Yohana sat huddled against the car door, her shoulder pressed firmly against the cold glass in a desperate attempt to put as much distance as possible between herself and Iskander. She stared out the window, her reflection showing a face twisted with agitation.
"Why am I even here?" she muttered, her voice barely a whisper as she glared at the back of the driver's head. "I'm just a slave, right? A possession. Surely it's a crime for someone like me to sit beside a King so esteemed I shouldn't even be allowed to look at him." She leaned her head against the window, the vibration of the road rattling through her skull. "The palace air must be making him senile."
Iskander heard every word. He kept his eyes fixed on the tablet in his lap, his thumb scrolling through a report, but the muscle in his jaw tightened. Her constant, sharp-tongued whispering was beginning to grate on his nerves, cutting through the quiet hum of the engine.
"I can hear every word you're spouting," Iskander said, his voice low and dry. He didn't look up from the screen, but the cold edge in his tone was enough to fill the small space of the car. "If you're going to insult me, at least dare to do it at a normal volume."
"Don't you have a kingdom to run? Or is eavesdropping on 'lowly slaves' part of the official job description now?" Yohana spat, turning her head toward him.
Iskander finally set the tablet down and turned his head slightly toward her. His dark eyes were calm, but there was a flicker of irritation that only made her want to kick him.
"My job description includes keeping my property where I can see it," he countered smoothly. "And right now, you're being very loud for someone who claims they shouldn't even be looking at me."
"I'm not looking at you," she hissed, noticing his side-eye. She turned her head sharply to stare at the front. "I'm looking at the guard up there."
"Really?" Iskander's voice grew darker, the air in the car suddenly feeling thick with his Alpha aura. "You want me to kill him?"
He shifted his gaze to the guard in the passenger seat. The poor man caught Iskander's look in the rearview mirror and started shaking profusely, his hands gripping his knees.
"Whatever!" Yohana huffed. She could tell he wasn't being entirely serious; he just liked being a bully.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Why am I even sitting next to you? I'm your slave, after all! Slaves belong in the back, or better yet, not in the car at all."
"If it irks you that much, then should I let you run behind the car?" Iskander asked, a mean glint in his eyes. "Just like they did in the past… running behind the carriage?"
He leaned back, relaxing his spine against the leather seat as he tapped the glass partition. "Stop the car," he commanded the driver.
'Yes, do it!' She thought, her eyes darting toward the door handle. If 'I could get that chance, I'd run as far away as possible from this monster.'
She didn't realize her expression had betrayed her until she heard him chuckle.
"Don't even think about running away," Iskander said, his lips pulling into a grin. He watched her hand twitch toward the lock and felt a strange tug in his chest. Sometimes he wondered if he was the slave here, constantly caving in to her temper just to keep her within arm's reach.
The car screeched to a halt on the deserted road. Yohana's heart leaped into her throat. She hadn't actually thought he would do it.
As much as she hated him, she wasn't really serious about running away right this second… She wasn't stupid. She couldn't put her brother or the rest of the pack in harm's way just for a few minutes of freedom.
Iskander watched the conflict play out on her face and felt satisfied.
"Keep the car running," Iskander said coolly to the driver. Before Yohana could even process the breath she was holding, the car began to move again, cruising down the road as if the stop had never happened.
Yohana didn't say a word after that. She shrank back into the corner of the seat, her bravado completely gone. She stayed like that for the rest of the drive, watching out of the window until they finally arrived at a deserted place.
The car slowed to a crawl before coming to a final stop.
"Where are we?" Yohana couldn't help but ask as she looked around, feeling uneasy.
Iskander didn't answer right away. He just tucked his tablet into his leather bag and opened the door. "Get out," he commanded.
Yohana hesitated but followed him, her boots crunching on the overgrown gravel.
Just a few hundred meters away, she could see the ruins of an old mansion. It looked like it had been grand once, but now it was just a skeleton of stone and wood.
It wasn't just ruins; nature was slowly swallowing the place whole. Little plants were coming out of the cracks in the walls, and thick green mosses were draped over the stones.
"Is this where you're going to kill me?" she asked as her voice shook. "A bit cliché for an Alpha King, don't you think?"
Iskander stood at the edge of the stairs ahead, his back to her.
"This place was once very dear to me, but…" He trailed off, turning to look at her with an expression that made her blood run cold. "I brought you here to meet someone."
Yohana froze. She looked back at the moss-covered walls, her mind racing. The place felt like a graveyard, and the way Iskander looked was really terrifying.
"Who would you want me to see?" she asked, taking a cautious step toward him. "Slaves aren't usually invited to see the King's guests, are they?"
Iskander said nothing. He didn't even look back at her as he began walking toward the entrance where a grand door used to be.
He just gestured for her to follow him inside. Yohana hesitated, her heart hammering against her ribs, but she knew better than to stay behind, and she still followed.
There was a man on his knees, his hands bound tightly behind his back. His eyes were covered with a dark blindfold, and a thick piece of cloth was shoved into his mouth to keep him quiet. He was muffled, struggling weakly against his restraints.
"Uncle… Uncle Vincent!" Yohana screamed as she recognized the person.