The Alpha King's Claim novel Chapter 23

The Alpha King’s Claim chapter 23 by desirenovel

Serena

After the dark lord introduced himself, he released my waist and walked past me.

“Come with me,” he said, tipping his head briefly towards the double doors.

I was not about to trust him easily especially after that threat so I arched a brow and asked him, “Where are we going?”

He paused from walking and glanced at me with a grin plastered on his face.

“To the human slaves,” he said. “With all the care you are expending to them, I take it you want to see them, right?”

I was aware I was being reckless earlier by showing too much interest on those women, so I decided to mellow it down to try and divert his attention. The trick was to stay true to my ruse of being a werewolf.

“You should know that I care and care deeply no matter what creature he or she is. I value justice and I value life. I step up when no one does. I fight for what is right.”

“Wise words from a queen,” were his simple comment.

I hoped it was enough to lead him to the wrong path of the truth.

“Shall we, Lord Zuir?” I asked, pinning my sights on the doorway.

He stopped me from walking by touching my left arm with his chilly hand.

“Just Hale,” he corrected. “I prefer your tongue speak that name.”

The way he looked at me made me uncomfortable. No matter how beautifully handsome he was, I couldn’t get past the idea that I might be his meal in the future.

I just nodded at him and chose to ignore the little flirting he just did. He continued to walk again and I followed him from behind.

For minutes, we traversed four hallways and two stairs going down before we arrived in what he called as the ‘Slaves Wing.’

The butler earlier walked from behind me like a ghost. I didn’t notice his presence at all! He opened another set of double doors at the signal of his master and then bowed his head.

Inside, a spacious foyer greeted me and filled with it were women of different skin, built and hair color and cut. I was speechless for a moment and I was highly aware my mouth just dropped.

I recognized a few faces from the auction we experienced hours ago. Their eyes lit up at the sight of me, but I also saw a mixture of wariness when they saw the vampire standing next to me. Or at least, a quarter of them gave off that kind of vibe.

Majority of the women were actually starry eyed when they saw their master. My guess was, they had been in this realm…in this castle for quite some time serving the dark lord and probably even experiencing his so-called extreme pleasure.

Then, they dipped their heads and curtsied.

“Welcome, Milord Hale,” most of the women chorused with a little bit of giggle in the end.

My brow briefly quirked up.

I couldn’t believe how obedient and pliant they were. In my eyes, I saw them as a harem for this vampire’s diverse appetite. Was there really no power involved in this set-up? Were they really willing to give up their lives on Earth and trade it for this…weird orgy?

I couldn’t fathom the answer.

“This beautiful woman with me is the Queen of Phanteon. She’ll stay here for the meantime as my special guest. I want the best care for her.”

“Yes, Milord,” they answered.

I noticed a woman standing far away from the group, against a black marble column that was adorned with gold tassels. Though she wasn’t smiling, she looked at me with warm recognition in her eyes.

Blondie! My mind cried out. Somehow, I felt bad I didn’t know her real name, but anyway, that could be corrected later.

Relief filled me upon realizing she was purchased by the dark lord himself. If I’d be lucky, we would be good friends, and possibly partners in the escape plan I was still to concoct in my head. I could convince her to leave with me before the end of the two days, and we could find a way back to our world. We could even bring the others who hadn’t been charmed by the dark lord yet, but I knew that would pose a greater risk.

The dark lord then pivoted and faced the hallway again.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“Where are you going to lead me this time?” I gave him a suspicious glare.

“To your chamber of course, Your Highness. My right-hand man will accompany you upstairs. I’m sure you need rest after such an ordeal in the auction house.”

“I will rest when I want to,” I stated, keeping my voice stern. “Right now, I want to ensure that these women are well-attended to. I know you think of them as slaves but they have lives you know, and they have feelings.”

“You want to stay here,” he stated, not putting a question mark in the end.

“Let me stay here,” I answered.

He glanced at his butler and stated, “I’ll allow you a few hours to spend with them. After that, my right-hand will take you back to your chamber.”

“Agreed,” I nodded.

He left with his cape billowing on the wind. Even though he told me I was his special guest, I still felt like a prisoner here with his controlled activities. However, I’d take anything I could get.

When he and his butler was out of sight, I entered the crowded foyer and flashed a smile. Some reciprocated the friendly gesture, but the others, to my surprise, didn’t.

“If you think you could hoard the Master’s attention all to yourself, then you’re dead wrong,” one woman with a long, black hair stated. She wore a red gown with a neckline that almost spilled her boobs. She reminded me of Betty Boop, but a bitchy version of her.

“What makes you think I want his sole attention on me?” I asked, lifting a brow.

She flashed a mocking smile and rolled her eyes. “Oh please, spare me the innocent act. Everybody here wants a piece of the Master. The fact that you declared yourself a queen in some place made us think you want to be noticed.”

So she doesn’t know Phanteon…my mind commented. I’m unsure whether that was an advantage or not.

“I am a queen, but I don’t expect you to prostrate in front of me. In fact, I’m here to help you…or I should say, I’m here to those who needed help.”

“Help in what?” another woman with a short bob exclaimed. She was a few bodies away from the first woman.

“I believe we had the same circumstances leading to where we are right now. I was in an auction with a number of women and I believe these women need my help more than you do. They wanted to return to Earth.”

“Huh!” the black-haired woman scoffed. “Them? Returning to Earth? But…whatever. The lesser competition on the Master’s attention the better.”

“Exactly my point. So now, I’d like to speak to some of them,” I stated.