Chapter 2: The Bride Hunt

Most of the women in the cage were dressed in black and gray old fashioned clothes, but not in a way that made them look ridiculous. Most wore long dresses that reached their ankles, with fitted bodices and full skirts that moved around their legs when they walked. Some had high collars and long sleeves, while others wore simple blouses tucked into long skirts. The fabric looked heavy and almost every outfit had some kind of silver detail sewn into it.

The men wore the same colors, although their clothes were different. Loose shirts, animal skin vests, high waisted trousers and boots. The silver jewellery was everywhere too. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings and chains around their throats. It was strange seeing so many people dressed like they had stepped out of another century, especially when there were trucks, electricity and modern buildings all around us.

I kept yelling at the guards to let us out until one lady pulled at my arm.

She was dressed differently than the rest. She had on a dark gray skirt trimmed with small white pearls at the hem and what looked like a bikini top, also with the same pearls. The only silver jewellery she had were the bangles on both arms. Her hair was tied up in a bun and had zero pins on it.

“Stop doing that,” she said, nodding toward the bars. “It won’t help.”

Another one said something in that language I didn’t understand, making a few others laugh. They probably thought I was an idiot. I wouldn’t exactly argue.

“It’s illegal to auction people,” I muttered.

“Auction?” The woman with the bikini top raised her brow.

“Yeah, you know.” I waved my hands ridiculously in the air. “Sell. Bid. Auction.”

The other women burst out laughing like I’d said something completely insane.

“I know what an auction is.” She smiled. “And I can promise you this isn’t it.”

“What is it then?” Penelope asked from the corner.

“The bride hunt.” The woman answered without batting an eyelash.

“The what?” I blinked.

“Oh Lord.” She sighed. “You don’t have much time. When the cage opens, you run and you hope that a good man catches y—”

The sound of something hitting the bars and then people in the tents screaming and yelling cut her off.

I turned my head to see a number of big, shirtless men entering the clearing and walking toward the stage.

The women continued screaming and clapping.

Then I saw him.

He was big. Bigger than most of the men.

He was also shirtless and wearing shorts made of animal skin. It only covered the important parts. Everything else was on display. The big, toned thighs, the broad shoulders and chest, the stomach and abs marred with old, gray scars.

The cuts looked like they had been deep once upon a time.

He was magnificent.

He stepped onto the raised platform and went straight to the chair that looked like the throne and sat. The crowd cheered again.

There was not a single photo of him in the history books but I knew exactly who he was. The chair said it all.

The King and the Dragon Commander.

He was the most powerful man in Vaelryth, if not the whole world, and he was younger than I thought he would be. Or at least he looked younger than I expected.

My eyes travelled down his body and landed on his bare feet. Bare. As in no shoes at all. Not even sandals. It was a strange way for a king to dress but it fit with the rest of his barely there attire.

He didn’t even bother to wear their native colors.

My gaze travelled back up and I noticed the scar running across his left cheek, making him look even more intimidating. I bet he could break skulls with his bare hands.

“Hey,” the other woman’s voice snapped behind me.

I turned back to her.

Most of them were watching the stage and appeared not to care about the rest of the conversation anymore.

“What’s the bride hunt?” I asked again.

The name alone sounded like something I didn’t want to be a part of.

“When the cage falls, you run,” she warned. “Turn if you are a werewolf, which I’m guessing you are. If you can get away you are free. But if one of the men catches you, you are their bride, you are their wife. It’s the Vaelryth tradition. You cannot escape it. You better run fast or pray for a good man.”

Holy fucking shit.

I stared at her.

“So you’re telling me we’re supposed to run around while a bunch of men chase us?” I asked, looking around the cage.

“Exactly.” The woman shrugged like she’d just told me we were having dinner.

“And if they catch us, we belong to them?” I couldn’t believe it.

She looked at me like the answer should’ve been obvious.

My stomach twisted. I shook my head. “I’m not marrying some stranger just because he caught me.”

A few women laughed.

They were Vaelryth. This was their way. That explained why they were so excited. Like they’d dreamed of this their entire lives. Only a few looked frightened. Only outsiders.

Then a deep horn sounded.

The woman beside me grabbed the bars.

“Get ready,” she whispered.

A loud metallic groan came from above us.

I looked up. The entire roof of the cage was moving. I thought it was some kind of mechanism opening the cage but the floor beneath my feet dropped.

Women screamed.

I fell forward and hit the ground hard, barely catching myself with my hands. Someone stepped over me. A male omega crashed into my shoulder.

Everyone started running.

Penelope looked at me. Her eyes were wide with fear. “Anna!” she screamed.

I didn’t know what to do. I looked toward the clearing. People were cheering.

The shirtless men were mounting horses.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Penelope looked over her shoulder, then back at me. And she ran.

“Penelope!” I shouted after her.

She didn’t stop.

I scrambled to my feet and ran after her.

I had no idea where I was going. I only knew one thing.

Don’t get caught.