Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Handmaiden
"Come on, Calla! Punch me!" Percyus shouted through his mouth guard, patting a spot on his cheek, bent down to my height for easy access.
I backed up, "I can't, Percy! I don't want to hurt you!"
Percyus groaned dramatically, letting out a long-suffering noise in his throat, dropping down to his knees in front of me. He spat his mouth guard onto the mat. His height even on his knees was only a few inches shorter than me. He wrapped the fabric of my shirt in between his fists, pulling on me like he was a child, barely contained frustration seeping out of the white knuckle grip. "Calla...aaaa! You're not going to hurt me." He tugged on my shirt again, "I promise you, I swear it on my life. Even if you do land a decent punch, I'll heal right away or you could heal me."
"But Percy-"
"But Percy nothing! You remember who I am right? Nothing you can do would hurt me, Calla."He stood up, once again making me feel small with his nearly unnatural height. "Now you-" he picked me up, hooking his hands under my arms and transporting me to the middle of the mat, "stand here, and just let 'er rip."
He slid his mouthguard back into his mouth, "Shee? I ebwen hab why mouf gar!"
He bent down and patted the spot he wanted me to hit. He entered my mind link, the familiar cool rush sliding down my spine, filling my brain like a tank of cold water. Right here! Hit me. I promise you won't-
I cut him off, swinging my fist with as much might as I dared. My fist hit the hard surface of his cheek, sending his head flying to the side. My hand immediately bloomed with pain, my powers rushing to fix the damage before I even had to will it to do so.
"Are you okay?" I asked, starting the question before I could fully withdraw my fist.
He turned back to me, a bored expression on his face. Seriously? You call that a punch? My grandma can hit harder than that, and she's been six feet under for almost twenty years now.
"I thought it was good!"
A toddler has more power in its swing than that.
I didn't wait for him to prepare, drawing my fist back and slamming it into his mouth this time. I grunted angrily, letting out a guttural cry to try and power myself up. I felt his lips smash against his mouth guard under my fist, the skin sliding around. Percyus' head cracked to the side, but he sprang back quicker than ever. His eyes lit up with excitement.
Harder.
I aimed for his eye socket, my bones crumpling the second my fist met the uneven surface. I screamed out in pain, but the bones snapped back into place and healed before Percyus could even react.
That's so fucking cool.
I looked at my hand, seeing the veins and tendons under my skin glowing. I flexed the bones, opening and closing my perfectly healed hand. "Certainly helpful."
I went back for his face again, and again, and again. Each time I did, he would continue to stare at me in boredom, offering up an encouraging that was weak or maybe you should try your other hand.
After hours of punching, kicking, slapping, and scratching Percyus, I still was unable to land even one damaging blow. I threw my hands in the air, groaning loudly in annoyance. "I'm not built to fight like this, Perce." I took off my sweat headband and threw it on the ground in frustration, running my hands through my damp hair.
He tossed his mouth guard onto the mat again, stepping forward and grabbing my hands, which by now were glowing in whole. Without my powers, my hands would've been destroyed. "I'm sorry, Calla."
"What for?" My tone was a lot snappier than I would've liked, and I had the urge to rip my hands away from his and go sulk angrily in a corner.
"I shouldn't be pushing you so hard."
"I have to learn, though! I can't wait for someone to save me while we are fighting off my old pack." I noticed I was staring at his chest, his collarbones the highest I could see. I willed my eyes to move, slowly traveling my eyes up his body.
When my eyes met his, I felt like I was struck with a bolt of electricity. The mate bond soared, my body humming with need. Need for his touch, his approval, his love, his protection. The immediate heightening of all my senses was shocking and pleasant, the sudden want for his lips on mine making my stomach flip.
His breath caught, and the realization that I was actually making eye contact took his heart by surprise. He started smiling, his smirk growing into a much larger, dazzling smile. His hands traveled up my arms, one cupping my face, one cradling the back of my head.
"Calla..." his eyes drifted towards my lips, and he softly whispered, "Can I kiss you?"
I felt my heart jump with excitement and surprise, and I nodded into his cupped hand, my hands resting softly on his torso. "Yes."
He dipped his head down to mine, his lips hovering over mine. His breath danced over my mouth, his eyes closing, "Thank you."
His lips were on mine.
It was a firm, confident kiss, the kind that made my heart flutter. Goosebumps rose along my skin, rippling over my body as he slid his hand down to my waist and pulled me into him, flush against his chest. His lips moved slowly, my bottom lip captured between his. He drew back for air for only a split second before he was back on my mouth, guiding me through the kiss.
His lips parted, his tongue running over my top lip. My mouth opened slightly, letting him deepen the kiss. He kissed me confidently, erotically in the most tantalizing ways. I never knew kissing someone could be so pleasurable, so provoking. I felt an urge to go further, the lingering thought to push him into the house and do it all to me starting to push forward.
I drew back gently, my eyes slowly opening. My lips tingled with the sensation, the feeling of his lips on mine lasting long after. He pressed his forehead on mine, and I had to bite back the desire to go back for more. We were in public and it felt far too inappropriate.
"I um-" I started, my thoughts all scrambled from the kiss. "I think I love you. I don't know what love feels like, I never have... but I think this is it."
His smile faltered, shock filling his features. His eyes searched my face like I had something on it. Before I could pull away and smack myself for my stupidity, he pulled me into him. He crushed me into a hug, his body radiating warmth. His fingers tangled into the sweaty mess of my hair, holding my head to his chest. "Calla..." I could feel his heart beating wildly and the thrum of his voice rumbling.
He pulled back, his hands cupping the sides of my face. He drew me in for a short, sweet kiss. He kissed my lips, then my nose, then my forehead, before resting his on mine. "I think I love you too."
I melted into his voice, the words soothing my tension. My shoulders relaxed and a smile started to spread across my cheeks. My hands ran up the sides of his body and I joked my fingers around his biceps. He smiled at the touch.
With his forehead against mine, the light nearing summer breeze lapped at my face, tickling my lashes. Percyus breathed deeply, letting out a soft sigh. "We will find a way to teach you to fight. Maybe we will find out you're exceptional at using a crossbow." I could hear the smile in his voice, even with my eyes closed.
I let out a short, breathy exhale of an unimpressed laugh, "Sure."
His breath danced across my lips in exhale, "Again?"
"Again."
—
"How did you get this information?" Percyus probed, gesturing to the folder slayed out on the rickety desk stationed near the bars of the dungeon.
Camilla let out a small groan of pain as she inhaled, her freshly stitched side. I knew that pain all too well. "I snuck into Alpha Greg's office when he went out. He's been pouring over it for weeks."
I looked at Percy as he mulled over her answer. "I'll bite. Who's the mole?"
She blanched from the steel bed she was sitting atop, "I... I don't know. I'm his handmaiden, so I only heard bits and pieces of conversations he has with his partner. When I get too close they stop talking."
My heart jolted at her words. Handmaiden? Alpha had a new one? My heart ached as I began to realize why she was so skinny. Searching her modestly covered form, I could now recognize the dark shadows underneath her upturned collar, and under shirt cuffs were bruises.
"Who's his partner? His beta?"
"No- it's someone else. I'd never seen him until a few weeks ago. He came from a different pack- him and his wife." She shivered at the thought of him. "He's cruel."
"What's his name?" Percyus asked, his brows furrowed.
"Um..." She gulped nervously, looking between the two of us. "It's your father, King Percyus. Haes."
Percy sucked in a sharp breath, turned on his heel, and left the room. He didn't say another word.
My heart was beginning to thud in my chest harder, my breaths getting ragged. "Haes is his partner?" I asked her.
Her eyes lifted to me, suddenly welled to the brim with tears, she was biting back a sob. She nodded, "Yeah. He and his wife showed up a few weeks ago. They said they'd been banished from this pack a while back and had information on how to overthrow the kingdom. Alpha Greg harbors a hatred against this pack- I don't know why. He's been so obsessive lately."
I nodded numbly, "It's because of me."
Her eyes widened, "What?"
"I used to be in the Black Lunar pack. I was Alpha Greg's... um-... I was his slave." I worked out the words.
"His handmaid?" She asked.
"Not quite, worse than that. He harbored a special hatred against me. I was his personal servant. He took his anger out on me." I took in a shaky breath. "I'm assuming with how skinny you are... and the bruises-"
She looked at the bruise peeking out from under her shirt cuff and covered it back up. "Those aren't from him."
My eyes widened in shock, "He didn't hit you?"
She shook her head, "No, not him. He was completely indifferent to me. He couldn't care less about me. If I put his meal in front of him and made sure his room was clean he completely ignored me."
"Then where did you get those?"
"Haes. He's cruel- like I said. Any handmaiden that gets in his way... he hurts them. This isn't even the worst of it... some of the other girls-" She looked at the ceiling as she blinked back tears. Her next words came out in a shaky whisper as if anything louder would come out as a sob, "he killed them. He beat them to death."
"How did Alpha Greg let that happen?" I asked softly.
"He treats Haes like he's a God. He put him in a position of power." Camilla shook her head angrily. "He's a sick person. He put in all these rules- he's starving us, beating us, torturing..."
"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "No one deserves that."
She sniffed back tears, "I know."
"You don't deserve to be in the dungeons," I said, looking around for the keys.
The guard posted at the door had a key ring attached to his belt loop. I motioned for him, "Will you come unlock this, please?"
"Yes, Luna." He stepped forward and unlocked the door, swinging it open.
Camilla nervously stood, "Am I free to step out?"
"Yeah," I couldn't help the nervous wave that rose in me, still wary of a stranger. But something in me told me I could trust her.
She stepped forward, her shoulders tensed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Just Calla, please. That's just too formal. I don't feel like a 'majesty'."
"Luna Calla," she bowed her head politely. "You are very kind."
When she stepped out of the cell, I could see her wound more clearly. It was a claw mark, three jagged cuts buried deep in her flesh. The stitching was rough and poorly done. I assume the prisoners don't get the same level of precision as members of the pack. I took a small step towards her. "May I?" I gestured towards her injury.
She hesitated a second before nodding.
I reached my hand out and placed it over the wound, the clothing around it cut and open. Through the shredded shirt, I could see bruises wrapping around her torso, all shades of healing colors, some not more than 24 hours old. She must've been beaten yesterday morning before her journey. Small bruises around her hips were from fingers, the small circular pattern something I recognized, familiar. Someone had been digging their fingers into her skin, presumably for trapping her or even throwing her.
My hand glowed over her wound, and within moments, the skin sealed up and returned back to normal. The tension line between her eyebrows immediately released, and the relief on her face was followed by a sigh. "You can heal?"
I smiled shyly, "Yeah, it comes in handy."
"Thank you," She was able to straighten out her hunched back now without pulling stitches. Her full height was a little under average. That's probably why she was made a servant.
"Do you want me to heal your bruises?"
She tilted her head a bit in thought. "No. They keep me angry."
A smile spread across my lips before I could stop it.
"I can tell you and King Percyus the ins and outs of the Black Lunar pack if you'd like. They're planning something big. Something bad." She placed her hand over her heart, "I swear to the Moon Goddess that I am being truthful, and I am loyal to the kingdom."
"I believe you," I said with a soft smile.
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Long time no see, huh? This chapter is garbage, however, expect better to come soon ;)
Ciao