Sold To The Lycan Monster

Chapter One Ravenna's POV "Ravenna, have you packed your things?" I looked up from my plate. Papa was eating his grilled fish, while Carlos sat on either side of him. We had beans and rice for dinner, and until that moment, nobody had said much. Mostly because Papa was sad his beloved daughter had been taken away by King Diego. "What things, Papa?" He took another bite before answering, with his mouth full. "Your clothes and anything else you want to take with you. You'll be moving to King Diego's estate in two months." I stopped chewing instantly. For a moment, I thought I'd heard him wrong. "What?" "You heard me." I started coughing. The rice had gone down the wrong way, and I reached for my glass of water. Carlos laughed under his breath as he continued eating as if nothing had happened. When I could finally speak, I turned to Papa. "You're sending me to live with King Diego?" "Must you make everything difficult?" "Papa, he's the Lycan King! And beside Ravenna is already with him." "And?" I stared at him. Everyone knew who Diego Blackthorn was. Even the strongest Alphas thought twice before crossing him. He controlled several territories, and his warriors were known for their loyalty to him. People who offended him rarely got a second chance. And Papa wanted me to marry him? "You're joking Papa," I said. "Do I look like a joker to you?" I pushed my plate away. "Papa, I'm nineteen. I'm your youngest daughter. You can't just give me to a man because you want to." His eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth, Ravenna." "I'm not trying to disrespect you. I just want to know why you're doing this to me." "Ohh well since you are so kin to know; I owe him money and I think you are good for nothing and wolfless so, you will go instead of my dear Mariana." "How much money?" "Two hundred million dollars." I stared at him awe. "Two hundred million?" "Do you want me to repeat it?" "How could you owe someone that much?" "That's none of your business." Carlos shook his head. "You should be grateful, Ravenna. At least someone is willing to marry you." I ignored him. "Papa, please. There must be another way. I'll get another job. I'll work as much as I can and help you pay him back." Papa laughed. "With what money? You barely earn enough to take care of yourself." "I can try." "Try?" He put down his fork. "You think you can raise two hundred million dollars in two months?" "I don't know, but I can try. Please, Papa. Don't send me to that man." He looked at me for a few seconds before speaking. "If you don't want to marry him, you can pay the debt yourself." Hope returned. "Really?" "Yes. You have two months to raise two hundred million dollars. If you fail, you marry Diego. It's that simple." I knew it was almost impossible, but I was willing to try anything. "Thank you, Papa. I won't disappoint you." His expression changed. "Don't thank me yet. I don't care what happens to you once you enter that man's house. "Why can't Mariana marry him?" I asked. "I thought she has already been taken to The King's estate?" Papa slammed his hand against the table. "How dare you bring your sister into this?" "I'm only asking a question." "And I'm telling you to keep your mouth shut! Mariana is not going to be left there to suffer. She deserves a good husband, not a monster." "And I don't?" He stood up. "You're not worth the same things as she is." I lowered my head, but he wasn't done talking. "You are the reason your mother died. You took the only woman I ever loved from me, and now you want to stand there and demand that I treat you like my other children?" "I didn't choose to be born, Papa." "Then you should have died with her!" Nobody spoke after that. I looked at him, waiting for some sign that he regretted what he'd said. Instead he just looked away, because he really didn't regret anything. "I love you, Papa," I whispered. "I know you don't believe me, but I do. I love Mariana and Carlos too. I just want us to be a family." Carlos laughed. "Family? Who said you're part of this family?" I turned toward him. "I'm your sister." "I have only one sister, and that's Mariana." "Enough," Papa said, though he sounded more annoyed than angry with Carlos. He turned back to me. "You have two months. Find the money if you don't want to marry Diego." He sat down and continued eating. I knew he had made up his mind, and there was no way he would talk about it ever again. I also knew I had no choice but to find a way out. My mother had died shortly after giving birth to me. I never knew what it felt like to have her around. I had no memories of her voice, her smile, or the way she might have held me when I cried. All I had were a few photographs and stories from people who remembered her. Papa had once been a good husband and father. He owned several businesses and took care of his family. People respected him, and our home was a place where relatives and friends were always welcome. After Mama died, everything changed. He started drinking. He spent more time at casinos than at home, and he lost most of what he owned through gambling. When he couldn't pay his debts, he began selling properties. Eventually, he started gambling at Diego's casino. That was his biggest mistake. He borrowed more money than he could repay, and Diego was not the kind of man who forgot a debt. Men sometimes came to our house looking for Papa. They wore black clothes, drove expensive cars, and carried weapons. When they couldn't find him, they took whatever valuables they could find. Whenever that happened, Carlos and Mariana blamed me. They said I had brought bad luck to the family. Papa even said I was a curse. After hearing those words for most of my life, I had almost started believing them. But I had never asked to be born, and I hadn't killed my mother. I was just a girl who wanted her family to love her. Apparently, that was too much to ask. "Ravenna!" I looked up. Papa stood and was beside his chair, pointing toward the kitchen. "Clear the table. We're done eating." I quickly gathered the plates. I had been doing housework since I was nine. Cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, and making sure the house was in order had become my responsibility. Mariana and Carlos rarely helped, and Papa never asked them to. I carried the dishes into the kitchen and returned with a cloth to clean the table.When I finished, I knelt to wipe the floor. "Hey, Ravenna." I turned toward Carlos who was holding a glass of milk. Before I could ask what he wanted, he poured it onto the part of the floor I'd just cleaned. I stared at him."Why would you do that?" He just shrugged. "Because you haven't finished cleaning." "But I just cleaned that part!" "So clean it again." I clenched my jaw and reached for the cloth. "One day, Carlos, you'll have to stop treating me like this." He laughed. "Or what?" I didn't answer. He walked closer to where I was. "You think you're better than us because you have a job? You're nothing, Ravenna. You're lucky Papa hasn't thrown you out." I continued cleaning. Then he dropped the glass. It hit the floor beside me and shattered.I tried to move, but a piece cut my right index finger. I hissed and pulled my hand back. The blood ran down my finger. I pressed it against my palm, waiting for the pain to ease. Then something strange happened. I was nineteen, and I had never shifted. I had never heard my wolf, either. The pack healer had examined me when I was younger and told Papa that I might never develop one. Since then, everyone had treated me as if I wasn't even a werewolf. I had accepted that there was something different about me. But what I'd just felt was new. "Are you going to sit there all night?" Carlos asked. "Clean up the glass." I wrapped my finger in a clean cloth and picked up the pieces. Whatever had happened could wait. I had a much bigger problem to solve. Right now I needed two hundred million dollars. And I had less than two months to find it. I left the house just after seven that evening. My shift at the club starts at eight, and I didn't want to be late. I worked as a bartender five nights a week, but the money was barely enough to cover my personal expenses. I needed another job. Thankfully, Laura had offered me one a few weeks earlier. She worked at a private investigative firm not far from the club. The company needed someone to clean its offices for four hours each day, and the pay was much better than what I earned at the bar. I'd turned it down because I enjoyed working at the club. My colleagues were friendly, and the job gave me a reason to spend less time at home. Now I regretted turning it down. I waited at the bus stop and took out my phone, and texted Laura. Me: Hey, Laura. Is that cleaning job still available? She replied almost immediately. Laura: Yes! Are you finally ready to take it? Me: I need it. Can I start as soon as possible? Laura: Of course. You can start tomorrow morning. What's going on? I stared at her message. Laura had been my best friend for years. She knew my family wasn't perfect, but I had never told her everything that happened at home. I wasn't ready to tell her about Diego either. Me: I'll explain when I see you. Thank you for helping me. Laura: You don't have to thank me. Just promise me you'll tell me what's wrong. I smiled a little. Laura had always been there for me, even when I had nothing to offer in return. Me: I promise. I put my phone away and boarded the bus. As it moved through the city, I opened my banking application and checked my savings. Then I opened the calculator. Two hundred million dollars. I entered the amount I had saved and subtracted it from the debt, the result appeared on the screen was: $199,900,000. I stared at the number. I worked almost every day, yet I had barely saved enough to make a difference. Even if I found five more jobs, I wouldn't come close to raising that amount in two months. I locked my phone and leaned back in my seat. There had to be another way. I couldn't marry Diego. Never! I had heard too many stories about him. Some people said he had ordered the deaths of wolves who betrayed him. Others claimed he had imprisoned members of rival packs for months. There were rumours that women who entered his estate sometimes disappeared without a trace. I wondered what was going on with Mariana, but that didn't mean I wanted to be part of those stories whether true or false. Nobody ever spoke about him without lowering their voice.