Chapter 51

'Orla?? Orla??" He called out to her, he hadn't seen her for quite some time and he only hoped she as fine, and he couldn't hear her bells either so it might be that she was somewhere resting. She better not be with Czar, but he had a feeling he had already began to do bad things to her. But his doubts are proven wrong when he sees the Beta heading to bed with another woman,
'Czar, have you seen Orla anywhere? I can't find her." He states his concern to Czar but all he does is smile like the idiot he is,
'I remember seeing her in the garden, she was playing with the flowers," he turns to his lady for the night and Loki could tell that she didn't want to spend the night with him, 'I hope someone isn't playing with her flower." He made the shrewd joke before going into the direction of his room to do his business.
His joke however did upset Loki and he rushes into the garden to see Mace doting on her like she was a child, she would move away from time to time as he tried to touch her in more sensual places. Seeing this made him sad but he still kept a straight face,
'Orla! What are you still doing out late at night? You're meant to be in bed!" The boom of his voice made her shriek and her shaky brown orbs turn to meet the hard stare of her savior,
'I-I-I wanted….to….." She shoots a glance at Mace and Loki catches it really quick, he was starting to feel that Mace had already excited her body, 'give….." She was hiding something behind her but he was more concerned with getting her out of Mace's clutches.
She was on his lap and his hands were around her curves, sticking to them like glue, it was only a matter of a few moans from her and he would be putting himself on top of her to hear more of her melodies.
'She was enjoying the scent of the flowers, let her play for a little while, the night is still young brother." Mace smiles a little as he takes in the honey scent of her hair, 'what have you been bathing her with? She smells so good." He was practically drooling, he places a kiss on her cheek and she burns like a candle, 'would you like to stay with me tonight Orla?"
Loki didn't believe his brother had the audacity to ask her that question, knowing fully well that she isn't stable and if she says yes then she's a goner.
'Mace I don't think we should do this, you might eventually end up doing something to her if you're not careful." He moves closer to them and he stretches his hand for her to take it, 'come on Orla, let's go to my room." She looks at his hand and her face squeezes with sadness, he hadn't seen that reaction before but what baffled him the most was when she hugged Mace and returned the kisses he gave.
'Awww, she likes me now." He celebrates his big win but his hands slither around her thighs and this makes Loki's blood boil,
'Mace this isn't right, you know she's not sane and she's elderly." He reminds him and Mace heaves a sigh, he really didn't want to let her go but he had promised his brother. He whispered something into her ears and her eyes swell with comical tears, he whispers again and she is relaxed. She agrees to follow Loki but doesn't say anything to him.
Mace watches them leave before turning to the moon, and although the night was calm he still had a feeling that something bad would happen. If Sativa were here, she would tell him what his uneasy feeling was but the proud woman had stepped on his toes too many times. He had began to doubt her knowledge.
'Orla talk to me, please!" He begs but she doesn't say a thing, she does keep hiding something behind her back, 'if I've done anything wrong then I'm sorry." He didn't do anything wrong but he knew women loved apologies even though the men were not at fault. It worked all the time for Sheila.
'You……I…..missed you….but you're always busy!!" She does her best to form sentences in midst of all the emotions, 'you're….. leaving me….I don't….like being…. Without you." She admits and she hands him the crown of flowers she was weaving, 'you….should be king." She pays him the compliment and he is convinced that she had to be the most innocent person the goddess had ever created.
He takes it slowly from her hand and he admires the artwork,
'Thank you so much Orla, you're the only one who really understands me….." He places the crown on his head and she claps in approval, she does a quick mock bow, almost falling over but he is there to catch her, 'I wish….." His eyes were tearing and he didn't know when he hugged her as tight as he could.
Octavia was shocked with the action but she had to comfort him as he poured his tears on her shoulders, she wraps her arm around his torso and rubs his back lovingly. The poor man was still heartbroken.
'Mother….." It was all he ever wanted and he had never accepted that his mother was gone forever. He hoped she was still roaming around somewhere unharmed but it couldn't be so when he buried her himself.
Octavia could feel the pain in his heart and she rests him on his bed, using her lap as a pillow. She begins to sing him an old lullaby, the same one her clan women always sang to their children when they couldn't sleep. The same song she always sang to Arcadia when she was pulling tantrums. It was laced with magic and it was bound to make the listener fall asleep.
She strokes his hair gently and his eyes began to falter, and though he wanted to open his mouth to speak, he couldn't. He was already so tired and his eyes were almost shut. He holds her hand tightly as he drifted to sleep; but at least he was able to know where Orla was from.
She was from the rose tribe and it only explained why she was so beautiful. How he came to this conclusion was a memory of Sheila, she sang the same song to him, this was something only the wolves of the rose pact knew. And for Orla to know it then it means she was a rose wolf. It only made so much sense but what he didn't understand was why someone would curse her.
He knew the tribe was always hunted down because of their power and it could be possible that Orla was a woman of high importance in the clan but she was attacked and cursed and left to die.
Whatever it was, he found a mother in her.
'Your majesty." He takes a sharp bow before raising his form again, Mace was sitted on his throne and he played with the red wine in his glass cup,
'What's the report?" He didn't bother wasting time, Conan takes in a deep breath and pushes it out,
'It seems he had a rival, and may be out of jealousy he was killed." He does his best to make the most believable lie. Mace thinks for a while, he had been unable to sleep as his mind was filled with thoughts of Arcadia, but then again even Conan's lie was the truth, 'he was attacked from his back and it happened to be a struggle. Whoever the person is, they are living in your palace. At this stage it could be anyone."
Mace nods in thought and he drops his wine, he throws his robe over his body, he needed rest,
'Thank you for doing your work, make sure to get some sleep." He greets Conan goodnight and heads to his room, crazy things have been happening and Sativa's words kept ringing in his ears. He collapses on his bed and memories wash up on him; how he fought Arcadia and how she refused to die.
He tosses a bit, that wasn't the issue, he would take something precious from her and it would drag her to his palace…..and there he would end her reign once and for all.
He take a glance at the moon once more, words repeating in his head,
'To defeat the princess you must do it from the inside. She must begin to like you."
'Over my dead body."