TAKEN (A Rogue King x Priestess Romance)

ASTRA

"She's definitely going to become the next head priestess."

"Her aunt is the head priestess and she is perfect, of course she's the next in line."

Hearing such words had become a norm for me and one would think those words would no longer make me feel jiggy after hearing them for so long but one would be wrong to think so, because they did. They always did. The excitement from hearing those sweet words had not diminished even slightly in all these years.

And did that make me vain? No. At least, I don't think so.

Hands gently folded in front of me and my signature polite smile on, I breezed past the two chatting priestesses and headed out of the temple to where the car was parked.

My Aunt was standing by the car. She was clad in her dazzling white priestess uniform with sparks of golden stars thrown on an equally white belt.

That belt. My gaze lingered on it for a spilt moment. The symbol of the head priestess, a symbol I would bear one day.

One day as long as the ongoing war ended with our pack as the victorious one. There was a very slim chance that would be the case.

"Aunt," I stopped in front of her, the polite smile still on my face.

"Now, don't give me that fake smile of yours." She sounded mischievous and full of life as always.

I chuckled, knowing what was next with the way her eyes glowed.

"Now, that's more like it. There's more to life than becoming the next priestess. You should..."

"Live more. Be happy. Take risks. I know." I cut her off with a small laugh and she laughed too.

"Well, we should get going now. The king's state is not too good and with the kingdom quickly being overrun, I doubt he would get better." Aunt sighed, the smile slipping off her face even with her attempt to keep it on.

Things were bad. My Aunt barely ever got worried.

"Yes, Aunt"

She stepped into the backseat of the car and I stepped in right after her, shutting the door gently.

With a snap of her fingers, the driver took the cue and the drive begun.

The ride was quiet which was almost strange given that my Aunt was in the car. I glanced at her and I could see the worry that clouded her face.

If only I could help her, if only I could take away her worries and sorrows but I knew I couldn't. No one could do away with worries at the moment but it still felt scary seeing my Aunt look this worried.

A monster was ravaging our kingdom. A monster because that was most certainly what he was. A deadly beast who had taken over several packs and kingdoms and was now about taking over ours.

Our kingdom was strong. The Purple Moon Kingdom hosted a pack not to be trifled with and we had served the moon goddess all our lives fucking religiously...

Okay... No curse words. Totally unacceptable behaviour for me.

...We had served the moon goddess all our lives, religiously and that was supposed to be enough protection but not from the monster upon us. The war had only started a day ago and yet the damage already caused was... it was too much.

Only capable of being caused by a monster, one with zero emotions and empathy. Perhaps this part of the kingdom was the only part that was still safe for now but for how long could we stay safe?

As a priestess, I was to meet every situation with calmness and optimism but today, I felt completely restless and deep inside of me, I had a feeling today would be the last day I find peace in my heart.

*

"Your majesty, you have to remain strong and alive if our Pack is to remain on its feet. We need you, your majesty."

I remained standing a few feets away from them as the King and my Aunt conversed.

"Remain strong and alive? The Pack remains on its feet? It is all over. We are doomed, Caitlyn. We cannot survive. The reports I have gotten are all reports on how close he is... How quickly he is getting to us."

"The war only started a day ago. There's no way he and his army would breach all our defences in two days." My Aunt reckoned and I wanted to hope so too, praying in my heart that this beast would never be able to breach our defences.

"You speak like you do not know Darkaldie!" His voice was slightly raised and my brows arched.

My Aunt glanced at me with a secretive look on her face before returning her focus to the King.

The way his majesty had just spoken told me that he knew this monster more than I had thought he did. What did the king know about him? And what did my Aunt know about the monster too?

"Yet, even Darkaldie is not a deity, is he? Our defences are strong, believe in us a little more, your majesty."

But the king only shook his head.

"There's a reason Darkaldie was meant to be killed. There's a reason that bastard should have been slaughtered before he turned into this..."

More confusion etched into my brows. Was there ever a time that this Darkaldie was at the mercy of his majesty?

"Still, he cannot..."

"Your majesty!" A scream penetrated the room as the doors of the royal room was flung open without respect to proper procedures.

A soldier ran into the room frantically and I could feel fear immediately seep into my system from the panic I could feel from him.

"Your majesty!" He crashed onto his knees.

"We... We are under attack! The palace is under attack!" He informed and panic fully seeped into my body.

My gaze faltered and I looked from the scared soldier to my Aunt and the King.

"We must leave immediately!" My Aunt said in a panic, immediately leaving the king's side.

"We can't leave the king here... Right?" I asked as she grabbed me by the wrist.

"We have to leave! Whoever is with the king will be killed!" She said to me in a voice that had lost all humour and was all about urgency.

"But... But it's his majesty! We can't leave him to die!" I struggled to get out of her grip but she held onto my wrist firmly.

"Astra! I didn't bring you here to die! Come with me right this moment!" She yelled but I looked back at the king who looked helpless in his wheelchair and I immediately knew it. I could not leave him here.

"We have to help his majesty!" I pulled and twisted my hand out of her grip and ran towards the king in his wheelchair.

"No, Astra. He is here for me... You have to leave without me and save your life." The king protested but I wasn't going to leave him and run for my own life.

"I am not leaving you behind, your majesty." With some effort, I pushed the wheelchair out of the room.

"Lead the way, Aunt Caitlyn!" I screamed as I heard panicked noises and screams coming from some other parts of the palace.

"Oh goddess, you will be the cause of our deaths!" Aunt Caitlyn muttered underneath her breath, every muscle on her face clearly regretting her decision to bring me here as she led the way.

I wheeled the chair as fast as I could until Aunt Caitlyn suddenly stopped in her tracks. I stopped too, wondering why she suddenly stopped.

"You go now!" She gave me a slight push.

"Wh... What?" A brow raised.

"You leave now. Ahead is a wall but the king knows the escape route behind the wall. Take the escape route out." Her breathing was heavy.

"And you?" I refused to leave.

"Oh god! Leave, Astra!" She rushed at me, grabbed my face in her hands, her brown eyes desperately searching mine.

"You have to leave and promise me you will live your life! You have to live and live happily." She pressed her lips to my forehead, planting a kiss there before giving me a push.

"No! No! Why would I leave without you? I cannot..."

"Now! Go!" She yelled at me but I still shook my head.

"The more time we waste here, the higher the chances of our deaths are. You leave now and I stand a chance to still meet you..."

Another scream pierced the air, plunging the entire atmosphere into even worse urgency.

"You have to live, Aunt Caitlyn. I have to see you again!" My voice was already shaky. My heart was pounding hard as I resumed pushing the wheelchair as fast as I could, running.

I took a turn and saw the wall right ahead me.

"How do we get to the escape route?" I asked, out of breath with my feet working even faster.

"Get me to the wall!" The king managed to let out in his weak voice.

"We are there!" I gave the wheelchair a final push, sweats now dripping from my forehead from the effort.

But as the wheelchair stopped by the wall, I heard it. A scream. A painful scream that belonged to the only family I had ever had.

"Aunt Caitlyn!" I gasped her name, tears immediately welling up in my eyes as my body turned numb with pain.

"Aunt Caitlyn" I mumbled her name again and took a step back, turning the wheelchair from the wall to face the direction we had just come from.

"We can't go back, Astra." The king's frail voice made me want to choke on my tears.

"We have to leave now!" He added, his voice raised as he made efforts to turn the wheelchair towards the wall itself once again as I remained stricken with grief and shock.

She couldn't be dead, right? She had to be alive. My Aunt was definitely alive! Those smiles, that liveliness could not be gone. She was the head priestess! No one could kill her that easily. No one. Not even that monster. She was alive. She certainly was.

And then footsteps. Heavy and yet lazy footsteps which made the King gasp while I just remained there, frozen with warm tears trickling down my cheeks.

He appeared in front of me and I immediately knew who and what he was. A beast. A monster. That was what he was.

His body was drenched in blood and I could see bits of flesh on him. His face was pulled into a lazy and bored look. Like he just had better places to be and just wanted to be done with this as quick as possible. Like having bits of several people's bodies all over him was the most monotonous activity of his life.

"A monster..." My lips trembled the word out and his gaze shifted to me from the king.

He raised a bloody hand and the king was levitated into the air. I still couldn't move an inch as more tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Long time no see, King Balon." A deep, resentful and hateful voice came from him as the King gasped in fear, trying to pull himself down to his feet or the wheelchair.

"You... You have no idea what you are doing! You have no idea the destruction you are walking towards! What you are seeking will... "

"...will destroy you. You are going to be destroyed. I have heard enough of all that before, don't you think?" He moved his fingers and with the motion of his fingers, the king was slammed against the wall.

He cried out in pains as he hung in the air and yet all I could do was watch this gory sight unfold in front of me. Did he do this to Aunt Caitlyn too? Slammed her against a wall and...

The monster shifted his gaze back to me and his eyes, sharp and definitely demonic, locked onto mine as he folded a finger, an action that made the the king cry out.

Bone manipulation skills.

My lips parted into a soft, whimper-y cry and he appeared... Amused? He tilted his head to the right slightly.

Another finger folded and a louder cry. Then another. Until four fingers were folded. And yet he kept the eye contact, as if torturing me with his gaze and I could feel my heart clenching in even worse pains.

He released all four fingers and a smirk crossed his face.

"Be my guest, Pretty." The words left his lips before he pulled his fingers into a tight fist.

A body explosion filled the room, the king's body exploding into pieces and bits and the sob left me as I sobbed out one word.

"Beast!"