Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 76

Mia barely close her eyes that night. The memories of what happened burnt in her brain and with every blink of her lashes, she saw a flash of the horror that took place on the way back from the ranch.

At this point, she was straining her eyes to keep them awake. It's been three days and yet no sleep. How could she? When her husband the Alpha king turned into a monster out of nowhere and killed four travellers who came up to her asking for nothing more than just directions? If they had attacked her, he would have been defending her, but this wasn't defending. This was a cruel attack, and for what? He didn't get her to say I love you back. She felt sick in her stomach whenever she thought back to those men being ripped from limb to limb and their blood splashed all over the road, carriage and also on her.

She felt filthy that night, filthier than she ever felt. It became a point of duty to scrub, washed and get their blood off her body. After hours of unending washing, she cleaned her body. The images that had registered in her mind, however, she couldn't scrub off or get rid of.

She would have tried replaceing explanations or excuses for what happened, but there were none. He killed four men in cold blood, tearing and ripping them into shreds without a look of guilt.

He was a monster, a cold-hearted monster. She thought he would change into a better man with time, attention, and dedication. Perhaps she was stupid to think a man like that would change. That was her failure. She believed.

The elders had forced him to marry her as a punishment for killing two of his people without cause. And now, after all the effort to make him into a better man, he had done the same thing.

Their carriage driver, who feared for his life after the alpha king sprung into a killing rampage, ran into the woods and never came back out. Mia was certain he would kill her after he was done with the others, but he didn't. After the last man's torn body dropped to the ground, he walked over to her and took her into his blood-covered arms and brought her back to the palace. She wanted to fight him and struggle, but her senses warned her not to.

Her eyes fluttered as she sank into the state of sleep and the blazing red eyes of the alpha king raced into her mind. She saw his eyes and the menace they held while he tore and chased the last man down. The look of darkness that clouded his eyes at the absence of his conscience as he gripped at his face before ripping out his heart. She saw the man lying beside her feet, choking and holding a hand out to her for help. She reached to take it, but Xavier dragged him back and tore him into two before tossing his lifeless and blood gushing body to the ground as if it was nothing.

"No!" she cried out and her eyes fluttered and her heart slammed against her chest.

A knock came to her door, and it soon opened and in came Edward, as if knowing she was already awake. He saw the shaken star she was in and rushed over to her bedside. He took her into his arms and stared into her eyes, reassuring her he was here and wasn't leaving.

This was the longest she had slept in the last three days, and the nightmare remained as if it was yesterday.

Tears ran down her face, and her lips trembled.

He placed a hand on her forehead, and she was burning up. He withdrew his hand and held onto her shoulder, making her look at him. "You haven't been sleeping, Mia. You're going to drown yourself if you don't replace a way to."

"I can't sleep. The memories and images burn my mind and keep shoving me into a terrifying state," she confessed, her eyes worn and sad.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I will speak to the shamans. There should be some sort of remedy that would help you in the m-" "Why did he do that? Those men did nothing wrong," she asked, her wide and fear-filled eyes fixed on his.

Edward looked as clueless as ever. "Xavier has said nothing to me, my queen. He refuses to speak to anyone and our father is losing his patience."

After they arrived at the Palace days ago, Xavier set her down on her feet but said no word to her before departing to his room. She was left shivering and unable to move from the cold she had endured and the horror she had seen.

Edward saw her drenched and covered in blood and filth. He raced over to her with an alarmed eye and asked her what had happened. She barely spoke for the first two hours that passed, but when she did, she explained everything that had happened to him. And how the birthday surprise had turned into a bloody and horrible nightmare at the end.

The morning after Xavier and Mia returned to the palace, the news of the incident went abroad. Everyone speculated on what they believed could have happened. The Royal carriage which they abandon on the road with its rider gone, and the torn and

unrecognisable bodies on the road first made people believe the king and queen were dead. They soon realised those weren't the bodies of the king and queen, but some other people. The news travelled to the council of alphas and also Robb Ainsworth who came to the Palace the next day. Edward informed the council and Robb that the alpha King wasn't in the state to speak and insisted they gave him time. He had explained all this to her last night before leaving her chambers.

"They listened to me two days ago, but they were now back demanding to see the king because the kingdom deserved an explanation for what happened." He took her cold and trembling hands into his. "He needs to answer to the council of alphas and the alpha of alphas for the murder of those men and the neglect of his royal affairs. However, the alpha king, just like you, hasn't stepped out of his chambers and won't speak to me."

"He has nothing to say. He killed those men in cold blood. I knew he had his uncontrollable rage, but I didn't think he would be so cruel!" she shuddered as the memories once again ran into her mind. She hated what she saw. She hated seeing that side of him. That wasn't the side of him she'd gotten to know. And how did he snap so fast?

"I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but you need to speak to him."

She yanked her hand away from his grip, appalled by his outrageous request. Edward had struck a chord with his request despite his intentions being noble.

"Why would you ever ask me that, Edward? Did you not hear what I said he did?" Mia scrambled off the bed to the other side, where Edward wasn't.

"Mia, listen!"

"Edward, why?"

"Because the king loves you regardless of what he has done and he might listen to you."

"Well, that was before. I didn't give him the reply he wanted to hear." She argued, "He went mad because he was upset with me and he took his anger out on those men."

Edward rose from the bed. "No matter how this goes, you and my brother are in this until the end. I know you don't want to hear it, but the king needs you. You need to make him understand that if he doesn't speak to the council today, he will lose his crown."