The Alpha King's Replaced Bride

Chapter Three

Alpha King's POV

"You're going to stay here in the palace as my bride," I said.

Her expression changed drastically, and I could tell she was too young to have found her mate yet. She had to be eighteen to unlock the ability to sense her mate, and if she was marked by someone else, she would never be able to find her true mate.

"Come here," I commanded.

She hesitated for a moment, but then she started walking towards me. I got up and met her halfway. She was so scared of me, and it was oddly exciting.

"Take it off," I said, my eyes moving to her dress.

She blushed shyly, even though I had already seen her body the night before. Her fingers moved slowly along the fabric and pushed off the straps until it slid from her shoulders. Her dress fell to the floor.

My eyes roamed her naked body, and I had to admit she was a gorgeous sight, even though she was still young. She would make men go to war and kill with a body like that.

"Come closer," I said in a breathy voice.

She did as I said without taking her eyes off mine. Our eyes were locked in a trance that made me breathless.

I kissed her neck and trailed it along a straight line that led to her shoulder. I licked the spot, tickling it with my tongue, before taking a bite. She squirmed and cried as she realized what I had just done.

"As punishment, I decided to mark you as suitable enough. Now you can never find your true mate," I said, kissing the spot and helping her back into her dress.

She just stood there, crying helplessly.

I walked away, leaving her there.

The next day, I made sure she took out my laundry and washed everything, even though it was something the maid was supposed to do.

She got back hours later looking exhausted, and I pointed her into the kitchen, making sure all the cooks and kitchen help vacated the place for her to handle all the cooking for the whole day.

From time to time, I checked up on her progress, peeking into the kitchen, I'm expecting her to break down in tears or pass out in front of the burner, but instead, she hummed and worked with a smile on her face.

By the time she was done, I had made sure she cleaned up our room, bathroom, and toilet. While she was doing that, the cooks served the food she had cooked for me.

I was skeptical about trying it out, but they assured me that the palace tasters had gone through the process of making sure it wasn't poisoned.

My worry wasn't about being poisoned because my blood was strong enough to break down whatever poison she might be able to afford. What I worried about was having to eat food that tasted like ass.

It took a while of heavy contemplation, but I finally took a bite, and to my greatest astonishment, I didn't regret it. I enjoyed every bite of it, and I asked for more. By the time she was done washing the bathroom, I had gone for several rounds. By several, I meant five.

She came into the room and looked like she was going to drop dead any second. I felt pity for her even though I didn't let it show. My face was an expressionless mask.

"Is there anything else that needs my attention?" She asked in a weak voice.

It was already late, and there was nothing else she could do that late except if it meant making her dress up as a guard and take up a shift swap with one of the guards on duty. I was ruthless, but I wasn't a heartless bastard.

"That's it," I said, my voice heavy with apprehension.

She bowed and shuffled over to her bed, which was different from mine. It was smaller and less comfortable than mine. She collapsed onto the bed like a sack of potatoes.

"You haven't eaten all day," I said, stretching to make sure she was still alive. "Go get something."

She lay on the bed, motionless. I was worried, especially since she hadn't responded to what I had said. She was never one to ignore me, no matter what.

I called out to her, but there was no answer. She just lay there, still as a statue. I started to panic.

"Elizabeth ?" I said, a bit louder than before.

Her snoring made me relax a bit, and I was relieved. She wasn't dead after all. That would have been a tragedy, and it also meant I would have to go through the hassle of finding a new Bride.

The next day, she followed the same routine of chores as she had the previous day, but to my surprise, she finished everything early. I made her clean up the stables and scrub out the dungeon. By the time she was done, it was almost midnight, and she had dark circles under her eyes the size of a golf ball.

This went on for a week, and by the end of the week, she had gotten so used to the routine that she completed it without looking like she had just been visited by the grim reaper.

One Friday morning, as she got up to get dressed for her chores, I rolled out of bed and called her over. "Elizabeth ."

She turned around, looking like a ray of sunshine.

"Come here for a second."