A BRIDE FOR THE CURSED ALPHA

Ravenna “You can't do this to me,” my voice quivered as I spoke, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes. My pain didn't move my stepmother and stepsister. They only stared at me, hardened looks in their eyes and lips set into thin lines. “Yes, we can,” Amara, my stepmother, replied, “and we already did. The palace guards will be here to collect you in the next couple of minutes, so you had better get ready.” “I… I’m going to die,” I muttered, my tears finally spilling over, “he's going to kill me. You know every single maiden that was taken to his bed this last year ended up dying.” “Then we get a win-win situation,” Elara snickered, “selling you to the palace will get our debts cancelled, so who cares whether or not you die. In fact, I hope you die so your cursed lineage ends with you.” That hits a blow. My lineage was believed to be cursed because my mother died while giving birth to me, and my father's fortune changed drastically for the worse. The villagers associated the misfortune with my existence, and many of them advised him to get rid of me. He didn't. Despite everything, my father raised me with love and care, even as he took on so much debt trying to stay afloat. His debt only grew with interest after his death, and now, my step-family was trying to sell me off to pay off that debt. Maybe they were right. I was the reason our family barely had a roof over our heads, so it was normal that I stepped up and took responsibility. I stopped arguing with them, and when the royal guards came for me, I didn't fight it either. The journey to the palace didn't take long, and soon enough, I was thrown into a large room filled with other maidens. I could tell that some were from reputable families from how they were dressed. I knew they were here because of the honour that'd come with becoming the king's breeder. Even though all the maidens that he had taken to bed over the last year had died or suffered severe psychological breakdown, the other maidens were still hopeful that they'd be the one to survive his bed and finally give birth to the heir that'd save the kingdom. The remaining maidens were in similar situations to mine. We were forced to come here, and some of us were sold off by the people we called family. I looked around the room, and my eyes finally settled on a familiar figure. She was Anderna, a girl from the healing guild I attended… or used to attend because now, I was certain I'd never be able to go back to that school again. “Ravenna,” she said, equally surprised to see me, and shifted so I could sit beside her on the mat. “I never thought you'd come here.” “Not by choice,” I replied, legs drawn to my chin and my eyes roaming over the room filled with both fearful and hopeful maidens, “my family sold me off to repay our debts. You?” “I came here by choice,” her voice was quiet as she replied, “as long as there's a chance, no matter how slim it is, that I might survive his bed, then it's worth trying. My life out there is nothing to write home about.” My head whirled around to look at her with so much speed that I must have strained multiple veins, “But, Anderna…” “No buts, Ravenna. Trust me, I thought about my choices carefully, and this is the best decision for me.” I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. Instead, I started thinking of a plan, a viable plan to get out of this situation. My emotions had gotten the best out of me earlier. That's why I surrendered easily, but now that I was here, I needed to leave. I've always had a dream. My father made me have that dream, and if I remained here, to be taken to the slaughterhouse that was the king's bed, I'd never achieve that dream. I'd disappoint my father. The large mahogany door was pushed open suddenly, and a lady in her early to mid-thirties entered, closely followed by two guards. Her eyes were narrowed to slits in what I assumed was her permanent facial feature, and she looked at all of us like we were cows to be slaughtered. “Good evening, ladies,” she greeted with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, “We're going to start the selections for tonight. If you're new here, the process is to handpick the girls who'd go to Alpha Kieran's bed tonight. Most times, we take up to 20 ladies. It has never been one because, unfortunately, no one has survived his bed.” My blood turned to ice, and my stomach dropped. Were the rumors really true then? Does all the maidens he tries to sleep with end up dying? I looked around the room. Most of the ladies were now trembling in fear while the others still had determined looks in their eyes. I was part of the former because my hands were trembling so hard I had to clench them together. “Now, to the first five ladies of the night…” She called out five names, and they all stood up. The guards herded them out of the room like cows being led to slaughter. I turned to Anderna once they were out of the room. “What is the selection process like?” “I'm not really sure, but I think it's based on first come, first served. I got here three days ago, and it still hasn't been my turn. I also haven't seen anybody that got here after I selected to go to his room.” Good! That gave me a ray of hope. There were still over 15 maidens here. That meant I wouldn't be picked tonight, and I could plot my escape. I had to get out of here. I was going to run away as far as possible. I didn't mind the consequences or what it meant for Amara and Elara. That was what they got for selling me off to die. They hadn't been gone more than 30 minutes when the lady came back with a different guard. “Ravenna Winters and Anderna Vale?” she called out, and the two of us exchanged glances before we stood to our feet. My palms were clammy, and I pressed them against my gown. It didn't help. Why had she singled us out? It had to be because we were both healing apprentices. Was our healing powers going to be useful in surviving the King’s bed? Several thoughts ran through my mind as the lady observed us carefully. She studied us like we were specimens, and finally her eyes settled on me; the weight of it was enough to make me want to fall to my knees. “Ravenna,” she called my name like it was a death sentence, “come with me.” No, no, no. I shouted over and over in my head, but the guard was already ushering me out of the room. I looked at Anderna one last time, and she looked at me with envy. I wanted to tell her to take my position but the door shut between us. I was led down the hallway of cold stones and lit by lamps. My heart was pounding so fast and hard that I couldn't hear anything. We stopped in front of a door, and I expected it to open to reveal the King’s room or a room where I'd be freshened up and prepare for the king, but the door opened to the dark, cold compound of the palace. I turned to my two companions, but they were looking at each other. “You have to get her to him in less than 30 minutes. We received word that his condition is worse tonight and he needs to consume the powers and energy of a skilled healer to survive the night.” “What are you talking about?” “I'll do just that, my lady.” They both ignored me. The lady turned and walked back into the palace while the guard grabbed my forearm and started dragging me towards the stable. “Stop! Where are you taking me?” “To Frostfang,” he replied as he pushed me towards a horse and for real this time, my heart stopped beating. Frostfang was a place that I'd only heard about in horror stories. It was in the North and against the walls holding back all evils threatening to make their way into the kingdom. It was also the only place holding the alpha king's cursed half-brother, who was banished from the capital years ago for killing his bride and unleashing an ancient curse. “You can't…” my voice trembled as I struggled to get the words out. If I thought I was scared before at the prospect of going to the King’s bed, then I was outright terrified now. “You can't… You can't be serious.” “You heard the lady,” the guard replied as he fished out a rope and tied my wrists with it. He pushed me up onto the horse. “The Cursed Alpha is in a dire condition, and he needs to consume the energy of a pure healer like you.” My breath stuttered. There was no escaping or surviving this.