Slave to the Ruthless Lycan King

HUMAN MEAT

AUDREY

Talia grabbed my wrist, and I yelped as pain jolted through my whole body. I had been distracted watching the man that passed to hear her telling me to go with her. She shot me a disgusted look, and I kept my shut. I knew what these beasts were capable of— I had read about them in those books, so I was scared of even the least among them. I didn't want to die yet, I believed that my father or Prince Anthony would save me soon. Even if they didn't, I planned to escape on my own. I will find my way.

"Move, you tiny, whinny thing! He is not into you," Talia snapped, shoving me forward. "Your tour starts from the King's kitchen.

I nodded as tears stung my eyes. I was such a crybaby, and I knew they would make so much jest of me. Talia led me to the kitchen, it was large and filled with different werewolves, both male and female. They paid us no mind as we walked through. The kitchen was hot, and steam evaporated from different large pots, and I wondered why there were so many pots on fire if it was only the Alpha king eating the food. I walked timidly behind Talia, pretending not to notice the hateful glances at me. I was terrified of the large knives some of the chefs held. It was true they butchered meat with them, but I couldn't help my body shuddering whenever the blades were raised and landed on chomps of meat. Were these meats the usual meats humans eat, or do these people have a different kind?

"Human meat," Talia answered my question as if she read my mind, dragging my attention to her.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking rapidly, trying to comprehend what she had just said.

She smirked sinisterly. "These are human meats. The Warriors went into your village last night and slaughtered every one of them. The cooks said human meats are the most delicious of all meats."

I gulped, hoping what she said wasn't true. I stared at her wide-eyed The man called Alpha didn't say that. He took me at the expense of the whole village, he didn't plan to hurt the villagers. Did he change his mind? If so, what would happen to me? My question seemed to be answered when a large man approached me with two blades in his hand, scrapping them together and staring at me. Fear gripped me, and I grabbed my dirty dress, my feet taking steps back. Talia was ahead, oblivious of what was happening behind her or pretending she didn't know. Did they lure me to the kitchen to kill me?

They would kill me too. They annihilated my village, there was no one to grieve my absence anymore, I was of no use to them now.

"Please..." I tried to speak, but fear choked the words in my throat. The man approached me until I tipped over something behind me, and I felt myself falling backward. I gasped as my body tilted and my hands fluttered in the air. Before I landed inside, whatever disgusting thing was there, I saw the large man dragging down a huge chunk of meat hanging over a stove and strolling away with it on his shoulder.

Oh boy.

I panicked for nothing and landed myself in— what was I in? I quickly pushed up from the big enough basin to contain me, and the gross paste from it stuck to my face and body. Ew— it had a poignant smell. The whole chef burst into laughter at my predicament. I took off what I could and saw Talia standing in a corner, glaring at me. I huffed and made to leave, but something landed on my hair and slid down. It was the same slimy substance I had fallen into; someone had hauled it at me.

More laughter erupted as I tried to remove it from my hair, and another landed on my chest. Tears were falling freely from my eyes.

"Queen of slime, dance for us, will you?!" they yelled as more and more slime was thrown at me.

I broke down, falling to my knees, and started to weep, covering my face with my palms so that it won't get into my mouth. They were making caricatures of me.

"What is going on here?!" a female voice shrieked. The whole kitchen went silent. Silent, that was so profound that I could hear a pin drop to the floor.

I slowly took my hands off my face and peeped. It was the younger woman who had been glaring at me. She had some form of control here.

"You are wasting precious time doing meaningless things when the night is fast approaching, and the ceremony will commence soon! Now, get back to your duties, you morons!" Activities resumed immediately.

What ceremony was she talking about? Many things were happening in their tribe, but I didn't know anything. I was scared of making mistakes and was also scared of asking questions. I had a lot I needed to ask. I wanted to ask about Malik, I wanted to know if anyone went by Malik in this place. The woman's head snapped towards me, and I quickly covered my face again.

"And you," she said, my hands fell from my face. I straightened up immediately and wiped my tears, but she wasn't even looking my way; she was facing Talia. "You were asked to bring her and show her her duties, and you decided to play around?"

"I am sorry," Talia said tentatively, bowing her head and clutching her hands demurely behind her.

"You are always sorry. Take that dirty mass out of the kitchen and get her washed up— in the river," she specified.

"Yes, ma'am," Talia said and started moving toward me.

"Give her one of the rags for a change; she is a slave, not a princess. Just give her something presentable to see The Alpha later, he requested her presence."

My heart sank and slipped through my thighs at the mention of going to the Alpha King. Panic kicked in as different thoughts ran into my head. Was he going to handle me tonight? The way he had said it to me and my people made me shiver with fear. I was not broken yet and would be hurt if handled roughly. God, please, save me from my death tonight. I wasn't ready to birth an heir, I was barely a child. I don't think I was prepared to go through the throes of childbirth. A tear slid down my left cheek as I followed Talia from the kitchen.