Page 14 of His Lost Lycan Luna

“She whipped you!" The tone of his voice is appalled and laced with anger.

“Yes,” Abbie murmurs.

A person earns a day of solitude at the orphanage, sometimes for a week, for snitching or complaining. I learned early on when I told Mrs. Daley that Betty, Mrs. Daley’s best friend, had broken the vase, not Taylor.

Taylor was another rogue we met when we first arrived. She was hated just as much as any other rogue in the orphanage. Mrs. Daley locked me in a closet for a week after defending her. Abbie snuck me water, and Taylor was sentenced to death for it when I got out.

“How many times?” King Kyson demands.

“I only got three; Ivy got twenty-four for our misconduct,” Abbie answers.

“You must have done something terrible for this sort of punishment,” the King states.

We both nod and drop our heads guiltily.

“So, what did you do?” he prompts.

“I forgot to dust three window sills, and Ivy took half my punishment. We shared the sweeping, but Ivy took all the blame. So she got two for each room. There was simply not enough time. We had to meet the Alpha, or we would have done it properly,” Abbie explains in a rush.

“She whipped you over dust and un-swept floors?” he snarls. His reaction is so frightening we both jump, and I flinch away from the pure anger rushing off him as his aura erupts.

“Get some medicine and find some pain relief for me, Clarice,” he says, his hands settling on my ribs; the warmth of them sends tingles across my skin. I don’t move for fear of what will happen if I do. However, everything tells me a King should not touch a filthy rogue as low as me.

“Yes, sir,” Clarice says, rushing out the door.

“Is your back like this?” he asks Abbie.

“No, sir, mine didn’t break the skin,” she whispers.

“Will you please get up? Why are you at my feet?” he asks her, and she quickly rises, placing her hands behind her back and standing with a straight posture.

“Go... sit over there,” he tells her, waving her away. She hesitates but does as told.

Clarice comes back with fresh bandages, ointments, and a drink that smells strongly of herbs.

“Sir, I can do this; I am sure you don’t need to tend to a servant,” Clarice tells him.

“If I want help, I will ask for it; just hand me the ointment. Ivy, drink that; it will help with the pain,” he says.

Clarice passes the ointment to him and the glass to me. I sip it, and despite its horrid smell, I can taste mint in it, like it is supposed to remove the awful taste. His fingers are warm as he rubs the ointment into the cuts. They sting, but his touch’s tingling sensation is soothing, and I feel my back turning numb.

“Stay still for me,” he says as he wraps the bandages around me quickly, his eyes looking me up and down. I feel like I’m on display, just like when I was back at the town square. He suddenly steps closer. I stare up at him with wide eyes as his chest presses against mine. His eyes flicker, turning a deep shade of black. His lips part, revealing sharp canines. I hold my breath when he grabs my hips. "My King?" Clarice speaks. He shakes his head and takes two steps away from me.

“Have either of you eaten?” he asks, and we both shake our heads. He nods, and Clarice speaks.

“I will organize their lunch. Where do you want to assign them, my King?” she asks while I quickly pull the maid's uniform on and start to button it. The King steps forward, and I flinch. He only helps button it up, his fingers replacing mine. Clarice watches, just as shocked as me that he would help a servant dress.

I remove my peasant skirt from under it when it is buttoned up and ball my clothes in my arms. Clarice comes over and takes them from me, tossing them in the bin.

“Ivy is to be my personal servant. She serves only me and remains in my quarters. Find somewhere for her friend Abbie that’s close by. Maybe guard quarters?” he suggests. Clarice quickly nodded.

“Sir, what about your current servant?”

“Send her elsewhere; I want Ivy as my personal servant. If I find anyone else in my quarters besides Ivy, there will be hell to pay—only Ivy and no one else. As for Abbie, maybe see if Beta Damian needs a servant instead. Then she will be close if Ivy needs her, and the guards will watch over her. We should keep them both close while they settle in,” he says, quickly turning on his heel and walking out.

We all stare after him. Clarice shakes her head a couple of times.

“That was the strangest interaction,” she mutters to herself before turning to look at us.

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