A Bride For The Lycan King

KAELA’S POV

I spent my whole life hating Lycans, now I'm supposed to get married to one? Over my dead body!

“What do you say to this proposition?” The royal advisor, Beta Gavin asked, his nose tilted so far upward one might think he's trying to sniff the heavens.

I leaned on my broom, my lips twisting to the side, as I tried to make sense of the situation. “So let me get this straight... you want me, a maid, to marry the Lycan King because Princess Lyanna chickened out?”

Gavin shot me a glare. “You will not speak of Her Highness in such a manner!”

I rolled my eyes and turned to the Alpha and Luna, who sat on their throne.

Alpha Xander drummed his fingers against his throne's armrest, his eyes narrowing at me while Luna Isla's expression was a mixture of disgust and annoyance, her eyebrows arched and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

Alpha Xander exhaled softly and sat up. “You're not as unhappy as we are but this is not a request, Kaela.”

Of course, I wasn't. Nothing in the palace ever was.

I glanced between the Alpha and his wife, weighing my options. These two had clothed and fed me when my parents died. They even gave me a job straight out of school. I had always considered repaying their kindness but repaying that debt by marrying the dangerous Lycan King? Yeah, that hadn't exactly been in the fine print of their “kindness” contract.

“Well?” Isla said impatiently.

I looked at Luna now. “The Rose of BlackMoon Pack,” the people often called her for her unfathomable beauty but to me now, she looked mad ugly with the scowl that was pasted on her face. Unlike his benevolent Alpha, Luna wasn't a fan of “peasants” like me.

I cleared my throat. “You want me to replace Lyanna as the Lycan's bride?”

“Yes! That's what we've been saying for the past 30 minutes!” Luna Isla repeated while raising her voice.

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. “Oh sure, great idea. Just toss me in as a Lycan's bride instead of your daughter. Because we all know humans get a warm welcome in the Lycan realm, right?”

Isla rose from her throne. “I will have you flogged, Kaela!”

“Calm down, honey,” Alpha Xander tried to calm his wife down but she was still fuming.

“We need to get someone else. This girl is useless!” Isla said with a scoff.

“Yes!” I nodded in agreement.

“No!” Xander shot me a cold glare and I pursed my lips. Then, he turned to his wife. “Honey, we’ve known Kaela since she was a child. Isn't it better we send someone we know than someone we don't? Remember what the dragon king is…”

I strained my ears to listen to what the Alpha was whispering to his wife but I couldn't hear him.

What on earth could they possibly be whispering about? After all, everyone already knew how the Lycans view Werewolves.

Isla straightened up and turned to her husband. “I hope we don't regret this.”

Alpha Xander took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We won't.”

“So?” I interrupted with a light cough. “What about me?”

“You're marrying the Lycan king,” Alpha Xander said in a stern tone he had rarely used on me. “And that is final.”

I furrowed my brows. “And if I refuse?”

Beta Gavin smirked as if he had been expecting that question from me. “Then you will be branded as a traitor of the crown.”

My eyes widened in shock. “What? But that is punishable by death!”

Isla turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Well, Princess Lyanna’s disappearance places our kingdom in grave danger. If the Lycans don't receive a bride, they will burn our kingdom to ash. If you refuse to take Lyanna's place, then feel free to burn with us when the time comes. So yes, your death is certain either way,” Isla hissed through gritted teeth.  

I let out a derisive scoff. “But…  but that's absurd. How could they…”

Beta Gavin cut me off. “How absurd, pray tell?”

“Well, I am a nobody, yet you would choose me to replace your daughter?” I inquired with a frown.

He chuckled and continued, “Exactly! And what's more absurd is the fact that though you are aware of this, that you have no family, no status and no one to speak for you. Yet you refuse the order of the Alpha?”

“Well, they are asking me to give up the rest of my life to do something that I never dreamed of doing, so it’s normal for me to react this way.” I explained while looking at my feet as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

“You know, the people won't question the word of the crown if we say you conspired with Lyanna to sabotage the treaty with the Lycans.”

“If the people will agree to that, then they are fools, Beta Gavin!”

“Kaela!” Alpha Xander thundered with rage as he instantly stood from his throne. “You will listen to me this instant!”

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“You will marry the Lycan king and as I said before, my decision is final!” Alpha Xander firmly repeated then walked down from where he stood. “If you don't obey me or even think of running away, I'll make sure that my armies will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and when we find you, death will be a far better option by the time I'm done with you. Do you understand, Kaela?”

My blood ran cold. I searched the Alpha's face but there was no hesitation in his eyes. He was a man of his word and if I ran, he would hunt me down. I gave up protesting.

So this was it. I was the sacrificial lamb.

The Alpha king approached me, his features have become a bit gentler. “Your late father was a soldier, wasn't he?”

My throat tightened when he mentioned my beloved Dad. “Yes, he was.”

“He was the most loyal man I've ever met.”

After Alpha Xander mentioned that, Beta Gavin cleared his throat and threw his superior a meaningful look.

Alpha Xander rolled his eyes. “Before Gavin, he was the most loyal person I've ever met.”

Beta Gavin flashed a satisfied grin and proudly straightened up.

Alpha Xander continued. “Your mother too. They were both very loyal. They would be so proud of you for doing your duty.”

“My duty? Last I remember was my duty involved cleaning up the princess room and doing her laundry. Marrying a Lycan was never my duty, you coward!” I wanted to scream at him but chose to pursed my lips instead.

“His Majesty is right, Kaela,” Isla remarked with a smile this time. “They would be so proud of you.”

I nearly laughed contemptuously. How cruel they were, bringing up my dearly departed  parents as if they cared. Have they forgotten that I never would have grown up scrubbing floors if not for a Lycan slaughtering my entire family?

My hand tightened around the broom in bitter realization. I now knew that I had no choice in the matter, did I?

“Fine. I'll do it.” I whispered as he heaved a long sigh.

Alpha Xander nodded to Gavin who turned to the guards then tersely commanded, “Have the maids prepare her for departure and her presentation.”

The preparation was a blur of activities. The maids dragged me away, scrubbing my body and hair clean, dressing me in an exquisite gown of gold and red silk. A red veil was placed over my head to complete the look.

An hour later, I was in the grand carriage. The knots in my stomach twisted as the carriage rumbled forward.

One thought echoed in my head as we neared the Lycan realm. ‘This is insane!’

****

I stared out the carriage window as the BlackMoon Pack faded behind me. This would be the last Werewolf pack I’ll ever see. The further we traveled, the thinner and colder the air was.

The Lycan Realm. Those words alone made me sick. I’d watch my very own village burn to the ground, my own family slaughtered and left with nothing but blood and bones, all because of their cruelty. And now, I was supposed to be their queen? Over my dead body!

“We're here.” The coachmen announced.

The door to the carriage was held open and I stepped down.

A gust of wind swept over me and I squinted. When I fully opened my eyes, they went completely round.

The red sun, something I had never seen before, was setting behind jagged looking mountains. The palace, an obsidian-looking structure stood behind carved metallic gates emblazoned with ancient symbols. The place, though beautiful, reeked of death.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when the ground beneath me rumbled.

“Aargh!” I let out a scream as the rumbling made me lose my footing. Even the coachmen rode off into the sunset in fear.

Suddenly, a massive shadow moved from the palace steps. I quickly rose to my feet and moved back.

I swallowed hard when two glowing eyes fixed on me.

The owner of the eyes appeared before me.  

He was tall, impossibly tall. Broad shouldered, with dark scales glinting on his skin. Two curved horns framed his features, and his long, clawed fingers taped his chin as he studied me.

Then he tilted his head and smiled. “You'll do it.”

Like hell I will.