The King's Claim

e i g h t - for mabel ✔️

Here I was again, in the library, I had all the ingredients I needed on my piece of paper. I would worry about measurements later. Right now, I needed to find out how I could get each of these ingredients.

The majority of them could be found in the garden or the lab but others would require more effort. 

A love faeries tear for example. Love faeries are a rare form of faeries, they will be a lot of work to find. I could just ask Beta Marcus but I don't want to be in a room alone with him. Then again, I don't know any other way of getting one and I just want to get this stupid potion done and move on with my life.

I also needed the DNA of both the wolves this potion is supposed to work on, in order to fake the bond. Only Beta Marcus knows who that is so I'd have to talk to him regardless. I might as well get it over with.

I decide to go to his office, I fold the paper and stick it inside the chemist book and hold it close to my chest, terrified of anyone finding out.

I make my way down the hall, growing more and more nervous with every step. I reach his door and hesitate knocking - I know he's in there. I just can't build up the courage to knock. 

I hear a cough and look to the side. It's Gamma Lione.

"You know you have to knock, right?" He smirks, leaning against the wall, eyeing me carefully. My cheeks flare up remembering how I was caught staring at Gamma Lione at the cresent ball, I look down, letting my hair cover my scarlet cheeks.

"Yeah, I was just going over what I needed to say." I reply shyly.

What's wrong with me? I think, taken aback by my own timidness.

"What were you going to say?" Lione looks at me in amusement, clearly sensing my discomfort.

"Just some pack business. I have some deadlines for my X-Bane work and I need to discuss the progress with him." I say, lying is always most believable when it's closest to the truth. Lione nods his head and continues staring at me. 

"If you'll excuse me." I meekly say.

"You're excused." He grins.

I blush again, wanting to say something smart back but my heads empty. I grumble some mindless insults and turn to knock on the mahogany wood.

"Come in," Beta Marcus orders, I take one last glance at Lione and walk in.

"Ah Miss Maddox, what a lovely surprise." He smiles up from his work, I hold my tongue until the door fully closes.

"No need for pleasantries Beta Marcus, these are the ingredients I need from you to make the potion." I hand him the list, being careful to not make contact with his hand.

"I'll be able to get everything in green but you'll have to collect the items in red." I let him know. Beta Marcus skims over the list, nods and hands it back to me.

"Done, I'll have it to you by tomorrow evening. Everything except the love faerie's tear, I can provide the faerie but you need to extract the tear. We have one in the dungeon, I can get you the equipment but I can't go down there."  

I feel sick, he has a love faerie imprisoned in the basement; their kind is known across the kingdom for their inability to hurt or cause pain to any living creature, their sole purpose is to create peace and harmony. How on Earth can he be imprisoning one?

"And why is that Beta?" I already knew the answer but I wanted to hear it coming from him.

"You know why Miss Maddox, I have an image to preserve. How would it look to the pack if their loving Beta went around torturing love faeries to harvest their tears like some psychopath." 

"I'm not going to torture anyone Beta, especially not an innocent faerie." I stand my ground, feeling more courageous than I ever have before around Beta Marcus. He won't turn me into something I'm not out of fear. He swivels his chair to fully face me, and leans forward against the desk.

"Let me put it this way Miss Maddox, if you can't finish this potion by the deadline. Not only will I ensure every member of this pack knows the contents of your personal file here front to back -" Holding up my file, he pauses and laughs at the thought, "Which by the way will ensure your execution - but I'll also have to do something I really don't want to." He slides an image towards me, face down. My heart hammers in my chest as my worst fear comes alive. 

I flip it over. 

Mabel.

It's my Mabel, but she looks - older. She looks 14. 

This photo was taken recently... 

I lunge at Beta Marcus. 

"How did you find her?" I growl but he easily overpowers me, pinning me down to the ground.

"What are you going to do to her?" I hiss at him, he smiles down at me and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. I feel the urge to spit at his face.

"Now, now. I'm not an evil man. I would never hurt a child Miss Maddox."

"But I'm not above sending someone out to do the dirty work for me." He chuckles.

All I see is red. Everything I've been working towards. Everything I sacrificed. For nothing. He knows about Mabel, he knows where she is. I spent years making sure she'd say anonymous, I gave almost all my pay cut every month to make sure she stayed healthy and happy, to make sure she never had to suffer again. I kept my distance, never communicating directly with her. Never allowing myself to see her in person. I did everything.

To keep Mabel safe, like my mum wanted.

And all for nothing.