Fake Mate

Chapter Six: Fake Mate.

Laurel, with slow and small steps, walked back into the prison. She got in and heard the metal gate close behind her. She slumped to the ground.

This will be her new abode. From the high, lonely tower she lived her whole life into the dirty, soggy prison where her mate will torture her.

She felt Elma come close to the surface to talk, and she sighed in relief. "At least I won't be very alone. We have each other."

Elma only exhaled. They stayed in the silence, full of pain and wonderment, for about twelve minutes before the gate of the prison opened.

Laurel smelled that the person coming in was a new visitor; she didn't bother to greet her as she should as a slave now. She only stared.

A lady, dressed in an expensive night dress with a jacket over it, walked into the prison and glanced at her.

Laurel realized the day was dark when she saw the lady in a night dress. Would she be passing her own night in prison?

"I presume you are Stefan's fiancée?" she asked. Stefan had told her of his fiancée the first time they met.

"Yes, I am Jade. I am honestly sorry things had to be this way; I can't stand this place." Jade looked around with disgust.

Laurel stared at her. Was the lady taking pity on her? She shouldn't. "I've seen worse; don't worry," she declared.

Jade turned to her, and a smirk was on her face. She masked it off and wore a sad smile. "No, you haven't; you're a princess. This is awful."

Laurel wasn't sure if she was pitying or mocking her now. She cleared her throat. "What do you want?"

Surely if the lady was here to brag about marrying her mate, then she shouldn't bother being nice to her, so it seemed she needed something else.

"I only wanted to sympathize with you as you lost everything. I was once in your shoes." Jade sighed, moving around Laurel.

Elma scoffed. "She just wants to rub their victory on the last survival of their enemy."

Laurel nodded at Elma's words, but was she really Stefan's enemy? She glared at Jade and asked. "What did you lose? What's your own pathetic sorry story?"

The lady stopped walking. Pathetic? Did the unfortunate princess just call her pathetic?

Between them, she was the most pathetic, sitting in a wet prison and having her title and pack stripped from her. Just as it had been for her seven years ago.

Jade exhaled, calming her temper. Her fiancé had already told her that he wanted to emotionally torment her before deciding what to do, so she would just aid the torment.

"My brothers, a younger and older one, were killed by your father. They were the last family I had." She looked into space as she spoke.

Laurel only made an 'hmm' sound, which annoyed Jade. "What's that? Don't you feel guilt for the kind of life your father caused me?"

"You took revenge, didn't you? There's no pity for you then." Laurel deadpanned.

Jade's hands were clenched behind her; she was standing behind Laurel and wanted to tear her to pieces.

But she remembered Stefan's strict warning to her to only emotionally hurt the princess, not physically or more.

"I should take my pity away from you too, princess. And know, you won't be leaving here anytime soon; get used to it." She said everything in a low tone.

Laurel gave an indifferent shrug as the lady stomped off. Jade slammed the gate harshly, wondering why her viper tongue wasn't emotionally hurting the wench. She planned to return.

Laurel moved to the corner of the prison and coiled herself, trying to get some sleep.

"We should escape." 

Her eyes snapped open, and then she chuckled. "Elma, please, don't plant seeds of such nonsense; you know I can't pull it off."

"I am serious, we can." Elma frowned. "What are we here doing? Our mate isn't interested in us. We should escape." 

A sigh escaped Laurel's lips. They should really leave, but to where? She had no other place to be; no one in her pack liked her.

The same hatred she was facing here was the same she had always faced, only more painful as it was from her mate.

"Jade didn't speak about us being Stefan's mates. I don't think he told her; he is so ashamed of it." Elma tsked. 

Laurel tilted her head; she had also noticed Jade seemed indifferent about her being Stefan's mate. Perhaps she didn't know. Did that mean he wasn't rejecting her soon?

"He doesn't want to tell anyone, so no one would judge him for killing his mate." Elma added.

Laurel nodded. She shouldn't get her hopes high, thinking he'd ever change. She should only try to make him kill her and live with the guilt.

The prison gates opened just as she was about to doze off. She laid there motionless, hoping it was just the guards making sure she was still in. She had noticed that the guards from earlier had been changed.

A whip of strawberry scent hit her nose. Elma got excited, but it soon died down. Stefan had come in, but she wasn't in the mood to talk or be tormented, as his case was.

"It's your first night here; you'd get cold." She heard him say. Was he worried about her?

The moment she raised her head, a blanket fell on her face. She took it out and glared at it. It was a new white blanket that'd get really dirty if she laid in the wet prison with it.

She threw it back. "You are kidding, right?" 

Stefan rubbed his temples and sighed inwardly.

He spoke to his wolf, Kia. "You are worried about her when she's not worried about herself. Stop guilt-tripping me and understand she needs no mercy."

He felt the blanket get thrown back at his face.

"Right now, I'm looking for the quickest way to die. Death by cold isn't so bad, so get lost with your fake treatment." Laurel scolded, her accent having an irritated tone.

Stefan smirked. "You don't die till I let you."

"Keep me alive, and you'd be the one dying, I told you." She responded with no fear.

He threw the blanket back at her and walked to the gates. "I see you have given yourself two options: live to kill me or die in my torment. I'd like to see how it ends."

Her face squeezed in anger. He was even taunting her decision to die? Why doesn't he let her die in peace with the last of her dignity?

"It'd be better if I died. You'd get married to your fake mate, kill your real one, and live with the guilt forever."

Stefan's facial expression changed.

"Or you didn't think of it?" Laurel raised a brow. "The emptiness when you kill a mate, you kill me, you suffer. And please, do kill me."

His eyes dimmed on her, and he stormed out of the prison, slamming it behind him. He paused outside for a second, taking in what she said.

"I can't kill you, as you're my mate. But I'd surely make you suffer," he muttered, wiping his face with his hands before walking off.