Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 58

Sanctums: An inner room in a holy place such as a temple.

While Xavier and Elliott waited at the outer court of the temple, Mia and the priests proceeded into the sanctum. Until today, Mia didn't know they could be so many in the temple.

The younger priest cracked the door open to what Mia suspected was the examination room, and she and Marco, the older priest made their way inside.

At the centre of the room was a small bed stretched out. A stringed pole that lifted it a few feet above the ground held it up. There were thick chains on both sides of the bed which would hold still whoever was in bed while the examination took place. There was a tall stool beside the bed, almost the same height as it. On the stool were a few bowls, one holding scissors, knives, needles, and a silver tube. The second bowl held clean water and a bottle in it, and the third bowl appeared empty.

Her heart skipped at what she just saw and immediately regretted agreeing to this. To say this scared her was an understatement. She was terrified of what would happen to her in this room, what truths will be discovered. Her stomach tightened and her body trembled despite her brave face.

She should have listened to the alpha king and allowed him to decide. Now she was going to be a lab rat to poke with needles and silver knives. Her wolf trembled, knowing what was to come.

"Please take off your clothes, my queen." the older priest said, stepping towards the bed to examine the bowls.

Mia did as she was told, stripping out of her emerald gown, so now she only had her golden linen undergarment on.

She hated the cold that gripped her skin as soon as her gown came off, but this was a choice she made.

"Do I have to take this off as well?" she asked with a small voice. Her enquiry was about the gown she now wore.

The older priest glanced at her and shook his head. "That would do, my queen," he said and ushered her onto the bed in the centre of the room.

The younger priest helped chain her hands up to the sides of the bed.

She wince at the tightness of the chains and glimpsed at the older priest, "Is all this necessary?"

"There are more werewolves than they are priests, listeners, and shamans in this kingdom. Many times, our priests have been bitten, or worse, killed during these experiments, so careful majors are necessary. I am sorry that you're having to undergo this, my queen." he said and genuineness showed in his voice.

The first test carried out was the new life test because, although Mia and Xavier told them she wasn't with a child, their words were not enough.

The priest placed his hand on her stomach and made a few chants with his eyes closed. After a while, he opened his eyes and stared down at her. "You're not with child," he affirmed the words she and Xavier told him back at the palace.

"I am not," she felt a little pissed off that hers and her husband's words were treated as unimportant in all this. "Can I go now?" she asked.

"Not yet. I haven't carried out the fertility test yet," he answered. "Step out of the ward, Viko," he told the younger priest, and he bowed his head and took his leave.

He then reached for the silver knife and tube in one bowl beside the bed and Mia dragged a deep breath.

"What will you do with that?"

"I'm going to take a little of your blood and I will run a little test on it."

"And if I'm not fertile, what then? What will happen to me?" her voice not sounding so brave anymore.

He gave her a clueless look. "I don't know, our father would make the right judgement. My duty is to do what he asked me."

He picked a bottle from the bowl and moved it over to her left hand. He set the bottle underneath her hand and placed his hand on the skin before her wrist and, with a swift slash of the knife, he cut her skin open.

The silver knife burnt her skin, and she groaned out in pain, gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes.

Blood gushed out of her wrist and as the cut heal up, the priest plugged the silver tube into her skin to draw the blood out.

Her skin contracted around the tube, trying to heal up, only to be burnt by it repeatedly. This made an excruciating amount of pain course through her and she could not channel it.

Her hand curled, and the tube felt like poison and, more than anything, she wanted to take it off. But she couldn't, her hands were in chains. Her head fell back on the bed and she cried out, losing the fight with control. Her arms grew hairy, and her hand transformed into furry paws. Yet she couldn't break the chains.

The priest pulled the tube out, and her skin healed up. He returned the tube and the knife into the bowl, took the bottle of blood from the floor and sealed it up.

Mia lay on the bed with her eyes shut, almost as still as the dead.

"My queen, you can leave me while I carry out the final examination," the older priest said, but he got no response from her. "My queen?" He came up to her and tapped on her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered, and it glowed a bright yellow. The priest drew a sharp breath and stumbled back from her, startled by what he saw.

Mia knew at this moment he had seen the truth of who she really was. He had seen her eyes glow and knew she wasn't luna but a beta. It would make sense now why she wasn't pregnant after many months of being married to the alpha king. He hadn't claimed her as his wife yet. Their marriage was a sham and now the priest also knew it.

Xavier saw her step out of the temple sanctum, and he raced to her. He looked worried as he should be since Elliott observed from far away, but there was more to his look. He seemed genuinely worried or perhaps that was what she wanted to see.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his concern still lingering.

She knew he would be so disappointed if he found out she had lost control and shifted before the priest. She felt ashamed and she couldn't hold his gaze, so she looked down.

He tilted her chin up so her gaze met his, and he saw her glassy eyes.

"What did he do to you?" He asked, his teeth gritting?

She shook her head, "No..nothing," she choked out, and the tear slid down her face.

"Then why are you crying?"

She couldn't say. Elliot was not so far away, and he would hear and know the truth as well. The priest's duty was to report all the results to Elliott, who would then take it to the alpha of alphas. The result included the truth which they would soon find out, one way or another. "The Priest knows." She whimpered.

Xavier's face pales at her reply. She waited to see the disappointment in his eyes as he beheld her, but she saw nothing.

Defeat flashed in his face for a minute before he vanished from before her. She immediately knew where he was headed. The sanctum.

Mia darted after him and took his hand before he could open the door, and she pulled him back. She was barely strong enough to make him budge, but he stopped walking and turned to her.

"What are you going to do?"

"Kill him."

Her eyes widened in panic, knowing he meant those words. "You can't, the moon goddess' wrath will fall on you."

"The moon goddess' wrath fell on me when Robb Ainsworth woke from his sleep." He turned to open the door.

"Xavier," she called and he halt and turned to her, "Please don't."

His teeth clench, trying to control his emotions. "I can't lose to Robb."

"Then put the fault on me." Her reply took him back. "Tell our father I've been a stubborn wife who hasn't desired you intimately."

"That would get you punished."

"Maybe."

He stepped towards her. "Then I can't have that. I can't have any harm come to you."

"Why would you even bother yourself with what happens to me?"

He reached out to caress her face, and she leaned into his touch. Adoration flickered in his enchanting emerald eyes. "Because you're my queen. My first duty is to protect you."

Here and now she realised there was something more to the act. Something real, perhaps something she could believe in.

She leaned in and kissed his lips softly before she could stop herself. Despite being surprised by her act, he kissed her back, pulling her closer. The kiss was tender and passionate and it felt so right. He did not waste any moment of this intimacy and he tightened his hold on her as if she'd run away if he didn't.

The door opened, and the priest stepped out of the inner room of the temple. He acknowledged them with a nod as they pulled away from each other.

Elliott walked over to where Mia, Xavier and the priest stood and they turned to acknowledge him. "What are the results?" he raised a brow.

The older priest entwined his hands and spoke. "The queen isn't with child, my lord." He said, "And she's also fertile, according to the examinations." "Anything else?" Elliott's brow stayed raised in suspicion.

The priest glanced at Mia and Xavier and then back to Elliott, who waited patiently.

Mia held her breath as she waited for his answer. The truth might as well be the end of everything, and the priest now held the power to keep or to break them at this point. But they will face whatever came.

He shook his head. "Nothing else, my lord."

Mia exhaled in relief, and Xavier held onto her tightly in reassurance.

She did not know why the priest had left out the part about her still being a beta despite being married to the alpha king for many months.

"I do not know what you hope to accomplish, but I hope you and our father are happy now." Xavier seethed at Elliott.

Elliott looked guilty and his eyes dropped. "I only carried out our father's command, my king. I believe he was just worried as any father would be, but I see now how the request may have been too extreme. So for that, I am sorry. I will speak to our father and relate your disappointment to him."

Elliott bowed and departed the temple, but Xavier and Mia watched, but were in no haste to leave. As soon as he disappeared from sight, they turned to the priest still standing before them.

"Thank you."

He shrugged. "I only did my duties. You're not with child, but you're fertile. The rest isn't my business. I would advise you to work that out." he pointed between them. "All this can't just be a lie. You might not be lucky next time."

He took his leave and Mia ponder upon what he said.

All this can't just be a lie.

Maybe it wasn't.