ABDUCTED FOR THE ALPHA
1258 Words
The heavy silver chains dug into my wrists as I was yanked forward, my feet barely touching the ground. The maids, squires and guards, stood at various corners watching as I was dragged out of my father's castle like a criminal.
"Father, please!" I cried out, struggling against the soldiers. "Don’t let them take me away!"
My father didn’t spare me a glance. He stood motionless at the castle doors, his expression unreadable. My stepmother stood beside him, her lips pressed into a thin line. No matter how she tried to hide it, this was amusing to her. Death could not get rid of me so the soldiers were making her dreams come true.
"Move," a soldier snapped, shoving me forward.
Pain shot through my knees as I hit the cold, hard ground. My chest heaved, panic clawing at my throat. The chains tightened, their silver burning my skin, but I barely felt it over the raw betrayal and pain I felt in my heart.
We had the army to take these strangers down, but my father preferred to sit and watch his only daughter being taken away.
I was dragged into a carriage and thrown onto the floor like a sack of grains. The doors slammed shut, sealing my fate. No matter how I screamed and banged on the doors, nobody came to my rescue.
~
The ride was rough, the wheels rattling over uneven terrain of potholes and mud.
My heart pounded as I listened to the soldiers talking from the front of the carriage.
"She should be dead," one muttered. "The curse should have killed her."
"Doesn’t matter," another scoffed. "Alpha wants her now."
My breath hitched. How did the Alpha know of my curse and why did he want me?
"I'm bewildered by how a father can give away his daughter without a fight," another said.
"Terence is a greedy fool," I heard Alfred say.
"He started a war he couldn’t win. When the Lycans retaliated, he begged for mercy. The moon goddess cursed him, but instead of taking his punishment like a man, he offered his daughter in his place and that's why he was nonchalant about her being taken away."
It felt like the world had stopped spinning. My father had claimed my curse was as a result of my mother's possession of dark magic. He blamed her for something he had caused!
He used his own blood as a sacrificial lamb!
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. If my own father could betray me, who then could I trust?
"Do you think the Alpha wants her because of the curse or did Terence use her as collateral?" One of the soldiers asked.
"I have no idea. But whatever it is, it's pretty serious," Alfred admitted.
My stomach twisted violently.
I was cursed in my father’s place. And now, the very people who had cursed me wanted me.
I would rather die than accept whatever they had to offer.
The carriage jerked to a sudden stop, nearly throwing me forward.
"Swords!" Alfred shouted and the sound of thin metal filled the air.
My heartbeat tripled. I tried to look out the window to see what was happening but the sight of a soldier's mauled corpse sent me running back to my seat.
My palms were sweaty and I silently prayed my father's army had come to rescue me.
The doors burst open. Rough hands grabbed me, dragging me out into the cold night. My heart fell as I realised there was no army, only piles of torn human flesh littered around..
Whatever attacked us must have been extremely violent and cruel.
The soldiers pushed me forward until I was standing alone in the middle of the forest while they hid behind the carriage.
I heard the loud snapping of branches and I was instantly filled with fear. I turned on my heels, moving as fast as my bound feet could carry me.
The soldiers pointed their swords at me, warning me not to come any closer.
Was this how I was going to die?
Mauled and devoured by whatever lurked in the woods.
Tears spilled down my cheeks and I begged the soldiers to help me but my pleas fell on deaf ears.
A guttural growl from the bushes sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned around and my eyes locked onto a monstrous figure stepping out of the shadows.
It was massive, larger than any lycan I had ever seen or heard of. Its glowing red eyes burned into mine, its large fangs gleaming under the moonlight. Its thick black fur stood upright and its claws dug into the earth as it stepped closer to me.
This creature was straight out of a nightmare.
Terror rooted me to the spot, I couldn’t move or speak.
"Take her!" a soldier yelled. "Eat her and spare us!"
I stumbled backwards, falling to my knees before the beast.
Tears welled in my eyes.
This was it. I was going to die again.
The creature let out a deep, rumbling snarl and lunged at me.
I flinched.
But the attack never came.
Instead, the beast circled me, sniffing my body. Its hot breath fanned against my skin as it traced a path around me, its grunts low and curious.
It stopped at my neck, inhaling deeply.
Then, with a final snort, it turned and ran, vanishing into the tall trees.
I sighed in relief as the beast's footsteps disappeared.
The soldiers were frozen in place, their faces pale.
"What the hell was that?" one whispered as he dragged me to my feet.
I was an avid reader and I had quite a lot of knowledge on the creatures and beings that existed in Silvervalley, but I had never seen or read of a creature as terrifying as what I had just seen..
~
The castle gates loomed ahead, tall and menacing. I barely had time to process before I was dragged inside, down endless stone corridors, and thrown onto the cold marble floor of the grand hall.
I struggled to my feet and my heart nearly gave out as my eyes landed on the throne.
Sitting on the large gold plated chair before me was the man from last night.
The one who had stolen my breath.
The one I had kissed.
He was the Alpha!
Relief washed over me. I scrambled to my feet, my heart racing as I took a step forward.
But before I could reach him, a blur of gold flashed before me.
A sharp slap cracked through the air.
Pain exploded across my face as I was sent sprawling onto the floor.
My cheek burned, the taste of blood on my tongue.
A tall, blonde woman stood over me, her emerald eyes filled with pure hatred.
"Stay where you belong," she sneered. "On your knees before the Alpha."
Humiliation burned through me as the guards forced me to remain on the ground.
I lifted my gaze to him, searching for warmth in those piercing grey eyes.
But there was none.
The man who had held me so tenderly last night was gone.
The alpha before me was cold as ice.
His jaw was clenched, a red bruise slowly appearing on his left cheek.
What the hell was happening?
Without warning, he grabbed me by the collar, hauling me up effortlessly.
His dark eyes bore into mine as he pulled me closer to him.
"What did you do to me?" he growled as he shook me violently.
- Writer
