CLAIMED BY THREE: THE HYBRID'S TRIALS

CHAPTER 4 - SOLD TO MY MATE

RACHEL'S POV

The world stopped moving when our eyes met.

I stared up at the handsome stranger and I noticed that the sword was now in his hand. His green eyes sparkled bright as he assessed me for a moment, and as though I had fallen into a trance, he vanished.

The next second, he was sitting on the silver throne right beside Alpha Stephen and the sword was on the floor, a few meters away from where I knelt.

"f*****g bastard!" Alpha Stephen cursed. "How did you miss her head?"

Marcus gasped and I could see the confusion written all over his face.

"I - I - I don't know," My King. "I struck her - "

"And her head is still on her neck!" Alpha Stephen snarled. "Then strike again!"

"That wouldn't be necessary."

I looked up to see that the handsome stranger had stood up again. 

Alpha Stephen glared hard at him. "What do you mean?"

"I want the girl," He said.

"I don't think you understand," Alpha Stephen frowned. "She's a witch and - "

"- And she plagued your pack with famine?" He cut in. "So I'll take her away as my prisoner instead, and I'll pay you for the trouble."

The old Alpha's eyes lit up at once.

"You know she's a witch and she would cost a lot." 

"A hundred thousand gold coins is a fair deal," He grunted. "Sign the treaty and let me be on my way."

Alpha Stephen signed the papers hurriedly and I watched, with my heart pounding hard in my chest, as the handsome stranger approached me.

"You're a free woman now," He smiled. "Let's go."

And just like that, he made his way out of the pack square.

I didn't know who he was, but I was drawn to him. Moreover, he was the only person in the world who didn't want me dead. I scrambled up to my feet and followed him closely, until we got to the borders of the pack.

A convoy was waiting for us at the border and he entered one of the cars.

"Come in," He ordered. 

I stepped into the car and the guard standing behind me slammed the door shut at once. In a matter of seconds, we were speeding along the lonely pathway in the woods.

I was uncomfortable sitting at the back of a car, with a very attractive stranger and flanked by guards on ink black suits. He didn't do much to relax my nerves because he remained silent the whole time, occasionally slipping his phone out of his pocket and staring at the screen.

Finally, I decided to take the bold step. I had to know who he was. I had to know if he felt the mate bond that I felt when our eyes locked.

"Thank you for saving me," I muttered.

He glanced up at me for a while and finally, he shrugged.

"You're better off alive than dead."

That was weird. I had to try again.

"I'm Rachel," I said. "What is your name?"

"Luka BlackWood," He replied.

"Blackwood," I repeated. The name sounded vaguely familiar, like something out of a legend I had heard. 

"You're a close friend of Alpha Stephen?" I asked. 

He glared hard at me, and I could see his eyes burn with an ethereal flame.

"That's disgusting," He snapped. "And I'd advise you to remain silent until we get home."

I scoffed and reclined on the chair, and after a few more minutes of silence in the air-conditioned car, I slept off.

When I finally woke up, the car had already come to a halt. A guard opened the door and I stepped out immediately. 

Luka stepped out after me and I noticed that all the guards around the car bowed to him. He looked too young to be the Alpha of the pack, and so I guessed he was an important figure. 

"Follow me," He ordered.

I walked behind him, taking my time to admire the beauty of the pack. Unlike the Oakridge pack where I had lived all my life, all the streets here were tarred and sparkling clean. The air was fresh and the scent of wild roses permeated the atmosphere.

The whole scenery was beautiful to behold!

We stopped at the door of a mansion and he pushed the door open with a loud bang.

"Niko!" He called. "Come out, you little devil."

I followed him with the innocence of a little child as he paraded the mansion in search of Niko.

"Looking for someone?" I muttered.

I couldn't tell whether he didn't hear me, or just chose to ignore me but I followed him all the same.

"Niko! Your little brother's back!"

So he was looking for his brother. I walked behind him patiently, and after a while, he got tired of searching.

"You know what?" He turned to me. "I think we should just wait. Niko always loves surprises."

He led me to a sofa at the far end of the mansion and we sat down together.

At that point, I was confused, tired and hungry. I had no idea what was going on and Luka didn't seem like he was going to tell me. He noticed the shift in my mood and he caressed my cheeks softly. 

"Are you not happy here?" He asked. "Do you need anything?"

"Water," I replied weakly. 

"Right," He nodded and sprang up to his feet. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared through the adjoining door while I remained on the sofa, waiting patiently for him. 

I felt a surge of excitement as I remembered the events of the previous hours. The moon goddess had probably heard my prayer and that was why she sent him to save me from Alpha Stephen. 

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize when the front door swung open. It was the sight of the burly man at the door that jolted me out of my train of thoughts. 

He marched up to me, with a scowl on his face and from close range, I saw that it was Luka.

Only that he looked taller, and a bit muscular. 

"Who the f**k are you?" He growled. 

I tried to speak, but my throat was parched. The words struggled to form in my mouth. At the same time, Luka was closing down on me with anger burning in his eyes. He didn't seem to remember me anymore.

"I said who the f**k are you?" He growled, louder this time. 

He grabbed me by the throat and pulled me up roughly. Just when I thought he was going to choke me to death, I heard a vaguely familiar voice.

"Surprise, surprise, brother!"

I looked up and gasped at the sight of Luka standing before me. The glass of water was in his hand, and a devilish grin had spread across his face. 

If this was Luka, who was the strange man that had just tried to choke me to death?

His eyes darted across my body and I suddenly remembered that I was still wearing the torn gown I had been given at the dungeons. I folded my arms across my chest, in a desperate bid to cover my exposed breasts.

"Who the f**k is this?" The strange man turned to Luka.

"Your little present from my trip, brother," Luka said and chuckled. "You like them slim, don't you?"

The strange man assessed me for a few seconds and he licked his lips slowly. I could see the lust burning in his eyes and it was then that the pieces slowly began to fall in place.

Blackwood? The name sounded vaguely familiar.

Luka BlackWood. Niko Blackwood. If I was right, then there was still one left that I had not yet seen.

The BlackWood Triplets. The Lycan Devils. The Monsters of the North. The world knew them by different names, but from the stories my mother told me, I knew them by one - the monsters who brutally killed my father. 

It was then that the realization hit me. I had been sold to one of the most dangerous Lycans on the planet.

I had been sold to Niko Blackwood, the second of the Blackwood triplets.