CHAPTER 002: Offered To The Demon Prince

Jorath stared at me as if I were a stranger, his eyes cold and distant.

"Don't beg," Mae sneered. "It makes you look pathetic."

Tears burned in my eyes.

"You're my blood. How could you do this to me? How could you betray me like this? I trusted you all."

No one answered.

At that moment, the clearing began to grow colder.

Much colder.

A sound filled the air—like the beating of a thousand wings.

"They're here, Alpha," one of the guards announced, his voice tight with fear.

I forced my head up, looking to the sky, and what I saw made my blood freeze in my veins.

Descending through the canopy were about ten winged figures, their massive wings blotting out the moonlight.

Everyone around me was backing away. Of course they were. You'd be a fool not to fear the Khra'gixx, tribrid creatures born from the unholy union of vampires, shadow wraiths, and demons.

They ruled over all four kingdoms of the world.

They'd built their kingdom, Noctis Vhaelor, offshore on the Southern Sea, far away from the other three kingdoms. A place where the sun never shone. They fed on blood, and they possessed powerful magic-bending skills that could turn a person's own shadow against them.

And it was rumored they despised werewolves. This was because my father had killed the emperor's wife during his rebellion.

The creatures dropped down into the clearing with grace, their wings folding against their backs.

The one at the front—taller than the others, with a crown of obsidian thorns—stepped forward.

"Welcome, Lord Calix," my uncle said, bowing deeply.

So this was the infamous Prince Calix Malzareth.

His father, King Draekor, commanded absolute power over all creatures—mages, werewolves, humans, and Khra'gixxes. He'd been ruling for centuries with blood and terror.

But everyone knew who to fear most: Prince Calix, commander of the Khra'gixxian army, his father's enforcer, heir to the throne of Noctis Vhaelor, future emperor of the four kingdoms.

He and his father murdered my parents. Cut off my father's head and forced my mother to watch before they killed her too.

Now he was here for me.

Every muscle in my body tensed.

I tried to crawl backward, away from those burning eyes, but a guard's boot pressed down on my back, pinning me to the ground.

Prince Calix came closer, and it was only then I noticed his face.

I'd expected a monster—some twisted, grotesque creature with scales and fangs dripping venom. But the man who stood before me was... beautiful. Devastatingly so.

High cheekbones.

Strong jaw.

Midnight hair.

Red eyes.

He was staring at me.

"Who's the wolf?" he asked.

“She's a gift for you, my prince,” Uncle Tiberan replied.

Prince Calix's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I didn't ask for a wolf. I asked for a particular book in your library. Do you have it?"

"I do, Lord Calix. But I’m gifting her to you as well.”

He paused. “Why would I want a wolf?”

“She's not just any wolf. She's Princess Lyric Vaelgor."

The prince’s interest seemed piqued. "The Crown Princess?"

"Yes, Lord Calix."

"Why offer me your Crown Princess?"

My uncle clasped his hands together, as if in prayer. "It is well known, my prince, that you're a lover and collector of precious things. So I’m offering Lyric to you as a special gift.”

“Which can only imply you want something from me.”

“You're very perceptive, Lord Calix. With your blessings, I wish to become High Alpha of my pack. The position of Alpha Regent doesn't befit me."

The prince smiled, a toothy and beautiful smile. "So you want me to kill the Crown Princess for you?"

“She's my gift to you. You may do with her as you wish."

Backstabber.

My wolf howled inside me, clawing frantically against the cage of silver around my throat. I could feel blood trickling down my neck.

"Hmm." Prince Calix tapped one long finger against his lower lip. "And the book?"

A guard stepped forward, clutching a book that looked ancient.

One of the prince's soldiers snatched it from the guard's hands, examining it briefly before nodding to his commander.

"Why don't you just kill her yourself?" Prince Calix asked, his tone almost conversational, as if discussing the weather rather than my execution.

"It is a crime to murder one's blood relation around here, especially since she was supposed to be Alpha. It's treason. The Moon Goddess curses those who default."

"Your Moon Goddess and her curses." The prince's voice dripped with contempt. He circled me slowly, his boots crushing fallen leaves. "So you want to blame it on the Khra'gixx instead?"

"That's not what I meant, my prince."

Lord Calix waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to lie. I respect a man with ambition." His eyes were fixed on me, staring intently. "I'll take her."

My heart plummeted to my stomach. This couldn't be happening. This was a nightmare. It had to be.

"Thank you, my prince," my uncle said in relief.

"Let's be done with this." Prince Calix straightened, his wings unfurling slightly behind him. He looked terrifying. "I, Prince Calix Malzareth, second in command to Emperor Draekor Malzareth, hereby declare Tiberan Vaelgor as the High Alpha of the ShadowHowl Pack."

I thrashed against the boot holding me down, heedless of the silver burning into my flesh.

I couldn't believe he'd just stripped me of my birthright.

"Thank you so much, Lord Calix. May the winds take you swiftly and safely back to Noctis Vhaelor." My uncle backed away, bowing deeply, his face split in a triumphant smile.

"No, come back!" I said, my voice breaking. “You can't leave me here. Come back right now, you treacherous coward. Don't turn your back on me, Uncle. I’ll hunt you down. I’ll rip your throat out. You better kill me now. Kill me yourself, you backstabber!”

The sight of them turning away—the guards, my betrothed, my best friend—was more painful than the silver collar.

"Don't leave me here!"

But they just kept going, vanishing into the trees without a backward glance.

Tears streamed down my face. I hadn't cried since I was a child, since the day they told me my parents were dead. I'd sworn I would never show weakness again. Yet here I was, broken and sobbing on the forest floor.

"What are you going to do with the wolf?" one of Prince Calix's men asked, his voice low enough that he probably thought I couldn't hear. But werewolf hearing was a bitch like that—we caught everything, especially the things we were not meant to.

"I'm not sure," Prince Calix replied. "But she's pretty. She reminds me of my niece's doll. Same fire in her hair. I might just make her my pet."

A pet?

I'd rather die than be some demon prince's plaything.

"Your father's not going to like this," the soldier warned.

"I know. Let me handle my father."

His footsteps got closer. Through the veil of my tears, I saw Prince Calix crouching down beside me.

His fingers reached out, brushing against the silver collar, and I flinched at the contact.

"Are you in pain, my little wolf?" he asked.

I didn't reply.

"You can't speak?" He leaned closer, his scent filling my nostrils.

"Kill me, Lord Calix," I whispered.

“What?"

I met his gaze, summoning the last scraps of my dignity. "I don't want to be alive anymore. Please kill me."