body, I can assure you that Elián has Nothing to do with that." Rhydian continues, lying for me, and I feel my heart squeeze at the fact that he’s actually doing this to save me.
He’s speaking up and even lying... for me...
I wasn’t groggy or out of wits when I went to his room. He knows that. But he’s twisting the narrative... to protect me...
"This is sad." Alpha Liandria’s voice comes again, and all eyes in the room turn to her.
"I know you are trying to protect him because he is your Omega... but a crime is a crime, Rhydian. You shouldn’t lie to your people to protect an outsider. Your safety matters to us more than your emotions." She says, and I let out a breath.
Isn’t this woman tired of this??
She stands up, and I stare at her as she casually flips her hair off her shoulder.
"My people have asked me to kill the boy for his crime..." She says, and my heart starts racing again.
"Mom!" Rhydian yells, but she ignores him.
"But I won’t do that. Instead, I will help my son drill some manners into you. Since he’s so fond of you." She says, looking straight at me, and something about the look in her eyes irks me.
"What... what do you mean?" I question, and she smirks.
"The punishment for all your misbehaviour and misconduct will be the same one that always sets any overstepping omega right." She says, and I look over at Rhydian before looking back at her.
"What... what punishment is that?" I question, and her expression shifts into a full-blown grin.
A grin that is malicious and promises nothing good.
What is this devil up to? Why is she smiling like that? What punishment does she want to give me??
"Sexual correction." She announces, and I pause.
Sexual... what??