Chapter 2: Certain.

Arianna’s POV:

I couldn’t say no. 

Denying Kyan was a death sentence. Hell, obedience wasn’t much safer, but at least it bought me a few more miserable days to breathe.

Five minutes. I laughed—hysterically, quietly, painfully. Five minutes? In this state? 

He might as well have told me to sprout wings and fly. 

But no. Instead, I’d have to crawl, limp, and claw my way back, just to get my inevitable punishment.

“Shift,” Aster urged in my head. 

“Are you insane?” I hissed back. Shifting would tear open wounds that were barely holding together. “I’ll die.”

“You’ll die anyway if you don’t get moving. You know him.”

I groaned. Aster was right. She always was, damn her. 

But shifting meant pain—the kind that makes you wonder if staying in your human skin might actually be the better option. 

But Kyan wouldn’t care about my excuses. He’d care about my time—and he’d count every second past five minutes with something sharp.

I took off my clothes. Taking a shaky breath, I crouched and started shifting. I immediately let out a scream—it was pure agony.

My bones stretched and cracked, my skin tearing where the whip had bitten into me earlier. 

I bit down another scream, choking on the taste of blood in my mouth.

Aster growled. “Move!”

I hit the ground running—or limping, if we’re being honest. Aster filled the silence with a string of curses directed at Kyan, the Alpha King, the pack, and anyone else she could think of. “Bastard! Arrogant, sadistic piece of—oh, Arianna, careful with that mud patch!”

“Not helping!” I snapped back, nearly slipping anyway.

By the time we got to the palace gates, I was wheezing like an old bellows. 

My wolf form dissolved, and I crumpled onto the stone path, shifting back into my battered human body. 

I forced myself up, clutching at the pain. I wore my clothes on, and ran into the building. 

But, the universe must have hated me, because as soon as I staggered forward, I collided with something—or someone.

“Ugh, watch where you’re going!”

The moment I slammed into her, my stomach dropped faster than my knees hit the floor. 

Princess Lilian. 

Of all the people to collide with, it had to be her.

I landed on my butt—hard, and saw that I had marred her perfect shoes by a streak of mud.

Oh no. 

“I-I’m sorry, Princess Lilian,” I stammered, bowing my head so low my nose nearly touched the ground. My heart hammered in my chest,“I didn’t see you—”

“Clearly,” she cut me off, “Look at you. Pathetic.”

Well, that stung. Not that it was inaccurate—I was pathetic. Covered in dirt and blood, trembling like a leaf in a storm. But still. Did she have to rub it in?

She stood, towering over me, “Clean the dirt off my shoes,” she ordered.

Gods, this was humiliating. 

But what choice did I have? Refusing her would only make things worse. 

I hadn’t had much reason to cross paths with Princess Lilian before, and to be honest, I’d hoped to keep it that way. 

The stories about her were enough to make me steer clear—arrogant, cold, and with a temper sharper than a freshly whetted blade. She and Kyan truly are siblings.

I wouldn't want to add her problems to my plate. 

“Did you not hear me?”

“No, I—I mean yes, Princess. Of course,” I sputtered and my fingers sank into the mud as I began wiping at her shoes. 

When she finally waved me off with an impatient, “Get up,” relief flooded my chest. My hands were shaking as I pushed myself to my feet.

She didn’t even look at me as she turned on her heel and strutted toward the grand hall. “Follow me,” she commanded over her shoulder.

I trailed behind her and the further we went down the hallway, the louder the voices inside became.

We finally got to a hall where the voices were definitely coming from, the guards opened the door and the princess stepped in with me following behind her. 

In the hall, the Alpha King stood at the head of the hall and the Luna Queen was beside him. Kyan was there too, however, the moment his eyes landed on me, I knew I was in trouble.

My heart had already tripled in pacing just from seeing him. By the time he started moving towards me, I might’ve had a heart attack. 

He moved faster than I could react, closing the distance in a few furious strides. His hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me forward.

“You dare disobey me?” he snarled, his breath was hot against my face, the scent of ale making me gag.

“I—I didn’t—”

“You think I wouldn’t notice how late you are?” His grip tightened, making my scalp scream in protest. “You useless little—”

“I tried!” I blurted, “I ran as fast as I could, but—”

“Enough!” he roared, cutting me off. His free hand reached into his coat, and when he pulled out a dagger, my stomach dropped.

Was he really going to cut my eares here?

“No, please!” I gasped, It wasn’t my fault!”

“Dear brother, she was cleaning my shoes,”Princess Lilian said and she strolled forward, her expression one of bored indifference. “I bumped into her outside and made her clean the mud off. Honestly, I didn’t even see her at first—she’s so small and frail, like a weed growing in a crack.”

Kyan’s grip on my arm tightened painfully. “You bumped into my sister?” He sneered, “You little urchin, how dare you!”

I flinched, my body trembling as his fingers dug into my flesh.

“It was a mistake, I—”

“Apologize,” he growled. “Beg. Or should I remind you what happens to insolent slaves who touch what isn’t theirs?”

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes. My lips parted to plead—anything to avoid the blade slicing my skin.

“Don’t waste your time on her, brother.” Lilian’s spoke, her gaze swept over me, unimpressed. “She’s not worth breaking a sweat over right now.”

“Besides,” Lilian continued, “Father has something to say, and I doubt he’ll be pleased if you’re late because of her.”

Kyan’s grip loosened slightly as he turned to her, his eyes narrowing. 

The silence that followed was literally suffocating. 

He glared at her for a long moment before finally shoving me away. I stumbled back, clutching my head and sucking in a shaky breath.

Just then, the Alpha King’s voice boomed across the room, cutting off whatever Kyan was about to say next. “Attention, everyone!”

All eyes turned to him, and even Kyan straightened up, his sneer fading.

“This will be quick,” the Alpha King began, “You slaves have been chosen as tributes to the Lycan King.”

A cold chill swept through the room, sinking into my bones.

My eyes widened in horror. 

Tributes?

“The price for peace among the packs,” the Alpha King continued, “You should feel honored.”

The room erupted into chaos. Whispers turned to cries, panic spreading like wildfire. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

Tributes. To the Lycan King.

The Lycan King was the monster that mothers whispered about to scare their pups into obedience. 

Stories of his cruelty traveled like wildfire—he was said to have a temper so unpredictable that even his closest allies feared him.

They called him a king, but everything about him screamed tyrant. 

Slaves sent to his court didn’t just disappear—they were swallowed whole. 

For anyone unlucky enough to become his property, there was no hope. No escape. Only one certainty remained: 

Death. 

And it wasn’t just likely—it was certain.