The Lycan King’s Forbidden Craving

Claimed By The Monster

Chapter Two: Claimed by the Monster

Elara's POV

The word hung in the air like a death sentence.

Father Benedict scrambled to his feet, confusion written all over his weathered face. "Your Majesty, I don't understand. The girl is meant for sacrifice. Her blood is owed to the Moon Goddess."

The King didn't take his eyes off me. "Her blood belongs to me now."

My mouth went dry. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to die quickly on this altar, my soul released to pay for my family's sins. Being claimed by the Lycan King was worse than death. Everyone knew what he did to humans. He fed on them. He drained their souls under every full moon to satisfy his cursed hunger.

"Please," I heard myself whisper. "Just let them finish the ritual."

His silver eyes locked onto mine, and I felt something pierce through my chest. Not pain exactly, but a pull. Like an invisible rope had wrapped around my heart and yanked hard.

"You want to die?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I want my family to be free of the curse."

"Your family's curse is not my concern." He reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me off the altar like I weighed nothing. My feet hit the ground, and my legs almost gave out. He held me upright with one hand, his grip firm but not painful.

"Your Majesty, the Moon Goddess demands…"

"The Moon Goddess can demand whatever she wants. This one is mine." The King's voice dropped into a growl that made every hair on my body stand up. "Anyone who objects can take it up with me personally."

Nobody objected. Nobody even breathed.

He swept me up into his arms before I could protest. I gasped, grabbing onto his shoulders to steady myself. His body felt like stone…hard, cold, and completely inhuman. He turned away from the altar and started walking back toward the forest.

"Wait!" My mother's voice broke through the stunned silence. She pushed through the circle of priests, her face streaked with tears. "Please, where are you taking her?"

The King paused. He glanced at my mother with something that might have been pity. "Shadowfang Castle. She will not be harmed unless she tries to escape."

"But why? Why take her?"

He didn't answer. He just continued walking, carrying me into the darkness between the trees. I looked back over his shoulder and saw my mother collapse to her knees, sobbing. The villagers gathered around her, but no one followed us. No one would dare.

The forest swallowed us whole.

I had so many questions, but fear kept my mouth shut. The King moved through the woods like he owned them, stepping over roots and ducking under branches without slowing down. His eyes glowed brighter in the darkness, lighting our path.

After several minutes, I found my voice. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Not tonight."

"Then what do you want with me?"

His jaw tightened. "I don't know yet."

That answer terrified me more than anything else he could have said. At least death was predictable. This was chaos.

We walked for what felt like hours. My body grew numb in his arms. I kept waiting for him to drop me or drain my soul, but he just kept walking with steady, determined steps. Finally, the trees began to thin, and I saw lights in the distance.

Shadowfang Castle rose from the landscape like something out of a nightmare. Massive stone walls stretched toward the sky, covered in dark ivy. Towers topped with iron spikes jutted upward, silhouetted against the moon. Torches burned in windows, casting flickering shadows. Everything about it screamed danger.

Guards stood at the main gate…lycans in their half-transformed state, with elongated faces and glowing eyes. They bowed their heads as the King approached.

"Open the gates," he commanded.

The heavy iron doors groaned open. Inside, the courtyard was empty and silent. Our footsteps echoed off the stone as he carried me across it and up a flight of stairs. More guards lined the hallways inside, each one dropping to one knee as we passed.

He took me up three more flights of stairs, through corridors lit by torches, until we reached a heavy wooden door. He kicked it open and finally set me down on my feet.

I stumbled, catching myself against a wall. When I looked around, I realized I was in a bedroom. A massive bed dominated the space, covered in dark furs and silk sheets. Tall windows showed the night sky. Everything was expensive and beautiful and cold.

"You will stay here," the King said.

I turned to face him. "As your prisoner?"

"As my guest."

"Guests are usually free to leave."

His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Then yes. You are my prisoner."

At least he was honest.

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how thin my ceremonial dress was. The room was freezing. "Why did you take me? What makes me different from any other sacrifice?"

He studied me for a long moment, and I saw conflict flash across his face. When he spoke, his voice was quieter than before. "Your scent. Your blood. It calls to something inside me that I thought was dead."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I." He moved toward the door, then stopped. "Food will be brought to you. Don't try to escape. There are things in this castle far worse than me."

"Wait," I said quickly. "What's your name? Your real name?"

He looked back at me, surprise crossing his features like no one had asked him that in a very long time. "Rael."

"I'm Elara."

"I know who you are." His silver eyes seemed to see straight through me. "I've always known."

Before I could ask what he meant, he was gone. The door closed behind him, and I heard a lock click into place.

I was alone in the monster's castle.

My legs finally gave out, and I sank to the floor. Everything that had just happened crashed over me at once. I should be dead. I should be lying on that altar with my blood soaking into ancient stone. Instead, I was here, claimed by the Blood King for reasons even he didn't understand.

I thought about my mother, about the village, about the curse that should have ended with my death. What would happen now? Would another girl have to die in my place?

A knock on the door made me jump. It opened before I could respond, and a young woman entered carrying a tray of food. She had the features of a lycan, sharp eyes and graceful movements, but she seemed less threatening than the others.

"My name is Mira," she said softly, setting the tray on a table near the bed. "I've been assigned to look after you."

I stood up slowly. "Does that happen often? The King bringing humans here?"

Mira's expression turned sad. "You're the first one he's ever kept alive."