Chapter 2.

Feyre’s POV

I left my father’s manor, my home for the past twenty years, along with all of my belongings, accompanied by a group of strangers who were to escort me to my new home. Well, it would be more like a new prison but I didn’t see the need to be so particular.

I’d dressed as attractively as I could, heeding my father’s wishes as always, in a purple dress that matched with the deep violet of my eyes. My hair had been tamed into an elegant twist at the back of my neck with two tendrils hanging on either side of my face. Even Father had approved of my appearance before we’d left.

The journey took six long hours, all of which I spent riddled with anxiety before we arrived at the Lycan King’s palace. It sat up an incline, at the top of a hill, overlooking the great city beyond.

My escorts dumped me before the front door, informing me my bags would be brought up before leaving.

A maid waited by for me, curtsying once before leading me through a flight of stars and several hallways. My heart thumped the entire way there, my hand dampening with every step. This was it. I was going to meet him. He wouldn’t kill me, would he? Surely being an Alpha’s daughter would confer me some sort of protection. From someone who had a reputation for crushing entire packs to dust for the merest conflicts? My mind taunted me. I told myself to shut up.

By the time we were done with the stairs, I was out of breath. She led me a few ways down the hallway and then stopped at a door knocking once and cocking her ears for a moment before turning the handle. She stepped in and I took a deep breath before following after her.

Once I was inside, she bowed and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

No longer having her figure to distract me from looking at someone whom I didn’t really want to meet, I turned fully to the man standing in the room and raised my head to look at him.

He was softer than I’d imagined. Not as commanding but handsome. His long, blonde hair fell about his chiseled face in a wild mane. Thick brows were knotted over intense amber eyes that were currently appraising me in much the same way as I did him.

For the way he intently took me in, I could hardly read what was behind those beautiful amber eyes. I hesitated. Was I supposed to bow? I didn’t know the protocol to follow when confronted with royalty.

“Good afternoon Milady. I’m Garrick.” He said clearing up my confusion. So he wasn’t the Lycan King. I was at first equal parts relieved and disappointed not to mention anxious again now that I still had the King to meet.

I licked my lips nervously “Hello. I’m─”

“Feyre Manning. Daughter of the Alpha of Nostre pack in the southern bothers of the wolf Kingdom. Yes?” He asked quizzically and I nodded.

“I am the Lycan King’s Beta and the one directly responsible for your well-being and upkeep here in the Lycan Palace. If you need anything and I mean anything at all, you need only to come to me. You are

not to disturb the King for any reason whatsoever when I’m available and I’m always available. Is that understood?”

Of course, the man who’d claimed me as a prize couldn’t be bothered to handle my living arrangements. After all, he was a King and I was a mere… whatever it is I was here to be. I nodded again. He looked me over with more intensity and I tried not to fidget under the scrutiny. “Hmm.” He said a slight frown on his face. I tensed at the sign of disapproval, remembering my father’s words about exactly how much I needed to please these people. Was something wrong?

He stared at me so intently that I had to speak up.

“Is there something wrong? Do I need to change my dress?” I asked, looking over my outfit for signs of travel wear.

“No. No… It isn’t that. I just…” He trailed off and inclined his head, still studying me with intense focus. Finally, he shook his head, a slight hint of disbelief that smoothed out so suddenly I almost doubted I’d seen it.

“Would you excuse me a moment Miss Manning?” He murmured to me and without waiting for a response, left me standing there.

I idled for several minutes before he returned, a completely blank expression on his face. It wasn’t angry per say, in fact, it revealed nothing, not even the politeness of earlier.

My anxiety roared to a near panic.

“Is there a problem?” I asked, not imagining what I could have done in so short a time to have stirred the waters. If I got sent back to my father for being below expectations… I held my breath for his response. After a moment he sighed and turned to the door.

“Let's hope there isn’t. For your sake. And for your father’s.” He said and with that cryptic message, he turned.

“Come with me.” He said stalking out the doors. I gritted my teeth at the order but did my best to follow it obediently, hurrying after him. I’d practiced obedience for years in my father’s house. I could practice it some more until I could afford to not.

I had to scramble to catch up with his long legs, grateful when he paused a few seconds to wait for me.

“I strongly advise that you approach His Majesty with as much caution and… contriteness as possible. To minimize the… volatility of his response.” He said as we walked through the halls.

“He can have quite the temper but just take whatever reaction he dishes out in stride. If you’ll survive here long you’ll learn not to question or fight him.” He glanced down at me “Even in his choice of punishments.” If he wanted to reassure me, he was doing a terrible job. I shuddered and followed him up another set of stairs and a much darker hallway. Unlike the lower floors that had the occasional servants getting about their business, this floor was completely

empty.

“This is the King’s floor.” He said coming to a halt.

“This is where your room will be as well. Why don’t I show you where that is before we go see the Alpha?”

I shrugged, not really excited about either prospect but anything that delayed my encounter with that beast by even a second, was something I could get behind. I followed him down the hallway past a couple of doors until we stopped at one. He opened it and gestured for me to go inside. The room was spacious, with a canopied queen-sized bed in the middle with a

dresser and a large mirror arranged at one corner of the wall. To my surprise, my bags and boxes were already here, waiting by the bed to be unpacked.

“You can look around if you want.” He offered and I considered it to buy a bit more time, then I sighed. What was the point of dawdling? Didn’t I tell Rowan I’ve accepted my fate? “No. Let’s just get this over with.” I said as I turned back to him. He raised a well-trimmed brow and opened his mouth to say something, before seemingly thinking better of it.

“Alright.” He said instead. “Let’s go see the King then.”

Once again, I followed behind him, steeling myself for what was to come. We went in the opposite direction from my room to the very last door at the end of the hallway. There was a single guard there, burly and muscled. He eyed me as we approached.

“This is the King’s new… guest,” Garrick explained to him. My stomach churned at the description. I suppose there was no politically correct way to call someone a war prize in polite conversation.

The man nodded and opened the door to the room. A mini-sitting room came into view with several leather chairs arranged expertly around a small center table. Thick animal floor graced the floor and I shuddered when I spotted its wolfen head.

Garrick inclined his head and listened for something, an imperceptible frown crossing his face.

Trudging towards a door I suppose led to the bedroom proper, he knocked twice and pressed his ear against it. I heard muffled words come from inside the room but I couldn’t make out what they were. Only Garrick’s part of the conversation where he mentioned that I was here, was audible to me. He said something else, about wanting to talk to His Majesty first, but the response he received must not have been very encouraging. He stepped back from the door and turned to me, looking far more hesitant than he had

before.

“I will remain outside. You…” He glanced at the door. “You can go inside.”

He started to walk by me, then said in a lower tone “And remember, don’t do anything you’ll regret. Do not defend yourself. Do not fight him. Do nothing but apologize and endure his rage and you may live through it. If you push him… I promise, he will make you regret it.”

I swallowed and nodded. Trying to find my courage, I stepped forward and knocked on the door once, then twice. When I got no response, I hesitated then slowly, turned the knob and pushed the door open.

No words of advice could have prepared me for how to react to the sight in front of me. The Lycan King was there but he was not alone. He sat on the bed, completely naked by all appearances with a small, curvaceous woman on his lap. One of his hands was in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her neck to his roving lips. The other moved from her breast to in between her splayed legs, playing with the wetness between her thighs – I froze at the doorway, a tremble wracking through my body when he looked at me.