Slave to the Ruthless Lycan King

AUDREY We lived in a village at the edge of a dark forest. The men of my clan were known to hunt wolves. They said some men turn into wolves, which was an evil curse. Those men were cursed and tormented the villagers for years before I was born. I have never seen a wolf, I have never seen a man turn into one, and I didn't know how accurate those stories were, but I guess I will find out soon. My father was a renowned wolf hunter, he had hunted more wolves than any man in the village, and according to him, my forefathers helped to chase those evil werewolves into hiding. My father's fame traveled so wide that it made the King of Ashdown, a powerful king, notice my village. Since my father was the chief of our town, the king offered a supply of food and silver weapons in exchange for my hand in marriage to the prince of Ashdown as an alliance. I was devastated when I heard the news. I never wanted to marry someone I felt nothing for, but since I was only a woman and had no right to make decisions, I had no choice but to obey. I became the savior of my village since my marriage was going to create an alliance between Ashdown and us. "The moon will be full tonight, and those evil creatures will be out," My father said to my mother, staring at the sky that was beginning to darken. I looked up from where I was bent over, stitching my shift. We were seated on the porch of our house after dinner, and my mother was dressing my father up. A crazy idea ran into my head immediately. I was going to become a wife and a princess in a fortnight, and I had never had any fun. I needed to confirm the stories I had heard about the werewolves; I wanted to see how a man shifts into a wolf. I had been curious about it since I grew older, but I was too scared to go near the forests to see for myself. But the thought of being trapped in a castle all my life and doing nothing but only stitching and eating made me want to risk it. "The lord shall be with you," said my mother. The men gathered at the village center with silver axes, guns, daggers, and every weapon with a touch of silver. Silver was a lethal weapon to the werewolves and holy objects or places too. I waited for my mother to clear the porch and go into the house before I made any move. Darkness has covered now, and the full moon stood in the sky, letting down its rays on the earth. The village grew so quiet that you could hear a pin drop miles away. It was always like that during full moons. The werewolves were long gone and had never attacked the village since I was born, but the villagers were used to the lifestyle of locking up their doors and windows whenever it was a full moon. Once I was sure that my mother was asleep, I got up from my bed, stuck it up with my dresses, and covered them with a blanket. I took a black cloak, wore it over my dress, took the kitchen knife, and tucked it into my boots. The night was dead silent, and only the hooting of owls and crickets' chirpings were heard. I started walking towards the forest, hoping no one saw me. My skin was blanketed with goosebumps as I went farther into the forest alone, trailing my father and the other men. I was startled by every little noise and yelped when I matched a twig. Everything in me warned me to go back, but the spirit of adventure had already possessed me. I have always been adventurous anyway, but my parents never knew. They saw me as their little, good, frail daughter. But I secretly watch the young men my father trained to become wolf hunters, and I am pretty familiar with their moves, but I can never know how strong I am until I battle against someone. I heard the voices of the men as I walked further. I hurried my steps to catch up with them, being careful not to make a noise and alert them. In no time, I saw the men huddled together in a clear area, and I hid behind a tree and watched them from there. "We have to split up!" my father announced. "You all have to find your courage! Remember, you are the guardians of the people, and they are all hoping for you. You must kill any beast you lay your eyes on. Now, be careful. These beasts are sly. They can appeal to your emotions; once you lose guard, they attack you. They are swift, so you should be alert!" "Yes, Sir!" the men replied and started to split. I followed my father's team quietly and entered farther into the bush. "Now, this is a wolf territory, so we all should be careful and be on alert," my father warned as they went further, straining their ears and darting their eyes. There was a sudden growl that sent shivers down my spine. The men stopped and formed a circle with their backs to each other. My breath started to hitch, and my hands began to quiver as I reached for the knife tucked into my boot. The growl came again, and I saw a big brown wolf emerging from the woods in no time. Its eyes glowed like fire in the dark. My fingers tightened around the knife. "Over there!" my father yelled, directing the men toward the beast. The men shot their weapons at the beast, which lunged at them. I marveled at the speed and strength of the creature. It was so fast that I could barely see it. Before they knew it, it had mugged down three men while the other men fought to trap it. But their defense became weaker when other wolves started rushing out and attacking the men. The other group that split from my father's group joined in the fight. My mother always told me that werewolves hunted in packs, and I confirmed it just now. I saw the first wolf haul my father away; he hit a tree truck and landed a few feets away from where I hid. The wolf lunged at my father, and I was so scared that I shrieked. "Papa!" The wolf came to an abrupt stop, and it seemed every other thing stopped with it. Its eyes shot at me, its ears perked up, and it flashed fangs at me. I was visibly shaking now. The beast was looking at me, and it would charge at me in no time. My legs were too heavy and stuck to the ground to even run. "Protect the village treasure!" My father yelled. The wolf lunged at me, and my father screamed and shot at it. The other men shot at the wolf, but it kept coming, and I just stood there. The knife in my hand had fallen to the ground, and I awaited my death. The wolf lunged at me, and we crashed to the ground with a thud. I closed my eyes, waiting for my end, but nothing happened. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw human eyes staring back at me. It was no longer a wolf on top of me but a beautiful woman. Her eyes were pleading, but she was pushed away from me. "Audrey, have you suddenly lost your mind?!" my father yelled at me. I looked around and saw the other men surrounding me and the werewolves standing across, not daring to come close. I wondered why until I noticed two men holding bottles of holy water from the church, keeping the wolves at bay. I looked at the woman lying beside me, she was bleeding from her mouth, and her naked body was soaked with blood. "Help me, please," she whispered. "Get away from the beast!" My father said and yanked me up from the ground, handing me over to one of the younger men. He stood over the helpless wolf woman and stretched his hand for the holy water to be given to him. I heard the other wolves growl and tried to step closer, but the men sprinkled holy water on them, and I heard a sizzling sound; they howled and scampered back. "What are you doing, papa?" I asked as my father opened the bottle. "Shut up, Audrey." "He is burning her," the young man holding me whispered. "Why?" I asked, looking at him. "She has wounded already. Why not let her go?" "You are in our territory," the woman said weakly. "Your kind should be vanquished from the earth!" my father said and poured the water over her. I heard burning sounds as the woman shrieked in pain, wriggling her body, the other wolves howled loudly, and my heart melted for them. I didn't know why but I felt a lone tear trek down my cheek. "I don't think their Alpha is here yet. He is a lycan, bigger, stronger than twenty men put together, and the fastest," the young man holding me whispered again. My father turned to me once the woman was silent. "Now, you have a lot of explanation to do. Don't you know what you mean to the whole village?" he scolded. "Take her home." The man started to lead me away, and I struggled to be free, but my strength was no match for his. I kept looking behind until the scene was out of sight, but I was sure that view would hunt me, and it did.