I Survived My Father’s Test And Took His Throne Chapter 03
I thought my father had finally taken pity on me, that he was ready to end this absurd punishment.
But the moment I saw that mask, it was as if I’d been plunged back into ice water.
Before I was sent to the laundry, I tried to assassinate Julian.
I failed.
Afterward, I was locked in the black-site detention sector beneath the castle. My phone and identity chip were confiscated, silver restraints suppressed my wolf, and the pack mind-link was severed.
There, a man in a tactical mask interrogated me.
The first time, he lashed my back with an electric whip soaked in concentrated wolfsbane. The wounds wouldn’t heal, and every surge of current felt like my nerves were being torn apart.
I passed out, only to be revived with icy water and harsh lights.
The second time, he pressed a heated metal probe against my shoulder blade. The smell of burning flesh and my own screams filled the windowless room.
What terrified me most were the silver nerve needles.
Thin needles, sliding in little by little along the edges of my nails until they struck bone. The silver blocked all healing, while a werewolf’s senses magnified the pain.
Now the mask from my nightmares stood before me.
The man who had tortured me with his own hands… was my father.
An invisible hand clamped around my throat, and I couldn’t breathe.
He walked toward me, step by deliberate step, and lowered his voice.
“Princess Laurel. Long time no see.”
I lunged forward and grabbed his arm.
But before I could demand an answer, darkness swallowed me whole.
When I regained consciousness, I was in a room in the royal medical wing.
The door hadn’t been fully shut, and the argument outside came through with painful clarity.
Julian’s voice was thick and shaking, as if he’d been crying.
“This whole charade was your idea. And now she’s pregnant with another man’s child. Are you satisfied?”
Evelyn’s voice turned soft and soothing.
“This is all my fault. I only knew Sister had gotten close to Mason. I didn’t know they’d already slept together. I failed to keep an eye on her. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
My father’s voice was sharp with anger. “Laurel is a bitter disappointment. This child cannot stay.”
“Julian, don’t worry,” he added. “I know her. Once the truth comes out, she’ll still come back to you.”
The three of them discussed it for a long time. In the end, they decided Evelyn would personally handle terminating my pregnancy.
I laid my numb hands over my lower abdomen.
What they didn’t know was that this was not my first pregnancy.
For the past three years, I worked in the laundry during the day. At night, Evelyn’s people secretly took me to the guard training compound.
Those men knew my wolf was suppressed by wolfsbane. They knew my royal pack status was frozen.
At first, I fought with everything I had. I even held a knife to my own throat.
They told me that if I died, or if I refused to obey, they would bring Evelyn in to take my place.
To protect my sister, I stayed alive.
To avoid getting pregnant, I swallowed the suppressants they gave me every time.
But those drugs didn’t always work.
Over three years, I got pregnant six times and terminated six pregnancies alone in underground clinics.
The last time, the healer warned me that the repeated damage, combined with the wolfsbane poisoning, had left my uterus too fragile to survive another procedure.
If I forced another termination, I would most likely bleed to death.
The hospital room door opened.
Evelyn walked in carrying a cup of dark brown liquid. When she saw I was awake, she gave me the same innocent smile she always wore.
“Sister, you’re finally awake.”
“The healer said you’re just weak from being so run-down. This medicine will help you recover. Drink it.”
I looked at her and spoke coldly.
“Evelyn, why are you trying to hurt me?”