This revelation caused the beast within Xaden to go feral. He couldn't care less about Zuri, but he cared for his bloodline.
"Your omega and her friends killed your firstborn. What are you going to do about that?" Zuri asked, as she turned around to face the enraged Xaden. His claws were elongated and he fought back the urge to shift into his beast and shred them to pieces.
As much as Zuri loved to watch how they would receive their retribution, she was not fond of witnessing any more blood before her lunch.
"Tell me your punishment for them, because I need to write to my father about it." That was a threat, it was very subtle, but Xaden knew the meaning behind her words.
If Alpha Roland was not satisfied with Xaden's punishment to those people, who had harmed his daughter and his future grandchild, it would jeopardize their agreement. Zuri took advantage of that fact.
Obviously, Xaden wouldn't think thrice to punish Esther and Sarah harshly, but it was Faye, whom Zuri was curious about. What would Xaden do to her? She was the mastermind behind it, after all.
"I will see you at night, you can tell me the punishment then, so I can write it to my father tomorrow." She informed him the deadline and then walked away from the room, leaving the alpha to deal with the three women.
All the warriors in the hallway straightened their backs and avoided looking at her. They could hear bits and pieces of their conversation and the screaming and screeching from inside the alpha's study room.
One thing that they realized was; Their luna was ruthless!
After dealing with Faye and her two personal maids, Zuri went to take a bath. That bastard of an alpha had purposefully stained her dress and face with that omega's blood.
Because she didn't have any personal maids right now, she ran the water herself and dipped in the cold water filled tub. The coldness bit into her skin, but it was what she needed. The pain was... comforting.
Zuri ended up sleeping in the tub for two hours and when she came up, her skin was all wrinkly. She asked a maid to bring her lunch to her bedroom and eat alone. She didn't know what Xaden had done to them and she was not in a hurry to know.
She ate her meal slowly.
'You need to lose weight.'
'Remember to lose your weight.'
'You have gained weight. Look at your body.'
The food tasted like sand in her mouth and every piece that she shoved down her throat made her want to throw up. She felt guilty for eating. Her stomach was churning and she put away the food to run toward the bathroom to throw up.
She bent down her body and regurgitated all the food that she had consumed, only then she felt better and the voices in her head disappeared.
***
Xaden returned to his and Zuri's bedroom very late at night. He didn't want to have a conversation about the punishment with her, but from what he learned, she had been sleeping since afternoon. She even skipped her dinner altogether.
Right now, the woman was lying on the bed, her black hair covering her pillow and half of her face. She looked tired, there was a scowl between her brows, as if there was something in her mind that bothered her.
Xaden knelt down beside the side of her bed and stared at her sleeping face. He was angry at her for forcing him to punish Faye, but he was astounded that she could figure out about those people, who were plotting behind her back.
"Only if you are the woman that I want..." Xaden said, his voice was so low. It sounded like a whisper. "Things will be easier for us."
He was mad at her, but the feeling was equal to his admiration for her.
Shaking his head, the alpha walked toward the bathroom and cleaned himself before he joined Zuri in bed. They slept on their own sides, as though there was this invisible wall between
them.
The next day, Xaden informed Zuri about the punishment that he gave to the three women. Sarah and Esther were locked inside the dungeon for the rest of their lives, which meant Zuri had to find other personal maids, while Faye...
"She is stripped from her status as an omega and now she is a slave in the warriors' quarters." Xaden informed that through his gritted teeth.
Omegas were of the lowest rank in their hierarchy, but a slave... a calf would hold more value than you and for Xaden to send Faye to the warriors' quarters meant those warriors could do whatever with her. It literally meant... whatever.
Zuri said nothing and Xaden couldn't tell whether she was pleased with the punishment or not.
"I will inform my father," Zuri said. She finished her meal and drank her water. They were currently having breakfast together in the garden, creating an image of a strong and harmonious union for people to see.
"I will send you the dress for your first visit to the palace a week from now." Xaden, finished
with his food, stood up.
"Okay." Zuri couldn't care less about the dress that she would wear to meet the king.
"Any signs?" Xaden asked as he glanced at her flat stomach.
Zuri laughed when she heard that and Xaden was mesmerized by her beauty. The soft light of
the sun fell on her face and she looked ethereal.
"We just did it three days ago. What sign do you want to see?" Zuri shook her head. Men like Xaden didn't even have any idea how pregnancy worked.
Xaden cleared his throat when Zuri was still laughing, she seemed to be in a good mood. "Let's try again tonight." After saying that, he left for his morning meeting with his warriors.
When Xaden left, Zuri returned to their bedroom and threw up her breakfast.