Betrothed to the beast.
1867 Words
My breath caught. The room suddenly felt too small… too suffocating. Tapestries of ancient victories loomed over us, the air thick with incense and the faint chill of polished stone.
“It has already been arranged,” he continued. “You have come of age. It is time to fulfill your duty as a princess.”
I stood frozen. My mind struggled to catch up. “W-Who…” My voice faltered. “Who am I supposed to marry?”
He didn’t hesitate to reply. “The eldest son of the Alpha King.”
Silence fell. My eyes widened in disbelief. My jaw parted slightly as the words settled in. Everything inside me went cold.
“No…”
I shook my head slowly. “No… Father, please… I can’t marry him.”
“This alliance was decided long ago,” he said, his tone firm and unyielding. “To preserve the peace after the war.”
“Father, he’s dangerous!” My voice trembled as panic rose. “Cold… ruthless… They say he kills at the slightest provocation and he hates humans. His people took Mother from us!”
“Silence, Senara!” His voice thundered, cutting me off. “I am not interested in rumors. A deal is a deal. You will marry the Alpha King’s son… Kael Grimhowl.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I’m your daughter,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “How can you do this to me? Trade me away for power… your power?”
“Enough.” His words hit like a slap. “Your duty to this kingdom comes before your happiness. Or would you rather endanger the lives of thousands for your selfish desires?”
“I don’t want this…” I said, tears streaming down my face. “I won’t do it.”
“You will.” The finality in his voice struck like a blow. He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “You will marry him and give him an heir, whether you like it or not.”
An heir. The word echoed. That’s all I was. Not a daughter. Not a person. Just a tool for his selfish interest. Something inside me shattered completely.
“You’re sending me to my death…” I whispered..
He said nothing. And that silence told me everything.
I turned and ran from the room. The door slammed behind me with a finality that echoed through the corridor.
I didn’t make it far. My legs buckled before I reached my chambers. I collapsed onto the cold floor of the corridor, my breath fracturing into ragged gasps as the weight of my fate finally crushed me.
Marriage.
Not a union. A sentence. A life bartered away to a monster I had only seen in nightmares. My hands pressed hard against my chest, as if I could somehow hold my shattering heart together. It was useless. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, unstoppable.
“I can’t…” I whispered into the empty hall. “I can’t do this…”
His image flooded my mind. His golden eyes gleaming with primal hunger, sharp teeth glinting in the dark. That suffocating presence from my dream. What if it hadn’t been a dream at all?
“They say he kills without hesitation,” I breathed, voice cracking. “That he despises humans…”
A broken, hollow laugh escaped me. “Then why me?”
The door creaked open behind me. I didn’t turn. I already knew who it was.
“Well, this is quite the spectacle.” she said
I looked up. She stood there, elegant in her luxurious gown, red hair gleaming, and her green eyes calm yet cruel.
Queen Selene. My stepmother.
Her heels clicked slowly across the marble as she approached. I hastily wiped my face, but the damage was done. She had seen the tears, the trembling, the ruin.
“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” she said with amusement dripping from every word. “It’s almost endearing.”
I remained silent, fingers twisting into the silk of my gown.
She laughed softly, low, mocking, and cruel. “You should be grateful, Senara. Do you have any idea how fortunate you are?”
My head snapped up, disbelief cutting through the haze of tears. “Fortunate?”
“Yes,” she replied, voice icy. “Even a monster agreed to take you.”
The words landed like blows. She stepped closer, towering over me.
“You are not useful, girl. Not clever enough to navigate court. Not strong enough to command respect. At best, you are… decorative.” Her smile was thin and vicious. “So imagine my surprise when the Alpha King’s heir accepted you as his bride.”
I shook my head, vision blurring. “He’s dangerous. You’ve heard the stories. He’s ruthless. He kills without a reason.
“And so?” she cut in sharply. Her eyes hardened like frost. “This kingdom was not built on kindness, Senara. Power is never gentle. Power is taken.”
She leaned down, close enough that I could smell her rose perfume, cloying and suffocating.
“That man is power. You
be thankful he chose you at all.”
“I didn’t choose this,” I whispered.
“No,” she agreed smoothly, her smile sharpening. “You didn’t. But that has never mattered, has it?” She straightened. “Your role is simple. You will go to him, spread your legs, and give him an heir. That is the only value you possess.”
My stomach twisted violently.
“And if you’re fortunate,” she added with a soft, venomous laugh, “that useless womb of yours might actually succeed.”
Something inside me finally snapped.
“At least there,” I choked out, tears streaming, “I won’t be your slave.”
The room fell deathly silent.
The Queen stared at me for a long moment, then her expression darkened with something far more dangerous than anger.
“Oh, darling,” she whispered, stepping even closer. “Do not mistake a change of cage for freedom.” Her voice dropped to a venomous hiss. “You think it will be better there? You think you will be anything more than a breeding tool?”
She tilted her head, her eyes glittering with malice. “They will break you far worse than I ever have. You won’t be a princess there. She said as she stepped closer. You’ll be nothing.”
A cruel pause. “Less than nothing.”
She smoothed her skirts as if the conversation had grown boring, then turned toward the door. Without looking back, she delivered her final blow.
“But do try your best. It would be terribly inconvenient if you failed.” Her voice was light, almost playful. “After all… if you cannot even give them an heir, you may not live long enough to enjoy that freedom you so desperately crave.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
The silence that followed was heavier than chains.
I stayed curled on the floor for what felt like hours, staring at nothing as the weight of her words settled into my bones. Eventually, I forced myself upright on trembling legs and staggered the rest of the way to my chambers.
My legs turned to water. I crumpled hard against the polished marble floor, sliding until my shoulder met the cold baseboard.
A werewolf.
The word burned like poison in my veins. I gasped, but the night air drifting through the open balcony tasted of jasmine and dread. Hot tears blurred the elegant lines of my room.
Utterly trapped inside this gilded cage that had never felt smaller.
A soft knock broke the stillness. I didn’t answer. The door opened anyway.
“Princess…”
Lily’s gentle voice.
I lifted my head. The moment she saw my tear-streaked face, her own crumpled. “Oh, my princess…” She rushed forward, dropping to her knees and pulling me into her arms.
“What did they say to you?” she whispered.
A weak, humorless laugh escaped me. “What didn’t they say?”
I clung to her, the only warmth left in this frozen palace. “I’m being sent away, Lily. Married off to a man I’ve never met… a man who could kill me without a second thought.”
“Don’t say that,” she said quickly, though her voice lacked its usual certainty. “You don't know that for sure”. I shook my head. Everyone knows it, I replied. They talk about him like a hideous monster.
You've heard the rumors too right? I snapped, needing her to confirm my worst fears. Lily hesitated for a second, She sighed, lowering her gaze. Rumors spread easily, especially about powerful men. she replied.
But that doesn't make them untrue, she reached for my hand, holding them gently. “ Listen, maybe he isn't as bad as they say”. A dry laugh scraped past my lips, devoid of amusement.
“Lily”
“I'm serious,” she insisted, squeezing my hands slightly. ‘You can't only see the darkness. Not every rumor is true. Sometimes fear twists the truth, makes things seem worse than they are.”
I wanted to believe her, God, I wanted to but the terror in my chest refused to loosen its grip.
“What if it's all true?”
She didn't answer immediately, instead she brushed a tear from my cheek. “Then… you will survive, you're stronger than you think. It will be okay, she whispered, rubbing my back.
Her words were gentle and warm. She tried to soothe me, but her words were just empty noise crashing against the reality of my fate. Before I could respond, she cleared her throat like she was about to say something, but she went completely still like the words withered on her tongue and I could tell instantly that something was deeply off. Her eyes gave her away; they widened with a flicker of raw guilt before darting toward the floor, unable to hold my gaze. This hesitation felt dangerously different.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice cracking under the sudden weight of dread.
Lily swallowed. “His Majesty sent me… to prepare you.”
The words landed like stones.
“The wedding,” she said softly, pity filling her eyes. “It is in five days.”
The world tilted. My breath seized in my lungs.
“No”… The word barely escaped my lips.
“He wouldn't”… my voice trembled.
“He wouldn't do that to me.” “I'm his daughter.”
But Lily's silence said everything.
Fresh tears burned through my eyes.” Is that all I am to him?” “Something to trade for power?”
Lily pulled me in a warm embrace. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
I clung to her like she was the only thing holding me together. Five days until my life was no longer mine. Until I was handed over to a monster in exchange for whatever alliance my father craved.
And no one was coming to save me.
- Writer
