White Pines Pack
“Luna, there are cars at the gate... they have the royal insignia.” the guard from the gate informed her through the mind link.
Amber rubbed her hands together. “Let them in. Avery must be back.” She was already turning over the possibilities in her mind, trying to think of ways she might be able to get a couple thousand out of the stupid man.
She ran quickly into the bathroom and combed out her hair, and put on a bit of lipstick. Not that Avery was interested in that, but she wanted to look her best, radiate confidence, beauty and power. But not too much power... she needed to garner a little bit of pity and sympathy if she was going to get any more money out of the royal ass.
She smoothed down her dress, and opened the door with a sweet smile on her face. The smile melted as she faced an unfamiliar man. The man was tall, and painfully thin, with a haggard, bearded face, and stooped shoulders. He seemed old, and tired, except his eyes. His eyes were almost feverishly bright and green. His clothes, however, were of the finest quality, and very expensive. He was flanked by several big, burly body guards. Whoever the man was, he was someone important.
“Luna Amber?” the thin man asked, with the slightest hint of a French accent.
“Yes? Can I help you?” She put the smile back on her face, and tried to pretend to be a welcoming hostess.
“Oh,” the man clasped his hands behind his back and wandered through the sitting room though he owned the place. "I understand you have already helped me.” He turned and smiled at her, but the smile was so ice cold that it made her blood freeze in her veins.
“I uh, pardon?”
“Where is your husband?”
The Luna backed up a step, “Out. Probably down at the casino.” She wondered in a panic if maybe her husband owed these men money. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d gotten them into trouble with his bad habits. “Would you like me to call him for you?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I can deal with you.”
“I’m sorry,” she tugged nervously at the hem of her shirt. “What is this about?”
“This is about my daughter,” the man said, taking another threatening step forward.
“Y-your daughter?”
“Yes my dear. I understand that you gave my daughter food and shelter for fifteen years... so I have come to settle.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and her face paled. “Y-your daughter? You are...?”
“Oh, my manners!” The man tilted his head in a false-apologetic gesture. “I am Louis Levesque. And I understand you were entrusted with the care of my daughter Isabella.”
The woman backed away another step, her eyes darting around the room, looking for an exit. But the king's body guards had taken up stations at every door, and even in front of the big windows. “I - I’m sorry sir, I didn’t recognize you.” She gave an awkward, clumsy curtsey.
“Oh don’t bother with that, my dear. We really don’t stand with such formality any more.”
“Uh...”
“So, how can I repay you, madam?” there was a hard glint in his eye, perhaps a hint of madness still stirring in his brain.
“N-no payment is necessary.” She stuttered fearfully. “It-it was our pleasure to raise Bella.”
“Surely...” the king purred, still advancing toward her slowly. He could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest, and it pleased him. “Surely you require some kind of remuneration? After all... she slept in your closet. Isn’t it, Amber?” He was face to face with her now. She had backed into a wall and could no longer get away from his thin, menacing form. “She worked tirelessly for you and your family, for all those years.” He placed a hand on the wall behind her head, and brought his face within inches of her nose. “She even bled on your floors, didn’t she?”
Luna Amber shook her head in denial. “N-no. I don’t know what you're talking about.” She shrank away from him. “We loved Bella... we treated her like... like our own daughter.”
The king tsked, and twirled a piece of her strawberry blond hair around his fingers. Then he grabbed a hank of hair and pulled her head painfully back, forcing her to look in his eyes. “So you are in the habit of beating your daughters? Locking them in the basement? Starving them? Treating them like slaves?” He released her hair, and leaned back to unfasten his belt. “Why don’t we call your daughters then, Luna. You can use my belt... just like you used a belt on my Isabella.”
“No! Please!” the Luna cried. “Leave my daughters alone. They have nothing to do with this. They are just children!"
“Oh, just children...” Louis continued sliding his belt out of its loops, and curling it around his hand. “Isabella was just a child too. Barely more than a baby.”
“It..it was Avery. Avery told me to do it!”
The king's lips stretched in another cold, emotionless smile. “Yes, I know everything, my dear. I know the arrangement that you and my brother had. He gave you money... and you kept my daughter like a prisoner in your house.”
“No!” She held up her hands in weak protest.
The king swung, and the belt landed hard across her face, raising a red welt, just like the last lash she had given Bella in the closet. “How can I repay you, my dear woman... for fifteen years of hell? Hell for Isabella... and hell for me... fifteen years thinking my daughter was dead, that my family was lost. Fifteen years of madness. How can I possibly pay that debt?”