A Wedding Night to Remember

Laylin raised a brow, silently asking her Governess if the rest of her entourage was able to flee and she nodded back. Laylin took a breath of relief. Her exhaustion made her slump.

"Then-"

The man dressed as the server clapped his hands, snapping them out of their moment rudely.

"Princess, the King is requesting your presence."

"Huh? What could you possibly mean... "

“Even if it will be a little troubling to the Princess. We can’t delay delivering her to the King. The maids are ready, so please follow me!”

All of them stiffened while Laylin visibly flinched. She couldn’t even lift a finger after going through the 'magnificent' royal treatment they had given her on her carriage ride but most of all, it was past midnight.

They were going to send her to a man she hadn't formally married at this time of the night, did it make sense?

Her Governess looked physically wounded at the disrespect. “B-But the Princess has just arrived…”

The man narrowed his eyes filled with obvious ridicule, “The King is waiting. We can’t delay it any longer, I’m afraid.” His hands, irritatedly flailing.    

Eloise was quick to come forward, “My Lord, the Princess can rest tonight and greet him first thing the next morning. If only you–”   

'THUD'  

The thumping of the man's cane had her halting mid-way. He tossed a conventional smile the Princess's way, “The King." Taking a pause and he dips his head to let it sink,  "He had summoned his 'fiance' to his bed-chamber. Please be thoughtful of your words.” The man cut her off.

Her servants gasped in disbelief. 'To his bedchamber? What kind of lustful man was he?'

Laylin pursed her lips, holding back a curse for his 'King' and a wince for the ache in her body. The rumor about him being an uncivilized old barbarian who was shrewd and chased after skirts must be true. 

BUt she could clearly see Rakhbar was proud of their new King because of his ability to shift into a fearsome Lycan as not many lycans could shift these days so his people were ready to cater to his vulgar desires. 

Just imagining it was horrible. Laylin breathed out, as her legs almost gave out. The King was probably the age of her father, she didn't want to imagine the monster she will face. 

She bit her lips. She had never wanted to marry this wretched King but she knew a wretched man wouldn't let her get away.

He was a lycan and she had heard Lycan women bleed on his bed, what if kills her after molesting her? Her father will have what he wanted and Rakhbar won't shed a tear for her. No one will care if she died.

Whether the King's servant read her fearful thoughts or not, the server remained unmoved. “We have already been much too accommodating. Please make haste.”

When her Governess parted her lips to utter another argument, she saw two lycan emerging from behind the big Bolsters, and her arguments faded away like sand. Looking down at the Princess’s pale, weary face, the lycan added ruthlessly.

“Even if I wish the circumstances were different, I request your corporation.” It was a clear warning. He tilted his body to indicate the men to come forward. "It is the King's order." 

“B-but…she-she, the-the Princess hadn’t even gone through the Wedding rituals in Rakhbar….” The Governess fretted.

There was a high chance Rakhbar might deny the happenings of the night altogether and accuse the Princess of being unchaste tomorrow.

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence in unwanted marriages or if you wanted to have advantages in a political marriage either. 

She was about to argue it was not how a princess was supposed to enter anyone’s bed-chamber but she never had the chance to have a proper conversation. Before the words could be uttered, the man struck them with an irritated look as his eyes flashed and she crouched back with a gasp.

“We are short on time. Don't people in Ehan understand how the command of a Monarch works?”

She was about to present another argument when Laylin held her arm, halting her protest. "It's better that I have a word with the King myself." Her Governess nodded hesitantly and helped the Princess walk behind them.

Laylin understood it was better not to let this escalate any further when their agenda was clear. These servants won't listen to her anyway as they must be forced to comply with their master's desires.

She must have a word with the King on her own. She looked up at the tall doors immersed in darkness with terror.

She was terrified but she was strong enough to protect herself.

When they reached their destination, despite the protest the server didn’t let her maid or Governess enter. From there she was doused in fragrant oils and scrubbed. Maybe it's the difference in strength, but their grip hurt and scratched her several times

She was scared but still, she managed to swallow her tears. Her situation won’t improve even if she shed petty tears. Instead, it will only make her look more miserable than she already is.

What she needed to do was, talk to the King and come to a mutual understanding. Ignoring him will only infurate him.

Laylin fisted her trembling hands tightly because she needed to negotiate with the King.

The servants didn’t even make eye contact or attempt to converse with her. Laylin's brows furrowed. These women's hands were rough. The kind of rough hands you get from hard labor. All of them seemed well-past their forties.

Did they give her unqualified old maids as a form of hazing? It was as if they were treating a lifeless tribute that should look presentable before their esteemed King.

"How childish." 

They dressed her in a see-through vulgar garment that didn’t reach past her mid-thigh with a veil covering her face and made her kneel on the fur mat in the middle of the spacious room.

“Wait here, patiently.” The maid remarked coldly and left her in the chilly room.

It was unforgivable and if she lived, she would never forget this humiliation the King had bestowed on her.

She made a note of the maids face. 

Her eyes fell on the tall windows blowing in mid-autumn air. They hadn't bothered the courtesy of making her pathetic, situation any easier.

She didn’t know how long she sat there. Laylin was hungry and cold, her body shivered from fear and desperation in the wait for the King. 

She clasped her face in her shivering hands when a dismal, gloomy shriek penetrated her ears making her flinch. 

"What the hell is this..." 

Her heart thumped down. It was the roar of an animal... a Beast. And from somewhere close.

The door opened with a ‘THUD’.

Laylin looked up in fright. What stood before there froze the blood in her veins.

............

'ROAR!'

What stood before her was neither a man nor a Lycan. The thing was reaching the high door edges and was breathing heavily with unrestrained rage.

"A monster..." 

She gasped and its head snapped at her. That's when she saw the blood-red eyes. She froze on her spot.  Unlike Lycans, it stood tall, taller than her by three times. An abomination.

She whispered in disbelief, "It can't be, can it?" But it was. 

The rumors were true... he was indeed a monster. The King of Lycans, who was to wed her was a monster.

A monster, about to maul her.

In slow strides, it leaped to her, his canines dripping with a red liquid. She looked at him from her veil and her fear forced her to crawl back without taking eyes away from him. 

"St-Stop!" She shouted but he was too far gone to comprehend. 

Forgetting even to breathe, her instincts kicked in against her better judgment. But soon she knew it was her biggest mistake of the night.

As the creature saw her giving chase, it took after her. The room that could compete against a hall in size wasn't big enough as he covered it in some strides.

She had gotten between a small gap between two walls. It wasn't thick enough in breadth for him to reach inside but it was great in length so even his claws didn't reach her.

Unable to reach her, it roared and hit the walls. His first three hits just shook the walls.

'THWACK! CRACK! BOOM!'

"Yo-Your Majesty! Come to your senses!" She call out in hopes that he would stop this savage chase against her but he was inconsolable. 

'ROAR!'

"Ah... Ha... Ha!"

Her heart thumped as tears streamed down her face in fear. She was sticking to the end of the suffocating ridge.

In that moment, she thought a lustful old man would be better than this lycan about to feast on her. 

She didn't need to think again about why they were pushing her to be prepared as soon as possible. Calling for help must as well be additional entertainment for them. 

They knew they were sending her to a miserable death. Perhaps her father was right, perhaps she was really cursed! 

"Stop it, you animal!" She shouted as tears blurred her vision. "I'm the Princess of Ehan!" 

'THWACK!'

His fourth hit formed cracks. The mad lycan was insistent in reaching her and constantly hit the walls. Little by little the stone wall broke as cracks formed.

She wished she hadn't hidden here and jumped out of the window instead. She would have more chances of survival that way

Now when the walls will collapse, she might be buried under the debris. She touched the walls frantically hoping to find anything that could salvage her but her hands only came in contact with shaking walls and cracks.

His fifth hit broke part of the walls as rubble from the wall fell in front of her. "Ah!" It could have hit her on her head...

As dust fell on her, it finally brought Laylin back to her senses.

It was the end. She was going to be ripped to shreds by this inhumane creature. Blood drained from her face.

She had done nothing wrong to deserve this.

Here she was hoping to negotiate with the King... but how could she talk with a predator ready to feast on her?

Another hit sent broken blocks flying. Her father must have known. Everyone knew. They sent her to death in a carriage carved in gold. A Grand Funeral.

'If I'm going to die, why should I take my secret to my grave? At least her father will pay back for his cruelty once Rakhbar realizes the presence of a Witch in the procession…'

With a bitter smile, she raised both her hands. Her aura went flying from her hanss and pushed the fallen debris at the lycan.

'ROAR!!'

With a Roar it was thrown to the furniture. He hadn't seen it coming.

"Take this, barbarian!" 

She ran out and tried to look around. Windows and a door.

But before she could reach anywhere, the Beast had recoiled and with blood dripping from the sharp shards he looked much more lethal. He jumped at her with ferocity.

His brutal stare scorched her.

''THWACK! THUD!'

Her aura threw the big wooden table at him but he, in his rage, threw it away with a claw without taking his eyes off her.

Now she knew her first attack had caught him off-guard but she won't be lucky anymore. Her lips trembled as strength left her body.

"Leave me… I said, leave me alone!" As a last ditch effort, she tried to shout at her betrothed with a hope he understood her in this fit of insanity.

"I don't deserve this." As she mumbled back her words, she suddenly felt an intense gaze looking at her and took a step back.

The lycan looked a lot bigger suddenly and shook his head without taking his eyes off her. Red eyes, like blood.

She couldn't figure out why he was looking at her like that. As if it couldn't get worse, the lycan's face became colder for some reason. He leaped close to her and roared harshly.

She froze as their bodies met within a hair's breadth, the smell of blood, and faint forest piercing the tip of her nose. His masculine odor flashed across her mind, and she immediately knew what was to become of her.

Mysterious heat blossomed from his hard, penetrating gaze. He looked down at her like one looking at a lump of raw meat, like a hound on the ready to take a chunk out of his prey.

She dropped her eyes in a hurry, her face burning with tears as if she was under the unforgiving heat of the sun.

With her heart beating faster with every second, she knew she could never hope to match him. Her body was exhausted and the aura she had squeezed out was already a surprise.

The lycan was taking in her scent furiously.

She bit her lips, and held in the cries, she was standing at the tip of a cliff. Their marriage was made solely for the convenience of both countries though Ehan was preparing to betray the treaty. 

Her death would play in Ehan's favor. 

She shivered at the thought that no one was coming to save her from her wretched husband on her supposed wedding night.

Ideas drifted in her head in self-derision. Despite her situation, she decided to refute it with everything that was left in her. She looked up and under her lips began chanting.

"Alseinda Bane, Alseinda Bane, Alseinda Bane..."

(Breath be taken of my woes. Breath be taken of my woes. Breath be taken of my woes...)

The beast roared and clutched his neck as he couldn't breathe anymore. The air in his lungs was stolen. She suffocated him. That was the only spell her witch mother had taught her and this was her first time using it.

"Alseinda Ba-Ah!" 

Just when her eyes lost their fear, the lycan took her by the neck and brutally held her against the wall, slamming her repeatedly. She couldn't cast anymore as the lack of oxygen had her turning blue.

With her shivering hand, she summoned every matter in the vicinity to strike his back. He hissed but didn't falter. Her eyes saw some flickering shadows behind him but they could be her failing eyes playing tricks on her.

She felt she was about to pass out when his hold loosened. She was quick to slip to the floor, several feet down, but he clutched her waist with his claws.

'AAHHHh!'

Her eyes were blurring her vision but the next moment a scream left her as he bit her close to her neck.

"No! Stop... Please..." 

She didn't know for how long the excruciating pain went on and how long she wailed and cried but when she came to, he was slipping out of the place. With a groan, she slipped back into unconsciousness.

The next her eyes opened, she was a little more lucid and realized she was still on the floor.  From the window, she could see the moon.

She hissed as every joint in her body screamed but crawled to the bed, which though had shifted from its place but was still in one piece. The same couldn't be said about pillows or sheets.

Flailing and falling, she picked up a pillow and blanket and slipped on the bed before her consciousness gave out again.

'I'll only lay for a second. I need to escape... I need to run away.' She concluded before passing out. 'I need to escape from that bastard king and his screwed-up kingdom. I need to escape before the King comes with his guards to burn me, a witch...'

Unfortunately, for Laylin, her drowsy eyes gave out and the next time she opened her eyes she was surrounded with hostility.