Bound To The Lycan King

CHAPTER 4: MATE AT THE GATHERING

BELLA’S POV.

His raven black hair fell smoothly over his forehead. His eyes were dark yet held an icy charm. The muscles of his shoulders and chest strained against the fabric of his attire.

He stood by the doorway, his piercing gaze sweeping over the hall like a god overseeing the affairs of mortals, his presence so heavy it bent the air around him.

My heart skipped another beat, then raced till the point I could barely breathe as the bond snapped into place like a chain around my neck.

“No…” I cried out in a silent whisper, my legs buckling as I fell on my knees.

Could the universe be any crueler? Had the moon goddess not punished me enough with the death of my mates and allowed for me to suffer this humiliation at the hands of my uncle? Why would she pair me up with a Lycan—not just any Lycan, the Lycan King, the same Lycan who was responsible for my father’s death?

Tears spilled freely from my eyes, my misery and anguish so intense I could feel it like a stab in my heart.

The Lycans, even though they were a minority, surpassed werewolves in everything—strength, size, agility, power, and even wealth. With their dominance, they could conquer and take control of any werewolf land they desired. No Alpha dared oppose them, knowing the consequences that would follow were deadly.

To avoid interference and maintain balance, the Lycans live in a distant land known as The Hollow. From the stories I have heard, it was a dark, forbidden place where no werewolf dared to walk on.

This was a gathering of Alphas. I had no idea the Lycan king would be coming. Even though members of my pack rarely talked about it like it was forbidden to, I knew he was responsible for my father’s death. Word came that defied a Lycan law, and by direct order from the Lycan king himself was executed at the market square as an example to other packs who would dare defy them.

But I know my father was innocent of the accusations they levelled against him. He was a just Alpha, loyal to the core, and never for once broke any rule or law that governed the Lycans and the werewolves.

In his last moments, as his blood stained the earth, he placed a curse on the Lycan king for condemning him to death unjustly.

That happened when I was almost eighteen. Ever since, I have carried his death like a deep, unhealable wound in my heart, unable to do anything about it because the one responsible was a Lycan king which basically made him untouchable.

Now that I have seen him up close, not only will I exert my revenge on him, but I also have to make my uncle pay for putting me through this humiliation and stealing the crown from me—a position I would have leveraged in plotting my revenge against the Lycan King.

Now, I hadn’t the slightest idea of how to go about carrying out my revenge on these two formidable individuals. I might even die in the process if I tried.

It was becoming extremely difficult to maintain eye contact with him and bear this excruciating pain in my chest. He stared at me with so much indifference in his expression that it made me wonder if he was really looking at me or something else. It made me wonder if he really knew I was his mate. If he felt the bond like I did.

Everyone in the hall and all activities going on paused as my uncle welcomed him and his escorts with a smile that seemed too good to be genuine. Kane and his escorts took their seats somewhere around the back of the hall, all while watching me like a hawk.

Before I could get a grip on myself, my uncles signalled, and Damon untied my wrist. I massaged them, trying to soothe the angry lines that had formed there and ease blood flow. Just when I thought I was free to move on my own, Damon grabbed my arm like a vice.

“It’s done,” my uncle said after securing the bag of gold coins and finishing the paperwork. “You may take her.”

Damon forcefully pulled me closer to his body, and I flinched, dread curling around my spine with him so close. “Now, be a good little wolf and quietly follow me to the car. If you resist or try anything funny, I’ll restrain you with something more than a rope.” He threatened lowly.

I pressed my lips together and squeezed my eyes shut as I forced an obedient nod.

As Damon pulled me down the stage, I looked up at my uncle with eyes overflowing with tears. “Please uncle… don’t do this… Don’t let him take me away…” I begged desperately, clinging to the hope that there was some bit of the man I once knew still living somewhere in him. Looking to see if I could reach him.

But the man who remained wasn’t my uncle any longer. It was a soulless sadistic monster in human skin.

“Didn’t you say you’d crush me?” His lips drew to a smirk. “Where is all that fire? Surely you can’t be one to beg now. Take her away. You can do whatever you want with her, just make sure she doesn’t set foot in this pack again.” He flicked his hand in a smooth motion like he was ordering the disposal of filth.

That seemed to fuel Damon’s cruel satisfaction.

“No…” I cried out in a whimper as Damon’s grip tightened on my arm, his fingers digging painfully into my flesh.

He forced me towards the exit as everyone watched. Before we made it out the door, I caught one last glimpse at my so-called mate. But he didn’t spare me a glance. Didn’t move an inch.

My heart twisted painfully in my heart as despair spread over my face. But it wasn’t like I expected him to care. He was a Lycan and a murderer. People like him had no heart.

At that moment, it dawned on me that the mate bond was wrong, pairing me with a Lycan who didn’t even feel a thing at all.

Damon dragged me to where a black SUV was parked outside the hall. He opened the door and pressed my head down to force me inside the car.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, thrashing relentlessly. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him and his guard to contain me.

He smirked. “To a place where princesses fetch a fair price.”

My eyes widened in fear as the realization hit me that he wasn’t taking me to his pack. Maybe he was going to use some shady means to sell me off to the humans.

I have heard stories like that where wolves were pumped with wolfsbane till they lost almost all their abilities, and shipped off to the human world where they’ll fetch a lot of money, because we lived in secret and humans saw us as nothing more than exotic beasts to be chained, experimented on, or slaughtered for fun.

I wanted to run out from the other door but Damon grabbed me and the next thing I felt was a needle jab into the side of my neck. Pressing the plunger, he pushed whatever liquid was inside that syringe into my system.

A few moments later, my eyelids grew heavy and a deep calming sensation overtook me.

“What did you do to me?…” I asked weakly, suddenly out of breath.

“I did tell you if you try anything funny, I’ll restrain you with something more than a rope…” his voice was a distant echo in my head. “Did you think I was joking…?”

I tried to fight that odd feeling but it was no use. It only became stronger with each fight I put up. Eventually, I fell back against the seat and closed my eyes, succumbing to the drug’s dark pull.