Enslaved to the King of all Lycans

3—Always a monster or always a lover?

~Claire~

In the loneliness, his soft breath reminds me that I'm not alone. The room is dark and silent, but his hands keep me warm, assuring me of an unspoken affection. I close my eyes as a moan escapes my lips.

His presence is a strong one, caressing my body from behind. My stomach is filled with butterflies, and my nerves are relaxed. I'm loved. I'm accepted.

His lips whisper words into my ears, making me fight between giggling and moaning. "You're mine, Claire, and I am yours. Forever, we are attached."

Then, his hands walk up my neck, slightly choking me as he kisses the side of my neck. Deeper. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe, nor could I speak for him to stop. He didn't. He choked me more, and my survival instinct rushed in, adrenaline pumping into my blood.

"Ple—Please... Salvatore...."

Rays of light invade my sight, and I snap them open, awakening. One of my hands clutches my chest while the other covers my eyes from the sharp sting that comes with flaring my eyes from the dream.

I get out of the bed, sighing, and head to the window. Outside is the green environment filled with beautiful nature and a lake in the distance, reflecting the beauty of the clouds.

It has been ten days since I've been locked up here, and I've come to accept that I was taken from one prison only to be locked up in another one.

The thoughts that follows traumatise me. The daily sight of blood. The beatings. The screams that surface from it. Finally, the wrench of death. Funnily, I wonder why they never killed me off. When they couldn't break me the way they wanted, they took my innocence. That night was horrific, and its memories are a sting I must carry always.

A shadow passes me, earning my attention. Turning around, I come in contact with King Salvatore. His hands are rooted inside his pockets. His grey eyes weaken my legs once again right after I adore his dark burgundy hair.

"Is seeing my face as bad as the nightmare? You look shocked." Only if he has an idea. After his observation, my brain alerts me that I've stared too much, and I bow instantly.

If he knew I had a nightmare, then he must have been here since before I woke up. Oh, my...I didn't even notice his presence at all.

"Yes, I have been." He confirms. A deep frown forms on my face. s**t!

"Lycans can read minds, especially one as strong as him." My wolf reminds me. She's been talking quite recently, and she's right. Back at the academy, wolves like us, omegas, are easily accessible to Lycans. We are like open books.

His eyes wander around for a second. "Where's the first aid box?" He pinches his nose after and groans. "I'm talking to you. Be a good girl and respond."

Deep inside me, I wish I could jump on him and bite off one of his ears. The last time I saw him, he rejected me. He had also claimed I was nothing to him but he comes here now, acting soft like he did nothing?

"Yes, sire."

"The box?"

"In the cabinet, King Salvatore." My voice is a whisper.

As he goes to pick it, he speaks. "I heard you got hurt the night you were auditioned. They said you were trying to escape. You're a strong one. Maybe it's why Orion likes you." Alpha Orion likes me?

Speaking of Alpha Orion, I haven't seen him again since my first night here.

"Do you want to know where he is?"

"Do you always have to invade my thoughts?" I didn't say that loud, did I? He raises his brows while I beat myself mentally. "Please, forgive me, King Salvatore."

"I've locked you up for ten days. I believe you're frustrated." He says. What? That's his conclusion? "Do you have something to add?" He beckons me to the bed and directs me to raise my shirt so he can see the bandaged part of my flesh.

After, he begins to help me with the wound. "Is your wolf that weak that you haven't even healed yet?"

"It's a deep wound." Helplessly, I defend my wolf. For some reasons, she's deeply hurt by his words.

"That is no excuse, you know. Such fragility isn't meant for a world like this. People like me are stronger, faster, and better. That's what this world needs."

"Yeah," I draw, and he stops for a moment.

"Speak your mind."

Surprisingly, I didn't hold back. "I'm a living being, and if you think because you're stronger, you can hurt my kind, you're a maniac. We have souls. We aren't some gadgets you can just dominate. We have lives to live too, but I'm certain you don't think that way." When I finish, my chest feels so tight that I can barely breathe. It's like my lungs aren't functioning anymore from the fear within.

He's going to kill me. He's been staring at me for too long. King Salvatore stands up and clears his throat. "You only need to attach a new bandage, and you're fine to go." A pause. "I have a dinner meeting tonight. As my pet, you'll be there. I'll have a dress assigned for you."

He's about to leave when he halts and adds. "And oh, I believe my race hates yours just as much as you hate mine."

The door closes behind him, leaving me alone in the room again, and I wish I had hurt him with the scissors even though I know it can't kill him. The moon goddess must have made a grave mistake. How could a Lycan and a She-wolf be mates, especially one that enslaved my species?

Hours later, I'm dressed up in a soft blue gown. The fabric flows freely down my body, covering my feet. The heels of my sandal click with each step I make as I arrange my messy hair to a bun. Being a slave for four years makes one forget how to style.

The guard directing me finally stops when we reach a terrace. In the distance are King Salvatore, Alpha Lucian, and Alpha Talon. I recognise them from my training back at the academy.

They surround a table filled with different delicacies of food I haven't seen in my entire life, the aroma blissful, and when I near them, King Salvatore points at a fancy chair next to him.

"You're seriously not considering your pet sit with us, are you?" Asks Alpha Lucian. His light blonde hair and green eyes are clearer than in the pictures shown to us. His handsomeness is bewitching, just like Alpha Talon. They all look perfect yet lethal.

There's that mischievous grin on Alpha Talon's face, his brown hair packed in a ponytail.

One look again from King Salvatore and I quickly occupy the chair. He speaks, directing his words at his Alphas. "We are at a time of war, yet you're in my territory. Am I to call you foolish, or do you have important information to discard?"

Alpha Lucian and Alpha Talon look at each other, exchanging an amusing expression. From their history, they are considered the closest of the Alphas, and their territories are close to each other as well. While Alpha Lucian rules over the West, I believe Alpha Talon rules over the South, but I don't know the names of their packs.

Yes, I am poor in geography.

While one of the chefs places a dish in front of me, containing grilled fish and a bowl of pepper soup, Alpha Lucian talks, but Alpha Talon keeps his eyes fixated on me, as though he's reading me.

"With Talon's help, I've found out the werewolves hideout, but they keep changing location, which means the rebels possess more influence than we initially thought. I thought I should let you know that, plus, I heard it's a festive period to buy some slaves, and I heard Orion's territory has the best slaves."

Alpha Talon chuckles, his thick voice chiming in. "Yeah, perhaps if you hadn't killed all the slaves in your land."

My stomach hurts from their words. I can't believe they are discussing werewolves this way, as if we deserve these punishments.

Their words fade out in my head even though I still understand a bit of their discussion, something about an inner war between the Lycans, which is being led by King Salvatore's father.

I can only stare down at my food, unable to find my appetite. Everything they speak about irritates me. It's entirely about causing pain, fighting war, and killing people.

The sound of a maid gasping brings me back to the table. She had spilled a strawberry juice from the jug on Alpha Lucian, whose facial expression doesn't look welcoming now.

"Forgive me, Alpha Lucian. I swear to you, it was a mistake. It'll never repeat itself. I'm sorry." The She-wolf rushes to say as she bends her head fully.

"Come here." Oh, no. He sounds lethal. The slave, without choice, nears him and he clasps her hair, tightening his hands around them as he makes her watch his soaked shirt. "Do you know how expensive this flannel is?"

I can see the girl's veins poking out of her forehead. He'll pull out her strands! My eyes shift to King Salvatore. When I see he doesn't plan on doing anything, something in me wants to help her but I suddenly couldn't stand up.

"Remain seated, Claire." Commands King Salvatore, through his mind. He's using his aura to compel me.

"Please, help her. He's hurting her." I scream at him inside my head when I realise I couldn't talk either. King Salvatore merely continues with his dish while Alpha Talon keeps shifting his eyes between King Salvatore and me. Something about his silence is suspicious but I can't bring myself to care about that now.

"Alpha Orion would have helped her! Please, do something!" I'm forced to say when the girl starts screaming and crying—instantly regreting it—and just then, King Salvatore slams his hands against the table, spilling the drinks.

He charges his rage at me through his eyes and points at Alpha Lucian. "Bring the girl to me."

Alpha Lucian's evil smug increases. He drops the She-wolf in front of King Salvatore who immediately commands her to kneel down. "Look into my eyes."

The girl is shuddering, whimpering, and she looks like she could pee on herself any moment. "When next you're doing your job, you'd be careful, won't you?"

"Yes, sire. Please forgive me."

"However, with each mistake comes a punishment." I'm scared of what he might do. King Salvatore's eyes are on me instead of the girl.

My heart is thudding fast. My fingers are digging into the chair as sweats form on my forehead. My legs suddenly feel heavier and my toes tingles.

Pointing out his index finger, King Salvatore raises it up and when he whips it down, it slashes the maid's face diagonally. Her wail first, followed by her blood on the ground.

I couldn't believe my sight.

"Raise your face again as you remember neither my Alphas nor me are to be disrespected." I don't think his words were ever directed at the maids, and it makes me question his fury too. Was it because I mentioned Alpha Orion or is he simply punishing the maid?

He wants to cut her face again even when one of her eyes have gone blind when a force pulls me out of his compulsion and I yell. "Stop...please. Please. Please, stop." Tears draw from my eyes while he smirks.

"Take the girl away. And as for my pet, throw her into the dark pit." He commands his guards.

"Sire, the one with the...?"

He cuts off the guard before he could complete his sentence. "Yes. That one."

The following few minutes, I'm thrown into a dark cage where only a candle lit the entire space. I can barely see as I bang on the bars, pleading to be released. The horror of that girl's face invades my mind again, making me cry out in anger.

"I need my silence, little wolf. Your cries will do nothing." A voice comes from the darkness and I freeze. "Keep them for when you're thirsty."

"Who's there?" My voice is little when I see a glow in the darkness.

"Someone who hates disturbance, little wolf." The voice replies as she comes from the shadows.

My hands cover my gaped mouth, my eyes popping out from their socket. "It's you." I utter unbelievably.

"You know me?" Her wolf's yellow eyes brightens more.

"The entire werewolf species know you. You're the Luna leading the rebellious pack. Morgyn, Luna of the Stormhowl Tribe."