chapter 2
836 Words
Chapter 2
My father stood frozen, utterly speechless. Conflicting emotions flickered in his eyes, but I grabbed him by the throat and shook my head.
"You don't need to transform, Dad," I whispered. "Just stay silent, like you always do."
"But I'm still your father..." His voice trembled.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
"My father died the moment you stood before the council and watched them tear your only daughter apart without saying a word. The moment you chose silence over me."
I released him and walked back to the corner where I had been sitting before the commotion.
"Over there!"
A deep voice cut through the night, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps.
My father looked as though he wanted to say something else, but the approaching voices startled him. Without another word, he disappeared into the darkness.
That was the last time I ever saw him before I was taken to Alpha City.
---
The journey was anything but pleasant.
The horses pulled the carriage at a reckless pace across rough, uneven roads. After three days of constant travel, every bone in my body ached, and sitting had become its own form of torture.
Rose, on the other hand, looked delighted.
She smiled the entire trip as though she had won a grand prize, constantly reminding me of the fate waiting for me inside the palace.
Oddly enough, I wasn't afraid.
After everything that had happened, becoming the cruel Alpha King's pacifier, a polite title for a royal bed slave, no longer seemed like the worst thing that could happen to me.
The rumors surrounding the Alpha were terrifying enough. It was said that no pacifier survived more than three months in his palace before meeting a gruesome end during one of his violent episodes.
By the third day, the landscape began to change. The dense forests thinned, giving way to scattered settlements and well-traveled roads.
Around noon, we finally arrived at Alpha City.
Massive bronze gates towered before us, rising like ancient guardians protecting the kingdom beyond.
The guards searched our carriage thoroughly. The moment they learned we carried an offering for the king, however, they stepped aside and allowed us through.
For the briefest moment, I caught something unexpected in their eyes.
Pity.
And for the first time since leaving home, I questioned my decision.
The city was alive with activity. Merchants called out from crowded stalls while warriors and servants moved through the busy streets.
Then I saw the palace.
It was enormous.
The structure dominated everything around it, standing like a fortress built by divine hands. Towering walls of polished obsidian stretched toward the heavens, their dark surfaces gleaming beneath the sunlight.
Its gates were crafted from a strange silver-like metal framed by rich cedar wood. Even the air around the place seemed to radiate wealth and power.
"I've done you a great favor by bringing you here," Rose whispered as she stepped down from the carriage. "You should be thanking me for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
I nearly rolled my eyes.
Rose was one of the escorts assigned to deliver the kingdom's peace offering.
Me.
Her smile only widened as guards led us toward another checkpoint.
Before entering the main palace, we were ordered to strip completely, Rose included.
The palace maids inspected us without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Every inch of our bodies was searched for concealed weapons. Only after they were satisfied were we escorted inside to meet the Alpha King.
He was already waiting on his throne.
The man before me looked nothing like the monster described in the rumors.
He was tall and strikingly handsome, with a commanding aura that naturally drew people toward him. There was something magnetic about his presence.
Yet I knew better.
Behind that handsome face hid the mad king everyone feared.
And sooner or later, that madness would reveal itself.
The king granted Rose and the rest of the delegation permission to remain in the palace for three days.
Apparently, a pacifier was considered far more valuable than ordinary tribute.
"You know why you've been brought here, don't you?" the king asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, my lord."
"And are you willing?"
His gaze remained fixed on me, carefully studying every reaction.
For a moment, I hesitated.
This felt like a second chance at life, and part of me wondered if I was about to throw it away.
But what choice did I truly have?
"Yes, my lord," I answered firmly. "I have thought it through."
The Alpha King nodded.
"Then you may all leave us."
His eyes shifted toward Rose and the others.
"A banquet has been prepared in your honor."
Once they departed, silence settled over the chamber.
Then the Alpha King did something completely unexpected.
He rose from his throne.
Slowly, his robe slipped from his shoulders.
My eyes widened in shock.
My breath caught in my throat.
The room spun, and my trembling legs gave out beneath me as I collapsed to the floor.
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