Ruined By Them

Chapter one 

"Father, please believe me. I didn't do it. I would never give away our secrets." My voice broke as I stared up at the man who was supposed to protect me.

"Shut up." My father's voice slammed through the hall like a heavy whip. "You expect me to believe a word out of your mouth? You are nothing but an ungrateful, deceitful curse."

"Father, I swear on my life, it wasn't me." Hot tears blurred my vision. "Silas is lying to you."

Desperate for mercy, I crawled forward across the icy marble floor and reached for the heavy hem of his royal robes. My red Fox tail dragged weakly behind me, dull and unbrushed from stress.

He didn't flinch. With a cold, disgusted sneer, the old Wolf King kicked my reaching hand away and brought his heavy leather boot down directly on my left hand.

Sharp pain shot up my arm. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood to keep from screaming. He ground his heel into my fingers before stepping off me like I was a bug under his boot.

"Keep your mouth shut, you worthless creature." He flicked his dark Wolf ears back in irritation and adjusted his royal tunic.

The physical pain was blinding, but the cold realization in my chest hurt far worse. It was always like this in the Averon Kingdom.

It didn't matter that I was his firstborn son or the rightful heir to the throne. My father had two wives. My mother was a gentle, defenseless Fox shifter. My stepmother was a cunning Wolf who had spent years poisoning his mind against me.

My stepbrothers, Dominic and Silas, carried their mother's aggressive Wolf bloodline. They could burn the entire palace to the ground, yet I would always be the one holding the torch in my father's eyes. All because of my fragile Fox heritage.

"Guards." My father gestured toward the entrance. "Throw him into the iron cell. No food, no water, until he learns his place."

"Father, no. Please. I'm sorry."

But he was already gone. I looked at my mother, but she looked away immediately. She was too weak to help me.

Two massive guards grabbed my arms and dragged me backward toward the heavy oak doors. My broken hand scraped against the cold stone floor, sending fresh spikes of pain straight to my heart.

As the doors swung open, my eyes locked onto Silas and Dominic standing near the tall marble pillars. Their sharp Wolf ears were perked forward in satisfaction. Their tails swayed lazily behind them.

There was no guilt in their eyes, only triumphant smirks. Silas slowly raised a finger to his lips and silently mouthed a single word as I was dragged past them into the dark corridor.

Useless.

---

The iron cell was dark and reeked of damp stone, old blood, and heavy predator scents meant to suppress weak prey. The guards shoved me inside without mercy. I collapsed onto the freezing floor, pulling my Fox tail tight around my body as I clutched my swelling hand against my chest. Every breath felt like inhaling shattered glass.

I curled into a ball on the stone, shivering in the dark as I tried to process the relentless cruelty of my own family.

Light footsteps echoed down the corridor. The iron slot on the heavy cell door slid open with a sharp screech. I forced myself to sit up, expecting a guard with a bucket of water.

Instead, two pairs of glowing yellow Wolf eyes mocked me through the narrow opening.

"Look at him." Silas laughed softly, his voice dripping with malice. "The royal heir of Averon, lying in his own blood like a dying stray Fox."

"Quiet, Silas." Dominic tilted his head with mock concern, his dark ears twitching. "Don't ruin his pity party. Father stepped on his hand really hard today."

I pushed myself up against the damp wall. My voice came out raspy and shaking. "Why are you two doing this? I gave up my claims. I stayed out of your way. Why do you keep destroying my life?"

Dominic leaned his face closer to the bars. His sharp fangs gleamed under the torchlight. "Because you are still breathing, Felix. As long as you exist, the elders keep asking about the true heir. As long as you are alive, Father might accidentally remember you are his son."

"Father hates me." Tears slipped down my face. "You both know he will never give me the throne."

"He hates you because we make him hate you." Silas grinned widely, showing his fangs. "Every stolen secret, every broken law, every disgrace in this palace, we put your name on it. And you just stand there like an idiot, begging him to love you. Don't you understand? He doesn't love you."

My chest tightened as the full weight of his words hit me.

"Enjoy the dark floor tonight, your Royal Highness." Dominic's eyes gleamed with predator instinct. "Because being framed is the least of your worries now. Soon, we are going to make sure Father forgets you ever existed."

The metal slot slammed shut, leaving me in total darkness.

---

For three days, I remained trapped in that icy cell without a single drop of water or crumb of bread. My hand swelled to twice its normal size, throbbing with dull, constant agony that kept sleep far out of reach.

On the fourth morning, the guards finally unlocked the door. I was too weak to stand. They hauled me up by my shoulders and dragged my limp body through the servant corridors. They dumped me unceremoniously on the floor of my mother's small, isolated quarters.

"Felix." A soft, trembling voice gasped.

My mother rushed to my side. Her reddish Fox ears were pinned flat against her head in distress. Her pale hands trembled as she pulled my battered head onto her lap. Tears poured down her face as she took in my bruised skin and broken fingers.

"Look what they did to you." She sobbed quietly and reached for a wet cloth to clean the dried blood from my skin. "My poor boy."

"Mother." My throat was dry and cracked. "We have to leave this place. Father will kill me if I stay here."

Her hands froze. A look of deep, crushing despair washed over her face. She looked away, pinning her tail tight against her leg. She couldn't meet my eyes.

"We can't leave, Felix." Her voice was laced with complete defeat. "We have nowhere to go. Your father controls everything. You know that."

I stared at her in utter disbelief. In that heartbreaking moment, I realized my mother was too broken to protect me. She had surrendered to her fate long ago. I was entirely alone to fight off the wolves waiting outside our door.

I closed my eyes as she gently wrapped my broken hand. Deep down, I knew my time in the Averon Kingdom was rapidly running out.