One

CONTENT WARNING: This is a dark romance book. It explores sensitive storylines and themes that might be uncomfortable for some readers. Descriptions of such topics could get graphic. If this is up your alley, enjoy reading! 

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“I reject her. Now get her out of my sight.”

The Alpha King’s words lash out in the air like a whip, sharp and shocking. I’m kneeling on the dais, the black veil on my head blocking nearly everything from my sight apart from the view of everyone’s shoes. Never have I gone through anything so humiliating.

My entire body is shaking. I have been kept in a dark dungeon all my life. I can’t go back. This is the only chance I have to get out. No friends. No family. No parents.

The only person I know is a man called ‘The Disciple’.

He’s been like a father to me.

“You’re meant to be the Luna Queen of Terra Lycaon,” he always told me. “I will do everything to put you next to the Alpha King… and you will take me to the top with you when the time is right.”

I never really knew what that meant. But I have done what I can to play the part. He taught me to cook, to clean, to sit and read and smile like a lady. He taught me how I can please a man… I am the perfect mate.

That’s why the Alpha King can’t reject me.

The man at his side, the one who brought me here at The Disciple’s word, starts to fidget. “But… my King, she is ready. She is the most perfect mate you can imagine. She’s still very young, and you can mold her into whatever you please—”

“How old am I?” the Alpha King asks coldly.

“Twenty-three, my King.”

“And how old is this girl?”

“She is… she is seventeen.”

The Alpha King rises to his feet, the sound of his shoes landing on the floor making everything vibrate. “You think I’m a fucking degenerate? Get her out of here and put her back in whatever hole she came from. I will have them hang you for this insult.”

The man starts to panic. “Alpha King, I only did what I thought was best for the realm. She really is the best candidate you have for marriage. You should have taken a mate when you turned eighteen. The Alphas need to see that the line is secure, and I—”

“Fine. I will hang you myself.”

He tries to make a move towards the man and I just knew deep in my heart that blood will be shed. I just can’t let it happen. Not because of me.

I get up, taking off the veil. The room is dark enough that I can’t make out their faces and I’m pretty sure they can’t see mine, but I can see the glint of the King’s golden crown. He freezes with his hand around the man’s neck, staring at me.

“I… I have flowered, my King,” I stammer. I clutch the skirt of my dress, scared out of my wits. His gaze is intense, even though I can’t see his deep-set eyes. “You don’t have to bed me until I turn eighteen. I will be a good wife to you. I swear, I will be your perfect mate!”

Silence rings in the room. Hope blossoms in my heart. Maybe he’s starting to consider. I take a step closer to him.

But he just snaps the man’s neck like a dry twig, letting him fall down the steps heavily. Dead. Slowly, he walks towards me, and this time I can see the cold grayness of his eyes. Bright and dark at the same time, like a flash of lightning behind storm clouds.

“You are no more than a young girl,” the Alpha King interjects, and it shocks me to hear tenderness in his tone. Like he regrets even having this interaction with me. “Half-Human, at that.”

My heart cracks. I step away from him, almost stumbling on the arm of the dead man. He sits back on his throne like nothing happened, and soon enough, his guards escort me out of the palace and back inside the car that brought me here. Everything is a blur, and I don’t even notice that I’m not alone in the car until it starts to move.

I turn my head, finding The Disciple sitting across me. The car is moving fast. Way too fast.

“I-I’m sorry,” I murmur, tears falling down my cheeks. I throw myself at his feet. “I failed you now, but I can try again. Take me back to the Alpha King and he will give me another chance!”

His disapproval floats into the air before his words even come out.

“No, my child. I believe I’m done.”

I look up at him in shock. I want to ask him where he’s going to take me now, but he doesn’t even give me that chance. He puts his hand on my shoulder, and I almost expire in relief. Maybe he’s going to stop forcing me to become the Luna Queen. Maybe he has other plans for me.

“You won’t make me try anymore?” I ask with hope. “Maybe I can be a better fit for a normal Alpha. I know I can….”

I trail off, noticing the gleam of a blade in his hand. He brings it close to my chest, right above my hammering heart.

“I believed that you were the peak of what I can create,” he whispers, almost to himself. “I thought your Human mother will make you different. But you’re not. We’re done here. You’re done.”

I open my mouth to speak, but he plunges the blade deep in my heart. My eyes go wide with shock. I look down, and my white dress soon becomes covered in crimson. The car moves faster and I get thrown back. My hands fumble on the blade, but the pain stops me from pulling the knife out of my chest.

Disbelief still runs through me even as my life starts to fade away, even when The Disciple opens the car door pushes me outside like a sack of garbage, left in the forest to rot.

I land on my head, but the pain doesn’t seem so bad anymore. In fact, it’s starting to feel like release. I close my eyes, feeling the wind blowing in the forest. I keep my eyes open for the last time, gazing at the stars and the full moon above.

I’m going to die… and this is the happiest I’ve been.

I close my eyes, ready for the end. But then a woman’s voice, soft and comforting, comes floating somewhere in my mind.

“This is not how I envisioned it to end, my sweet child. Live for me, and I will give you what you want.”

Perhaps it’s delusion. Perhaps it’s just my mind making things up. But what else is there for me to lose?

I exhale, thinking about what I have always wanted.

“Take me back to my mother and let this life be a bad dream,” I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks and disappearing into my hair. “I want to be… I want to be fully Human.”