CHAPTER NINETY PAWO
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CHAPTER NINETY TWO
Talia’s POV
“She’s Prince Solon’s little plaything. Do what you like with her,” Viki said lazily to the rogues.
“Sure thing,” one of the rogues said while the other growled. Excitement shone in their yellow eyes as they stepped closer.
“I can’t wait to get a taste of her,” one of them licked his cracked lips as he began fumbling with his belt buckle.
“No!” I yelled, my voice cracking from the strain. “Viki, stop! Wait!”
Viki turned back and said, “Stop. Be patient. I want to hear what she has to say.”
“If you do this, viki, Solon will never forgive you,” I warned. “It doesn’t matter if I die or survive, Solon will never let you go. Trust me.”
Viki laughed again. “You’re just so pathetic. How many times are you going to rely on Solon? Why can’t you stand on your own feet?” she said, stepping closer with a predator’s calm.
“Release me and I’ll show you how,” I growled.
Viki tsked and wagged her finger in front of my face. “I don’t think so. Do you think I’m stupid? You may not have a wolf, but I know Solon has been training you. I can’t risk you getting away and then these fine gentlemen won’t get the reward they deserve.”
“Viki, I’m serious. You really need to think about this carefully.”
She sneered. “And so am I.”
“Prince Solon-”
“Enough!” Viki snapped, cutting me off. “Solon probably has another she-wolf as we speak. And let’s say, he does care for you. After those rogues are finished using you, Solon will be disgusted by you. Men don’t choose ruined women, Talia.”
“By that logic, Jason wouldn’t want you either,” I shot back. “You don’t have a real bond with him.”
“Screw the fucking mate bond!” Viki snapped, causing me to gasp.
“Viki, you can’t say that,” I told her.
“I’ll say whatever the fuck I want. The mate bond is just a bunch of superstitious bullshit. Why would the Moon Goddess bond you to Jason instead of me? The Moon Goddess is such a disappointment. If she is real, she should be ashamed of herself,” Viki continued.
My breath hitched. I couldn’t remember a time I had ever heard such words spoken aloud. Even rogues knew better to speak ill of the Moon Goddess.
“Have you lost your mind?” I exclaimed. “How dare you speak about the Moon Goddess like that and mock the mate bond? She will punish you for this, Viki. You and everyone who still cares about you.”
For a brief second, I saw the crack in her mask. I saw doubt in her eyes. Then it vanished, replaced with anger.
The first slap snapped my head sideways. Pain exploded across my face as my cheek split open.
The second came harder. It was hard enough to make my vision blur.
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The third split my lip and Viki continued slapping me until I could barely lift my head.
“Beating me…” I muttered and spat the blood from my mouth. “won’t change the truth, Viki,”
Viki scoffed, “You think you still matter? After you’re gone, I’ll tell Solon and Jason that I tried to save you. I’ll weep for you, Talia.”
Viki grabbed me by the throat and forced me to look at her. Her claws digging into my neck. “Jason will believe me. He wanted me, not you. He only turned because he didn’t have a choice. I’ll show him I was always his Luna. And Solon will not waste his pity on an omega slut who couldn’t even keep her wolf alive.”
The words stung, but I forced myself to not break in front of her. She wanted me to cry, to beg, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
“You’re lying to yourself,” I rasped. My throat ached. “Jason hated you because you lied. Solon will see through you. If I die, you’ll die too.”
Her eyes flared wide, then narrowed. “No, Talia. The only person that is dying tonight is you. Because they’ll never choose me while you breathe. That is why you must die.”
For one heartbeat, pity tangled with my hatred. Viki was the true pathetic one here. She was fighting for a crown that would never be hers no matter what she did.
“Don’t look at me like you’re better than me!” Viki snapped as she slammed me hard into the wall before releasing me.
“You’ll damn yourself for this. The Moon Goddess will never forgive-”
“Enough with your Goddess,” she snapped. “If she cared, she would have saved me from suffering. She would have saved my father. She would have made me Jason’s Luna!”
Viki reached into her purse and pulled out a syringe. The filled glass caught the light. It smelled like wolfsbane. Overdosed, it would finish me today. I tried to scoot further away from her.
“No!” My voice broke.
“No point in resisting,” Viki mocked. Her hand shot out gripping me by the neck again. She tilted my head to the side as she drove the needle in. I gasped as the liquid shot through my veins.
I couldn’t move!
Terror and pain finally took hold in my chest. I tried to scream, tried to claw at the air, but nothing moved. My body had become a coffin.
Viki leaned closely, her lips brushing my ear. “This is my final gift to you. Now, enjoy your final moments. Goodbye, Talia.”
She turned, laughing, as if the act had satisfied her. The rogues lunged at me, growling hungrily.
I closed my eyes, tears streaking my bloodied face. My last thought tore through me- I would never see my brother or my father again.
