Chapter 10 She is not mute
King demon deacon
I stood in the center of my library, my heart pounding with a rhythm I hadn't felt in decades. I looked at her, really looked at her, and I couldn't believe what Calus had just whispered to me at the door.
This girl has a voice. She could speak. She wasn't born into silence; she had been forced into it. She chose not to speak simply because a man—a pathetic Alpha Leonardo had told her to remain silent? The thought made a cold, jagged anger coil in my gut. She wasn't just abused; she had been hollowed out, maltreated in ways that went beyond physical scars.
Now, the problem was before me. How do I make her speak? I am a King; I know only how to command, not how to coax. I have met many women. I have had ninety-nine mates pass through these halls, but I never once tried to hold a conversation with any of them. I never initiated a word. I didn't care enough to know their thoughts.
But with Aurora, it was different. I wanted to hear her. I needed to hear the sound of her soul before I decided how to tear the Moonstone pack apart.
"Aurora," I called out. My voice was softer than usual, but it still carried the weight of the crown. "Look at me and. Make sure you Do not look away."
She flinched, her gaze darting to the floor, to the books, to the shadows in the corner. She didn't know how to hold a gaze. She had been taught that eye contact was a sin.
"Aurora!" I said, my voice rising, filling the room. "I said, look at me."
Finally, her chin lifted. She stared at me, but her eyes weren't stable. They drifted, searching my face for a sign of the blow she expected to land.
"I am the King of Prussia," I began, stepping closer until the heat from my body reached her. "I speak, and you listen. But before I am a King to the society, I am your mate. I don't know what you have heard about me in those kitchens, but I don't bite without reason. I only kill those who dare to defy my commands. You are no longer in that pack house. You are in my palace, and here, the only rules you follow are mine."
I watched her closely. Slowly, I saw her shoulders drop an inch. She nodded her head, a small, jerky movement. The raw, paralyzing fear in her eyes started to drift apart, replaced by a wary curiosity.
I took a breath, my chest tightening. "I command you to speak."
The reaction was instantaneous. The fear returned like a tidal wave. She gasped, though no sound left her lips, and stepped back so quickly she nearly tripped over the rug. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, looking for a corner to crawl into, a hole to hide in. I could feel her terror vibrating through the bond.
"Aurora," I said again, my voice dropping back to a low growl. She froze and looked back at me, her chest heaving.
"Speak," I urged. "You are not with that Alpha anymore. You are with me. I don't know for how long you have been a mute, but you have to speak."
I saw her throat move as she tried to swallow. Her lips parted, trembling, but nothing came out. The silence in the room was deafening. I realized then that I couldn't force this—not yet. If I broke her now, I would never hear her true voice.
"I won't force you to it today, but just know that if you want to stay here you have to speak but first thing first, you need to get comfortable that's the more reason why I won't pressure you anymore but I am much scarier than you think, I do not take no as an answer" I said, a rare concession that felt foreign on my tongue. "I will be back for you. The Head Mistress will be in soon to dress you for the ceremony. You will wear exactly what I have chosen for you. Do not let them change a single detail do you understand??."
She nodded
I wanted to say more. I wanted to pressure her until the silence broke, but I saw the way her hands were shaking. I knew if I pushed too hard, I might lose the one thing I could use to destroy Leonard.
I turned my back on her, the silk of my shirt rustling in the quiet room. I walked out of the library and closed the door firmly. On my way downstairs, the cold marble echoing under my boots, I saw Elio waiting near the landing.
"Tell your mother to go attend to my wife,, the Luna" I commanded, stopping in front of the young Omega. "You go and fix her bath. Make sure she looks beautiful. Hide her scars, but do not ruin this. If a single thing goes wrong tonight, it will be on your head."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will lay your command to my mother just as you instructed" Elio whispered, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the floor.
I walked away, my mind already drifting back to the girl in the library. She was a silent mystery, and I was a man who hated secrets.