BK 1 - 02: A new bride for the Lycan King

TRISTAN

I stared at Ethan Willow, my hands clenched so tight into fists that my knuckles turned white. He just stood there with that arrogant look on his face, acting like he really did the right thing.

"Get out of my castle, Ethan," I said, my voice shaking with rage. "You have crossed a line coming here tonight."

Ethan chuckled, stepping closer to me without an ounce of fear in his eyes. "I just came to check on Brenda. She belongs with me, Tristan, and we both know it."

Before he could say another word, I lunged forward, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him hard on the wall. The guards instantly drew their swords, but I held up a hand to stop them.

"If you ever speak her name again, I will tear your tongue out," I snarled right into his face.

Ethan choked, clawing at my fingers, but he still managed a weak grin. "Kill me then. But she will never love you. She hates you, Tristan."

I shoved him away so hard he stumbled on the floor. I wanted to tear him apart right then and there, but I knew Brenda was upstairs listening, and I had promised her I would handle this without blood.

"Escort him to the border," I ordered the guards in a harsh tone. "If he sets foot in Varkhar again, kill him on sight."

"Yes, my King," Jonathan said, grabbing Ethan by his collar and dragging him toward the door. Ethan laughed as they pulled him away, and the sound echoed in the hall, driving me crazy.

I turned around and ran up the stairs as fast as my feet could carry me, wanting nothing more than to hold Brenda and assure her that Ethan was gone. I pushed open our bedchamber doors, but the room was completely empty. The balcony doors were wide open, and the cold wind was blowing the curtains violently.

Panic flared in my chest. "Brenda!" I called out, rushing toward the balcony.

I looked down into the courtyard and my heart stopped. Brenda was standing near the edge of the high wall overlooking the sharp rocks below. Rain was soaking her dress, and she was clutching her pregnant stomach, crying hysterically.

"Brenda, stop!" I screamed, vaulting over the balcony railing and dropping down to the floor below. I sprinted toward her, reaching out my hand. "Please, don't move!"

She turned her head to look at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "Stay back, Tristan! Don't come any closer!"

I froze, lifting my hands in defeat, my chest heaving as I tried to keep my voice gentle. "Okay, okay, I'm staying right here. Just step away from the edge, Brenda. Please. Think about yourself, think about our baby."

"I can't do this anymore," she sobbed, taking a small step backward. Her foot slipped slightly on the wet stone, and my heart dropped into my stomach. "I can't live like this, Tristan. I don't love you. I love Ethan, and I would rather die than live with a monster like you."

The word hit me like a blade to the chest. "Monster?" I whispered, tears blurring my eyes. "I loved you, Brenda. I gave you everything. I offered to forgive you for everything!"

"Your love is a cage!" she shrieked, her voice high and desperate. "I hate you! I hate this kingdom, and I hate this child inside me!"

"Brenda, no!" I screamed, lunging forward to grab her.

But I was too late.

She let herself fall backward off the wall.

"NO!" I roared, diving over the edge and reaching out with everything I had, but my fingers only brushed the hem of her wet dress.

I watched in absolute horror as she fell through the darkness, hitting the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. The sound echoed, shattering my soul into a million pieces.

I scrambled down the muddy path like a wild animal, tearing my hands on sharp stones, completely blind to the pain. When I reached the bottom, I threw myself to my knees beside her motionless body. Blood was pooling everywhere on the cold ground, mixing with the falling rain.

I pulled her into my arms, lifting her head up to my chest. "Brenda, wake up. Please, wake up!" I cried out, wiping the blood from her pale face. I pressed my ear on her stomach, desperately listening for any sign of life from my unborn child.

Nothing. No heartbeat. Nothing at all.

A terrible, hollow pain tore through my chest, so deep and violent that my wolf let out a primal scream inside my mind. My wife was dead. My child was dead. Everything I had ever cared about was gone in a single night.

I held her lifeless body for hours in the freezing rain, sobbing until my voice gave out completely. Something inside me snapped that night. The warm, compassionate man who wanted to be a good husband and a fair king died right there on those wet rocks alongside his family.

*

Ten years later.

I sat on the dark stone throne of Varkhar, staring down at the parchment reports resting in my hands. Ten years of planning, ten years of turning my heart into pure ice. I had built the most feared empire in the northern territory, and my name alone made strong men tremble.

Jonathan, who was now my chief commander, stepped forward into the silent hall and bowed deeply.

"My King," Jonathan said softly. "The Ashmoor Pack has fallen into total ruin, exactly as you planned. Their debts are insurmountable, and the council is threatening to execute the entire Willow bloodline for treason against the Crown."

A cold, slow smile spread on my face, but my eyes remained dead and empty. "And Ethan Willow?"

"He is desperate, sire," Jonathan replied. "He is willing to offer anything to save his family's reputation and avoid execution."

I tossed the papers to the small table beside me and stood up, my towering six-foot-five frame casting a long shadow across the hall. I adjusted the fur cloak over my shoulders, my silver eyes gleaming with a ruthless, dark light.

"Send word to Ethan Willow," I commanded, my voice flat, calm, and terrifyingly cold. "Tell him I will wipe away all his debts and spare his family from execution under one condition."

Jonathan looked up, waiting. "What condition, my King?"

"He must hand over his younger sister, Iris Willow, to me as a political hostage and prospective bride," I said, folding my hands behind my back. "He traded my family's lives for his ambition ten years ago. Now, I will take his innocent sister, make her fall hopelessly in love with me, and shatter her heart into pieces before I destroy everything he has left."

"It shall be done, Alpha," Jonathan bowed low and turned to carry out the order.

I turned back to look out the high window at the dark, frozen mountains of my kingdom.

Ethan Willow was going to watch his sister get destroyed little by little, and I was going to enjoy every single second of it.