Chapter 3 : My Future Husband

He looked around and immediately identified the empty seat next to me.

I swallowed as he started moving my way.

Now that he was in the room, I could see him clearly. His hair was midnight black and wavy and his eyebrows dark like charcoal. A muted scar ran from the peak of his right eyebrow and ran through his perfectly shaped nose.

His jawline was rigid with a five-o-clock shadow. Then I caught myself staring at his lips—they were plump and elegantly shaped, however, what drew my attention was their color.

Like garnet, I thought.

He was absolutely handsome, however, for reasons I didn't know, all I could feel was fear.

As he walked toward me, every step he took made my heart thump louder.

This was Prince August, the prince charming of every girl in the land, and my future husband.

It just didn't seem possible. None of it did.

The dead maids, me in this dress, or even the fact I was dining with the royals for the first time in my life. And now, I was going to marry this gorgeous but dangerous prince?

Yes, dangerous. He was undoubtedly hunky and handsome. However, he wasn't warm or gentle as the rumors had suggested.

My mind was still shrouded in a haze like none of this was real, but I noticed that his golden brown pupils were piercing directly into my eyes.

He made long, towering strides over to the empty seat next to me, his feet drawn forward as he walked, but his eyes were still focused on mine. At every angle, his steely gaze enthralled me but made my core shiver at the same time.

The prince walked past Queen Regina and our Alpha King, Stephen, simply giving them a courteous nod.

His heels were laced in metal, each step clucking steel as if to announce his presence. However, he already commanded complete attention with his appearance alone.

My heartbeat slowed to a frosted pace as he was getting close, and it was so quiet in the room as if nobody dared release their breath.

And he certainly took his time to reach his chair.

Most of the people here were from Hoarfrost's pack, and I was surprised that they treated the prince with such unfamiliar reverence as if he was some deity that had to be worshiped each time they saw him.

As the prince rounded the table's corner, he walked resolutely toward my chair on his way to his seat. All of a sudden, an icy cold touch made every hair on my body stand.

His left hand ran along the back of my headrest, his nails scraping against my exposed skin, and his fingers touched my bare neck.

A chill shot up my spine. How could someone's hand feel this cold?

He halted behind me and then inhaled a deep breath as he towered above my silken hair. I didn't know if he was smelling my locks or the food. When he released his breath, a draft of his snowy breath chilled my ears.

His touch and his breath made every muscle in my core tighten.

I clasped my hands tightly on my lap, squeezing relentlessly, hoping to get a hold of my body.

I must have been too nervous. I told myself to calm down but to no avail.

The prince finally took his seat, not adjusting himself at all as he sat down. His posture was perfectly erect.

I finally exhaled, trying to manage my breathing so it wasn't too loud.

Then I realized I was surrounded by his scent. It was an aroma of sandalwood and evergreen, an intoxicating wintry blend from the north of Astana. It permeated my nostrils more than the array of finely cut steaks, cheeses, breads or caviar had, and my lungs were intoxicated by it.

As soon as the prince was seated, Queen Regina stood and clanked her wine glass, drawing everyone's attention.

She started, "We are accompanied here today by our newfound allies, the Hoarfrost Pack, as we hope that this arrangement will usher in a new age of peace and prosperity for both kingdoms in Astana."

She strategically waited for applause at her words as then she immediately looked at me and declared, "And we at Sablestone are honored to offer our daughter in marriage to tonight's special guest, Prince Leonardo of Hoarfrost."

P…Prince Leonardo?

He wasn't Prince August?!

He wasn't the merciful prince everyone said would be here?!

I snapped around to look at the queen and was only met with a cruel smirk on her face.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Leonardo…I heard of his name.

Everyone knew him: the most bloodthirsty hound in all of Astana!

However, most people wouldn't refer to him as a prince, because he was the ruthless outcast son of Hoarfrost, and he was only a prince by relation to his father.

Most people referred to him as a killing machine, a warrior bred and born.

His largest feat was slaying one hundred Sablestone militants on a solo-operative mission during the night. When we woke up, unaware of his attack, the militant's bodies were all maimed and lifeless, their throats and intestines scattered on the pavement.

It was even said that his wolf's eyes were tinted scarlet red that night.

Violence was in his blood. He wasn't a royal in the slightest.

The detail that stuck out to me the most was the rumor that the last three wives he had all disappeared after their 'use' ran out. It was said he carved them up into square chunks and fed them to the packhouse mutts. Some he even ate himself.

Now I could understand the reaction of the Hoarfrost guests in the room. It was an uncanny reverence I saw. It was fear and disdain.

I could barely breathe and horror flooded through me. What…what would he do to me?

My body started to tremble uncontrollably. I lowered my gaze and pushed my hands down on my thighs to stop myself from shaking so that hopefully no one could sense my anxiousness.

I peered over and caught a glimpse of his face, which once was cold and frosted, now had signs of life underneath with the main vein pulsating in his forehead. His throat seemed tense and stiff.

"And we," presumably a high-ranking Hoarfrost official added, "are pleased to welcome the most ravishing, beautiful Princess Iris here into our pack. She is even better than we could've imagined."

Then the Hoarfrost official directed his gaze towards the prince who was still emotionless and seemingly frozen in place.

However, the prince didn't acknowledge the officer's comment but he inhaled again as if he could smell something that bothered him, an aroma that sickened him.

His head tilted towards me as if trying to discern the scent. He huffed out his breath and returned to his forward position once again.

Everyone in the room watched us and I heard my heart pounding even louder.

Queen Regina had a grin of pure, unadulterated amusement as her emerald eyes glinted at the sight of my unsettled expression. She teased, "Oh what a beautiful moment it is."

She knew it! This whole time, she knew Prince Leonardo was going to be the prince offered up for marriage. She never would've allowed her daughter to wed this…this…monster.

Why me… why did she choose me? I looked at her with a plea in my eyes, wishing she could change her mind.

However, she ignored me and announced, "Now, let's eat. Before the food gets cold."

At first, everyone motioned to pick up their forks, but then after noticing the prince's lack of movement, everyone locked in place. They all were afraid to dig into the food until the prince made the first move.

After half a minute, which felt like half an hour, Prince Leonardo raised his interlocked fists and rested them on his placemat as if he had something to say.

I noticed his black-twill blazer which rode up his forearm, showcasing his toned, defined muscles, his skin tanned and rugged. Even his fingers, the way they wrapped around each other were intimidating and laced with battle scars.

With his action, the rest of the guests in the room put down their silverware.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his medallion orbs narrowed, and his gaze locked on me again.

I swallowed hard and felt like I was his prey. He wasn't aggressive in the typical sense but every single part of me screamed that I should stay away from this man.

Yet, his deliberate movements, his enigmatic gaze, and his mystifying persona threw me into a whirlwind. His silence and elegant brutism bewitched me and I just couldn't resist being drawn in by my dangerous predator.

Suddenly the prince spoke, causing the glasses and utensils to rattle on the table as he declared, "I refuse."

My eyes slowly widened and everyone in the room gasped.

The officer who spoke before murmured, "Prince Leonardo…" but the prince deliberately ignored him.

With a straight face and a flat tone, he announced, "I, Leonardo Northcote of Hoarfrost, reject Princess Iris as my wife."

Then he stood up from his throne and walked out before the room could process a reaction.