|NYLA|
I was roughed up by a maid. Me. Nyla Lombardi. First Princess of the Werewolf Continent. An untouchable royal. Beaten and woman-handled by a common maid.
How low I have fallen.
And not only was I beaten by a maid, I was also dragged, literally, to the 'Supreme General's' office so I could face my 'punishment.'
It was like I had died and woken up in a completely different world of its own. Nothing was making any sense. Especially the bruises on my body that were hurting like crazy.
I was cast on the floor of the Supreme General's home office to await his return and punishment. It was cold here. There was barely anything too.
Just a desk and a bunch of files. An almost empty book shelf as well. That was all. Who the hell kept such an empty office? The Supreme General, apparently.
I managed to drag my body up from the floor and settle down on the only other seat in the room that was right across the man's desk.
I heard the sound of footsteps and before I could do anything, the door opened and a large man-beast walked into the office.
Yes, that was what he was—a man-beast.
Not only was he tall, he was also crazy muscular. Like he was on steroids or something. His hair was deep black, and his face looked like it was chiseled by baby angels to perfection.
Then there was this dead look in his eyes that made one think he wasn't a part of this world.
I remember they used to look a little livelier than this. But now, his emerald green eyes were completely dim and distant. So was his aura.
I was the royal here, yet I felt kind of intimidated by his presence.
"Get up." The greatest scumbag in the world, 'Supreme General' of the Werewolf Continent, Austin Bayley, said to me.
"Huh?"
Austin stepped into the office fully, shutting the door behind him. In three or four steps, he was right in front of me, wrapping his callused palm around my arm and pulling me up to my feet.
"What the—"
"Get out."
First, get up. Now, get out. Was this man insane? How could he treat his mate like this? He didn't even look at the bruises on my body nor did he even ask how I was after 'resurrection.'
Austin was really the worst. Exactly how I remembered.
"I'm not leaving. And stop holding me so tight. It hurts! Can't you see that I'm covered in bruises??" I complained, trying to rip my arm from the psycho's grip.
He didn't say anything, but his hold on me loosened. Enough for me to free my hand and glare at him. He stared at me like I didn't even exist in his view range.
What was this man's problem?
As the other Nyla's mate, couldn't he tell that there was something wrong? Couldn't he feel my soul that was different from his wife's?
"You know you're not supposed to be in here. Get out." Austin said, spitting out the longest string of words I had ever heard him speak at a go.
Instead of rejoicing that I was able to get eleven words out of him, I puffed out my chest in anger and spat, "Is that all you have to say?"
He didn't speak. But somehow, the look in his eyes grew darker.
"I fell from a balcony. I almost died. Heck, 'I' died. I woke up again somehow and was starved of food and care by your servants. I was even beaten by them. Yet, all you have to say is, 'Get up. Get out.'
"Like I'm some little dog who should follow instructions obediently. What is wrong with you? Aren't you my husband? Aren't we mates?"
My voice was filled with bitterness and accusation. Hatred mixed with disbelief. It was already annoying getting to adjust to this body, now I had to act like I was the one who went through all the shit the other Nyla had been put through.
And even after my outburst, the look in Austin's eyes didn't change.
He didn't care that 'I' was his mate. Didn't care about what his servants were doing to me. Heck, he didn't give a damn about me.
My chest that had been going up and down as I breathed heavily after speaking up loudly began to relax. My breathing returning to normal.
"You're not supposed to be in here. You're not supposed to yell at me. And you're not supposed to embarrass me." Austin said with an indifferent tone.
My words must have entered through one of his ears and escaped with the other.
"Embarrass you? It's embarrassing for you when I'm the one getting maltreated? Are you sick in the head or some-oww!"
Cold, hard hands wrapped around my throat, cutting the rest of my sentence.
I was gonna die! This scum was going to strangle me to death!
I placed my hand on top of his, trying to get him to release me, but it was a futile attempt. He was cutting off the air to my throat with an impassioned expression and no effort whatsoever.
"I have no idea where you learned to talk back, but don't try it with me. You and I both know the reason for your misfortune. Don't act like you're a victim." Austin spoke in the coldest voice I had ever heard him use.
His grip on my throat relaxed by an inch, giving me enough air to retort confidently.
"I'm not acting. I do have amnesia. But I remember enough to know that you're a scumbag. Let me go, you bastard!"
For a second, no, even shorter than a second, light glimmered in Austin's emerald green eyes and his pupils dilated. His stony face flashed vulnerability.
It was only because our faces were so close to each other that I could make out such details in a short time.
After that moment passed, he reverted to his true nature and tightened his grip on my throat once again.
"Argh!" I gasped for air, pain making my brain go blank.
"Don't you ever speak like that to me again or I'll kill you."
As a man of few words and lots of action, Austin flung me to the floor after saying those words. I almost hit my head against the wall.
"Get out now before I disfigure that disgusting face of yours." I heard Austin say from above me.
This freaking asshole.
Despite the thousands of cuss words I had lined up in my mind for him, I dragged myself to my feet silently. Austin had already settled down on his chair, disinterested in my existence.
I glared at him fiercely and left him with the words, "The old Nyla is dead. With this new life of mine, I won't let you or anyone else treat me less ever again."
Austin didn't look up. Maybe he did, but I had already walked out of his office after my words were said without waiting for his reaction. He only needed to know that the rebirthed Nyla was different.
And she was not afraid of anybody.