Miatta
Yvette stepped away from the Lycan Prince, her mouth agape with shock. I had done the exact opposite of what she had probably been expecting. I remembered that I was not supposed to be causing any trouble because I had pledged my allegiance to the Lycan King, and so, I was to be seen and not heard. I rose to my feet and executed a perfect curtsy that would have put Addy's to shame.
"Is that all you have to say, Miatta?" The prince relented, and it turned out that Yvette was not the only one I had managed to disappoint with my good wolf act. He adjusted his stance, and I said nothing more, waiting for him to leave.
"Do you even know the punishment for your offense?" He continued speaking, encircling me in the process. I was tempted to follow his movements to prevent him leaving my line of sight, but it would not suit my objective. I was not afraid of many people, but the Lycan King was an exception. The lycan surrounding me was about to join that exception list. It felt weirdly good to be on my knees before him, no matter how wrong my brain fought the submissive action.
"I don't know, but I'm willing to do anything to make up for my mistakes."
"Good." He stopped behind me and placed his hand flat on my head. "Come with me."
I curtsied again and followed after him quietly. Yvette smiled mischievously and came with us triumphantly. The Lycan Prince noticed she was following us and stopped in his tracks.
"No. Stay here, Yvette. I will send it to you later.
"But I have to be by your side, my Lord. She is a liar and she is deceiving you with this act she's putting up! She's dangerous, she's..."
You have said enough, Prefect! Do not provoke!You are not to tell me whom I am to believe or not! " His voice vibrated with genuine anger, and I shivered with his authority. Yvette broke down eventually, and I tried my best to suppress my laughter. Duly chastised, she apologized with a teary voice and took off to cry some more in a distant place, her followers running after her. He tugged on my arm more fiercely than required, and together, we left the room.
"Miatta, Miatta," he repeated, my name, and we were out of sight. "Whatever shall I do with you?"
He was clearly troubled and, for some reason, refused to meet my eyes. I remained on alert, keeping my character in check. He sighed heavily, reminding me of his presence, and I was jolted by his sudden closeness behind me. I inched away from him and he closed the gap effortlessly. He pulled out a spiky collar from a place within his regalia.
"Now for your punishment, you are to wear this collar around your neck until I am sure you will behave next time. This is a magical tool, and it will suppress your wolf spirit for the time being. Once you can prove that you have changed for the better, I will take it off and free you. If not, you will wear it for, well, forever. " He grinned maliciously and unlocked the latch behind the collar.
"Guards, hold her down nicely for me," he ordered breezily, and I was immediately held to my knees, beefed arms pressing onto my shoulders. The memory of my mother being held down by those lycan warriors flashed through my mind.
You can't do this! I said I was sorry! I said I was sorry!! " I repeated, the second plea coming from the wolf within me. She was whining and whimpering, but I was helpless to stop her. The cold steel went around my neck and closed, but whether it was temporary or permanent was primarily up to me, according to what he had said. I had not realized that I had been crying until the drops fell onto the dust before me. I could no longer feel my wolf. She was silent, muted, suppressed. They let go of me as I was not capable of harming either of them, but I was not feeling like fighting at all.
I hate you for doing this to me! I hate you! " I clawed at the collar, but it sat tightly around my neck and it seemed tighter every time I tugged on it. It was thick, and its edges were sharp and rough.
"There she is! That's the Miatta I've heard so much about. It turns out Yvette was right after all. You are dangerous and this is the most effective way to keep you under my thumb. This way, you can't attack anyone as a wolf, and I can rest assured that the other slaves are safe. " He turned his back on me and I was tempted to claw at his back, but when I remembered I no longer had claws but buffed nails, I sat on my heels instead.
"You are lucky it was me and not my father or Beta Logan. They would have attached a chain to your collar and made you crawl through the town on your hands and knees, buck naked. I'm not that extreme, so you should be thanking me for chopping off that part of your punishment. " He signalled to the guards poised beside me, and they lifted me up roughly, pushing me back to my unattractive abode.
"You will pay for this! I will make sure of that. I screamed at the top of my lungs, forgetting my act. Suddenly, a sharp pain hit my head and the collar squeezed my throat further. I choked on my spittle, shutting up immediately, and the pain mysteriously ceased. I touched the collar apprehensively, and as if planned, he explained, his back was still turned to me:
"That’s the effect of the collar. When you are angry, your wolf tries to emerge, and when it does, the magic of the collar weakens it and thus causes you pain because it is an unnatural method of punishment. I suggest you stop trying to fight it, or you might experience a lot of headaches for the rest of your stay here. It was nice to meet you, Princess Miatta. " He chuckled and departed from my presence. Somehow, I was sad to see him go, and I couldn't explain it. How could I be attracted to someone as evil and heartless as the Lycan Prince? In no time, I was thrown back into the midst of slaves and abandoned to stew on my thoughts.