The Lycan King's Keeper

The Arrival

Roanne

The skies were dark, but so was my heart, as I turned the steering wheel of my old chevrolette and entered the sleek streets of Brookspire.

Thunder roared above, but I did not care as they didn't bother me in anyway. If anything, I welcomed it with open arms because it calmed my soul.

It was almost laughable, the likeness I had for danger.

It was the same likeness that had me driving on a stormy night to the one place I shouldn't be.

Or to seek out the one person I shouldn't be seeking out.

Elian Deville.

Seven years ago, the place I had called home my whole life had been raided. Burned to ashed.

I had seen more blood to last me a millennium, if the goddess willed me to live that long.

Goosebumps scattered across my skin as I remembered just how quickly the bodies of both my parents had grown cold in my arms that night.

Why he had spared me was something I would forever wonder about.

I had been an alpha's daughter.

Heck, it had been two more months to my graduation from the academy and I would have been crowned alpha.

I blinked, feeling the familiar sensation behind my eyes.

They never came down, but they stung, reminding me of the pain I had passed through in the last seven years.

I had questions.

I had unfinished business with the Devilles.

And Elian Deville was my answer.

After all, he was the son of the monster that had made it all happen.

What's more? He was now the Lycan King.

Every year, the Lycan families hosted an ball to select keepers for their unmated males.

Keepers were stand-in mates for Lycans to bear heirs when they reached the age and did not have their mates yet.

Each Keeper spend a year with their Lycan, and then they were let go, married off, or even sent out of Deville and were never brought back.

I had heard rumours, but I didn't care about them.

One year was all I needed with Elian.

I didn't care if I was basically selling my body. It was the ultimate sacrifice for the satisfaction I would get at the end, when Clarion Devilles blood stained the very ground he walked on.

The car pulled to a stop at the entrance to the Deville manor and I smiled as the Lycan guards walked over.

"Your access code?" A blonde asked, his eyes glowing a cool red.

"Keeperlamb." I said casually, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel of my car.

It was a move to rid them of any suspicion as all Keepers were supposed to be trained for tonight.

I had spent seven years training for what most females had spent their whole lives training for.

All Keepers were between the ages of eighteen, to twenty two.

And at twenty, I looked every bit, the part.

"Mark?" The other asked, his eyes trained on me.

I nodded and reached for my hair and pushed it aside.

Behind my ears was a branding I couldn't wait till it was off me.

They scrutinised the mark for that felt like minutes, before pulling away and nodding.

The gates opened, and I wound my glass up, and drove in slowly.

The moment I caught sight of the huge manor in front of me, a rush of heat clouded my chest.

It weighed in on me, pushing nerves down my arms and legs in waves.

I had prepared for seven years for this moment. I couldn't be afraid.

Not now.

But as I rolled into the space I was going guided to, the heat in my chest intensified.

I turned off my engine and leaned on the chair, shutting my eyes as I tried to control my breathing.

Someone knocked on my window, making me gasp slightly and turned to see a dark figure with cool red eyes signal for me to step out.

The Devilles were really taking no chances.

I took a deep breath, then stepped out of the car.

"Turn around, ma'am." the man commanded, and I did as I was asked, then held my breath as he scanned me for weapons.

When he didn't find any, he stepped back . "Follow me."

We walked into the manor and I was instantly taken aback by the interior.

I knew the Deville manor dated back to the early 1700's, but seeing it in person left me in awe.

It looked like something straight out of a regency era paintings.

From the brick walls, to the expensive interior. It was all breathtaking.

I mean, I hated the owners, but I couldn't help but admit they had good taste.

"This way."

I had been too entranced in the view that I had forgotten about the man leading me through the manor.

We turned into a passage way, and I immediately noticed the line up of doors on each side. All over eight feet tall.

I briefly wondered who was behind each of those doors.

We stopped the a seventh door and the man pushed it open. "In there, you will find your dress and mask. Wear it, and wait for the knock."

And then, after I stepped into the room, he shut it behind him and turned the lock.

The room was dimly lit, with thick blood red curtains covering what I assumed were windows.

There was a huge poster bed, with sheer linen drapes and roses spread all over them. I shivered at the thought of what I knew was going to happen there, and turned away, not wanting to think about it.

The rest of the room was bare, same for a very large chair that could accommodate three people, and an odd looking table.

Why was it sloped in at the middle?

I eyed the weird table and moved towards windows, half expecting them to leave it open.

I wasn't surprised when I met it sealed shut with stained glass and iron bars, making it impossible to see through or go out.

Not that I intended to leave.

I came for this, and I was going to see it through to the end.

I caught sight of a lone hanger in the corner and hanging from it was my dress. I walked over to it and picked it up, my cheeks immediately turning a bright red when I saw what they called a dress.