Raziya

King Zachary walked through the palace gates in anguish and sorrow. For the first time in his life, he couldn't defend his family.

As powerful as he could be, nations feared and respected his authority. However, those powers were useless to him because he couldn't save his little girl Raziya.

He had not altered a word to the guards that followed him to Alpha Oden's territory after they had left to ride back home.

He came down from his horse nonchalantly and handed the reins of his horse to his horsemen ignoring their greetings.

Now wasn't the time to listen to greetings. The horsemen understood what was eating him up but couldn't do anything about it. Who wouldn't be in excruciating pain after what happened to him?

As soon as he entered the palace, walking briskly to the Queen's chamber turning left were a group of maids talking in hushed tones. They stopped talking as he approached them.

"Greetings Great King Zachary." They crouched a little, their eyes facing the ground in respect.

He nodded repeatedly, waltzing away from them.

"I feel sad for the royal family this period," a maid muttered after she was sure the King wasn't earshot. "Even though Princess Raziya was mean and arrogant to everyone. I wished every day that she'd be gone. I never wanted this ill fate to befall her or her family."

"Shh! Go back to work!" a maid chided in fear of the king's wrath.

He opened the door to Queen Heba's chambers. She was still in bed looking pale.

Prince Archie was by her side holding her hands and looking at her solemnly. He turned abruptly at the sound of the doors opening.

"Father," Archie muttered.

King Zachary trudged to the opposite side of the bed to see his Queen. Anguish etched his heart in her horrible state, that wasn't deserving of her. she was sleeping.

"For how long has she been sleeping?" King Zachary said. He looked up to notice Prince Archie's presence.

Prince Archie sighed in distress and said, "Not too long ago, she decided not to dine or sip. She wails for Raziya!"

King Zachary's face morphs into bitterness. he cursed the day he heard of Alpha Jagger.

"How did it go with Alpha Oden?" Prince Archie muttered faintly to avoid waking the Queen who had stirred in her sleep.

"He can't help us," Zachary scoffed. "He has a daughter to wait on to heal thanks to Alpha Jagger's men."

Zachary scorned!

Archie gasped, "Alpha Jagger is indeed ruthless and evil."

King Zachary nodded in agreement.

The Prince was grateful Alpha Jagger didn't kill his sister just yet. He had an ounce of hope for Princess Raziya.

"Poor Raziya," the Prince cried.

King Zachary adjusted the Queen's beddings, strutting in the process.

He glanced at his son and said, "Give your mother some time alone to rest, she needs it!"

Zachary started walking towards the door of her chambers but he paused, turning back to face his sullen-faced son.

He knew his son as a cheerful and lively young man, but now he was a shadow of himself.

"Pray to the Protectors that Raziya is safe and she's able to come home to us," said the King. "Now cheer up, come with me to the meeting hall let's strategize how to bring your sister back home so everyone can be delighted. after all, you are the Crown Prince and the future of the kingdom."

He moved out of the Queen's chambers with a sulking Prince Archie following him behind.

--------

"Princess, where are you going?" Layla groaned.

Raziya turned swiftly to Layla, assessing her in disgust. Was she dumb or didn't she notice she couldn't change her clothes here?

"Should I change into this filthy dress here? I need to go to my room to change!" she huffed.

Layla knew Raziya was going to be a pain in the neck but she was ready to bend her with strict measures and the help of Alpha Jagger.

"Watch your words, Princess I won't have you disrespect me or you will pay for the consequence!"

Raziya didn't care anymore, what more consequence did she have to face here. So far as it wasn't plucking her eyes or cutting her nipple as the devil Jagger threatened, she was ready for what the filthy Layla had in store for her.

"Whatever." Raziya scorned, clutching her dress firmly so that it covered her breast, and walked away.

She heard gasps but she was already far away to pay attention to where it was coming from.

She mumbled her way through the walkway, wolves in human form kept glaring at her as she passed them but she didn't care anymore.

She knew she couldn't escape now, she noticed the two men that always came to get her from her room with Jerri following her.

Even if she could distract them and run away, she couldn't get past their gates because she was sure she is prey to them and they will stop at nothing to devour her at any chance they get.

She was glad at least her room wasn't locked. One thing she was at least grateful to Jagger for was she had a room to herself. she didn't need to share the room with those filthy and unworthy maids just like in her kingdom.

She entered the room quickly and shut the door.

She stripped off her damaged princess dress. She folded it neatly on her tiny bed. it was already in ruins and she wouldn't have hesitated to throw it away if she was in her kingdom but she couldn't because it was the only thing that will remind her of her dignity as a princess.


She grudgingly wore the maid dress, after all, she needed to wear it, her hands were already aching from having to hold her dress from exposing her breast. She prayed to the protectors that Jagger wouldn't rip this one too since her breast was now an exciting sight to behold for him anytime she appeared before him.


She walked back to the kitchen, Layla was standing at the door with a disapproving look. "Did you have to spend your whole day there Princess? You are now a maid no more taking time to dress up."

Raziya chose to ignore her statement, what's my duty in this dirty kitchen? She probed, ignoring the glare from Layla and the kitchen staff.

"Go over there, join them in kneading the bread dough," Layla instructed, pointing to a corner of the kitchen where three maids were working sharply on a table.

She sauntered towards them. Layla came to the table instructing a maid to put her through. It irked Raziya that she was working in a space filled with wolves.

"It's kneaded this way," the maid informed her calmly when she noticed she was doing it wrongly.

"My name is Sara, what's yours, Princess?"

"Raziya," she gritted.

"It's a pleasure working beside you Princess Raziya," Sara acknowledged.

Raziya grinned and at last someone knew her place here.

"Silence! No more noise!" Layla boomed with authority. Sara shuddered and continued her work in silence.

Raziya sneered. Confidence surged through her; she didn't want to show any form of weakness to either Layla or the maids, none were worthy to challenge her.

She worked tirelessly for hours without stopping. Her throat was dry and ached for water but she couldn't have any.

She was bitter, nobody worked like a slave in her father's kingdom not even Mona her maid. Her stomach churned and growled due to hunger.

She couldn't take it any longer. Just then, Layla walked in to supervise the work In the kitchen.

"Can I get something to eat and drink?" Raziya said, turning to face her.

"You won't eat nor drink anything, now get back to work!" Layla ordered with a glare

Raziya was losing it already, she thumped her hands on the table making a great noise and scattering the dough on the table. Everyone gasped at the sudden turn of events.

"What a temper!"
"What an audacity, even to Layla!" the maids muttered amongst themselves.

"Alpha Jagger instructed you to assign me to a duty and not starve me, what do you think he will do to you if he finds out that you starved me to death?" Raziya retorted, coming close to Layla and looking into her eyes with a grin.

"Of course, he will take pleasure in watching you scream while his minions wipe you," Layla added.

Fear coursed through Layla, she feared the wrath of Jagger, and everyone feared him. She twitched as she imagined the horror she would face should anything happen to the princess under her watch.

"If the princess should die, it should occur in Jagger's hands and no one else."

"Come with me," Layla grumbled but it almost sounded like a plea. Raziya smirked in her victory and followed her.

Just as they were walking out of the kitchen, Raziya sighted from her peripheral, the woman from before, the dead wolf's sister who was sending death glares and almost attacked her the day she arrived.

"Fuck! Can my day get any worse?" Raziya swore under her breath.

Layla paused when she got close to her and bowed a little. "Greetings Nailah."

Nailah grimaced at Raziya as her gaze shifted from Layla to her. She stared at her with an icy gaze, her demeanor cold.

Fear coursed through Raziya, she didn't want to die at the cruelty and vengeance of this woman. Raziya's face turned blank in split seconds, beneath the stares of this woman held a thousand words and Raziya could feel it. so she lowered her gaze.

Nailah's blood was boiling, she was standing face to face with her brother's killer. She was fighting every urge not to tear her into pieces. Jagger's words kept restraining her from prancing on the killer; she could hear the echo loud and clear: You look like one of those dogs on the street. If you do not come to your senses, I shall have you kicked out to where you belong!


Nailah crossed to where Raziya stood, leaning close enough to her ears.

Raziya's knees were weak and almost gave her out, her heart was beating fast in fear, and her eyes were wide open in anxiety. She stopped breathing momentarily.

She felt the breath of Nailah on the side of her face close to her ears.

"Now, don't think I can't kill you for my brother's death, I'm just waiting for the right time!" Nailah whispered in a cold and evil tone.

Raziya shuddered her eyes trained to the ground, Nailah straightened herself, dusting imaginary dirt off her
dress calmly. She chuckled and brushed past Raziya, roughly almost knocking her off to the floor.

Raziya felt nauseous, her stomach was churning. She ran to the side quickly, throwing out debris from her guts.

Layla moved to her side patting her calmly but she shook her hands off her back.

"I need water please," Raziya begged, something she learned how to do the moment she mistakenly killed the gamma.

Layla left her and hurriedly went to get water, she pitied her but it wasn't in her hands to decide what happened to the princess.

"Ugh! I hate this life!" Raziya groaned. "Can't I just wake up from this dream already? It's getting very scary and it's getting too long for me to bear."

Raziya kept lamenting.

Layla came back almost immediately with a jug of water and some food, handing Raziya the water first to clean up the mess.

Raziya took the jar from her, gulping the water in one swift move to rinse her mouth before throwing it away.

She slurped the water till she felt relief. Layla watched her keenly with compassion.

"Here take this food," said Layla. She handed Raziya the plates containing the food. "You can go back to your room and take a break while you eat and drink, come back when you are relieved and don't waste time before words are sent across to the Alpha that you are lazing around."

"Thank you." Raziya grinned in appreciation. After all, Layla wasn't a demon like the others.

Layla nodded and left her.