The Cruel Behind the Smile

Amanda

Aren took his time with me. It made me want to gag. This was all one big farce.

"You can scowl all you want, Alessa, but you belong to me. You were given to me by the Goddess herself, and you were informed of it. Stop fighting the inevitable. Give in."

I didn't let him see my glare, but I clenched my free hand into a fist. The bite of my claws into flesh brought me a sense of peace.

"This way," he instructed, leading me down the hallway. We weren't going to the dining hall. Wherever he was leading me was far grander than that. The carpet beneath our feet changed from merely soft to something that only royalty should step on. It had to be made of something exotic. Tigers?

"Ahh, you have a good eye, Alessa. We treat upon what is left of some of my past enemies. Those that stood in the way of what I was promised." He smirked. "These are the hides of tiger shifters that refused to submit to me. The men anyway. The women tried to escape."

I couldn't help myself. "Escape?" I quest