CHAPTER 1: Kneel!

Athena's pov

I stood; gazing into the mirror with a somber expression on my face as I rubbed my naked stomach, down to my navel, feeling for any signs of a baby bump or any signs that I had even the slightest sign of life growing in my womb, but sadly, just like the past few months, there was nothing.

I sighed before drawing my robe over my naked freezing body. My steps were unsteady as I grabbed my glass of wine and emptied the contents into my mouth, feeling distressed and frustrated.

The one thing- the one simple thing I had to do was to bear a child for the Lycan King and I once again proved to my stepfather that I was as useless as he expected me to be.

There wasn't even a single sign that I was pregnant.

Suddenly, my handmaid stepped in, and I turned to her, feeling tensed and wondering why she was here. Her duty was to call me in whenever Damon wanted to get intimate with me, but today was Tuesday and he was usually left alone.

She bows and I approach her, my heart beating slowly.

"What's the problem?'

"The King requests your presence in the courtyard for dinner."

My face lightens up immediately and there is a sparkle of hope and excitement in my eyes upon hearing her words. Damon wanted me to eat with him. That had never happened before!

I wondered at the sudden change of heart, knowing too well how much he even hates the sight of me, but all other doubts were subdued by my excitement.

I dismissed her and quickly went ahead to get dressed, feeling giddy and happy that I was going to be having dinner with Damon– something he had never agreed to.

He was someone who mostly enjoyed his own company and privacy. So It was a really big deal.

As I stepped into the courtyard, I took notice of the Omegas and Pack warriors that surrounded the area; going about their normal duties, but my eyes were locked in on the man sitting across from me, his wrist bent over his table as he played around with his food with a deadpan expression on his face.

The Lycan King.

Feared by even the most powerful Alpha of all times, and yet, from all the women out there in the entire world, I was chosen to bear his child by the moon goddess herself.

It was an honor and a thing of pride, but at the same time, It was a curse, considering that as part of the deal, once whichever woman was chosen had given birth, she would be sent away from the pack and would never set eyes on her child.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that deal, but right now, nothing crossed my mind because my entire thoughts and focus were all on two cold hazel eyes directed at me.

As I shortened the distance between us, my eyes were blessed with arrays of food and buffet made by the finest of chefs including the most expensive wine sitting in two glasses, glowing under the chandelier lights in the courtyard and casting a pale shade of yellow to the entire place.

"Your Majesty." I slightly tilted my head forward to show my respect to one of the most powerful beings on earth.

"Kneel." I suddenly heard a cold, deep voice after a long-term silence.

Kneel?

Was I hearing things now? But yet as I raised my head to stare at him, I saw the disgust and lack of humor in his eyes as he ran over me.

"I said Kneel!"

His aura was strong and overpowering, and in seconds, I found my knees on the ground, my hands crossed behind me.

My entire being trembled in his presence and I felt humiliated, having to be stared upon by the common maids and guards of the Packhouse like I was some slave about to be punished.

I knew It was forbidden to do It, but I still raised my eyes and locked them in his in a defiant stare filled with confusion and curiosity as I attempted to know what I did wrong.

"But… Your Majesty… "

I suddenly gasped as his cold, large fingers wrapped hard around my chin before he pulled me closer, my neck straining to remain unsnapped as his grip got tighter.

"Athena, do you think I have an interest in feeding a pathetic wretch like you for the rest of your life?"

I didn't understand what he meant, but tears filled my eyes from the pain of his grip around my jaw, and he still didn't let go.

"The Pack doctors said nothing is wrong with either you or me, so what seems to be the problem, Athena? Are you not being fed well?"

I shook my head immediately, tears welling up in my eyes at his harshness. Truly, I was being fed well in the palace, but I knew I would never have been treated this well If I wasn't a breeder for him.

"Then what's the problem?!" He harshly let go of me, and I fell back to the ground and gasped, trembling in humiliation and fear as I watched him get up and tower over me. "All I ask of you is a child, so why can't you do something as simple as that?!"

"I… I... " My throat was clenched, hindering me from even saying another word.

What can I say? Truly nothing was wrong with either of us, we have been intimate regularly and even much more often, I was being fed well and taken to the pack hospital for a check-up regularly.

So why couldn't I get pregnant? Was I cursed?

"You're stuttering…" he suddenly pointed out and chuckled bitterly before raking a hand through his hair in frustration. "To think I could have picked any woman to bear my child, and the Moon priestess chose a Useless wretch like you!" With a growl, he slid his hand across the table, and everyone jumped, including me, as we watched the glasses of wine and plates drop to the floor, smashing subsequently as each one hit the ground.

I could feel the sharp splinters of shards of glass flying into my skin, but I was entirely focused on the distressed man still standing before me, looking frustrated and aggravated.

If only he knew how much I loved and cared for him to even agree to ever bear his child only to be sent away from the pack after.

"Your Majesty... " In a panic, I rose to my knees to see Damon's hand bleeding, but before I could even touch him, he stepped back and pushed me, and I lost my footing and fell onto the ground again, wincing when a shard of glass pierced into my wrist.

I could see the shocked, unapprehensive expressions of the Omegas around, but rather than worry about the rumors which would spread around afterward, I was still bent on consoling Damon.

I understood how badly he needed a child, but I wished he understood how badly I wanted to bear a child for him as well. How I wanted to hold his child in my arms and watch him finally soften up towards me as he took the child in his arms.

My eyes were misted with tears, but I cleared my throat to enable me loud and audible.

"No matter how much we try… " My voice was soothing and comforting, yet my insides were raging with all the blood rushing to my ears as my heart pumped hard against my chest in fear of his cold hazel-colored eyes burrowing hard into my eyes. "We still have to remember that the Moon goddess is the giver of pups we just have to trust her in this case because… " I lower my eyes, unable to take his hurtful hateful glare. "Without trust, you have nothing."

There was silence in the courtyard but the sound of crickets as I just sat there, my wrist throbbing from the pain of a shard of glass sunk deep into my flesh.

"Tomorrow, you'll be escorted to the pack hospital," He began in his cold, grave voice, not even a hint of affection in It. "The physician has prepared some herbs for you to take after which we would get intimate."

My cheeks were tinted red from the blood rushing towards them as his words brought back memories of our past intimate times, and I was aware of how different and passionate Damon is in bed.

"Now leave." He snapped at me, and I stood up clumsily before leaving his presence, feeling ashamed and stupid for ever thinking Damon would be anything but cold and cruel to me.

I almost chuckled at my foolishness. To think he was actually inviting me to eat with him? Why did I expect so much from him each time, knowing he would always disappoint me?

I threw myself on my bed and cried to my heart's content before taking out the shard of glass stuck to my wrist. The pain was unbearable, but when I managed to pull It out, I felt some sense of relief. My heart was still heavy and hurt badly from his words.

Maybe If I finally got pregnant, he would soften up to me?