Sold To The Ruthless Werewolf King

7

Emily

“What if the Alpha King actually likes her?” Anna said, her eyes fixed on me with something ugly in them. “Once she’s cleaned up, she looks just like her mother. And we all know how beautiful her mother was.”

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then my father laughed. “Anna.” He shook his head. “We are talking about a king who has killed nine queens. Nine. What makes you think Emily will be any different?”

“I know.” Anna’s jaw tightened. “But what if—”

“She won’t survive her first night,” he said flatly. “She’s going there to die. That’s the point.”

Anna stared at me for a long moment. She walked toward me slowly.

“Emily, darling,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You should be grateful. We’re sending you as a queen. That’s more than a slave deserves, isn’t it?” She tilted her head. “A queen, even for one night, is still better than dying in that cell.”

Josh stood up from where he was sitting. He walked over and bowed low in front of me, his voice thick with mockery.

“Queen Emily,” he said. “Long live the queen.”

“Short live the queen,” Clara corrected, and the three of them laughed.

Their laughter echoed through the space. I could only watch them, helpless. Deep in my heart, a roaring fire ignited. I wanted to rip them apart piece by piece and feed their flesh to wild animals.

My father turned to me when the laughter faded.

“Emily,” Father called out. “I’m only looking out for you.”

“You call this looking out for me?” My voice came out weak and raspy. “You really are a wonderful father.”

“You and Anna are both my daughters,” he continued. “But one of you is a blessing, and the other...” His eyes settled on mine. “You were born with your mother’s blood. Beta blood. Power that was never meant for someone like you.” His voice hardened. “I cannot have you in this pack. You are a threat just by breathing in this pack.”

“My brothers were the same,” Josh chimed in, leaning over to kiss Anna. “My brothers were always so proud, looking down on me, while my father refused to acknowledge me as his son. If they had just been good to me, I wouldn’t have had to kill them.”

Josh... killed the Alpha and his two brothers?

Shock rippled through me. How? Josh was weak. Even with Alpha blood in his veins, he wasn’t strong enough to take them all down alone. I looked from Josh, to Anna, to Clara, and finally to my father.

Father. He was the old Alpha’s closest advisor. He must have helped him.

“Do you know why I love you, Emily?” Anna mocked, noticing my wide eyes. “You are so quick to figure things out. You’re right. Father killed the Alpha by poisoning him.”

She exchanged glances with Josh. “About his brothers… It was Father’s plan. Josh only finished it.”

My father didn’t deny it. “Why wouldn’t I?” Father growled, his eyes suddenly blazing with rage. His claws extended, his beast fighting to take control. “The old Alpha kept telling me to step down. He wanted me to give my position to you, just because my true mate is dead! He wanted to make me a laughingstock. I hate you, Emily, just like I hated the Alpha. If you weren’t useful to us right now, I would have thrown your corpse to the wild animals—just like I did to your mother.”

I couldn’t speak.

Every time I thought the floor had been reached, another one opened beneath me.

“My mother,” I whispered. “You said you threw her body to—”

Clara burst out laughing. “Yes. We didn’t bury her, Emily. There was no grave. There was nothing to bury.”

The room tilted.

“We fed her body to the wolves,” she added.

“You... you monsters...”

“Whatever we are, thank the Goddess you’re finally useful,” Clara snapped.

“You’re going to the Nightclaw Pack,” Josh said, moving on as though nothing had happened. “You’ll be presented to the Alpha King as his tenth queen.” He smiled. “Consider it your last act of service to this pack.”

They laughed again, a sound that made my skin crawl.

“I hate you,” I said. “All of you.”

Suddenly, a sickening squelch cut off my words. Warm, thick blood splashed across my face.

Before I could even process what was happening, the two maids who had been holding my arms dropped dead to the floor. Their throats had been completely ripped open.

Josh casually licked the blood off his claws. “They knew too much,” he said smoothly. “Only the dead keep secrets, Emily. Don’t worry, I won’t be the one to kill you. You can take our secrets to your grave.”

My entire body shook violently on the floor. Father called more maids into the room, and I watched, shivering, as they dragged the bloody corpses out. A new set of maids stepped inside.

“Clean her up,” Clara ordered them. “Dress her, feed her, and let her sleep in the guest room.”

Father turned to his guards, his face deadly serious. “Keep your eyes on her. If she runs away, I will have your heads.”

The maids hoisted me up from the floor. I felt like a lifeless statue as they stripped away my filthy, ruined clothes. Looking down, I swallowed back tears. My once beautiful skin was now covered in ugly, jagged scars.

They led me into a bathroom and lowered me into a warm bath. I stayed completely silent as they washed away the dirt and blood, dried me off, and rubbed scented lotion into my skin.

They dressed me in a stunning gown, making me look like a princess. But I knew the truth. This wasn’t a gift. I was just being decorated like a prize for a terrifying King.

How can I escape? The question repeated in my mind like a heartbeat. How do I run?

“We’re done,” the maids announced. “It’s time for lunch.”

When they opened the door, five guards were stationed in the hallway.

“Where are you taking her?” one demanded.

“To the dining room to eat,” a maid replied.

The guards looked down at me, their eyes sending a clear, silent message: Try to run, and you die.

“Don’t try to be smart,” the lead guard warned, falling into step right behind us.

When we arrived at the dining hall, the family was already seated. The moment I walked in, Anna’s voice rang out, sharp and panicked.

“I told you!” Anna cried, slamming her hands on the table as she stood up. “Look at her! That b***h is beautiful. The King will like her. If she actually survives and becomes his real queen, we are ruined!”

“Anna, sit down!” Father growled. “He won’t like her. He’ll kill her.”

“No! I won’t risk it!” Anna shrieked.

She lunged toward the table, grabbing a sharp kitchen knife.

“No!” I screamed, my instincts finally kicking in. I spun around to run, but before I could take two steps, Anna tackled me to the ground. She pinned my arms down with unnatural strength, her face twisted in pure madness.

“Ahhh!” I screamed as Anna brought the knife down.

“This is what you get for existing,” Anna whispered—

And the blade came down.