CHAPTER 54>>>>BETA RAGNAR.

Inside Beta Ragnar's quarters, Prince Dominus sat in a chair close to his uncle as he watched them nurse his injuries. He strained his eyes, examining it; it was the first time he was seeing the beast at work, hurting someone.

The last person anyone would have expected the beast to attack was Beta Ragnar. Almost everyone who knew of the beast understood that he had a soft spot for his brother. But seeing the blisters and deep wounds all over his body made Prince Dominus nervous.

Next, the sound of the door opening snapped Dominus from his concentration. When he turned, it was Brevin.

Once Brevin walked in, he scrunched his nose in disgust. The room smelled of burnt flesh and crushed herbs. Meanwhile, Beta Ragnar lay half-propped on the furs, his face slick with sweat and his breathing coming in jerks. His chest rose and fell heavily. The blisters spread across his ribs and shoulders where the beast had held him. They were both ugly and red, some still cracked and bleeding; his wolf healing process was never fast.

His entire left arm was bandaged in a strip that had turned dark red with blood.

Kneeling next to him was a woman treating him. Her small hands squeezed a clean cloth into a bowl of ointment. The thick paste was dark brown and had a sharp smell. Once she opened it, both Brevin and Dominus covered their noses immediately. It was an ointment that made werewolves heal faster—locally cooked, crushed from mountain leaves and boiled roots. With each dip, she gently applied it over the swollen flesh, and Ragnar hissed loudly through his teeth, trying to hold back his pain.

“Heyyyyy! Careful bit…” Ragnar growled painfully.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” the girl quickly apologized, her head bowed low.

With that, she moved slowly, applying the ointment.

Prince Dominus sat stiffly in the corner, his hands gripping his knees so tightly that his knuckles were white. Now that he had seen what the beast could do to someone related to him, he wondered what it would do to complete strangers. He was realizing how dangerous his father was.

Ragnar turned his head just enough to meet his nephew’s eyes. For a moment, he stared at them, and only Brevin was smiling—actually trying to stifle a laugh, his cheeks puffed.

Moments later, the girl was done. She quickly picked up her ointments and left the room for the royals.

Once she did, Dominus leaned forward, unable to look away from the blisters. The flesh looked raw, and the wounds were wide. It felt like the beast was angry. This was not the kind of wound that came from just claws; it was something deeper than a normal dig.

He swallowed hard. “The Alpha did this to you?”

Ragnar slowly raised his head to him, his face red with rage. “Alpha?”

“Come off it, nephew! The beast, not the Alpha, did this to me!” he barked angrily.

“He is your brother. Accord him some respect,” Dominus snapped.

“I guess he totally forgot we were brothers a few hours ago when he tried to kill me, huh?” Ragnar fired back.

Dominus’s jaw tightened. “He didn’t try to kill you. If he wanted you dead, uncle, you wouldn’t be lying here breathing right now. He's just a beast who's gone feral and sometimes doesn’t process things the right way!”

Ragnar gave a bitter laugh that turned into a cough. He gripped the edge of the furs, grimacing as the pain cut through him. “That’s your excuse? That he spared my life so I should be grateful?!”

“He’s still your Alpha,” Dominus shot back. “You don’t get to sit here and spit on his name just because the beast lost control.”

“Lost control? Is that what you call this?” He yanked at the edge of the bandage, exposing a strip of blistered skin. “This isn’t ‘losing control,’ boy. This is an attempt on my life. And right now, if he can attack me, then imagine what he does to normal people whenever he breaks out!”

Brevin, who had been sitting back and allowing the men to argue, finally butted in. “It's okay!” he said, raising his hand in the air. “This is not the time or place for this right now.”

Brevin raised his hands, grinning. “I’m just saying, uncle Ragnar is not wrong. You think this was the beast’s last outburst? Next time, he won’t stop at just Ragnar. He can attack anyone!”

Finally, Ragnar sank back against the furs, his face pale with exhaustion, as Dominus turned his back.

“Uncle Ragnar, what really happened? Why did he attack you? Did you go to the beast's cage?”

“What does that matter?” he snapped. “All that matters is he attacked me, someone he is never supposed to attack in the first place. Whether he came to me or I went to him doesn’t really matter.”

“He attacked me, so he can attack anyone. We need to talk about disposing of him from the Alpha title and finding somewhere else to keep him. We can't keep him here. How long do we plan to hide this forever?”

“Dispose of an Alpha while he’s still alive?” Dominus scoffed. “That will never happen.”

Dominus shot to his feet so fast that the chair nearly toppled backward.

“Dispose of him?” he repeated, still in disbelief that Beta Ragnar would even dare to ask for such a thing, his tone heavy with incredulity. “You speak of him like he’s a rabid dog to be put down. That is our Alpha—my father… your brother… you’re talking about!”

Ragnar met his glare, unflinching despite the pain twisting across his features. “And what happens when he kills someone that matters next time? What will you say then? ‘He’s my father, forgive him’? Will you still defend him when it’s you lying here, burnt and bleeding?”

Dominus’s lip curled, his disgust clear. “You want to strip him of his title because of one outburst? Because the beast struck back for whatever reason you provoked him? You’re supposed to be his second-in-command, Uncle Ragnar—not the first to stab him in the back.”

“I’m out of here!” he spat. “I won't be part of this stupid talk with any of you.”

With that, Dominus stormed out of the room, leaving just Brevin and Lord Ragnar.

*****

*****

“You can come in!” Akira shouted, and Gilly grumbled, muttering words to herself and then to Akira before she made her way inside.

“Pack up the whole place; Prince Dominus might come back any time soon, so be fast about it,” Akira said, sashaying past Gilly in a dramatic manner. Her hips swayed as she walked, her chin held high as if she were anything more than a slave.

She snapped her fingers in Gilly's face. “Clean up the table properly.” Every word was laced with mockery.

Gilly gritted her teeth in anguish as she watched Akira and Beth walk away. She wished she could smack the dirty smirks off their faces as they passed her.