Chapter 3

LEONIE

     I watched in confusion and cries helplessly as they yanked me up and pulled me so I was following them, I didn’t have much of a choice than to follow their lead, feeling like w sacrificial lamb.

We got to a building and I could immediately tell that it was a palace as it looked very magnificent and had a very beautiful structure. The interior was designed brilliantly too with sculptures and beautiful gems.

I looked around in awe although I was still terrified as one of them had talked about burning me as a form of sacrifice to some sort of moon goddess, everything looked confusing to me and I could only hope I made it out alive.

I was thrown on the floor as I lifted my gaze to see a man seated on what seemed like a throne, he must be the king of these animals.

“Here is the intruder, Alpha.” One of them spoke as he attempted to kick me but my terrified whimper made the man whom they’d referred to as the Alpha raise a finger, causing him to stop.

“Where did you find her?” He asked, his voice husky but his words were brilliant, they cane out cleaner than the rest of them.

“In the mouth of our territory, she broke the shield, Alpha Gunnolf Royale.” Another answered, making sure to call the man by his full name.

Alpha?

As in ‘teen wolf’ level kind of alpha?

That shit had been real all these while.

And what’s that about a shield?

I hastily tried to comprehend what was going on but it was all too confusing and happening so fast that it was hard to keep up. The fact that I’d tried to comprehend all these caused me an intense headache that made me shake in fear.

What would my fate be? Would I really be burnt alive? Can I be forgiven? What even was my crime? Will I be thrown back to Switzerland and get a second chance at life?

I lifted my gaze and something about the countenance of this Alpha Gunnolf Royale doesn’t look too pleasing, I lowered my gaze as I swallowed hard.

Everything going on had made it extremely difficult for me to have control of my own body as I couldn’t control the spit I’d tried to swallow, it took a while before I could shove it down my throat.

I watched as he made his way towards me slowly and carefully, he’d approached me as though he was approaching some sort of weird specimen, meanwhile they were the ones who could shift into animals… or were animals who could shift into humans. 

He crouched before me and it felt like his presence alone was so powerful, everyone around me, including myself, cowered in fear.

I swallowed again when he let out a quiet, displeased sound that made my spine straightened as I froze up. I attempted to crawl backwards but his finger which came up to grasp my chin killed that thought instantly and a terrified scream tore past my lips while my heart pounded hard against my chest. 

He didn’t seem fazed by my scream and I made sure to look everywhere but his eyes. That didn’t last long because he jerked my chin upwards till I had no choice but to stare into his bloodshot eyes while my hands trembled by my sides. A snarl left his mouth and I flinched, he looked as though he could tear me apart with just his fingers dug into the skin of my chin, causing me to let out a painful wince.

He was on his feet after that, and before I could blink, his fingers dug into my hair.

He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up, causing me to let out another terrified cry as my body rose like a wood. I pleaded for him to let go of me, he was hurting me and I knew he was aware of it.

He jerked me against him and it felt like I might vomit my heart at any next second due to how frightened I was. His grip on my hair was so tight that it caused my scalp to hurt intensely as he yanked my head forward once again, jerking my head sideways in the next second to my confusion.

Is this the part where he tears me apart with his animal teeth?

“Please don’t kill me.” I begged as I closed my eyes while tears slid my cheeks. 

I just wanted to live and I had no other priority than that at this point. 

I opened my eyes and flinched on taking in the sight before me, just as I felt a gust of hot breath against my collarbone. Alpha Gunnolf Royale’s nose was grazing my neck and I nose definitely didn’t know what to make of that.

 I could feel his breath fan against the exposed side of my neck and I clenched my hands in fear, flinching on hearing him inhale sharply. 

He sniffed so hard that if it were possible for him to have taken me into his nose, he would have, he let out a small ‘hmm’ as he removed his nose from my neck and I thought it was over but he placed it back and sniffed my neck again, nose brushing against my neck and making me silently wonder if this was some sort of normal behavior between these animal-humans people.

I’d thought it was my body wash that caught his attention because I made sure to use the strawberry and cherry scented one. I never expected that a total stranger would notice it and like it so much.

I felt his finger trace my face down to my neck as he grabbed me by my neck and pulled me closer to him, I closed my eyes again and I could swear that he could hear my heartbeat.

Perhaps they were no longer going to kill me, I hoped.

My heart was racing in fear of what my fate would be as this king hadn’t stopped examining me, I had no idea for how long I’d been crying for but I felt my tear drop and a little had dropped on his shirt.

I wished I could turn back the ends of time and then I would’ve told my boss right into his face that I wasn’t going anywhere near the Northern lineage where he had assigned me.

“I promise I mean no harm, I mean no evil or danger, I’m just here for some of the research I do, please just let me go—“ I sounded like a broken record as all I heard myself doing most of the time was plead for mercy and beg so I wouldn’t be burnt as a sacrifice for the night goddess, or was it moon goddess? Or be killed brutally for trespassing.

“Mate—“ he called into my ear and I felt a new sense of fear overwhelming me as he instantly released my hair from his grip, causing me to fall back on my knees.

My knees were weak already from running so much, and this fall only made them ache some more.  

What does being called mate even mean? Was it some sort of thing they call people whom they thing smelled nice? Or what they call people they’re about to kill? Whatever it means, It didn’t sound good as the word had left the alpha’s mouth with so much venom. 

I finally gave up as I sat on the ground and sobbed even harder, I was really scared now and it wasn’t just because of the possibility of me being killed. I was scared of something else as well, something I had no idea about.

“Please just let me go, please, I don’t want to be here.” I cried as I tried to tug on his pants but he took to bending in front of me once again, the sight of the scowl on his face sent another round of fear through my body once again. 

He grabbed me by my throat this time and I placed my hands on his without thinking. I gagged and tried to beg that he release me because it was getting difficult to breath with his huge palm around my neck but the words felt stuck in my throat.

“Say another word if you want to die right now! Go on, say one more word, I are you!” He bellowed as his eyes somehow managed to turn red in nothing but utter anger. When he released me, a sob tore out of my throat.

I coughed as I gasped for air and tried to catch on to the life that had been about to leave the rest of my body, he was still crouching in front of me as I tried to look away but he grabbed my face and turned my attention back to him.

My face was filled with terror as I did nothing to hide my fear, what I was experiencing was nothing like I’ve ever experienced.

“You’re a prisoner here now and there’s no one here that would get you out of this place,” he snarled at me as he let out a wicked laugh, “You dare wander into my territory and somehow managed to take down the shield, but not only that!” He shouted as he stood up and I gulped fearfully.

“You dare turn out to be my mate too!” He added in a roar that caused the entire palace to shake as his voice echoed and it caused me to have terrified goosebumps, gear gripped me as he spoke and I suddenly felt dizzy.

The word ‘mate’ was lost on me at this point. 

He crouched before me once again, grabbing my face in his palm, his fingers digging into both my cheeks painfully, obviously hell bent on causing me pain, while he quietly stared into my eyes for what seemed like hours before letting go of my face.

He was probably already tired of seeing me cry but he already said he wouldn’t let me go and he doesn’t look like one to go back on his words.

“Throw her in the dungeon.” He ordered my imprisonment as he turned his back against me, I thought I didn’t hear clearly until his supposed guards pulled me up and started yanking me but I struggled as I pleaded for my life.

I had no idea what would happen to me in the dungeon and I didn’t want to find out.

“Please, please Mr Alpha,” I cried, “I’m sorry, really sorry for coming into your territory disrespectfully, I’m sorry for being your mate– whatever that means, I’m really sorry for all this, Sir Alpha, please. Just let me go, please, I beg of you, I promise not to ever set foot here again forever just please let me go.” I pleaded but he didn’t turn to look at me.

He outrightly ignored me and turned deaf ears to all of my pleas as his guards pulled me away. I kept crying as I struggled to be freed from their grasp and hoped that he would at least turn to look at me and order that they let me go.

He didn’t turn not even once to acknowledge me as the guards dragged me away and my voice faded into an abyss, they soon dumped me in a damp dungeon that smelled unpleasantly.

It reeked of piss and the stench hit me as soon as they opened the door. The guards threw me in without a moment's hesitation as they closed the gate and walked away, leaving me to my plight and fate.

What should I do? How would I ever possibly get out of this horrible place?

What was going to become of my life now?