The Dragon King's Heart

Cordelia materialized a leather whip in her hands. She swung the whip at him. Kragen attempted to dodge the attack but it was useless. The whip struck him right on his face. 

A wound formed across his left eye. Blood trickled down his snout as he winced in pain. He had lost all dignity, he was angry. Kragen stood his ground as he continued to growl at Cordelia. 

"You want me to come to you? Oh I will, mutt, you can count on that." Cordelia grinned as she swung the whip again. 

The crackle of the whip rang loud and clear throughout the stables. Some of the other wolves jolted in shock from the sound. Unknown to Cordelia, the sound had begun to attract the attention of others nearby. 

With him chained at the neck, there was not much Kragen could do to avoid being hit. He could dodge from side to side, but he no longer had the stamina he used to have. His muscles ached and burned as if they were on fire. 

As the whip crackled and slashed down on his skin, bright red marks formed all across his body. The whiplashes were so harsh, his skin tore open and blood seeped from the open wounds. 

The pain was excruciating, yet he could not even cry out in pain. All he could do was whimper. He tried to cover parts of his body with his paws and tail but it did not work. Seeing how pathetic he was simply brought Cordelia more joy. 

"Oh don't hide like that. Are you sure you're even an Alpha? Where's that energy you once had, hmm?" She taunted. 

The fact that he was not fighting back angered Cordelia. While it was fun to torture the weak, it was dull if they did not at least attempt to fight back. It would be equivalent to beating a dead horse. 

Meaningless amusement. 

"I think I heard noises coming from the stables!" A voice called out. 

Realizing someone might discover her, Cordelia cursed beneath her breath. She could not even torture her victim in peace it seems. Angered by the development, she increased her strength on the final crack of her whip, causing a huge gash to form on Kragen's rib cage. 

"Count yourself lucky, you mutt," Cordelia spat as she clicked her fingers.

In the blink of an eye, she covered herself with a cloaking spell and hid. Moments later, a few Moon Maidens, accompanying a woman, entered the stables. As soon as the woman saw the poor wolf that had been tortured, she ran over.

"Quick! Go and get a healer!" The woman tasked the Moon Maidens who followed her. 

Despite her orders, the Moon Maidens seemed hesitant. The woman did not know that the wolf was Kragen, and they did not know if they should inform her.

"What are you all still standing here for? Go get a healer at once!" The woman urged them. 

Only then, did they obey her request and ran off. Cordelia was amused. She knew exactly who this woman was. 

"My my, what an interesting development," Cordelia muttered to herself. 

"Who's there?!" The woman asked as she turned to look in Cordelia's direction. 

The purple-haired witch's heart skipped a beat for a moment. Could the woman sense her presence, or hear what she had said? The cloaking spell she cast would have stopped that from happening. 

-No wonder she's the descendant of the Ancient Lycans.- Cordelia thought to herself. 

"Queen Victoria, the healer is here," a Moon Maiden informed the woman they brought in the healer. 

"Perfect, can you please take a look at this wolf? It seems to have been badly injured," Victoria explained. 

Indeed, the woman was Victoria. Surprisingly, she did not recognize Kragen at all. Most of those who had made his acquaintance would not have recognized him in this state. 

He was no longer the majestic, formidable Alpha that once ruled over Wolfenheim. Now he resembled more like a starved wounded wolf, left for dead. The healer quickly examined the wolf carefully. 

"Well?" Victoria asked eagerly. 

"Your Majesty, the wounds on the wolf are quite severe, we will need to cleanse its wounds and…" 

The healer explained the care required. Since Kragen was also malnourished, he would need extra care in order to get better. He had sustained many wounds and injuries, it was going to take him some time to heal. 

Seeing how badly injured the wolf was, Victoria could not help but wonder just who could have been so cruel. Even she would not have wished this on her worst enemies. 

"Queen Victoria," High Priestess Shylla greeted Queen Victoria as she entered the stables. 

The Moon Maidens had informed her about what had transpired. When Shylla saw the wolf that was injured, she did not say anything. She was surprised by how badly injured Kragen was. 

She too wondered who could have done something like this.

"Bring me the necessary ointments and medicinal herbs, I will take care of the wolf in my quarters," Victoria declared.

She carefully picked up the wolf into her arms. 

"Your Majesty, are you sure? We can take care of the wolf here, you need not worry or trouble yourself with this," High Priestess Shylla quickly said. 

She had not expected this to happen. Especially since Queen Victoria did not know the wolf she had in her arms was Kragen.

"That's alright, I've taken care of animals before. Plus, we don't know who has a vendetta against this wolf. He'll be safer with me for the time being," she replied. 

Unable to convince her, the High Priestess decided to let things be. She instructed the Moon Maidens to assist Victoria in any way they could before leaving the stables. After everyone had left, Cordelia was livid yet intrigued by the development. 

But now that Kragen was taken away, she had no one to torture anymore. 

"Dang it! Argh! This is ridiculous!" Cordelia was exasperated. 

Torturing Kragen did not bring her as much enjoyment as she thought it would. She knew what would make her feel better. A plan formed in Cordelia's mind as a wide grin appeared across her face. 

"Laina, Laina, Laina. It's time I got up close and personal with you. This is going to be so much fun!"