Three - Mate?!

Annora

The carriage was driven into a castle, a majestic fortress of stone and steel.

 I lay coiled up like a snake, my body curled in a tight ball. Memories came flooding back, bringing anguish and causing my eyes to swell and redden. It was painful to even glance at the sky.

The walls of his castle were thick and frightening, with a large gate of iron that seemed impenetrable. 

I felt the heaviness of the chain that was clamped around my wrist and its weight dragged me down as I moved my arms.

This was hell.

 The sobbing tones of the other prisoners beside me reminded me that this captivity might be permanent. There was no way out!

Aegon had taken it all.

I was still trying to come to terms with my fate when a giant man, covered in tattoos that looked similar to Aegon's, approached our carriage.

I felt his grip on my chain pulling me downward as other soldiers took the remaining prisoners. 

Our chains echoed through the floor like a rail track. “Move it!” he commanded, pushing me forward and I almost tripped on my legs. 

“Nikolaos, be careful with the silver haired one.” I heard Aegon's voice from the balcony of the castle, his tone laced with mockery. “The little princess is fragile and prone to stress; she might collapse.”

 I dare not steal a glance at him. My heart was cracking.

The man's grip on my chain tightened, and his eyes fixed on Alpha Aegon. 

“No worries, Alpha,” he growled. “I'll handle her with care. She's our prisoner now.”

“Take them to the Demon’s brood,” he smirked, leaning on the balcony rail. 

The name seemed to invoke more fear and I felt a shiver run down my spine as we walked down to a dark, underground complex. 

The area was a circular chamber, approximately 50 feet in diameter, with high ceilings separated into two levels.

My gaze drifted to the walls, where large torches lit up the whole area. 

Our chains scraped against the shallow water that covered the entire floor, and I could hear and feel water dripping from the ceiling. I lost my balance and fell to the ground, my gown soaking up the water. 

“Ouch…” I groaned in pain. But suddenly, I felt a swift strike on my back.

 “Get your ass off the floor, you lazy scum bag!” the huge tattooed man barked, wielding a heavy whip that bit into my skin.

I scrambled to my feet, my back burning from the lash. 

Nikolaos glared at me, whip still clutched in his hand, and his eyes were unforgiving. “Move, prisoner!” he growled, gesturing towards the cell. “You belong here now, for Stormbringers has fallen!”

Nikolaos led me to a cell on the left, its iron bars rusting with age. He unlocked the door and pushed me inside, the chains scraping against the floor as I stumbled forward.

“Welcome to your new home, Princess,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You'll stay here till your fate is decided by Alpha Aegon; you will be sharing this cell with your fellow prison friends.”

I turned to face him, but he had already turned to leave. “Wait!” I called out, but he didn't respond. 

The door clanged shut behind him, and I was left in the dark with the remaining prisoners. I heard the sounds of footsteps fading away, and there was silence. 

“Princess Annora, I'm so sorry you have to go through this pain and torture.”

 Someone whispered from behind, her voice barely audible. I sniffed in the smell of the cold, rusty air, standing there for a moment without glancing at the person who had spoken up earlier.

I slowly turned to face the speaker, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. A frail figure stood in the corner, her eyes sunken and her skin pale. She looked like she had been imprisoned for a long time.

But how did she know me? “Thank you,” I croaked.

The other prisoners, clutching themselves on the cold floor, their eyes blinking repeatedly with fear. “Rowena?”I whispered, my heart skipping a beat as my gaze fell upon a lady who looked uncannily like my sister.

I rushed to her, trying to pull her up, but fell back when I noticed the hair and eye colors weren't the same. 

“Mm... mm... sorry, I thought you were my sister, Rowena. I want my sister.” I stammered, digging my fingers into my scarce hair.

“Get off me!”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry— I thought…”

"'Just shut your mouth, you brat” Another lady snarled, her anger directed at a slender, tattered-looking woman. “You know what happens when the guards come!”

 I tuned out their quarrel, fearfully praying that my fate wouldn't be as cruel as that of my parents.

 Tears welled up under my puffy eyes, dripping down my cheeks in a steady stream. I hate him.

I hate him. Dried skulls littered the floor. There was a high chance I'd end up the same way.

“She will be taken to the next dungeon cell; Alpha Aegon wants her in a separate cell.”

 The voices of soldiers echoed through the dungeon walls. The gates opened widely and a group of soldiers marched in, one of them tossing the large bunch of cell keys into the air.

The soldier approached me, his keys jingling in his hand. “Time to move, Annora,” he sneered, unlocking my chains.

I rose to my feet, my heart heavy with dread. The soldiers surrounded me. I knew I had to keep my wits with me if I wanted to survive.

We finally arrived at a large stone door with iron hinges and a heavy-looking lock. He opened it and threw me inside. I landed on my back.

I could swear that I'd broken something. 

An immediate cold breeze blew across my skin, heralding the presence of Alpha Aegon. 

His hair covered one side of his eyes as he walked into my cell. “Strip her this instant,” he commanded, his voice cold and detached. 

My eyes widened in shock, and I stumbled backward in defense, leaning against the wall with my swollen wrist. 

“No. No, please no!” I shook my head in disagreement. Fear and panic rose within me.

“Call in all the soldiers on duty to the cell,” He raged. “Let them in.”

The soldiers poured into the cell, their eyes fixed on me with a hungry gleam. 

I pressed myself against the wall, my heart racing with fear. Alpha Aegon's gaze never left mine, his eyes burning with a cold intensity.

“Strip her,” he repeated harshly.

They tore at my clothes, ripping them from my body roughly. I stood there, in front of them, in nothing but my underwear 

I whimpered in fear, hugging my bare body. My skin was exposed to the cold air and the leering eyes of the soldiers.

His laughter echoed through the walls, ruining the dead silence. Shame ate up to me. No one besides my mother and sister had seen this unclad.

Now I stood bare, in front of so many leering eyes. My eyes could shed no more tears. I was no different from an object before these cruel things!

“Do you like what you see, dear men?” Aegon's eyes narrowed to mine. “We do not get to see a princess all year long. Such a special occasion!”

They all responded simultaneously, clapping and cheering in admiration.

“We could have our way with her!”

“Her skin sure is different!”

“Too small to be called an adult!”

They roared, picking apart every part of my body like I was a non-living thing. The cold seeped into my skin and goosebumps crawled up my arms.

I was filled with hate, it turned and churned endlessly inside of me.

Kill me, please! This shame was too much to bear. Aegon flicked his attention to his men and commanded, “Leave us.”

Without any questions, they started to walk out the door. I didn't know which scared me more— being alone with him or with others.

All I was sure of right now was how much I hated Aegon. 

 Tears suddenly streamed down my eyes as he stepped closer to me and shoved me to the ground. I winced in pain, yet earlessly holding his gaze. 

I spat on the ground. “I'll be what kills you, Aegon Glaskin. I swear! I'll be what ends you!”

He crouched, a sly smile gracing his expression. He looked so human for this personality. His smile revealed two dents on both his cheeks. 

Dimples? Even a brutal abomination like this had so many human features? I couldn't understand it! 

“Have you seen yourself?” He extended his hand and ran his fingers through my hair in a soft caress. “You'll have to queue for that, Princess. A lot of people want the same.

I leaned forward and grabbed his collars with bloody arms. He'd taken everything! What else? “I'll succeed!” I repeated in a shaky tone. Bile sat on my throat. “I promise you, I will succeed, so you better kill me already!”

His features folded in amusement and that damn smirk, I wanted to knock it off his face. I was so close to him that I felt the warmth of his body and his breath against my face.

“I almost forgot what being threatened felt like,” he mentioned in a low, demeaning tone. “It’s alluring. Do you hate me that—”

Just then, the iron gates opened with a loud bang and the entire world seemed to fall away, Aegon included. For a second, I could swear I floated out of my body.

Little electrical sparks found their ways through my bloodstream, burning me in the best ways possible.

A gasp lurched out of me, forcefully. Someone had come in. Someone important. Someone I needed.

I fixed my eyes to the entrance, poised to see who made me feel this way. 

My…mate?

I could…feel it. My chest tightened and all the pain vanished into nothing. I was charged with extreme energy like I never had before. 

This was the day I'd been waiting for all my life.

But why here?

WHY NOW?

“Alpha Aegon,” His voice called out, soft and soothing like a balm to all of my wounds though I couldn't see his face clearly.

I felt him, every part of this stranger and it made me feel alive. Who was t

his man!?

My skin burned as if set on fire and I yelled from the strange energy that coursed through my veins.

Mate! My wolf howled, for the first time in twenty years.