Chapter 3

ELARA

The rumors had echoed through my childhood- whispers of rebel forces rising in the East. My father, King Zander, always dismissed them as mere "half-bred tantrums." A spoiled child's fit that would cease once they realized no one paid them any mind.

But I saw it differently. With my extensive education, I understood how rebellions evolved. If left unchecked, they would inevitably strike back with venom. Not that I could do anything. As the Alpha's child, I held no real power- no authority to make decisions. I never even expected to be announced Queen, for goddess's sake.

Yet here I was, chains clinking with each step down the corridor. Headed to face a man who coveted my crown- a stranger until three weeks ago. My stomach twisted, not knowing what lay ahead.

We halted before towering double black doors. Two massive guards- Gamma wolves tasked with protecting the ruler, stood like sentinels. We looked like mere pups before their intimidating statures. A harsh shove sent me stumbling forward, almost whacking my head against the door as the chains rattled violently in protest.

The older woman's voice cut through the tension, a harsh whisper. "Not a word unless you're addressed. Don't forget- the Alpha has no patience for insolence."

Her knuckles rapped against the door. Guttural words I didn't comprehend slipped past her lips. With a groan of protesting hinges, the doors yawned open onto a vast throne room.

My heart hammered in my ears. Glancing back, I saw the two women retreating down the corridor, the younger one's pitying gaze lingering on me before she hurried away. A strangled breath escaped my lips as my eyes darted between the unmoving guards and the chains binding my feet.

"The future King doesn't wait for anyone." The General's boom made me flinch. I scoffed inwardly- everything about this man set me on edge. Their supposed 'King' wasn't even crowned, yet they paraded him as such.

Drawing a fortifying breath, I willed my feet forward, fearing the consequences of resistance. One step over the threshold, and I was inside.

Cold steel gleamed from the throne, an etching of a brutal wolf snarling along its backrest. Black banners emblazoned with silver fangs adorned the walls, flickering torchlight casting ominous shadows across them. A thick bearskin rug sprawled before the dais- a silent trophy of conquered foes. The air crackled with raw power, a potent aura of Alpha dominance.

Magnificent, indeed. The echo in my mind held a bitter tinge. These were no mere spoiled children, as my father assumed. They had clearly schemed and planned this meticulously. We underestimated them.

The General slammed the doors shut with ringing finality. His rough hand clamped around my forearm, hauling me forward. I dug in my heels, refusing to stumble and appear more pathetic than this humiliation already made me feel. How much more could I endure before shattering?

"My King..." The General flung me into a heap before the throne. I bit back a wince as my knees scraped the crimson rug, hastily pushing upright. So many horrors had played through my mind- but nothing could have prepared me for this.

Sprawled across the ornate throne was a giant of a man, his sheer masculinity dwarfing the seat. Taut, glistening muscles rippled with each movement as he...indulged in a rather scandalous activity. His eyes were shut to the world, large hands buried in the tresses of the naked woman positioned between his powerful thighs, her head bobbing rhythmically in a lewd, masterful act of...

I swallowed thickly, gaze snapping downward as heat flooded my cheeks.

"Your Majes- "

"Silence, Voldemort." His voice was a rumbling tremor of darkness. "Get out!"

Grateful for his good reasoning, I started to rise-

"Who gave you permission to stand?" The cold inquiry froze me in place.

My eyes reluctantly lifted to meet the General's threatening glare. I swallowed hard, slowly turning to face the throne once more.

The woman, gloriously nude, stood beside...him. Yes, him because this masculine creature before me surely wasn't flesh and blood- more like a perfect experiment by the gods, sculpted and sent to wreak havoc on Earth. Those smoldering eyes pinned me in place, making me his current target for destruction.

I dropped my gaze again, jaw clenched.

"You didn't explain the rules." Each heavy footfall down the dais steps reverberated through me as he approached. A predator approaching its prey.

"She's a foolish one, Your Majesty." The General's words oozed disdain. "Still fancies herself supreme. Hardly listen to reason."

"Then you have failed me." His towering form reached me, movements slow and assessing as he circled behind. I felt tiny beside his sheer size and power. "She looked me in the eye and dared to stand uninvited. Doesn't follow orders, according to you."

The realization dawned on me then - this virile, entitled beast planned to usurp my throne if I failed to stop him. How could he treat sacred intimacies as mere pastimes to be indulged so publicly? Where was the honor, the dignity?

"W-we're still...breaking her, Your Majesty." The General's apprehensive tone grated. "I vow she will bend to your will. The girl has no choice."

"Has she signed the accords?" They spoke as if I wasn't even present.

My wolf stirred, straining against my control. No, we must appear meek if we hoped to escape this nightmare and reclaim what these bastards stole.

A shudder ran through me as his hand clamped on the nape of my neck. He flattened himself against my back, nostrils flaring as he scented me deeply. "She's purebred, Voldemort." His gravelly murmur raised gooseflesh along my skin, eliciting an unwanted string of responses. What was he doing? Why was my body acting the opposite of how I felt?

"Unhand me," The demand slipped free before I could stop it.

In a blur of movement, he was before me once more. I lifted my chin, holding that scorching gaze as the atmosphere thickened with tension. Even the naked woman had gone stock-still, one hand pressed to her parted lips in shock.

"How dare you open that filthy mouth to me?" Fury contorted his chiseled features, the cords of his neck straining as fists clenched.

"You bastard- how dare you touch me?" My breaking point. What gave him the right to manhandle me as if he owned me? I was his captive, but that granted no such entitlement! Though I knew I committed sacrilege by their reactions, in that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.

We stared each other down, chests heaving with the force of our combined rage. Until, inexplicably, the harsh line of his mouth curved upward into a menacing smile. A peal of unhinged laughter burst from his lips-

Only to cut off as abruptly as it began. Before I could process the whiplash, his fist slammed into my mouth with staggering force.

I crumpled to the floor, crying out as I instinctively cradled my bleeding lips. But I refused to let the sob of pain wracking me escape. I would not show weakness before this monster.

"I think I've found my new favorite toy." His gravel-rough words dripped with dark promise as he stalked back toward the throne. "Take her to my chambers, Voldemort. I expect to find her...pleasing when I retire for the night."