At the center

Kaiden's POV

The moment I saw Lilian step her foot into my chambers, I could sense the tension that was so noticeable in the air.

Isabel stood to the side and her eyes burned with anger.


Lilian, on the other hand, looked calm and collected. She looked almost too calm. It irritated me so much. Why was she always calm if she was not already a deceptive and pretending liar?

I didn’t have the patience for any of this. But I knew that I was going to do this since I felt the strong urge to punish her already.


"Lilian," I called her name in a somewhat stern voice. "Isabel tells me you had a disagreement." I said as I watched her.


She met my gaze and I could see that her expression was neutral.


"If you can call it that," she said softly without even having to look at me.

She had on her face this calm demeanor that irritated the shit out of me but I maintained my composure.


I angrily clenched and unclenched my jaw, I could already feel my frustration building.


"Explain." I demanded and from the corner of my eyes I could see that Isabel nodded her head in agreement.


"I was walking, and she confronted me," Lilian said, without looking at either of us. "She accused me of thinking I was better than everyone else. I told her I know who I am, and I won't let anyone make me feel less than I am." I watched her say.


And something about what she was saying made me know that she was telling the truth.

But the arrogant prick that resided inside me didn't let me just stop there.

I wanted, if nothing much, to see her punished. To get some sort of reaction whatsoever from her.


Isabel jumped in before I could respond.

"That's not the whole story, Kaiden." She said in an eager and no doubt, troublesome voice. "She was disrespectful to me. She needs to be punished severely." She opined.


I turned to Isabel and I narrowed my eyes as I watched her.


"And what would you suggest?" I asked her.


"Flog her," Isabel said without hesitation, her voice filled with malice.


I blinked, taken aback. Flogging was actually a bit extreme. It was reserved for serious offenses, not petty arguments.

But I wasn't going to refuse that especially since I wanted to get a reaction from Lilian.


Enough with her pettiness and calmness.

I glanced back at Lilian, who remained silent, her eyes were locked onto mine.


"Isabel, that's a bit too extreme," I said slowly, I was trying my hardest to gauge her reaction. "We don’t flog pack members for disagreements." I told her.


Isabel crossed her arms over her chest, her expression was a bit defiant.


"Kaiden, she needs to learn her place." She told me as a way of trying to convince me. "If she's not punished, she'll continue to disrespect everyone." She said to me,
I felt a surge of frustration of some sort.


I hated that I was caught between these two. It annoyed the shit out of me. I turned back to Lilian, who hadn’t moved an inch.


"Lilian, do you understand the position you're putting me in?" I asked her and she looked at me.


"What position?" She asked me without even blinking or flinching. Not even cowering away in fear at what was to come.


"You got into an argument with Isabel and now I will have to punish you." I told her and she just watched me quietly for a while. Then she responded.


"That?" She asked and then looked pointedly at Isabel. "Yes." She responded.


"Good," I said and I went back to Isabel.

"We'll handle this differently." I told her.


"No, Kaiden," Isabel interrupted, stepping forward. "She needs to be punished properly. If you don't do this, she'll think she can get away with anything." Isabel insisted and I watched her.


Lilian on her part did nothing to change the situation. She just stood silently like a sheep to be slaughtered and it infuriated the shit out of me to see that she was being silent through it all.


At the very least some reaction of whatever sort would have been deeply appreciated.

I let out a sigh. I could feel the tension in the room getting more and more thicker by the minute.


The air was almost unbreathable. Isabel was still standing there, and I knew she wouldn’t back down now.

Not until she had gotten her revenge, I could see. I turned back to look at Lilian as I felt my expression hardening.


"Fine," I said reluctantly. "Since you have chosen to be a pain in the ass, I am going to treat you as such and I will be punishing you for that." I told her and while I expected some sort of reaction of whatever sorts, Lilian only nodded her head again, and her face was expressionless.



"Yes, Kaiden." She said monotonously.
I took a deep breath and I prepared myself for what I was about to do. Just as I was about to give the order, there was a knock at the door.


"Who is it?" I asked.
"Prince Kaiden, I bring you a message from the Alpha." A voice said from outside the door.


"Come in. " I instructed and the door opened and I saw a pack guard enter. His face looked serious.


"Prince Kaiden," he said as he bowed slightly. "The alpha is asking to see you."

He informed me.

And somehow that seemed to make me feel relieved. It was about time, I thought.
"I'll be right there," I said to him and he turned and left.

I turned my attention back to Lilian. "Wait here. I'll deal with you when I return." I told her as I gathered my stuff and walked away from the room. I could see that Isabel looked furious, but she held her tongue.

I left the chambers and I followed the guard to my father's quarters.