chapter 78:Gabby’s POV

Queen Helena, My heart thundered beneath my chest, it's rhythm erratic as adrenaline rushed through me due to the alarming yet shocking situation before me, my hands quaked and so did my whole being as I stared at her in confusion, fear and disbelief. I didn't know if to attempt to flee or to ask the questions that were at the tip of my tongue or to attack her as she was clearly a part of my life being miserable if not whole. I was lost in my thoughts not knowing what to do or how to react. What do you do when your mate's mother whom you referred to as the mother you never had, whom you cared for and she cared for you in return which was obviously a farce now, who trained you and built your confidence, what do you do when your sole anchor is suddenly the one who wants to kill you and has been the mastermind of everything that happened to me.

"Step away." She ordered Willow and Titan and almost immediately they bowed and did as she bid, stepping away from me leaving me alone with her under her scrutinizing icy glare. The music had an increased tempo now making the scenery more dramatic as I tried to form words, tried to think of what was happening, tried to connect the dots but my brain was a cluster fuck, utterly confused at my situation and like I said, what do you do when your mother figure whom you adored with everything in you was standing before you and staring like she wanted to grab you and rip you to shreds, what do you do?

"Gabby! What the fuck is going on?! Hera screeched, her voice laced with hurt, I could tell she was constricting with betrayal just like I was. The hurt was so much, it was physically unbearable. It was like a thousand silver forks were being dug into my heart creating the twisting pain and revolting burning sensation and all I wanted to do was to screamn and let my anger out.

"Mother." I whispered calmly instead of screaming, her brows turned up in apprehension displaying utter distaste for the word I used on her. I called her that cause I was still in disbelief that she would hurt me, "Mother."

"Your mother is rotting beneath the earth as far as I am concerned." She answered harshly dropping the snarl on her lips, "I. Am. Not. Your. Mother." Each word delivered with a clear message of hate.and I will never be, not in this world and not in the afterworlds.

"Why?" I asked after getting over my shock a bit, my insides twisted as she smiled at my question.

"Why?" She mimicked me clicking her tongue, "She just asked 'why?' The fool just asked why," Her tone was mocking and full of spite, she laughed at my question, a high pitched witchy laughter, Titan and Willow joined her, laughing like maniacs and soon other stoic looking people in the room joined in the laughter like it was a frequent routine.

"You dare ask me why?!" She thundered more seriously this time, her voice was boisterous sending chills down my spine. She moved her hands towards me and immediately I was flown across the room hitting my back on the wall. I yelled out as I slid to the ground, my back aching more than it ever did, my head throbbing like a thousand elephants had a stampede in it,

"Chain the slut!" She ordered and warriors appeared immediately, some of which were my former pack members. I was lifted off the ground, "Let me go!" I yelled kicking and screaming trying my best to fight against them, "You are my mate's mother! How could you do this to your own son?" I screamed in her direction as I was dragged towards where cuffs dangled from the dilapidated ceiling, "I took you as a mother! You fucking trained me! What wrong did I eve do to you for you to treat me this way? Why are you doing this?!" I kept yelling at the top of my voice, straining my lungs but all she did was stand there with the evilest of smirks as they forced the silver cuffs around me. I yelped at the burn around my wrists due to the silver cuffs, the wounds were beginning to sting which was super uncomfortable and me being suspended in air wasn't helping matters as my weak body couldn't bear the strain,

"Why are you doing this?!" I cried, tears threatened to fall but I blinked them back not wanting to fall apart before her.what is my offense?

"Cause of your existence, you cursed child!" She growled at me looking up at where I was with her dark eyes glinting in pleasure at the pain I felt at the moment.

"What has my existence got to do with your betrayal?!" I yelled down at her wringing my hands in the cuffs, "Let me go!"

"Oh my dear." She tsked walking over to where I was and then she stopped at my spot right where my feet dangled. She looked up at me, a sick smiled curling on her lips, "You do not know how long I have waited for this, to see you dangling as you are now, you do not know how long I have wanted to torture you this way, and now you are completely at my mercy but in this case I shall not grant you mercy."

"Why are you doing this Helena?" I asked finally addressing her by her name which she didn't take too kindly, that's her problem, I wasn't going to call her your Highness!

"I see Titan hadn't instilled respect in you in all these months!" She heated her hand and grabbed onto my foot, "This ought to teach you a lesson!" I twisted against the cuffs in pain as I smelt burning flesh, she was literally soft roasting my feet and it was hard for me to hide how much pain i felt at the moment.

"Stop it." I begged. She laughed. The pain increased, I begged harder but she laughed, her sinister laugh echoing through the castle and overpowering the music, "Please stop it am begging you!" But she never did and as she hurt me, the shock and betrayal turned into anger and the initial confusion morphed into certainty that I was going to make her pay for it.

"Lesson learnt, I believe?" She asked rhetorically as she stepped away from my now burnt and aching feet, "You shall address me with respect."

"Why are you doing this?" What is my offense? I cried out with tears rolling down my cheeks this time. I didn't care if she was satisfied with the fact that I was in so much pain. I just wanted to know why she was doing this,

"Why?!"

"You do not rush the Villain Gabby." She walked away from me and began to ascend the steps, "I will tell you when I want to but for now we have special guests. And just then some vampires arrived increasing, Queen Helena's smirk. They were three in total. One of them stood in the middle carrying himself with an air of superiority and I instantly guessed that he was the King, Count Akanther, the other two standing behind him moved aside and my eyes widened in saucers. The two vampires held Kate between them and she was clutching onto fluffy, "Kate!" I screamed in fright seeing my daughter with them, "What are you doing with her?! Don't involve her in this please, she's just a child. I growled at Helena who only smiled at my distress.

"Mummy!" She screeched on seeing me and ran to me excitedly but I could see that she was disturbed on seeing me like this from her facial expressions,

"I missed you mummy, why are you up there?"

"Take that child back to her spot!" Helena barked causing Kate to startle. Kate looked and saw her, she ran excitedly to her screaming 'mummy Helena' but Helena rewarded her with a shove using her powers and my daughter fell to the ground crying.

"Do not hurt my child! She has done nothing wrong to you, I screamed at her watching my baby cry on the floor, "I will make you pay Helena!"I could see the vampires watching us with amused expressions.

"And how exactly?!" She scoffed before picking Kate with her powers and slamming her on the ground, "Mummy." She cried out looking at me utterly shocked that her mummy Helena was man handling her. I couldn't do anything to help my child, I just hung from there and watched in agony.

"Lock the brat in a cage!" Willow immediately swung into action following Helena's orders.

"Aunt Willow, let me go, I want to stay with My mummy, Kate struggled against her as she picked her up aggressively but she only ignored her and threw her in one of the cages that I hadn't noticed were there. She locked the cage and backed away to her spot near Titan, Kate crawled to the entrance of the cage, held on to the bar and poked her head out peering at me with her tear glistened eyes.

"Akanther." Helena addressed the King as she went towards him, "So good to see you." He picked up her hand at her words and kissed it.

"Same here Helena." He nodded, "There is no need to beat around the bush, I held my end of the bargain by handling things with her daughter now you hand over the silver wolf."

" What did he mean handling things with my daughter? what was going on?

"Send your men out." She hummed and he did exactly as she said signalling at them to go out and almost immediately Willow and Titan followed them and I knew she had mind linked them, they were going to kill them, i was certain of that.

"Do you like Apples Akanther?" Helena smiled at him, "I have a lot of red Apples."

"The bargain Helena." He said in a bored tone, "I do not care for apples. And I am not here for your apples, am here for the bargains

"You do not like apples." She walked up to him and placed her hands on the unsuspecting King's shoulders, "Your mother never told you not to trust strangers?" She whispered to him but I could hear it all, "You were so gullible to use."I could see her hands dig into himn through his skin and he had began to writhe, "So easy to deceive." She smiled bringing her face to his neck. He had suddenly turned mute as he was fighting for his life, it looked like she was draining his existence as her fingers dug deeper, "

"I have never been a trustworthy person Akanther." She breathed, "Neither were you but I beat you at your own game." She gripped his neck, "See you in hell wimp!" She bit at his neck and at the same time drove a wooden stake right through his heart and he gurgled in pain falling to his knees instantly before her, my heart tore at the sight knowing she had just used him and look how easy it was for her to kill the vampire King, she surely was more powerful than I expected. I watched him disintegrate into an ashy pile with bats fluttering away from him and soon there was nothing on the ground, it was like he was never here and from outside I could hear blood curling screams which sickened me but caused Helena to grin with satisfaction. It was obvious that the other two men had been killed by Titan and Willow.

"Now that those three are out of the way." She smirked turning back at me, "Let's begin the tale, shall we?"