03 A Different Choice

The grand hall is just as suffocating as I remember. Even more so since this is the place where everything ended for me.

Gold and black banners hand from towering columns, and the sigil of the Were royal family gleams under the candlelight. The air is thick with the scent of incense, masking the smell of blood, which is faint, but always present.

My father, King Aldric, sits upon his throne, a pillar of cold authority. His dark eyes sweep over me once before dismissing my presence entirely. To his right sits Leonel, the Crown Prince, lounging lazily in his chair. His golden hair sparkled under the light, his smirk already in place.

For a brief moment, I see the flashback of the throne with Leonel's dead body, his chest agape, heart gone. I flinch and a shudder passes through me, making me feel nauseous.

Somehow, that made Leonel's smirk grow wide. The dumbass probably thought I was scared of him. Well, he can think whatever he likes.

Meanwhile, the rest of my siblings are scattered throughout the room, some paying me no mind, others watching with mild amusement. I'm nothing to them, anyway. I'm a shadow, a ghost of a princess they rarely acknowledge.

Not long after we fully entered and after I finally stood before my father, the doors groan open once again. I turn to look, frowning as a group of Lycans are led in.

Carefully hiding my hands inside the long sleeves of my dress, I curl them into fists at the sight of the Lycans. All of them are shackled, trembling, and half-starved. They are herded in like animals, I can even see signs of physical abuse in some of them, especially the children and women. Their gazes are lowered. Some glance up, eyes filled with silent rebellion only to be struck down by the guards escorting them.

Despicable... I can't help but feel disgusted at how the royal family is treating these poor Lycans.

Casimir stands beside me, unnervingly still. However, I don't miss the way his jaw tightens, the way his breathing slows, controlled. It seems he's trying not to react, trying not to let us see the fury bubbling beneath his skin.

I was blind to it before but now...I see everything.

"Alina," my father's voice cuts through the silence. "Step forward."

I steel myself and obey, my legs carrying me toward the raised platform where my father looms above me. He doesn't look at me as he speaks, instead focusing his attention on his nails.

"It is time for you to claim your personal servant." With a flick of his wrist, he gestures towards Casimir and the long line of Lycan slaves that just entered. "Choose."

I know what I did before. I remember the words that left my mouth on that fateful day.

'I don't want one.'

I remember the way my father barely reacted, save for a half-hearted shrug before dismissing me. How Leonel had chuckled, amused but not surprised at my response. I remember how Casimir had been taken and then given to Leonel instead. How that had sealed his fate. How it sealed all our fates.

But I also remember what happened after. Casimir had suffered. Leonel made sure of it. And his experience as Leonel's personal servant turned Casimir into a monster. But looking at everything around me, the Were royal family is more monstrous than Casimir ever was.

I meet my father's gaze, then shift my eyes to Leonel. He watches me, smirking but I can tell how he keeps on fidgeting in his seat, a sign that he's getting bored.

I glance back to Casimir, his expression remains unreadable.

Well, here goes nothing. I take a deep breath and say the words that will change everything.

"I'll take him."

Silence fills the throne room for a good five seconds before a ripple of shock spreads throughout.

My siblings exchange glances before snickering with each other. I can see the others widen their eyes in mild surprise before their mask of indifference returns.

"You?" Leonel drawls, sitting forward with interest. "Our little ghost of a sister finally grew a spine since she suddenly wants a slave? The little goody-two-shoes who thinks Lycans are equal with the Weres? How...unexpected."

Another sibling scoffs. "What could she possibly do with one?"

"Maybe she finally realized she needs someone to talk to," another quips, chuckling nastily. "Too bad Lycans are too stupid and don't make for good conversations."

"Maybe she wants to keep a pet," one of my sisters muses. "Though I doubt she can handle that one."

Leonel grins, resting his chin in his palm. "You do know that he'll probably kill you in your sleep, right?"

"I give it a week before he snaps her neck in her sleep."

"Maybe we should place bets. How long do you think before her own pet kills her?"

More talk and more laughter ensue. But I didn't dare react. I let them mock me and laugh at me. It doesn't matter anyway.

Whatever they think of me and what they say no longer mattered since the first time I realized being a part of this family is a curse rather than a blessing.

I turn to my father, my voice steady as I repeat my answer. "I'll take him."

For the first time since I set foot in the throne room, my father looks at me. There's no warmth in his gaze, only cold assessment. "Very well. He is yours. Do what you will."

I exhale slowly. Casimir is mine. I did it.

But as I glance at him, I realize he doesn't see this as salvation. He sees it as a different kind of sentence. His golden eyes lock onto mine, burning with suspicion and hatred.

He thinks I'm just like the others. He thinks I will break him.

Even though he heard how my family treated me, I understand that it's not enough for him to see me as an enemy of his enemy. As someone who can be on his side. Someone who needs him as much as he needs me.

I tighten my grip at my sides. I don't expect him to trust me so fast and so easily. I don't expect him to believe in me today. But I will work really hard to gain his trust one day.

I will make sure history doesn't repeat itself.

Even if it kills me.