False engagement

WRITTEN BY DEWHALES CHRISNEY

AVA KILLIAN

“I can’t go with that man. Do you even know what he’s going to do to me?” Ava held tightly onto her half-brother’s sleeve, and he swung her hands off with a seething growl.

He faced her, pinning her neck to the wall as she struggled for breath.

“I don’t fucking care what he does to you. I don’t care if a hundred and one men fuck you crazy in order for me to escape Axel’s wrath!

I am going to offer you, Princess Ava of the House of Lycans, to him as his slave, his property, so that I can live!” Sinclair said as he released his grip. Ava was gasping for air, following the long, pent-up breath after the gagging almost took her life.

“You are really offering me as a slave to save your life?” With a cracking tone and heavy breath, Ava’s eyes welled up with tears.

She held it back, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She’s his princess, after all. She hoped there could still be some authority in her tone.

“I do not care. I’m not even fit to be an heir to the mad king! You’re the one with the perfect legitimate birth; I’m just the son of the mad king’s whore. So go on, Princess Ava!” Sinclair said with a smirk, sarcastically emphasizing his words as he walked out of the monastery quarter, slamming the door behind him.

Ava fell to her knees as tears blurred her eyes. She anticipated the horror of what was coming for her. The House of Lycans had been defeated, and the palace taken over by a powerful Alpha, Axel, and now her half-brother was offering her as a slave to him to save his life.

She didn’t wish for this life. She didn’t wish to be any princess. She’d rather be a commoner, hawking crabs, oysters, and salted clams in the city and living with the little she had than being a princess who had inherited her father’s sins.

Ava loathes her father, the mad king, as much as everyone else does. He had thrown her into exile at the temple five years ago, where she has been practically serving as a slave, beaten, stripped, and tortured by vicious, fanatical nuns serving in the temple.

You cannot imagine how cruel they can be. She had once been locked in a tight container box for a whole week and starved of water and food, merely because she used a fragrance that was smuggled into the temple by her female attendant on her orders. Her attendant, Layla, was lashed 100 times stark naked and had her hair shaved.

Ava loathes her father with passion. He was a very deranged, insecure tyrant. He blamed her for being a curse because he wanted a male heir, not a useless princess.

The mad king wasn’t a Lycan, and the House of Lycans had not had a real Lycan in 200 years. His insecurities made him think one of the Alphas of the big packs and houses in the kingdom would revolt and take his throne.

He massacred all the Alphas of the big packs and houses so ruthlessly… And now the karma is here for him. But he was too cowardly and committed suicide because he had already lost to one of the last bloodlines of a great house he annihilated: Alpha Axel of the Blood Claw Pack.

๑⁠˙⁠❥⁠˙⁠๑

The heavy oak door of Ava’s living quarter at the monastery flew open as four fully robed nuns stormed in, their faces etched with fury as they descended on Ava.

“Take her!” Sister Melera spat as two other nuns rushed towards Ava and gripped her arms with iron fingers, dragging the struggling Ava across the cold floor of the room.

Ava wondered what she had done. “I’ve prayed today! I haven’t eaten yet! My underthings are not stained, I didn’t use cotton, I used just clothing! I didn’t bring in any comforting clothing for my bed! Please, what’s my offense?”

Ava begged as she denied everything that could possibly be the reason for the punishment about to befall her.

“Shut up!” screamed Sister Melera, her eyes blazing with fanatical light as she struck Ava’s cheek with a leather strap. Ava yelped in pain and fell as they yanked her long, silky silver hair up mercilessly.

They stripped her, leaving Ava stark naked, a broken girl with tear-stained eyes. They washed her body ruthlessly with a rough sponge and bathed her with icy cold water, their faces showing pitiless resolve.

Once they were done, Sister Melera brought a regal gown, passing it to one of the sisters. Ava was surprised as they dressed her in a silk royal gown once again after five ruthless years of serving at this cruel temple.

“Your service has ended. You are to return to the palace,” Sister Melera said with an inscrutable expression as Ava saw some guards from the palace storm the yard.

“Princess Ava of the House of Lycans, you are to return to the palace and kneel before your king, Alpha Axel of the Blood Claw Pack, the new Lord of the House of Lycans!” the armored guard ordered. Two armored palace guards walked to her and clawed their fingers into her arms, just as the nuns had done, only this was worse, as they dragged her away once again.

˙⁠❥⁠˙

Ava was made to stand in the middle of the hall, with lords and alphas of houses and packs in the realm waiting for the king.

She suddenly caught a strong, earthy scent that suggested the presence of her mate. It smelled of dominance and safety.

“His majesty, the Alpha King of the Realm, the Protector of the Kingdom, the last blood of the Great Blood Claw Pack, the Lord of the House of Lycans,” the herald announced as Ava raised her head to see a godly-looking figure stride into the hall and walk toward the majestic throne her father, the mad king, once sat upon.

This man was so handsome, with an emotionless face, tall and imposing, exuding an effortless charm that was as captivating as it was dangerous. His masculine jawline and razor-sharp nose left Ava lost in his allure.

“Your majesty! Here is Princess Ava of the House of Lycans, my half-sister and sole heiress of that mad king. He hid her in the temple, hoping she’d escape the chaos of war while we endured his tyranny. But I found her, captured her before she could orchestrate a revolt against your ascension. I present her to you as a slave, your property, in exchange for mercy for the rest of us,” Sinclair declared, pushing Ava forward, his eyes burning with viciousness as Ava stood dumbfounded by his heart-wrenching lies.

As Alpha Axel’s eyes fell upon Ava,

“It appears the daughter of the mad king is my mate, which means your trade is not fair!” Alpha Axel declared as the lords and alphas were taken by surprise, the room filled with indistinct murmurs.

Ava’s heart thudded as she anticipated the decision that would forever change her life, whether he claimed her as his mate or his sex slave.