Chapter 4

Ariana's pov

Up close, he didn’t look like the monster everyone whispered about. They called him a devil, but looking at him was like staring at a beautiful, fallen angel. 

I couldn’t help but notice how his hair, dark and shiny like polished obsidian tumbled over his shoulders. But when those piercing red eyes locked into mine, reality rushed back. 

I quickly looked down, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"What is your name?" his voice rumbled.

I stayed silent, frozen.

"What? Are you unable to speak?" he asked, his tone sharpening. I kept my eyes glued to the floor, remembering Lady Jade’s terrifying warning to Never look him in the eye.

"Forgive me, Alpha," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I am Ariana."

Suddenly, I felt something cold touch my face. It was his hand, grazing my cheek. I jerked back in shock, the coldness of his skin sending a shiver down my spine.

"You will address me as King," he corrected me, his voice like velvet over ice. "Do you understand?"

"Yes... my King," I managed to say. The room felt heavy. It smelled faintly of old blood and iron, and his presence was so suffocating it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.

He began to walk around me, circling like a wolf stalking a trapped rabbit. 

"You smell... different," he mused. He reached out, taking a few strands of my hair and bringing them to his nose. He inhaled deeply. "You don't smell like a wolf at all."

"I haven't shifted yet, my King," I said, trying to keep my legs from shaking or peeing myself.

"You haven't shifted?" He sounded genuinely confused now. "How old are you?"

"I’m twenty-one."

Before the words were even fully out of my mouth, he moved. In a blur of speed, he grabbed me and threw me into the bed. 

It wasn't a gentle toss, I hit the mattress hard, the air leaving my lungs. Before I could scramble away, he was over me, pinning my wrists down.

I was forced to look at him now. His gaze dropped to the neckline of my dress, staring at my breasts. I wore a long white gown that felt far too thin and revealing. 

I felt completely exposed, like a sacrifice on an altar. I wanted to scream, to fight, but I knew that making him angry was a death sentence.

"You have Alpha blood in your veins," he said, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "Yet you have no wolf. Are you cursed, Ariana?"

The word stabbed at me. I’d heard it my whole life, from my parents, from my sister, from the pack. It never got easier to hear. I fought back the tears, refusing to let them fall in front of him.

"I knew you’d be interesting the moment you walked in," he said with a wicked smile. He moved his hand to my neck and, with a sharp fingernail, sliced a small line into my skin. 

I flinched, holding my breath. He watched the bead of blood form, then pressed his finger to the cut and brought the blood to his lips and tasted it.

"Your blood is delicious," he purred, leaning down to the crook of my neck. " And I imagine the rest of you is, too."

He pressed his face into my skin, breathing me in. He smelled like winter and expensive woodsmoke, an addictive, dark scent that made my head spin. 

Despite my terror, my body reacted in a way I didn't understand. I felt a strange warmth spreading through me.

He lowered his head further, burying his face in between my breasts, sniffing me like a predator about to start its meal. 

I should have been fighting for my life. He was the Cursed Alpha, the Prince of Darkness. But as he grazed my nipple with his teeth, a soft moan escaped my throat.

The sound triggered something in him. A low, vibrating growl started in his chest. His inner beast was finally waking up and I remembered the dismembered body of the girl who was here before me.

I had to get out. But how do you escape the jaws of a monster?

His hand slid down my body, moving between my thighs. I jumped in shock, my eyes wide.

"Please... please don't, don't touch me there," I begged, the tears finally breaking through. "I'm not ready for this."

I had always dreamed that my first time would be special, maybe even magical. I never thought it would be in a dark room with a man who viewed me as nothing more than a snack.

His hand flew to my throat, his grip tightening. I struggled to breathe as he leaned close to my face.

"Who do you think you are?" he snapped, his eyes glowing. "You don't get a say. Your life, your body, and your soul belong to me now. I will do what I want, when I want. Now, be a little bitch and shut up."

He let go, and I slumped back, gasping for air. My sister’s voice echoed in my head: 

“You’re going to die tonight, Ariana. I can’t wait.”

Was she right? Was I just going to be used and thrown away like trash?

He stood up and discarded his towel. I stared in horror at the size of his cock. There was no way it would fit into my tiny hole. I was beginning to believe the tale of ladies being impaled by his monster cock and I was about to become another one of his victims.

I couldn't let it end like this. I couldn't let my family win by dying here.

"Spread your legs," he ordered. He moved between my knees, his weight heavy as he dropped his cock on my belly and when he did, it felt like an arm was dropped instead. If he thrust it inside me, I would die.

I needed to escape, I knew it was now or never. I gathered every ounce of strength I had left. As he leaned forward, I kicked him as hard as I could right between the legs.

He groaned in agony, falling to the side. I didn't wait. I scrambled off the bed and bolted for the door. I grabbed the handle and twisted it, but it was deadlocked from the outside.

"Ariana, you bitch!" he roared from the bed. "I’m going to rip your head off!"

Panicked, I looked around the room. My eyes landed on a small fruit knife on a side table. I lunged for it, but before my fingers could touch the handle, something huge and heavy slammed into my back.

A massive black wolf, weighing hundreds of pounds, pinned me to the floor. The man was gone and only the beast remained. 

I screamed for help, though I knew no one was coming. The wolf’s snout was inches from my face, its hot breath smelling of hunger.

"Please! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!" I sobbed but my pleas only seemed to excite it further.

The wolf growled, a sound that shook my very bones. It bared its teeth and sank them deep into the side of my neck while I screamed, waiting for the final snap that would end my life.

But it didn't happen.

After a few seconds, the wolf let go. It staggered back, whining as if it were in pain. I scrambled away, clutching my bleeding neck, watching in disbelief as the massive animal shifted back into the form of the King.

My head started to swim. The world was turning gray at the edges. As I began to collapse, I felt strong arms catch me. 

I looked up one last time, seeing his face, no longer angry, but filled with a terrifying, possessive hunger.

He leaned into my ear and whispered into my ears before the darkness took me,

"Mate." He smirked, "Get some rest. You're going to breed me alot of heirs."