01

.Prologue.

"Kill her!"

"Kill her!"

"Kill her!"

They all chanted as she knelt before them with her head hung low. Her wet hair clung to her face as her heart hammered against her chest.

She was going to die.

Her hands were tied behind her and her legs were shackled with huge chains that sent bristle shock through her body.

Her throat kept bobbing, forcing the lumps down.

It has finally come to this. She thought to herself.

"Alpha King, your command." The headsman asked, his voice rough and cold like ice. As if he was not about to behead her as a living sacrifice to whatever celebration was going on.

The Alpha King rose to his feet and raised his golden cup up towards the sky. Everyone began to cheer again and it soon went silent.

"We hereby behead this filthy Omega to serve as a sacrifice for any evil that might befall my sister, Selda."

He tipped his chin. "Go ahead."

The headsman received the order with a curt nod of his own and as he raised the huge blade up, everyone went silent as they watched. She tightened her eyes and laid her neck more properly as she clenched her sweaty hands behind her. She did not have any last words so she kept quiet and waited for death to swallow her up.

Just as he was about to slam it against her neck, a stone from somewhere flickered across and hit the blade. The headsman lost his target and the blade fell from his hand with a thud and his hand went paralyzed instantly, it shook as if currents were running through that hand.

Everyone gasped and turned to the one who had dared to interrupt the session.

It was him. He stood there with a hard look itched on his face as he stared at the figure who knelt before people, waiting to be beheaded. When she saw that nothing was coming close to her neck, she opened her eyes and glanced around, only to see the shock on people's faces and as she looked at the one place everyone faced, her heart skipped a beat and her lips parted as recognition set in.

He... He was her mate.

The Lycan King was her mate.

•••••

Chapter One

NYX

She gripped her arms tight, fear coiling at the pit of her stomach. The eerie sound coming from the deepest part of the forest made her ears tingle and she tried to cover them.

All her mind revolved on was the rumor she had heard about the forest.

No one has ever made it out alive.

She jerked again when a different sound came and this time it was like a wolf's howl. A ruthless wolf who was ready to prey on her.

Her glassy eyes could hardly see anything in the deep darkness of the forest. She wanted to cry. She wanted to shout for help. She wanted to scream but she could not.

Her voice had turned hoarse from shouting and begging.

She waited for a savior that would save her but did she deserved a savior?

Her eyes could not produce water to cry out her frustration and pain. Her cheekbones hurt too much to even curve to cry.

Her entire body was on fire, in pain and stiff. There was no way she would be able fight a wolf or even a rat with the strength in her.

Anything could be another thing. This was the Black Forest. Where illusions are real and reality is illusion. Where animals are small but big. Where there are eyes on every tree surrounding her, wanting to eat her up and add more nutrients to them. True, they never need water or sunlight, heck, photosynthesis was useless there. All they needed was demons of the people that was sent there and they would consume them slowly.

A snake's hiss echoed through the forest and Nyx jolted her head up, only to see a smiling snake, curled around the tree before her. The smile carried every bit of cruelty, wickedness and seduction. It also held a promise to her. A promise that it would slowly swallow her up till it was satisfied. Until it drained her entire blood and use it for nourishment.

With all the strength in her, Nyx scrambled up to her feet, ignoring the pain shooting through her entire body. She began to take careful steps back and the snake stalked her, slowly loosening itself from the tree.

Not waiting for anything else, Nyx took to her heels and ran as fast as her body could take. The sound of snake crawling swiftly after her served its purpose because she did not look to at its hynotic eyes or its strange color combination.

Her chest heaved with every heavy breath she forced out as she kept running. Her feet hit a stone and she fell with a thud, the impact following immediately then she winced out and gripped her elbow.

Her eyes widened as she looked up and saw the snake's looming presence. The snake felt like human and yet it was not because Nyx could imagine it smirking.

She shook her head. It must an illusion. Suddenly, her vision turned blurry.

Just as the snake delved in to carry out its task, a whoosh of an arrow flying across resonated in the air and it stuck straight into the skull of the snake.

Nyx who had ducked her head slowly lifted her eyes up to see the snake vanish into thin air. Not having the strength to withstand it again, she collapsed back.

But the last thing she saw was a pair of men who had their arms bonded with bows and arrows scanning her.

~~

How did she get to this place? How did she end up in the dark place named the Black Forest?

"Hey, dumbo! Wake up!" A kick landed on her ribs and her eyes flew open. Her vision was faint, she could hardly make out the kids that stood over her laid body.

"Wake up! Omega!" Another voice called.

She wanted to scoff. The person calling her an omega was an omega too.

"Are you not going to wake up?" This one she knew who it belonged to. Even in her dreams and nightmares, she can recognize the voice. She closed her eyes and opened them back.

Sandra stood and glared at her. "Rise up, b*tch!" She hissed out and did not give out a warning as she slammed her foot on her stomach. Nyx released a groan and rose up on her weak legs.

Sandra snickered at her and gave her an upper cut. Nyx coughed out involuntarily and the left over food dry morsel she ate last night found its way out and she spilled it out completely.

"Ewww!" Sandra hissed out as she stared at her hands that was stained with the vomit. She took the edge of Nyx's torn dress and cleaned her hand.

"What is going on here? Why are you not doing your work, you wretched Omegas?" Their guardian's voice boomed and they all scurried out, leaving Nyx with an empty stomach and reddened eyes.

"And you? What are you waiting for?" The guardian asked.

Knowing fully well that the guardian was a no-mercy kind of person, she staggered out.

She reached the part of the pack where she would be cleaning and began her job on an empty stomach. The sun had risen fully by the time she was done and the bell rang for food.

The other omegas ran in hurry to the small room that was built for dining. Nyx sauntered in and took a seat on the floor at the deepest corner of the room.

The server served her a plate of watery soup and a loaf of dry pancake. She did not even have the appetite to eat but she ate it up because of the work that awaited her. She had stopped eating for fun since she was five. She ate because she needed the energy to work.

Being dumped at the orphanage at childbirth and being told that her mother was just like her, an Omega who was yet to be a free born. Nyx knew that she was no longer in control of her fate.

She sipped the soup, ignoring how peppery and spicy it was and she chewed the hard and burnt pancake. After she was done, she began to hit her head against the wall.

She enjoyed doing it because it help her know what pain was.

"Who did this?" Suddenly, the Head Guardian's voice boomed and all the Omegas scrambled up. They all bowed in fear and began to shake as terror filled the entire air.

"Who took the sack of gold coins I had kept in my room?" He asked them, his eyes hard like ice and anger reeking out of him.

This only meant one thing, Death. Death for whosoever had dared to steal from the Head Guardian.

When no one spoke, he raised his hand up and the thorny whip in his hand glistened with the sun shining its reflection on it, reminding them of what was next to come.

They all fell to their knees and began to cry. Most of their muffled cries were filled with 'they know nothing about it'.

The Head Guardian was tired of it and he slammed the whip against the wall nearby, the kids all whimpered again and cried harder. "Shut up! Tell who it is and I will spare you!" He hissed.

Sandra scrambled up and sent a glance at Nyx. "She did it!" She said, pointing her index finger at Nyx who did not know Sandra was accusing her of stealing the sack or gold coins.

"Who?" The Head Guardian growled.

"She. Nyx did it." Sandra responded fully and Nyx jerked her head to up at the mention of her name. She stared at Sandra who did not shake at all. "I heard her talking to herself last night about wanting to run away with the coins tonight." She added.

Nyx's eyes were filled fear, uncertainty and anger. Sandra had bullied her all her life that she has been here. She has made her to do her work even though she had hers to do. She had even eaten most of her dinner and now... She was accusing of doing what she did not do. It was the most of it all.

"I... I..."

"Is it true, Omega?" The Head Guardian questioned her. Nyx's lips trembled and she began to shake in fear.

Sandra took advantage of Nyx's silence and she spoke up, "Yes, it is true. I heard the clanging of metals last night. It must have been the coins. You... You can check her belongings to confirm."

Without saying another word, the Head Guardian turned around and they all followed him.

Moon Goddess, please don't let him see any thing like that. She begged mentally.

Her prayer came rather too late because the first thing the Head Guardian picked was where the coins was hidden. The coins poured out, falling on the floor and everyone gasped.

Nyx's lips parted at the obvious evidence. She was going to die and no one can stop it.