Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 9

Mia had since stopped crying and had got better control of her emotions, which were previously all over the place. After she returned to the living room, Lydia moved to bring her homemade remedies for her red and puffy eyes and they did magic after she used them. A knock came on the door while Lydia helped her put on the scarlet robe. She let go of the robe and headed to the door while Mia finished with the buttons of its sleeve before turning around to see who it was.

"Good morning, my queen." the tall king's guard with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes stepped in and bowed his head.

"Good morning to you, too. What can I do for you?" she asked with her tone polite.

"The alpha king has summoned you to his chambers."

She felt a jolt of panic in her stomach at the words of the guard. Her eyes, however calm as she asked. "Whatever for?" "He didn't disclose, my queen."

She nodded her head, permitting him to leave. He bowed his head again and took his leave.

Once she finish dressing up, Lydia led her out of the bedroom and showed her towards the alpha King's chambers as requested. Lydia knocked on getting there and, after being beckoned in by the alpha king, they entered.

The room appeared exquisite and had a royal touch to it, just like hers. A few of the things in her room, such as the shelf, the armchair, and the large wooden table beside it, were also in his room. Unlike her room, this one appeared darker and had an intense make- up for it. The Royal chamber makers had used colours such as royal red and black more than any other.

Mia caught sight of the alpha king standing beside his window, with the silver curtain, which was the only bright colour in the room. He looked invested at who or whatever he was peeping through the window to see than at those he just let into his room.

The young maid took her cue and, bowing, she took her legs and despite Mia wanting her to stay; she knew better than to ask that. The door shut behind her and she entwined her hand and stared at the back of the alpha king, her husband, who seemed too busy to glance at her.

"You summoned me." she began, her voice mild.

"I did," he said, his eyes still fixed afar and Mia wonders if he's truly staring at someone or just not wanting to look at her.

He didn't look at her face, not after he took her veil off in the temple and saw the real person underneath it. Even when he came into her chambers last night, he barely looked into her eyes. Perhaps she was that ugly that one glance was enough for him.

"Whenever you're ready, then." She wanted to say something nasty, something that would make him snap, but she couldn't, she no longer had that luxury.

After what seemed like forever, he turned around and Mia saw his face. She dragged a deep breath and steadied herself. Yesterday she didn't dare to look him in the face, but now she did and had to admit he was a very gorgeous man. His cheekbones were high and prominent, his hair silky, long and black as coal. He had a well-defined jaw and a perfect nose matching the size of his face. Above all, his green eyes that pierce deep when he first stared at her at the temple still had her captive. On the inside, however, what she had seen so far was not the best. He was cold-hearted, arrogant, and not affectionate, and that took all his beauty away.

"We should head down for breakfast. It is customary for newlyweds to head out for breakfast together. It's a sign of a healthy union."

She couldn't help the scoff that left her mouth. "A healthy union? What about us is healthy to you?!" she demanded, not knowing where the boldness came from but liking it either way. "we might be married in the eyes of everyone, but we are far from healthy, you know that and I do too. I do not need to spend more days in hell to know what I'm in."

"There is no hell here. In case you've forgotten, you are in the Royal Palace, being taken care of. You're the queen and everyone you come across will accept you! You should be grateful. A lot of women would kill to be in your shoes."

"How lucky I am then, being married to the alpha king, my husband, who cannot even look me in the face because I am all too ugly for him," she spoke the words through gritted teeth. "I should be grateful that I lost my sister on her wedding day and had to take her place and abandon all the dreams and plans I had for my lives. I should be grateful that I would never see my sister again and couldn't even mourn her passing because I had wife duties to my husband. Yes, I should be grateful for being trapped in the Palace with a man who loathes me and treats me like an object, bearing in mind that this is how it would be for the rest of my life. Aye, I should be grateful." By the time she finished, a tear ran down her face, but she wiped it off immediately and blinked the rest back. "Are you done?" he asked, as if all she just said were mere noise he couldn't wait to stop hearing.

She shook her head in disbelief, and bit her lips to remain quiet, her hand balling into a fist.

He stepped towards her and she felt chills all over her body and memories of last night flashed through her mind.

His eyes lifted to lock on her for the first time since yesterday and she dragged a deep breath, unable to hold on to it. "You're rebellious and stubborn. I saw that last night. And I will allow that because I'd like to think I'm an understanding man." His hand lifted, and they danced on her scarlet robe from the midsection up to her exposed neck. Shivers ran down her spine even though she hated the feeling he caused in her.

He pulled even closer so that their faces came inches apart, and the hot breath leaving his nostril fanned over her face. The act, coupled with his fingertips grazing over her exposed neck, made her squirm helplessly.

He knew he affected her in ways that brought vulnerability, and he knew how to manipulate that effect.

She didn't have such an effect on him and she knew she never would.

"But if you as much as display such rebellion outside of our private chambers." His large hand swiftly wrapped around her neck and he squeezed on it, making her choke. She struggled to breath and her hand ran up to his, fighting to set herself free from his hold, but he wouldn't release her.

"I will not think twice about having you killed and your body tossed into the ocean, and I will do it in a way that no one would ever know I was behind it. You will go down in history with no one knowing about you or even wanting to." by the time he finished speaking, he had completely locked the air out of her and when he let her go, she collapsed onto the floor unconscious.