Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 19

Mia got down from the carriage and thanked the rider. He wished her safe travels and rode off. She dragged a deep breath and brushed the cold shivers she felt away. This was her first step to attaining freedom, and she was ready. Then she approached the small booth with a not so bright light at her left-hand side. This was right before the entrance of the loading dock, where payments were made. An officer in charge of payment and receipt for passage sat inside. There was a line of eight people and Mia drew closer to them and stood behind the last person. With every person attended to, she drew closer to the booth. When it got to her turn, she greeted the officer. The old man had his head buried in the record book before him and didn't respond, and she almost wondered if he even saw her.

"The lower and first-class cabin has been filled up, only the middle class cabin is left. Fee for late payment ticket; one hundred bronze coins, fifty silver coins, or ten gold coins," he announced with a croaked voice and stretched his hand out to her. She opened her purse counted, out ten gold coins and handed it over to the man. He withdrew his hand and poured the coin into the big money jar on his table.

He flipped open the receipt book. "Name?"

"Mia."

"Mia. Do you have a house?"

She nodded, then realised he wasn't staring at her and spoke, "Of the house Attah."

The man scribbled down the information on the receipt and handed it to her. She takes and put it into her purse, her hand brushing over the silver knife she'd kept in the purse. It burnt her. She was certain that with the way things were going at the port, she wouldn't need to use it.

"Do not steal during your travels or you will be thrown off-board. Do not start a fight or you will be thrown off-board. And do not start or engage in a rebellion or..."

"I'll be thrown off-board." She completed.

The man's head finally lifted, and his coffee-brown eyes locked on her. The look he gave her told her he didn't enjoy being cut short one bit. "You will be thrown off-board. Have a pleasant trip."

She stepped into the cabin, feeling all fuzzy. Her excitement was almost like that of a little girl getting her first wooden doll.

She showed her receipt to the officers at the entrance of the ship. They instructed her to go through the door to the left after boarding the ship. She did as they said and after walking for a little while; she came to the middle class cabin door.

A wide smile stayed on her face as she walked past the few men standing and over to a man at the extreme end of the cabin. She took a seat beside him.

The man looked up at her, his wrinkled eyes narrowing as he stared at her. She covered her face further and avoided eye contact, counting down until the ship, which was already warming up to leave, would take off from shore.

"Do you care for some?" she heard a faint voice ask. Her eyes moved to the man seated opposite her and he had a wheat cookie in his hand. "Do you care for some? My daughter made them for me," he added.

She nodded and collected it. "Thank you. Your daughter sounds like a good person."

"She's a royal chef. She cooks for the king and queen of the kingdom," he replied with a proud smile on his face, and it warmed her heart.

Maybe she had met her while in the Palace. She had barely placed much mind to any other worker in the palace aside from Lydia.

"How sweet, I am Mia of house Asika."

"I'm Kai, just Kai." the man replied

"If your daughter is here, why are you leaving?"

"Well, I'm a shaman, and my time has come. I can't die in a foreign land, so I will return to the land where I was born and join my ancestors."

"You're from the southern kingdom?" her brow rose.

His smile richly. "Yes, precisely the kingdom of Reading. I hope it is still as good as it needs to be, or maybe better."

"Why did you leave?"

"The moon goddess showed me a vision of the king. I saw my role in his ascension as alpha king over a hundred years ago, and that was why I came. I stayed because I fell in love with the kingdom of Wahala. Now that the alpha of alpha has awakened, I have to leave."

She smiled, not placing much mind on the rest part of his words. "And I'm sure that when you get to the life beyond, the moon goddess would be so proud of you."

"Ariel wants you to be happy." he suddenly spoke.

If he was a Sharman as he claimed, he could see into the past, present and future. He could also communicate with the spirit world and so hearing him call Ariel's name didn't come as a surprise.

However, her heart broke a little, and she smiled sadly. "I am going to be."

"Yes, you will be."

Being with Sharman Kai made her think back to her father.

He was the only surviving family she had, and she wanted him safe. That was why she had withheld herself from contacting him throughout the past week. If she had, the court could hold that as proof that he knew of her escape. This way, though he might get taken by the king's guard, they'll have nothing against him. And they will release him to go home afterwards.

She dangled with Ariel's necklace, the only belonging of hers she had. With it, she prayed for safety for herself as well as her father.

Announcement for the ship's departure came up shortly after. Mia heaved a sigh in relief. She had succeeded. Now she could look forward to a better day.

She barely finished with her thoughts when the cabin door flew open, startling everyone inside. Three of the king's men stepped through the door, their eyes looking around at everyone seated in the cabin.

Mia's heart dropped in her stomach. They came for her. She had been caught and they would take her to the Palace where her nemesis awaited. She didn't want that.

Kai's weary eyes turned to her, knowing she was the one they came for. He flashed her a pitiful look and her eyes grew glassy in that instant.

"Do not be frightened. We are not here to harm you. We are here looking for the queen." One guard said, moving through the narrow pathway where the people were.

"There is no queen here." a woman with a shaky voice said, frightened by their presence.

"She's here, we have reasons to believe that." the second man said, his hoarse voice sounding too certain. "We need you all to comply, and no one would get hurt. We traced her scent here and if we don't find her, we will leave."

The guards scattered around the cabin and searched for her.

Mia was at the last corner of the cabin, with nowhere to run to or hide. She didn't want to go back. She hated the very thought. Earlier, she had promised Edward that she would not harm herself if caught, but she couldn't keep that promise. It was easier said than done. She knew what awaited her back at the Palace. It was hell.

She dug her hand into her purse and pulled out the silver knife. She wished it didn't come to this, but it has. Her hands tightened around the base and Kai saw her and his eyes grew in alarm for what she was about to do.

"There's another way, my child!" His voice came small and desperate, and Mia wanted to believe that, but she couldn't.

A tear ran down her face, heartbroken and in pain at what she needed to do. Edward would be broken and disappointed in her for this, but she had no more hope.

Her eyes shut tight. "I'm sorry, Edward." she gripped the base and thrust the knife forward into her chest, but she felt nothing. Her eyes pulled apart, and she glanced down at her chest area. She saw a guard had put his hand out to stop the knife and it had pierced into his hand instead.

His other hand grip the knife and yanked it away from her grasp. "No!" she cried out, reaching for the knife in his hand, but he held it away from her reach. "No, please, no!" more tears streamed down her face, knowing how helpless she'd become without the option to end her life.

The men didn't listen to her plea or cry. They didn't listen to anything other than the command given by their Lord, the alpha king.

Another guard from behind grabbed her and lifted her small body off the ground and she struggled to set free, kicking and screaming for him to let go, but just like her plea, this also fell on deaf ears.

Her eyes and that of Kai met one more time before being hauled from the cabin. He looked hopeful and calmer now compared to when she brought out the knife. If only he knew what awaited her back at the Palace.

The alpha king would sure have her head, she had given him the reason to. He would kill her and rid himself of his ugly bride, which he never wanted to live with in the first place.

"Please kill me?" she begged, as the guard brought her into the carriage and set her in it. "I have gold in my purse. You can take it. Just kill me, please."

The man who had carried her out of the ship and set her into the carriage glanced at her with pity. "If you die, we also die and we have families at home to go back to."

"He's going to kill me." she sobbed pathetically. "You don't understand. He's going to do it. He's going to kill me."

While the rider drove her back with his Palace she tried jumping out of the carriage, but the guards at each side prevented her. Mia tried to avoid going back to it at all costs because she knew what waited ahead. Who waited ahead...