Chapter 3

Athena's POV

I hesitated before reluctantly dragging my feet into his room. Once inside, he shut the door.

I stood still close to the door. I was alone with the monster, alone with the rumored cruel beast.

"Remove your clothes!" His words cut across my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. My eyes widened as I clutched tightly onto my clothes, shaking my head in fright.

He advanced toward me in anger, and I took shaky steps backward. Instincts kicked in—run! I spun around, heading for the door, but he was too fast. He grabbed my clothes and flung me across the room.

"Where do you think you'd run to?" he took steady steps toward me, wearing a smirk that surprised me.

"Please don't hurt me," I cried when he stood a few steps in front of me.

"Who said anything about hurting you, my dear? As long as you stay a good girl, I can assure you no harm will come to you," he smiled wickedly before lowering himself until he was at eye level with me. "Only disobedient people face the consequences."

He straightened himself. "Now get up and remove your clothes!" Cold shivers ran through my entire body. I immediately got up, almost tripping on my own foot, still clutching tightly onto my clothes.

The look in his eyes was terrifying, but I wasn't ready to give in just yet. I wasn't ready to be devoured by this beast. My fighter instinct kicked in.

He growled in anger, yanking my clothes off my body, scratching me with his claws, and drawing blood. He stared at his claws, then sucked the blood off them. My mouth gaped open, and he grinned at me.

"Your blood tastes nice. Don't make me do that again. If I do, I'll be taking more than your blood." His words turned my blood to ice. His green eyes were enveloped with darkness. I could tell he wasn't mincing words; he meant every single thing he said.

He seized me by the hand and tossed me onto the bed. I could do nothing but lie beneath him in fright as he had his way with me. It was a mix of pain and pleasure.

My eyes burned, but I promised myself I wouldn't cry. I had to be resilient. I couldn't believe I lost my innocence to a cruel beast who cared nothing about me.

I recalled Gia's words. That girl had died after being with him. She was his only sex slave, and that's what I have become. My heart pounded loudly in my chest.

As soon as he was done, he rolled to the side and covered himself with the blanket.

"Get out!" I jolted up from the bed immediately at his command, covering my body with my torn clothes. I could feel my wolf, Elsa sobbing inside. She must be very hurt. Who wouldn't be after being treated that way by none other than your supposed mate?

"I hate him, I hate him so much," Elsa sobbed. My heart went out to her.

"Don't worry, be strong. We will definitely find our way out of this," I consoled her. The head maid awaited me at the end of the hallway, as if she knew I wouldn't take long in the king's chambers.

She guided me to what was supposed to be my room and closed the door after pushing me in. There were five other girls inside; they were already asleep, except for one, a girl I recognized immediately.

"Gia!" I whispered as I hurried to her and hugged her tightly. My body racked with sobs; I finally let out all the tears and pain I had been suppressing for a while.

She held onto me, her embrace offering the comfort I needed after what I had just gone through. "What happened? Did he hit you?" she whispered as soon as she released me, her eyes searching my face and body.

"He did more than hit me; he raped me!" She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. "That cruel beast!"

I tightly held onto her hand, glancing at the girls lying on the small flat bed to ensure they were still sleeping. I averted my gaze back to her and whispered.

"I need to escape! I can't continue staying here." Her eyes widened as she looked intently at me.

"No one has ever succeeded in escaping, Athena. The few who tried in the past were killed on the spot of capture; it's too risky."

I drew in a deep breath. "I will find a way; I will escape from here, even if I die trying."

After a few minutes, Gia whispered to me, "I will go with you, and we will carefully plan our escape to avoid being caught." She held onto my hand with her cold hands. "Promise me you won't make any rash decisions and try to escape before our plan is perfected."

"I promise I…"

I hadn't finished my statement when the door swung open abruptly, revealing a huge dark figure. We froze.

The man immediately flicked on the light switch, and the room glowed with white light from the fluorescent light, causing Gia and me to squint our eyes.

"What's the whispering about?" he snapped, glaring down at us with fiery eyes.

I looked at Gia, who wasn't in the least afraid. She probably knew who this man was even without having to see his face.

"We are sorry about that, sir. We were only getting ready to sleep," she replied.

"Go to bed immediately!" He turned off the light and shut the door behind him. Gia told me in a whispering tone that he was the chief guard on night duty, going around the palace to make sure everything was okay. He did that every night. I couldn't sleep that night, only one thought consumed my mind.

My escape!

How I was going to do it was still a mystery to me, but one thing was sure, I would escape from this hellhole or die while trying.