Chapter 264: Chapter 264 Begging for Mercy
Lightning split the sky like a blade, and the thunderclap that followed hit me like a physical blow. My body jerked upright in bed, heart hammering against my ribs as the sound reverberated through the walls.
The storm outside was vicious. Rain lashed against the windows with supernatural fury, and each flash of lightning revealed a world transformed into something wild and unforgiving.
But it was the cold emptiness beside me that truly made my chest tighten. Perry’s side of the bed remained untouched, the sheets still crisp and undisturbed. Another night alone. Another night wondering where he disappeared to and what darkness occupied his thoughts.
I pressed my palm against the window, watching the lightning tear through the black sky. The memory of that ship crashed over me—how we would have been thrown around like toys in a storm like this, trapped in that floating prison with nowhere to run. At least here, solid ground stretched beneath my feet.
But the walls were closing in. Days of confinement, first on the ship, then in these rooms, had left me restless and desperate for human connection that went beyond Samuel’s protective hovering.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, unsurprised to find Samuel materializing from the shadows the moment I stepped into the hallway.
"Where are you headed, my queen?" His eyebrows drew together as he took in my determined expression and the jacket in my hands. "Do you need something brought to you?"
"I need to get out of that room before I lose my mind." The words came out sharper than I intended, but confinement was eating at me from the inside. "I want to walk around, see this place, talk to people who aren’t you."
Samuel’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "My queen, wandering aimlessly through the pack house isn’t advisable. There are still... tensions among the members."
"What kind of tensions?" I stepped closer, studying his face. "Are they dangerous to me?"
"Not dangerous, exactly. But uncomfortable. These people lived under Hans’s rule for decades. They don’t know what to expect from... from royalty."
The way he said ’royalty’ carried weight I didn’t fully understand. But I was tired of being treated like fragile glass.
"I have you, don’t I? And our warrior?" I gestured toward the corridor where I knew our guardian was positioned. "What could possibly happen during a simple walk?"
Samuel’s expression suggested he could imagine several unpleasant scenarios, but he knew me well enough by now to recognize when argument was futile.
"Very well," he conceded, though every line of his body radiated reluctance. "But you stay within my sight at all times."
As we moved through the pack house corridors, I became aware of how the atmosphere shifted around us. Conversations died when we appeared. People found sudden urgent business elsewhere. Children were pulled closer to their parents with protective instincts that spoke of fear, not respect.
It was like watching people react to a predator.
"Samuel," I called, motioning him closer.
"Yes, my queen?" He bent down to accommodate our height difference, a gesture that had become familiar but still made something warm flutter in my chest.
"I want to talk to some of them. Not just walk past like I’m inspecting property." Heat crept up my neck as I admitted, "This place is huge, and I don’t want to get lost. But more than that, I need to understand these people. Perry’s told me stories about their history, but I want to see the truth for myself."
"You want to speak directly with pack members?" Samuel’s voice carried a note of warning. "My queen, I’m not certain the king would approve of—"
"The king isn’t here," I interrupted, surprising myself with the steel in my voice. "And what threat could any of these people possibly pose to me? Look at them."
I gestured toward a cluster of women near the far end of the corridor who kept stealing glances at us while pulling their children protectively behind their skirts, as if I might suddenly sprout fangs and attack.
Samuel followed my gaze, and I saw him weighing the situation. He was remembering the dungeon incident—how I’d insisted on going down there despite every protocol, and how Perry had ultimately supported my judgment as long as I remained protected.
With a resigned sigh, Samuel approached the group of women I’d indicated. But the moment they saw him coming—all six feet and several inches of barely contained lethal power—they scattered like startled birds, some actually grabbing their children and fleeing around corners.
I couldn’t help but laugh, though the sound held more sadness than humor. "Samuel, you really need to work on being less terrifying."
"It’s not intentional, my queen," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck with genuine awkwardness.
He tried approaching another small group with the same result. Women recoiled, men stepped protectively in front of their families, and everyone seemed to view him as harbinger of some terrible fate.
"This isn’t working," I muttered, frustration building. I needed to take control of the situation myself.
I spotted three omega women carrying baskets of fruit toward what I assumed was the kitchen area. Perfect. They looked close to my age, and their body language suggested they were focused on their task rather than watching us with paranoid intensity.
Ignoring Samuel’s protective hovering, I walked directly toward them, leaving him no choice but to follow at a distance.
"Excuse me," I called out, keeping my voice gentle but confident. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"
The effect was instantaneous and devastating.
All three women froze as if struck by lightning. Their eyes went wide with terror so pure it made my stomach drop. The baskets tumbled from their hands, fruit scattering across the stone floor in a cascade of apples, pears, and berries.
And then, as if choreographed, all three dropped to their knees with such force I heard the impact. Their faces drained of all color, becoming almost gray with fear.
"Forgive us, my queen!" The words tore from their throats in perfect, terrified unison. "Please have mercy! We beg for your forgiveness!"
The raw terror in their voices hit me like a physical blow. These weren’t just nervous pack members showing respect—these women were convinced I was about to kill them.
"What?" The word came out as barely a whisper. "You haven’t done anything wrong. Please, get up. I’m not going to hurt you."
But my reassurance only seemed to make things worse. They pressed their foreheads to the cold stone floor, their bodies shaking with such violence I could hear their teeth chattering.
"Please spare our lives!" one sobbed, her voice breaking. "We didn’t mean to be in your way!"
"We’ll do anything!" another cried. "Please don’t punish our families!"
The third woman was weeping so hard she could barely speak, just repeating "mercy, mercy, mercy" like a prayer.
I dropped to my knees in front of them, trying to get on their level, but this only intensified their panic. They began pressing themselves even lower, as if trying to disappear into the stone itself.
"I promise I won’t hurt you," I said, my voice cracking with emotion. "Please, look at me. You’re safe."
I reached out slowly, carefully, to touch the closest woman’s shoulder. But the moment my fingers made contact, she let out a scream of pure terror that echoed through the corridor like a death cry.
"NO! Please! We’re sorry! We’re so sorry!"
The sound of her scream brought Samuel rushing over, his face dark with concern and something that looked like guilt.
Behind us, I heard footsteps as other pack members gathered to see what was happening. But instead of offering help or comfort, I caught whispers that made my blood run cold:
"The queen’s angry with the omegas..."
"What did they do?"
"Poor things, they’re done for..."
My heart shattered completely. These people—all of them—saw me as a monster. Something to be feared and avoided at all costs.
"What did Hans do to you?" I whispered, more to myself than to the sobbing women.
But the closest woman—a girl who couldn’t be more than twenty—heard me and looked up with eyes so haunted they would stay with me forever.
"Please," she gasped through her tears. "We know queens don’t speak to omegas. We know we’re beneath your notice. We should have run when we saw you coming."
The words hit me like a slap. This wasn’t just fear of me personally—this was learned behavior. Systematic terror that had been beaten into them over years.
"Listen to me," I said, my voice stronger now, carrying authority I didn’t know I possessed. "I am not your former leaders. I don’t hurt people for existing. And I certainly don’t punish anyone for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Slowly, carefully, I stood up. The women remained on the floor, but their sobbing had quieted to shuddering breaths.
"What are your names?" I asked.
The question seemed to confuse them more than comfort them. They looked at each other with expressions that suggested no one in power had ever asked them that before.
"I... I’m Patricia, my queen," the first woman whispered, not lifting her eyes from the floor.
"Jude," whispered the second.
"Rylie," breathed the third.
"Patricia, Jude, and Rylie," I repeated, committing the names to memory. "It’s an honor to meet you."
This seemed to shock them into looking up. Not at me directly, but at least lifting their faces from the stone.
"Now," I continued, "I was hoping one of you might be willing to show me around. I’d like to learn about this place, about the people here. Would you be comfortable doing that?"
They stared at me like I’d just asked them to fly to the moon.
Patricia, who seemed to be the eldest, finally found her voice. "You... you want us to walk with you? Willingly?"
"Yes. As guides. As... company." I hesitated, then added, "As friends, if you’re open to it."
The word ’friends’ seemed to hit them like another thunderbolt, but this time the shock carried something different—something that looked almost like hope.
