Theo walked down the hallway, with the female servant two steps in front. She wondered why Cain had suddenly requested she started to join him for dinner, but the answer was obvious already.
To get stronger.
She wasn’t too far from her room when Seraphina stirred inside of her, and she almost paused to listen to what her wolf had to say. There were a few things to discuss with her, but Theo was too riddled with sadness and rage right now to talk.
Again, she stirred and Theo paused for a mont. This wasn’t the kind of movent Sera made when she wanted to talk. In fact, she had just groaned softly. Was she getting weaker?!
As Theo thought about it, she recalled sothing similar had happened this morning after her fight. She had been walking down this sa wall before she found the letter and Seraphina had stirred in her weirdly, even though she said nothing was wrong.
"Luna?" The servant called a few feet away after she noticed Theo had stopped.
"I’m right behind you," Theo brushed it off and continued moving forward.
The only paths she knew in the castle were the ones that led directly to the back door, where she always used to head to the training grounds. And recently, another path that led to the archives.
The castle was excessively huge, and every hallway seed to lead to another. They walked for almost ten minutes before they finally appeared on the stairs leading downstairs.
Then, they arrived at the dining room.
The table was long and a chandelier hung in the middle of the room. Different dishes filled the table, and as she walked in, Cain sat down at the end of the table, with Rex standing a few feet behind him.
The Servant escorting her bowed and retreated to the side, while Theo took her seat opposite Cain.
The room had an aroma of different dishes, but she wasn’t moved in the slightest. And her stomach decided it was the perfect ti to make noise and alert everyone in the house that she was extrely hungry.
"How does it feel to sleep for the first ti in weeks?!"
She looked up at him, both hands fisted on the table, "I guess that’s what you’ve been waiting for, huh?!" She asked, "For to fall asleep so you can take away my bracelet,"
"I wasn’t waiting till you fell asleep. I could have still taken it away while you were awake,"
"Where is it?" She demanded.
"Sowhere that isn’t your wrist," He stated, his eyes flashing a stern warning, "And I didn’t invite you down here to start with your tantrums. You Will eat, you will speak to respectfully and have a normal conversation. Do I make myself clear?!"
She scoffed, picked up a fork and stabbed a chicken in front of her, "How commanding. I could almost faint from it all, but no, thank you. Respect flew out of the window between us a very long ti ago,"
"I’ll catch it and bring it back," He smiled and took a bite of at to his mouth, "You seem more agitated than before. Did you find out about sothing terrible?!"
He was doing this on purpose.
"You WILL give my bracelet, or I will find it,"
"What makes you think I haven’t thrown it out the window?"
"Because it’s too rare, and soone who has your gigantic ego and pride wouldn’t be able to get rid of sothing like that so easily,"
He smirked, "Smart,"
And that was it. He dismissed her with his eyes and continued with his food like she was now invisible.
Theo internally scread her frustration, then she leaned back on the majestic chair and crossed her arms.
"Eat, Theodora," He stated.
"No,"
"Then I’ll rip your stomach open, and shove the food inside,"
"If you do that, I’ll die and so will the demon. So please, go on," She smiled mockingly.
He didn’t say anything after that and quietly finished everything that was placed in front of him. She heard the clank of his utensils against the glass plate, and looked up when the chair legs scraped against the floor.
He was getting up.
And he was headed to where she sat.
Cain stopped beside her chair, and she stiffened at his closeness.
He stood there long enough for the silence to stretch thin, long enough for every servant in the room to beco painfully aware that sothing had shifted.
Then, Cain reached down to her, and she flinched a bit, ready to bite down on his hand when it slipped past her and grabbed the dish in front of her instead.
He picked up her plate.
Theo’s head snapped up, "What—"
He didn’t look at her as he lifted it. He didn’t threaten. He didn’t sneer. He simply turned and walked a few steps away, setting the plate down on the opposite end of the table.
Then he gestured.
Two servants moved instantly.
The servants approached her chair, one on each side, awaiting the next command.
Cain finally spoke, "Lift her."
Her stomach dropped, "Don’t you dare—"
They didn’t stop. The mont they touched her, she wriggled away and slapped their hands off, "—touch !" She finished.
Cain gestured again, "Rex,"
And the Beta moved toward her. Rex wasn’t as huge as Jarred, but his strength was more devastating. Despite her fighting, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with terrifying ease toward the Alpha.
He only let go when he was right next to Cain.
Cain pulled out the chair beside him and sat. Then, calmly, he looked at her.
"Sit," he said.
Theo stood frozen for half a second, fury and humiliation burning hot in her chest. Every instinct scread to fight, to explode, to bare her teeth.
But Seraphina stirred weakly again, a faint ache curling through her ribs.
Cain noticed. He always did.
"Now," he repeated, softer.
Rex pressed down on her shoulders, forcing her to sit down.
The chair was close enough that her knee brushed his thigh when she shifted. She recoiled instantly, but Cain didn’t react. He didn’t chase the contact. He let it exist like an unspoken truth.
He reached for her plate and slid it back in front of her. Then he picked up a knife.
Theo stiffened.
Not at her.
At the food.
He cut a piece of at carefully, thodically, like this was a ritual he’d perford a thousand tis. He speared it with the fork, then placed the fork back on her plate.
He wasn’t feeding her. Just... preparing it.
"You know what I find fascinating, Theodora?" he said. "You confuse control with cruelty,"
"Here we go again," She mumbled.
"Cruelty is loud," Cain continued dismissively, "ssy. Obvious. What your wolf did that night—" He paused, just enough, "—that wasn’t cruelty."
Her fingers trembled against her lap.
"That was precision," he said., He finally turned his head and looked at her then, "And this?" he gestured faintly to the table, the servants, and the room entirely, "This is control,"
Theo’s chest felt too tight.
"You think I’m punishing you," he went on, "But I’m not, "He leaned back slightly, relaxed, and unbothered, "I’m teaching your body sothing your mind refuses to learn," Cain said, "That you don’t get to starve yourself into absolution. You don’t get to be stubborn here,"
Her eyes burned.
"You don’t get to decide what you deserve," he added quietly. "I do,"
He turned to Rex, "Everyone out."
The servants bowed and retreated imdiately. The doors closed softly behind them, sealing the room in silence of them.
"Now, eat," He stated.
She looked down at the food, then back up at him.
"When will the procedures start?"
Cain’s eyes shone with surprise.
He watched as she picked up the fork and brought the at to her mouth. Her eyes were unreadable.
"When you’re stronger,"
"How much longer? If I eat five tis a day and train even longer than before, how much longer?"
"A week," He said.
"Five tis it is, then,"
Cain watched her take the first bite.
He looked satisfied.
And sowhere deep inside her chest, Seraphina whimpered as she watched from inside.
She whimpered for the girl Theo had been.
And the monster Cain was shaping her into.
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