Chapter five

Viola's tears flowed freely as she shook her head, pleading with him.

"Please let me go. I don't want to bother you anymore. Just send me away from your pack. I did not and would never hurt my sister," she pleaded, looking at her father.

The Alpha mind-linked his daughter, a wicked smile thinning his lips. "Of course you didn't hurt her. I put her up to it."

"Do you hate me that much, father? Why? Because of my flaw or is there something else?" Viola replied.

Before she could get a response, a man from the crowd shouted.

"We want to see her clearly, without the mask!"

Soon, others began to join the request, exclaiming that they too wanted to see her face. Viola felt the chaos rising in her chest.

Graham looked at her with disdain.

"Take off your mask," he ordered in an authoritarian voice.

"No!" cried Viola, her voice filled with panic.

Without giving her time to react, her father forcefully ripped off her mask and threw it to the floor.

Viola felt the cold air of the room touch her face, and a lump formed in her throat as she realized everyone's eyes were on her. When the crowd saw her different eyes, one purple and the other green, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Graham observed with satisfaction the impact his daughter was having on those present.

"Viola is cursed!" he announced. "She's a woman who brings bad luck. Does anyone want her as a wife?!"

The silence was overwhelming. None of the men dared to utter a word; many were watching Viola, whose sadness and anger were a heartbreaking sight.

Graham took a step forward, his gaze calculating.

"The man who chooses to marry her will be rewarded with a million gold coins. Who's in?!"

Upon hearing the offer, the crowd began to murmur. The men's faces lit up with greed, and several began to put themselves forward to win the king's favor.

However, a man wearing a black cloak, covering his face, stepped forward. In a loud and firm voice, he declared:

"I will keep her, but I only want her, not the million coins," he proposed in his deep, masculine voice.

The murmurs stopped immediately; the room was filled with disbelief at the stranger's audacious statement.

One of the men next to the hooded man exclaimed:

"You're crazy! She's cursed! I'd rather have the million coins, have some fun with her, and kill her! If she's good enough, I will keep her for my heat."

Some laughed and others murmured at the utterance.

The stranger replied, without hesitating in his decision.

"I don't need your fucking gold. Since you are throwing her away, the Lycan king will pick up your trash. He wants a wife and he wants it to be Viola Graham," he declared firmly.

Graham turned towards the man.

"That's the best offer I'll get for Viola," said the Alpha. "I accept. She's yours. You have the right to marry the youngest daughter of... the Lycan king... King Lucian?" Graham's voice became shaky. It was as if the word just registered in his head.

Viola, in a state of shock, looked at her father in despair. No one has seen the Lycan king, but if the rumours are true, she's about to be given away to a monstrous being.

"Please don't do it," she begged, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to marry him. I will not marry him."

Graham approached her, his face full of contempt.

"I wish you all the best, Viola. If the Lycan king wants you, who am I to reject the offer?"

Viola felt her heart break. Rage and sadness overwhelmed her.

"I will always hate you," she said, her voice filled with pain.

Graham scorned her words and looked at the guards. He kissed her forehead and faked some affection towards her.

"Take her to the man who chose her," he ordered. "She would be the bridge of peace between the werewolves and the lycans."

Without hesitation, the guards approached and began to restrain Viola, who writhed trying to break free.

As they led her toward the stranger, her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts. Tears continued to flow, and she felt her freedom slipping away before her eyes.

"This isn't fair!" she shouted, looking for any opportunity to escape.

The man in the black cloak walked ahead, and the crowd parted as he passed. Viola knew she couldn't give up, even though her strength was waning. If they were going to take her away like some worthless trash, at least they would need to earn that.

In front of her, the man showed no emotion. For a moment, Viola wondered who he really was and what his intentions were. However, she couldn't let that distract her from her pain.

She felt cold energy hovering around him.

Viola felt her strength crumbling with every step she took. The guards led her relentlessly, and despite her desire to fight, her strength was beginning to leave her. She walked aimlessly while the man in the black cloak kept a discreet distance, always watching her. After several minutes of walking, they finally reached the dock, where a giant ship awaited, its pristine white sails billowing in the wind.

The cloaked man stopped near the stairs leading to the deck and, in an authoritative voice, ordered the guards to bring the princess up. At this order, Viola, in a fit of desperation, tried to resist again.

"No! I don't want to go up!" she shouted, but one of the guards grabbed her roughly. She bit his finger so hard and kicked him in his groin before going for a run.

A few metres afterwards, she was lifted off the floor over a manly shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

She struggled in vain, feeling the sting of helplessness as the man in the black cloak climbed the ship's stairs and dropped her.

" It's totally unfair" tears streamed down her eyes. " My mother promised I would be free and here I am, given away for marriage. What if I pay you... Would you let me go ... Oh you didn't even accept my father's million coins. What then do you want? I'm flawed. I've defied the pack's law of perfection"

Viola looked at the man who still had his hood up but he didn't spare her a glance neither did he respond to her questions.

Her curiosity overcame her fear.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

With a deliberate movement, the man lowered his hood, revealing his face. Viola studied him closely: he had a strong jawline, skin as pale as the moon, and his jet-black hair fell in waves across his forehead. His eyes were a mesmerizing green, contrasting sharply with his pale complexion. He was handsome, but a chill ran down Viola's spine. Something about him told her his intentions weren't good.

"I'm Lucian, king of Nightmore pack," he introduced himself, his tone confident and arrogant. "Your future husband." He looked her up and down, gazing into Viola's eyes with interest.