The Alpha Princess And Her Dragon Mate

The One Closest To His Heart

Sabrina woke up groggy and disoriented. She was alarmed the moment she noticed the unfamiliar ceiling and the bindings around her wrists. The last time she had woken up like this, she had found herself chained in a dark dungeon, being brutally violated by strangers.

She quickly tried to free herself. Normally, she could have easily broken through the chains binding her hands to the bedpost, but she felt weak. She tried reaching for her wolf, but she had lost all connection. It was as though she were back in her pack, facing Eleanor, who had drugged and betrayed her.

"There’s no point in struggling." Sabrina only noticed the other person in the room when they spoke. Even without seeing Rose’s figure in the shadowy corner of the room, Sabrina could recognize her by her voice alone. "These chains were made specially for you. They will keep you from using your powers."

"Why?" Sabrina would be lying if she said she wasn’t hurt, but she wasn’t surprised. She had been betrayed by her own sister. "Why are you doing this?"

"Is that even a question?" Rosaline stepped forward. She was dressed as beautifully as always, but her golden gown stood out even more today. The jewelry she wore appeared to be the most expensive Sabrina had ever seen on her. One would think she was attending a grand ceremony. Sabrina, on the other hand, was stripped down to her undergarments. But at least she wasn’t naked, and there was no pain to suggest she might have been violated in her sleep.

Rose brushed a strand of hair from her face, her red-tinted lips curling into an almost pleasant smile. She spoke in a gentle voice. "You are a threat. You know that. You see, I’ve known Alaric since we were children. He’s never been interested in any woman before. Keeping a harem is merely a way to maintain appearances; he doesn’t care about any of those bitches. But me? He loves me, and he always will. As for you, he’s attracted to you, and I’m afraid that attraction might grow into something far deeper if I don’t do something. I love Alaric, you must know. So you can’t take him from me."

"I... I have no intention of taking him from you!" Sabrina said. God, if Rose thought she would ever fall in love with Alaric, then she was an i***t! That was the very last thing she would do. "I can leave. I will leave the palace if—"

"Do you think he will simply let you go?" the princess growled disdainfully. They both knew Alaric wouldn’t. Dragons were possessive; if something took their fancy, they would do whatever it took to have it, keep it, own it. It was what made them so dangerous. And Sabrina should have known better than to get involved with one. "He wouldn’t. Even if you left the city, I bet he’d turn the entire empire upside down to find his pet. So, unfortunately, I’ll have to give him a reason not to fancy you anymore."

"Please, I... I can’t—"

"Hush. I’ll let you go eventually. Don’t worry." Rose walked toward the door and opened it.

A man walked in—large and muscular—with dark, curly hair partially obscuring his face. Sabrina immediately wanted to scream at the sight of him. No. Not this again.

Rose’s smile widened as she noticed the horrified look on Sabrina’s face. She leaned over and whispered something to the man, but Sabrina couldn’t make out the words. Then, in a cheerful voice, Rose bid Sabrina goodnight and walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her, plunging the room into dimness once more.

For several minutes, the towering man simply stood there, probably watching Sabrina struggle to escape, though his hair obscured his eyes. Then he advanced, and Sabrina shrieked. "No! Stay away from me!" She desperately tried to free herself. The chains dug painfully into the delicate skin of her wrists, but no matter how hard she struggled, they wouldn’t budge.

She was yanked forward by her ankles, and large hands began stripping her. Sabrina screamed. She had been through this before and didn’t want to experience it again. "Please! Please don’t!"

The man didn’t listen. He ripped away the little clothing she had left. He paused, his eyes trailing over her body. "She’ll let you go once this is done. He won’t want you anymore," he said. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. Sabrina could only wonder whether his words were meant to comfort her. She had been stripped of her dignity once, and she had only just started to piece herself together. Now, she was going to be broken all over again.

When the man’s hand reached to undo his belt, Sabrina closed her eyes and tried not to choke on her sobs.

On the sixth day of Sabrina’s disappearance, Alaric lost his last shred of patience. His office was a wreck. Sebastian lay bleeding on the floor, while a servant girl trembled in fright in the corner. The king’s claws were dyed with blood. "Where is she?" His voice remained calm, but Sebastian knew him well enough to sense the danger that loomed.

"I... I swear, I have nothing to do with her disappearance! You must believe me, Your Majesty!"

Alaric pounced on him. He lifted him off the floor and slammed him onto the oak table. Weeks of paperwork fluttered to the ground, but Alaric couldn’t have cared less. The servant girl shrieked in fright. "Don’t kill him!" she screamed. "I... I know where she is!"

Ellen stumbled back when the king’s attention turned to her. Those golden eyes promised brutal torture if she didn’t talk. At that moment, she cared more about keeping the love of her life alive than about what the princess might do to her once the truth came out.

"Speak," Alaric commanded, and Ellen could only comply.

Rose had estimated Sabrina would be brought back within a week. She wasn’t surprised by Alaric’s effectiveness, nor was she shocked that the evidence would lead back to her. After all, Alaric wasn’t a fool, and it was only a matter of time before the truth came to light.

He came looking for her the day after a broken Sabrina was brought back to the palace. Sabrina didn’t speak, didn’t eat, couldn’t focus on anything. She was mentally shattered—just as Rose had intended.

"You did this," Alaric accused. She had never seen him so out of control before. His hands were clenched at his sides, trembling as though he were doing everything he could to hold himself back from strangling her. He wouldn’t, of course.

"She had it coming." Rose didn’t bother denying it. She didn’t even flinch when Alaric stalked toward her, his hand grabbing her arm as dark claws dug into her flesh. She winced but knew the cuts were only skin-deep. Alaric could have done far worse. "She was trying to take you away from me."

"I’m warning you now: don’t touch her again."

"I can’t promise that. It will have to be her or me—you’ll need to choose." Then again, Rosaline’s competition was a complete mess right now. She doubted Sabrina would ever look at Alaric the same way—not when she learned that Rose had gotten away with everything with only a few claw marks. She smiled. "But anyway, I won’t need to do a thing anymore. She won’t love you, not like I do."

Alaric growled, furious and animalistic. His golden pupils shrank into slits—a telltale sign of his true nature. He retracted his claws and left the room with a hiss. Rose laughed, settling back into her chair as she sipped her tea.

See? She had gotten away with it just fine.

And she wouldn’t even need to deal with that disloyal maid. Alaric would take out his wrath on the poor girl. In the end, Rose was still the closest to his heart. He would never hurt her.

And Sabrina? She would forever remain a pet, a woman brought to the palace from a whorehouse. A b***h.