BRIDE OF THE BEAST

CHAPTER 1: KING LOGAN

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS STORY IS A DARK FANTASY ROMANCE THAT CONTAINS THEMES OF VIOLENCE, ABUSE, AND INTENSE SITUATIONS. HIGHLY RATED 18+

BAAL EMPIRE • ROYAL PALACE • KING LOGAN'S SUITE

Smoke from Logan's pipe formed a thick cloud around the spacious, lavish room as he rested leisurely on his bed. Four of his mistresses surrounded him, desperately trying to earn his favor. One massaged his feet while another worked her fingers across his shoulders. A third knelt before him, while the fourth sat rigidly beside him as he roughly gripped her arm.

Logan's eyes remained fixed on the empty space in front of him. They were terrifying, petrifying eyes the color of ash. The woman kneeling before him moved faster, frantic to please him, yet Logan felt absolutely nothing. He should have been satisfied, but an unsettling emptiness remained deep within him.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed a dangerous red. He slowly removed the pipe from his mouth. "Head up," his husky, inhuman voice echoed through the room.

The woman immediately withdrew, looking up at him with a trembling gaze. The moment their eyes met, Logan snapped his fingers. An invisible, crushing force swept through the air. In an instant, the woman vanished into a cloud of gray ash, which was immediately swept away by a sudden gust of wind.

"Take over," he ordered the woman massaging his shoulders.

Trembling violently, she crawled toward him. The remaining two women froze as pure terror consumed them; they weren't sure anyone would leave the room alive. Logan suddenly grabbed the new woman's hair, yanking her forward with brutal force.

"Y-your Majesty..." she stammered, her voice breaking.

He rolled his eyes in disgust. "You bore me." Before she could beg for mercy, a wave of Logan's dark power flared. The sheer pressure slammed her hard against the headboard. She collapsed onto the mattress, completely unconscious.

Logan looked at the final two women, his expression filled with absolute boredom. "If you'd like to see another minute of your lives, get out," he growled.

They immediately fled the room, nearly colliding with Kyle, who was entering at that exact moment. Kyle, Logan's personal bodyguard, bowed low. "Your Majesty, the ministers are waiting in court for the meeting."

Logan smirked, his voice hardening into a chilling threat. "Do I need to remind you what I actually want right now? Forget the damned ministers and bring Ramona to me."

Kyle bowed again and hurried away. Left alone, Logan muttered under his breath, "My hounds can clean up this mess." Three enormous, shadow-like beasts materialized in the corners of the room, sniffing the air before vanishing back into the darkness.

THE DUNGEON

The moment the heavy dungeon door creaked open, Ramona's heart jumped. It was time. She had been expecting today's punishment.

A thick black blindfold covered her eyes. It had been there since the day she was imprisoned ten years ago. She had never seen the sunlight, never seen the moon, and never even seen the faces of the people who tortured her. Her hands and feet were bound with heavy metal chains, while a jagged iron collar encircled her neck.

There was barely anything left of her body to call untouched. It was covered in wounds, scars, and bruises from years of relentless punishment. Her tangled, filthy hair covered much of her face, and she wore nothing but a tattered, short skirt and a thin piece of cloth over her breasts. She looked utterly miserable.

The metal door fully opened, and sss stepped inside. As the leader of the dungeon guards, the fierce woman unlocked the chains around Ramona's arms and legs, then grabbed the collar chain around her neck, dragging her out like an animal.

Kyle was waiting outside in the corridor. sss handed the chain over to him, and he began leading Ramona toward King Logan's suite. Ramona was barefoot. With every step, sharp stones on the palace floor pierced her skin, but she couldn't avoid them. The blindfold made sure of that.

By the time they reached the royal suite, the freezing palace air had left her trembling violently. Kyle opened the door, shoved her inside, and closed it, leaving her entirely alone with the tyrant king.

Ramona immediately dropped to her knees, blindly searching the floor with her hands. Logan watched her struggle with a wicked smile. After several agonizing moments, her hand brushed against his boot.

"You wasted my time," Logan’s voice turned ice-cold. "You deserve to die."

He backhanded her across the face with immense strength. Ramona gasped as her pale, dry lips split, her cheek swelling instantly. Logan then touched her shoulder lightly with his fingertips, sending a powerful surge of localized magical electricity straight through her veins.

Her entire body convulsed. "Aaaargh!" she screamed, the agonizing current tearing through her system until she collapsed onto the floor, struggling to breathe. She knew exactly what he wanted—to use her as a punching bag for his dark amusement.

By the time Logan was finished venting his frustration, Ramona was barely conscious. Then, a harsh voice sounded from the corridor outside. "Torture time! Order from the Queen Dowager!"

Logan stopped and smiled. "You heard that?" He stepped away, kicking her tattered skirt toward her. She quickly put it on with shaking hands. Kyle re-entered the room and hauled her back up. Her legs barely supported her as she walked awkwardly out of the suite. She knew exactly where they were taking her: the torture ground.

THE TORTURE GROUND

Ramona was tied tightly to a heavy wooden chair. Moments later, two more prisoners were dragged out into the bright courtyard. It was Sally, her blind mother, and Reggie, her younger brother.

They had been arrested alongside her ten years ago and subjected to a decade of separate suffering. They looked just as exhausted and broken as she felt.

"Big sis!" Reggie cried out, his voice cracking with fear.

"Ramona..." Sally whispered weakly from a separate chair.

The guards brought out heavy whips and buckets of freezing water. Soon, the Queen Dowager appeared, flanked by her two daughters, Princess Shakira and Princess Alice. They took their seats on the royal viewing chairs. King Logan entered shortly after, taking his place on the throne. His eyes moved lazily around the courtyard before settling on the weapons.

He smirked. "Get larger ones."

The guards obeyed, bringing out heavier, thicker whips. Buckets of freezing water were poured over Ramona, Reggie, and Sally to shock their senses. Logan leaned back comfortably. "Start the torture."

The guards raised their arms, and the first brutal lash landed. Their desperate cries filled the entire courtyard.

"I didn't kill Princess Elena!" Ramona screamed through her tears. "Aaaargh!" Reggie cried out beside her as the whips fell relentlessly.

DOVE FOREST

Far away from the palace, the Dove Forest was as silent as a graveyard. No buildings stood within its borders except one: Arthur's secluded house. The area was surrounded by vibrant tangerine trees, yet strangely, their leaves barely moved despite the heavy wind blowing through the canopy.

Inside his bathroom, Arthur sat calmly in a large bathtub, his back resting against the wall. His eyes were closed, and his expression was completely peaceful.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, glowing a brilliant, supernatural gold. A massive water serpent burst from the surface of the tub, striking directly at him. With lightning speed, Arthur caught the beast tightly by the neck with one hand.

"A serpent spy?" he muttered hoarsely.

His grip tightened, and his golden eyes shone with immense power. The serpent immediately burst into a harmless flare of magical flames, turning to ash that scattered harmlessly into the air.

Mandela entered the room a moment later. "Another serpent?"

"They never get tired of making unlucky visits," Arthur replied dryly, stepping out of the water.

"The moon is coming out tonight," Mandela noted, his face serious.

Arthur turned toward him. "Get the chains ready. I can't smell Mikaela nearby."

Mandela frowned. Mikaela was Arthur's ten-year-old daughter—a powerful and unpredictable young witch. "She must be playing in the woods again."

"Find her," Arthur ordered. Mandela left immediately.

THE WOODS

Deep in the forest, the moment Mikaela stepped onto the pathway, the vibrant flowers around her withered and died. Birds flying overhead suddenly lost their strength, dropping silently from the sky. Her black robe fluttered around her small frame, her long black hair reaching down to her waist. Everywhere she walked, life disappeared. She smiled, deeply enjoying the dark energy of things fading away.

Suddenly, she stopped. Her nose twitched as she caught a scent. "A human?"

Following the scent, she vanished on the spot, reappearing a second later directly in front of a young human boy who was playing with a small cat. The boy looked up, startled.

Mikaela smiled wickedly. "Give me the cat."

The boy immediately stood up, hugging his pet protectively against his chest. "No! It's mine!"

Mikaela's smile widened. "No one turns me down."

She unleashed a sharp wave of telekinetic force. The cat was gently knocked from the boy's arms, scurrying safely into the bushes, but the residual magical energy slammed directly into the young boy. The sheer pressure lifted him into the air before throwing him backward against a nearby tree.

He let out a sharp cry of fear and pain before his eyes rolled back, falling completely unconscious onto the grass. Mikaela stepped closer, raising a finger to cast another dark spell.

"MIKAELA!" Mandela's voice thundered from behind her, stopping her in her tracks.

BAAL PALACE

Back at the palace, the torture had been going on for an hour. The family's agonizing cries continued to echo across the stone grounds. Princess Alice squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight, while Princess Shakira smiled, leaning back comfortably. The Queen Dowager maintained a blank, cold expression.

From the high terrace of his suite, Prince Jonathan watched the cruelty unfold. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, tears slipping down his cheeks. Jonathan was King Logan's only son.

"God..." he whispered, his heart breaking for the prisoners. He couldn't take it anymore. He turned to rush down to the courtyard, but Queen Beth, his mother, blocked his path.

"She deserves the punishment, Jonathan," Beth said firmly. "She killed a princess."

Jonathan stared at his mother in utter disbelief. "She has been paying for that supposed crime with her entire family for ten years! This is the height of wickedness!" He pushed past her. Queen Beth tried to grab his arm, but Jonathan shook her off. She stumbled backward, gasping, "Jonathan!"

He didn't stop. He rushed straight onto the torture grounds, standing between the guards and the prisoners. "Stop!" his command rang through the courtyard.

The guards immediately froze.

"Jonathan, get out of here!" Princess Shakira shouted in annoyance.

"I won't!" Jonathan shouted back, facing the royal dais. "Tell the guards to stop this madness!"

"Jonathan!" the Queen Dowager's furious voice echoed.

Jonathan ignored her, turning toward Princess Alice. "I know you're not like them. Please, stop them!" Alice swallowed hard, torn between her family and her conscience.

Jonathan turned to face his father's throne, but King Logan was no longer there. He had moved like the wind.

Before Jonathan could even blink, an oppressive, suffocating dark aura crashed over him. Logan appeared directly in front of him, unleashing a wave of raw pressure that he slammed Jonathan hard against the stone wall. "Fa...ther..." he stammered, barely able to breathe.

Logan's eyes burned a demonic red with pure fury. He spread his palm, and a shimmering, dark broadsword materialized out of thin air. He slowly leveled the glowing blade right at his own son's throat. The sharp edge pressed against Jonathan's skin, drawing a tiny droplet of crimson blood.

"Your Majesty, stop!" Queen Beth screamed in terror from the terrace above.