Chapter 10

I couldn’t stop the way my hands shook or the way my body still trembled at the warning and the threat of what was to come.

I still recalled the way his eyes flashed. It wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Something about it didn’t seem right, human.

And somehow, he knew that I had tried to escape this. My parents wouldn’t have told, it was too shameful for them. So how did he?

I shook my head. Was that even important?

That bastard was going to ruin my life and there was no way to stop it.

Without thinking, I located Kane’s marble again.

My hands shook as I clutched the marble and tears blurred my vision.

What was I doing?

If he was going to help me escape this, it would have been days ago. When there was a chance. With the guards and the guests and the bear clan, there was no way he could help.

Steeling my heart, I tossed the marble aside and looked at reflection.

If I couldn’t escape this, then I had to make the best of it. Knox would treat me as the woman I was. Bear clan or not.

A knock jolted me out of my door.

“My lady, they are ready for you.” A guard’s voice came through. I took a deep breath. Then I turned to the mirror once more. Hating how exposed I was, I undid my hair. Brown long curls that reminded me of a mermaid movie. Letting it cover my back, I pushed a few strands forward to cover what it could of my breast, then picked the matching shawl that the maids had said wasn’t needed earlier since my hair was in an updo. I placed it on my hair and pinned it down.

I looked more ethereal and bridal.

“My lady.” Another knock came and I rushed to the door.

The closer I got to the garden, the more my heart raced. I spotted so many guards outside and attendants waiting for their employers, I was beginning to panic at the thought of the number of guests.

Nothing prepared me for the number of people present.

A hush fell on the crowd as I walked in.

I hated the way their eyes fell on me, the way my heels clanked against the ground, the way needles pricked against my skin. I tried not to look at anyone. I might end up tripping and falling if I even dared. So, I focused on the one man that scared me more than anyone else. the grin on his face and the way his eyes took me in with every step I took was enough to make my stomach hollow. Yet, I pushed the discomfort away and continued till I was in front of him.

Only then did I attempt to look around. I spotted my father and mother amongst guests. Spotted his parents, just as huge and towering as he was amongst some of their people.

I swallowed just at the same time, a bottle of wine was handed over to me. I stared up at Knox.

“Drink, calm your nerves, your heartbeat is driving them wild.”

I drank. Not because he told me to but because I needed to get a grip.

“Everyone.” A voice came from behind me. Causing me to jump. I turned around and met the eyes of a man with grey hairs on his head and sharp eyes.

STATUS

Name: Edwin Vale

Age: 92

Status: Claimed

Value: Extremely high

Specie: Bear Clan (Priest)

Rank: D

“It’s time for the ceremony.” He continued and everyone immediately turned to sit. My heart rate spiked again.

“For the bears and the bloods.” He began almost immediately, bringing with him a giant golden chalice. I frowned as he raised it above his head.

“And the beasts and the blood.” The crowd suddenly chorused. The bear clan mostly.

“We welcome a new blood.” The priest brought the chalice down.

“To strengthen our bloodline.” The bears chorused again.

“A Grayham and a Bloomwood.” He turned to me, handing the chalice over to someone else.

“A human and a beastman.”

“A claiming of a lifetime.” He brought out a small dagger. And extended it towards me.

Oh God.

I freaked, knowing the bastard wanted my blood. And if it goes as novels usually, he would pour my blood in whatever was in the chalice and so would Knox and we would drink.

“Till death do them apart.” The hall turned quiet. And everyone waited for me to bleed. When I didn’t move, the priest’s eyes wrinkled at the edges. And murmurs rose. I didn’t look, didn’t want to see how Knox or my parents or his were looking at me now.

Could they not have a normal wedding and have us exchange rings.

Why did I have to bleed?

What if he had some sort of disease?

The thought made bile rise in my throat. And the murmurs grew.

“Inara.” Knox’s voice came, a low warning growl that made my spine stiffen.

“She clearly does not want to give her blood.” A lazy yet familiar voice rose from the crowd. I snapped my gaze to the direction of the voice and found a familiar looking red-haired man leaning crossed arm by the entrance of the hall.

Relief coursed through my heart in bolts and sputters.

“A fox.” Someone muttered.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Knox growled.

“Get that thing away from this place, this instant.”

Some members of the bear clans moved. They looked like guards.

“Ah ah ah…” the fox raised a finger in the air, halting them.

“Keep your muscled headed paws to yourself.”

“Get him out of here.” Knox barked, the air shifting with his powers. The room shook and the ground vibrated. At that moment, I realized the power the shifters wielded.

“You better stop barking mutt.” The fox’s eyes turned to slit. And a wave of warm heat washed through the room in a single sentence.

Everyone went still.

Their eyes widened with confusion and shock more than anything.  

“This claiming is suspended.” The fox sauntered through the hall. Confidence, regal and something else, oozing off him, like an invisible robe. For a strange reason, he suddenly seemed taller, bigger, mightier than even Knox.

“Indefinitely.” He stopped in front of me. That same playful, amusing glint in his eyes. Then he winked. My stomach churned and my knees buckled. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

“On whose authority?” Knox moved in front of him, blocking my view of him. In front of the bear, he looked tiny, someone that could be crushed like butter. Yet, he didn’t cower. If anything, he looked like a being bigger than the hall itself. His squared shoulders and calm eyes made him look like a god watching a child throw a tantrum.

“Mine.” 

Knox’s shoulders tensed. Then bulged. I heard a crack and immediately took a step back to find his body extending, his bones shifting and everyone holding their breath till a mighty bear stood before me.

My heart stopped.

They could shift.

Legit shift.

Knox towered over Kane in his bear form. And the bear clan roared at his might. And I understood.

He could slap a man to his death.

“Urghh. This is annoying.” Yet, the fox seemed unfazed. Just genuinely annoyed. He took one step back and a powerful force surged from him. Like earlier, but this wasn’t warm, it was hot, angry and powerful. It exploded through the hall in one fell swoop, slamming me to the wall.

Screams rose, growls followed.

Chaos.

I opened my eyes, and scrambled to my feet, my head and back hurting. The roof was gone. And everyone was either on the ground or standing in bear forms.

However, in the middle of the room, a giant fox stood.

With blazing red fur.

And nine tails.

I gasped.

No one spoke.

The silence was heavy, oppressing, alive with a threat that could end everyone in an instance.

Then one person moved. The bear clan chief. He shifted back to his human form and went on all fours, head touching the ground.

“This chief greets the sun of the empire.”

Immediately everyone shifted and went on all fours.

“All hail the prince of the empire.”

STATUS

Name: Kane Ember

Age: 28

Status: Unclaimed

Value: Rare

Specie: Fox Clan (Guardian: Imperial prince)

Rank: SS