Chapter 3

Riley 

I looked toward the door, but there was no escape waiting for me on the other side. Even if I somehow managed to get out of the house, where would I go? There was nowhere I could run without eventually being caught, and if I was caught trying to escape, it would not only mean my death. My entire household would pay the price for my decision.

Running away from serving the beast was considered treason.

Every year, when the custodians came to collect the girl chosen to serve the King, no family was allowed to refuse. A family that hid their daughter or tried to help her escape was punished severely. They could be killed or banished from the kingdom entirely. And being banished was hardly any different from a death sentence. Without the protection of a pack, there was little chance of surviving for long.

I turned my eyes toward my father. For a moment, I desperately hoped he would look at me. Maybe he would say something that would get me out of this situation but Instead, he looked away.

I knew I would never forget this day. It had taken everything from me. First, my mate had been taken away from me, and now I was being offered to a five-hundred-year-old beast.

A man surrounded by stories no woman ever returned to tell. No woman who had been taken to his palace for the night ever came back and spoke about what had happened behind those walls. Their families were simply informed that their daughters had fulfilled their duty, and that was the end of it.

I had spent my entire life hearing those stories, now I was going to become one of those women. Tears blurred my vision as one of the custodians led me out of the house. I barely noticed the people standing outside or the cold air against my skin. My legs felt heavy, and every step toward the waiting SUV felt like I was walking closer to my own grave.

I was helped into the vehicle, and soon we were driving away from the only home I had ever known.

I kept my face turned toward the window, watching the familiar streets disappear behind us. IThe drive lasted for about an hour.

We were heading toward the King's Palace, a place ordinary werewolves were forbidden from coming anywhere near. No one was permitted within ten miles of the palace without official permission.

As the massive gates came into view, my stomach twisted, the gates opened, and the SUV drove into the palace estate.

It was breathtaking, the grounds were enormous, with perfectly maintained gardens, beautiful fountains, tall trees, and luxurious buildings spread across the property. Everything looked expensive and carefully maintained. Under different circumstances, I might have stopped to admire it. But fear had consumed every other emotion inside me.

The SUV eventually stopped in front of the main mansion. One of the custodians opened the door, and I stepped out slowly.

I was led inside, the moment I entered the mansion, I was struck by how large and luxurious it was. Two ladies dressed in maid uniforms were already waiting in the enormous living room.

“Clean her up and get her ready for the King as soon as possible.” One of the custodians pushed me gently but firmly toward the maids before turning away.

One of the maids immediately took my hand. Unlike the custodians, her touch was gentle. She didn't say anything as she led me down a long hallway and into another room.

The moment I stepped inside, I realized it looked more like a private beauty spa than a room in a palace. I guessed this was where every maiden brought to the palace was prepared before being taken to the King.

I was asked to remove my clothes and lie down on a large, comfortable bed. I felt embarrassed and exposed, but I was too frightened to protest.

The maids carefully prepared my body, removing the hair from my intimate area with warm wax before taking me into an enormous bathtub.

It became the longest bath I had ever taken in my entire life. The bathtub was filled with warm water and covered with rose petals. The scent filled the room, and every part of my body was carefully washed. They took their time, cleaning me from head to toe as though I were someone important.

Afterward, I was given a full-body massage. For the first time in years, I felt the tension slowly leave my muscles. They applied a sweet-smelling, elegant scented oil to my skin, leaving my entire body soft and fragrant.

I knew exactly why they were taking such care of me, I knew what I was being prepared for.

Yet despite the fear sitting heavily in my chest, I couldn't stop myself from enjoying the attention. Since my mother died, no one had taken care of me like this, my life had become nothing but work.

I was expected to work from morning until night, and I rarely went to bed until every muscle in my body ached from exhaustion. I had grown so used to neglecting myself that I had forgotten what it felt like to simply be cared for. Tonight, for the first time in years, my body was being treated gently.

After all the care, the maids dressed me in a long, see-through gown that fell all the way down my body. The material was soft against my skin, but I couldn't bring myself to appreciate it. I knew exactly why I was being dressed this way.

They sprayed perfume over my body, and the sweet fragrance immediately filled the room. It smelled heavenly, almost too beautiful for a place where I was being prepared for something I dreaded.

Once they were done, the maid led me out of the room and toward the staircase. My heart began pounding harder with every step.

I tried to keep myself calm, but fear had already taken control of my body. My palms were sweaty, my breathing was uneven, and my legs felt like they could give out at any moment.

When we reached the upper floor, the maid continued down the long hallway. I followed quietly, my eyes fixed on the floor as I tried not to think about what was waiting for me.

She eventually stopped in front of the last room, I stopped too. For a few seconds, I simply stood there, staring at the closed door. Was I going to survive tonight? The thought kept repeating itself in my head.

“We need to go in.” The maid nudged me gently.

She reached for the door handle and opened it, I took a slow breath before stepping inside. The room was large and beautifully furnished, but I barely noticed any of it. My eyes immediately searched the room, there was no one else inside.

“The King will be here soon, just kneel by the bed.”

The maid turned around after giving me the instruction. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving me completely alone.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door. Then I slowly walked toward the bed and lowered myself onto my knees. I clasped my hands together, trying desperately to stop them from shaking, but it was useless.

I couldn't stop wondering what the beast would look like. A five-hundred-year-old man couldn't possibly look normal. In my imagination, he was already hideous, with an old, terrifying face and a body that probably smelled just as terrible.

I swallowed nervously, I wished the maid had given me the alcohol I had requested earlier. At least then, I could have numbed myself enough to get through tonight without being completely consumed by fear.

The door opened, I immediately lowered my gaze, remembering the instructions I had been given. I was not supposed to look at him. I was supposed to keep my head down and wait for him to decide what happened next.

But curiosity got the better of me, I slowly raised my head, and the moment my eyes landed on him, I nearly forgot how to breathe.

This couldn't be the beast, I had been expecting an old man—someone frail, terrifying, and perhaps even unpleasant to look at. Instead, the man standing before me looked like he was barely in his thirties.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and incredibly fit. His body looked strong and powerful, like someone who had spent his entire life training. Nothing about him matched the image I had created in my head of a five-hundred-year-old cursed beast.

Then I looked at his face. It was almost too perfect to be real. His features were sharp and perfectly defined, as though they had been carefully carved by the gods themselves. But it was his eyes that held my attention. They were a striking shade of blue, deep and intense enough to make me feel as though I could lose myself in them if I stared for too long.

I couldn't understand it, this man didn't look cursed. He didn't even look like someone who had lived for five hundred years.

I continued staring at him for several seconds before realizing what I was doing. There was something strangely familiar about him, something that made me feel as though I had seen that face before. But where? I couldn't remember.

I hadn't met many people throughout my life. I rarely left my family's home, so there weren't many people I could have encountered and forgotten. If I had met a man like him before, surely I would have remembered.

He remained where he was, silently staring at me, the silence stretched for what felt like several minutes before he finally walked toward me. “Get up and take off your dress.”

His voice was calm but commanding, my heart began pounding again. I slowly got to my feet and removed the see-through gown, standing before him completely exposed.

His eyes moved over me for a moment before returning to my face. Then his expression changed slightly. “Have we met before?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I don't think so,” I replied, my voice trembling.

He continued looking at me as though he was trying to remember where he had seen me before. Then his expression hardened again. “Get on the bed and spread your legs,” he commanded.