AVERY

It’s surprising how it takes so little time to pack your whole life and move away from your house.

Silently, I wished it took longer than a lifetime to set out but in a few hours, I was already standing close to a carriage and the castle—Wolveshire Citadel stood in the back, looking like the part of the past that I will never return to.

The wounded sister in me wanted to cry and fight with her brother but the Princess knew there were no words to be said or heard.

Surprisingly, my whole family stood at the entrance. Mom, Dad, and Dustin. Dad and Mom shared the same sentiments and didn’t even bother to come to me but my brother tried.

However, I had nothing to say to him and I didn’t want to break by saying goodbye so I stepped inside my carriage. They became three small frames that I stared at from the round window in the door until…eventually, they faded into the fog that surrounded them like they never existed.

My heart leaped back to them and my body wanted to hold onto someone, but I knew…in this life, I was always going to be alone.

…The love that I want, doesn’t exist.

On the way, I missed the only best friend I had. Nora—The Queen of the West. I wished she was here. At least, I could say goodbye before disappearing from this world.

I don’t know why…but it just feels like I will never return even when my anger fades, as if someone is going to lock me up and torture me for life.

“ Princess. You should eat something. ” Renee suggests from her spot on the seat opposite me.

She is the only one allowed to go with me and I feel guilty because it seems I ripped her out of her world to join me on this path.

“ I might throw up later if my secret gets exposed. ” I smile, shaking my head.

All emotions are mixing up, becoming a dangerous lava inside me.

“ Don’t say such things, Princess. You are scaring me. ” She sighs.

She doesn’t even know the kind of numbing fear I am feeling right now. My mind tells me that I will succeed in hiding the mark on my neck from Aleister until I find this man who must have returned to the South because we can’t find him in the North but my heart keeps beating out of rhythm, disagreeing with this line of thinking.

Something feels wrong and a piece of the puzzle seems to be missing.

“ We are close, Princess. ” The warriors following the carriage announce from outside.

My spine stiffens as I sit straight and peek out of the window. Darkness surrounds the forest that is on both sides of the small road in the middle.

“ I think he returned to the South after what happened. When we get there, start looking around immediately. We must find him, Renee. ” I say to her.

“ Yes, my Princess. ” She nods eagerly.

As we near what seems to be a stone-made high wall, my heartbeat gets out of control all over again. The imposing greyish doors stand in front of the rolling carriage, looking like a giant beast.

An ear-piercing screeching noise sounds around us. I flinch, staring at the doors that open. The fog spreads to the small opening, leaving me awed.

For a few moments, everything remains silent and nothing appears in front of us. The carriage comes to a slow stop, and we wait. A mixture of curiosity, fear, and nervousness makes me shudder.

For more than a century, no one from the outside world has ever set foot beyond these walls after the enmity between South and the other three Kingdoms of the werewolves started.

No one knows what lies behind this wall, or what kind of monstrosity the Southern people hide in their lives.

A frame of a man emerges from the darkness, followed by a few more. My heartbeat speeds up as I stare at the dark figures.

A warrior from our side starts in a loud voice, “ The Princess of the North is here as the promise goes and— ”

“ Cut the crap. No one needs an introduction to your Princess. We have lots of them here. ” A snappy voice sounds from the other side, stunning me.

“ Mind your tongue. You are addressing the Princess. ” A warrior yells angrily.

“ What’s happening, Princess? ” Renee yelps.

“ What if we don’t? ” Another man from the South chuckles.

“ Then, we will have no choice but to cut it off. ” The atmosphere becomes tense with his declaration.

“ Come. Do it. ” A scoff follows, making my heart race.

A moment later, war cries sound in the air, causing Renee to jump to my side. “ Princess, we must return. They are— ”

“ Give me the crown. ” I utter softly.

The noises in the background intensify as I take my eyes off the escalating scene and look toward the red cushion in the corner of the carriage. I decided not to wear the crown but it seems, I must do it now.

“ That’s not a good idea. They wanted us here and now they are disrespecting you. We need to go back and let your brother know what they said. ” She grips my arm as panic reflects in her eyes.

I glance at her before sighing and reaching for the crown on my own. Renee tightens her grip over my arm but I jerk out of her hold and open the carriage’s door.

“ I told my brother…something. ” I whisper, stepping my foot out.

“ What? ” Renee mumbles.

“ I said I will never return. No matter what people do to me here… ” I get out and stand close to the door. “ I will never go back to my family again. So, Renee, we are alone in this. Let’s fight our way through whatever comes at us. ”

“ Princess. ” Renee looks stunned but I don’t have time to comfort her right now.

I step out from around the door and lift the crown to my head. It’s a silver band with blue jewels in it. Silver—to show that it doesn’t hurt a Lycan and blue jewels—to show the color of my house.

As I emerge from the carriage, the tangled people stop and turn to me. I fix the crown atop my head, and smoothen the creases on my heavy chiffon dress leisurely.

“ Princess. ” Renee stumbles out to follow me as I start to walk.

There is no urgency in the way I walk ahead, but my heart sure doesn’t know when to stop beating fast.

“ My Princess, you should stay inside the carriage. We will deal with these people and take you back safely. ” A warrior suggests politely.

I shift my focus to the faces of the Southerners that are clearing up as I get close. They are watching me with their eyes that are a familiar grey. Their frames are big, unlike the men in my Kingdom who are muscular but lean.

Rough hands and hard thrusts flash before my eyes, making my body heat up. It’s odd. I shouldn’t even be thinking about that man right now.

“ Princess— ”

“ Take me to your King. ” I ignore the people who are coaxing me into hiding and turn to the biggest man who stands in the middle, glaring at me viciously.

“ Ask your dogs to retreat. Only you are permitted to go past the wall. ” He sneers, disregarding protocols for royals.

For a second, I stare at him, at a loss for words. I expected humiliation but why are these people…behaving like I slaughtered their families or something?

AVERY

“ If my warriors were dogs, your dogs wouldn’t be panting so heavily. ” I blink, shifting my focus to other men from the South.

“ You dare— ”

“ I don’t have time for whatever drama you are trying to play. I need to see your King. ” I cut in calmly before he can keep blabbering.

Apparently, these men have beef with me that I am not aware of.

“ Our King? ” He flashes me a scary smile that rings the alarm bells in my head, “ Oh, he’s been waiting for you, Princess. ”

The word ‘Princess’ almost sounds like an insult coming from his mouth.

I frown and keep my gaze on him. What is he so angry about?

“ Follow me. Let’s not keep the King waiting. ” His smile widens as he turns around.

“ Go back. ” I command the warriors.

They look reluctant but they don’t object. I turn to the carriage so we can follow them but the man with brownish hair and grey eyes stops me again.

“ That shit is not allowed. You will walk. ”

Anger surges but I suppress it and nod subtly before turning back around.

“ But your stuff Princess, how will we— ”

“ Leave it. ” I tell Renee because I don’t think these people will want to carry my things judging from the way they are glaring at me.

It’s a strange feeling. No one has ever looked at me openly before. People are not allowed to stare at the royals.

“ I don’t have all night. ” The man snaps again.

I start to walk, followed by Renee. For some reason, they don’t object to her presence and it puts me at ease.

My sky-blue fairy dress trails behind me while the upper half clings to my curves, giving off the vibes of an elegant princess. The crown atop my head shines in the dark as Renee and I walk behind the men.

When we move past the door, the fog disappears. Moon and stars shine so bright in the sky that I am compelled to throw my head back and look up in awe. The sky was not the same outside these walls even if we were just a wall away.

Silently, I recall what people say about the wall that stands around the Kingdom of South. It’s enchanted with the strongest spells and protected by the magic of the strongest witches so no force can move past these gates if the Southerns don’t decide to open them.

My thoughts come to an abrupt halt when the screech sounds again and the gigantic doors close with a heavy thud. My heart leaps to my throat at the thought of being confined inside.

I turn on my heels and look at the closed doors. It feels like I have stepped into a new world that I will never escape.

“ Walk! ” He yells, making me clench my jaw.

I nod and face ahead again. We walk through the forest that seems to stretch so far but surprisingly, we step into the clearing quickly.

My heartbeat slows down as I pick up my head and stare at the high-rise structure in the distance. The black glass glimmers, under a belt of twinkling stars. It looks like a gothic castle that is made of carved, black glass and put together in five different pillars that seem to stretch beyond what I can see. The one tower in the middle looks bigger than the rest and glistens brighter under the moon.

“ Is that the castle? ” I whisper.

“ Yes, that’s your prison. ” The man chuckles.

I snap out of my awed trance and stare at his back. What does this mean really?

I don’t ask and follow him silently. The beautiful castle keeps grabbing my attention before it gets diverted to the glass, black bridge that leads to it. Water surrounds the bridge on both sides, and it’s as dark as the glass.

Black water? What is this? An illusion?

Something shifts in the water, making a chill crawl down my spine. I walk steadily and the closer I get to the castle, the colder it gets. The freezing temperature bites my exposed skin.

We walk for so long that it seems I will never reach the actual castle but eventually, we get there and inside it. People are scattered around the gates of the place, staring at me.

Renee steps closer to me for whatever reason and whispers. “ something is wrong. ”

‘ I know. ’ I answer inside her head instead of saying it aloud.

Lycans can initiate the mindlink with werewolves but they can’t do it unless the Lycan opens the link.

The stinging glares of the Southern people don’t let me focus on the decorations or the way. After walking for a long time and rounding many corners filled with people, we end up in front of the black double doors that are unusually big in size like the rest of the structures here.

My heartbeat drums in my ears. I rub my cold palms down my dress, pretending to smoothen the fabric. It’s so hard to not downright shiver due to the dangerously low temperature. It’s like I will freeze if I don’t get some heat.

The doors open and the Southern men walk inside. Several scents hit me at once, letting me know that the crowd inside was huge. I swallow my saliva and stay back to regain my breaths before I too, follow them inside.

My eyes meet the several rows of seats on the left and right. It’s like a stadium and the path I am walking on is the playground. All eyes turn on me at once, knocking the breath out of me.

In a trance, I continue to walk until a familiar scent hits my nostrils and my body refuses to move an inch. I stand in the middle of the people that are staring at my soul and suddenly, I am searching for that man among all of them.

He is here. He is around me. I feel this intense need to see him as warmth pools in my belly. Not understanding the reaction to his scent, I scan the multiple rows on both sides of me until I hear his low voice.

“ Welcome to my world, Princess. ”

The surroundings dim as my head snaps up and I find the man sitting on a black glassy chair in the distance. His grey eyes are on me, intense, dangerous, and alluring.

My heart skips a beat before I feel the spot between my legs tingling. Heat spreads throughout my body, dispersing the coldness.

“ You. ” I whisper, clenching my thighs unconsciously.

“ Kneel, Princess. You are standing before our King. ” The man from earlier hisses.

Waves of shock ripple through me as I glance at him and then back at the pair of eyes that are fixed on me, making me aware of every cell in my body.

The tingles between my legs become a fiery ache while my mind keeps pondering…

What did I get myself into?

Surprisingly, the man says—

AVERY

“ Come close. ” He says in the familiar gruff tone.

I should be relieved that he is the man I was looking for—this very King that I feared would find about another man laying claim on me. I don’t need to fear him finding out about the mark on me anymore because it belongs to him.

But…

I don’t know why. Something just doesn’t fit in.

What was a Lycan King doing in the North, a place he was never supposed to be in? Why did he mark me in the first place if he didn’t know me? And if he knew me back then…

A shudder runs down my back at the thought.

He waits, his gaze predatory. To test the waters, I shake off my thoughts and walk closer to the staircase that leads to his throne. Everything is so dark here that it makes my eyes hurt. I am used to the blue ocean, a life full of solitude—not this chaos and glares pricking my skin from everywhere.

When I reach the first stair, I pause, not sure if I should climb up or if this is close enough for him. My mind has gone numb and I can no longer make sense of anything. I can just stare at him, with a strange fear coursing through my veins.

He rises, leaving his throne and moving down the stairs to reach me. With each step closer, my heartbeat speeds up and my cheeks flush.

He stops on the last stair that I didn’t dare step on. His dark eyes look me up and down slowly. Wherever his gaze rests, I feel the skin becoming hot as if touched by an invisible force

He steps down the last stair, invading my very personal space like he did that night. The memories swirl around my head, making me uneasy and at the same time, aroused. My breathing becomes labored as I step away from him cautiously.

The corners of his lips lift in a cold smirk before he moves past me. My body stiffens as he rounds my body, taking in every inch of whatever I have to offer.

After he is done moving around me in circles and checking me out in front of his people, he stops in front of me again. Calmly, I pick up my head to meet his gaze, to search his eyes for what he is thinking or planning or anything.

“ I heard their Princess is the most beautiful girl in the Kingdom. ” His voice carries a hint of mockery. “ so? This is what they call beautiful? ”

A sudden coldness grips my heart but my cheeks warm even more. This time, in embarrassment.

The people around me burst out into small snickers first, and then it is a full-blown laughter, and chattering aimed at humiliating me further.

Despite feeling the need to hide, I stand my ground. The softness in my eyes after recognizing him fades behind a vicious glare.

He doesn’t laugh along with the others. He just stares at me, his gaze lingering on my shoulder that is covered by my hair. It’s like he wants to see the mark he left on me.

I don’t understand what’s happening. So, I decide that I must wait to find out what this humiliation means and why must he do this.

Suddenly, he turns around. His towering figure retreats while I notice the dark aura that clings to him.

The color of his eyes that night makes sense. Back then, the coldness he radiated doesn’t seem odd now.

He is a Lycan King. They are born with the curse to bear a burden far greater than what their shoulders can endure before they break and become like this—A vessel of evil, to commit sins no ordinary man can even think about.

“ Kneel, Princess. Show your respect to the King. ” The man from earlier growls threateningly and Aleister doesn’t stop him.

It’s enough to tell me his stance on everything. For whatever reason, he doesn’t mind his people disrespecting me.

“ The place where I come from… ” I steel myself and ignore the mocking laughter. “ we don’t bow down to the men who are supposed to become our mates. ”

Amusement flashes across Aleister’s eyes who sits on his throne and leans back, staring down at me as if I am some insignificant pest.

Why is he acting like he doesn’t know? Or doesn’t care that he knows me?

“ Mate? ” The man beside him utters.

I think I got the point across but the hall breaks out into a fit of laughter for the second round. Every sound of that taunting gesture drives a nail deeper into my heart.

Is this what my brother wanted? It’s not possible that he didn’t know they would treat me like this.

Or did he not know? Maybe, he didn’t.

“ Is this what your brother told you? That you are to be my mate? ” Aleister drawls, and continues to keep a straight face instead of laughing like his people.

I am already his mate since he marked me, but I can’t say that unless I know why he is behaving like this.

“ It’s what you promised. ” I say through my clenched teeth.

I am at my limit, trying my very best to not show any frustration or anger because that will give them satisfaction. If they know their actions hurt me or angered me, they will only be more happy and I refuse to let it happen.

“ Promised? Me? ” The amusement in his eyes grows so profound that I feel like I am saying absurd things.

“ The Princess thinks she is special. ” Someone says from the crowd.

Invisible cold fingers touch my spine, making me grit my teeth harder.

“ How foolish of her. ” A woman’s voice follows.

The hall is filled with people who seem to know more than me and their demeaning laughter continues to flow across the huge place.

“ If this is your way of establishing your dominance over the Princess who belongs to an enemy Kingdom, then you are using the wrong approach. Isn’t humiliating me the same as humiliating the King since I am to become his woman? ” I say in a soft voice that is void of any hint of emotions.

Immediately, the people in the hall fall silent and even hold their breaths. Smugly, I lift my head towards Aleister again and find him still staring at me, assessing me, overpowering me silently.

Then, he waves his hand in the air. “ Make her kneel. ”

Surprise flashes across my face and before I register what’s happening, my hands are already behind my back, and silver chains are around my wrists, their coldness biting into my skin. Silver can’t affect me and I should be able to break free but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t do it. It’s only possible if the chains have a spell on them.

I frown as I think about the possibility of magic being this common in the South. What are these people doing here?

The man who called this my prison kicks my ankle from behind and I fall to the ground. My knees hit the edge of the stairs and pain sears through my legs but I don’t let any sound out.

“ Princess. ” Renee yells from behind. “ let her go! What are you doing?!! She is the Princess of the North. You can’t treat her like mmmhhh mmmhh. ”

I glance over my shoulder in panic when her voice gets muffled, only to meet a pair of legs and no view of her.

“ What do you think you are doing? ” Anger flares to the surface as I face him.

A surprised gasp leaves my mouth when I find him close again. He is on the second stair, looking down at me with the same degrading glint in his eyes.

It’s different from the look he gave me that night. When I first met him, he looked ready to just…devour me but now he seems like he can’t wait to trample all over me.

“ Let’s talk about some important things, Princess. ”