Royals

Chapter Two - A Rude Awakening

Rosalie woke slowly, her head was pounding and her vision swam. Panic instantly swept over her - Where was she? Was it all a bad dream?

A quick twist of her wrists proved it was not a dream. Rosalie was tied with silver chains to her bed, although she was in her own room at least. The silver lightly burned, although she had a fair immunity still, having not shifted yet. She stared up at the canopy over her bed, trying to piece together what had happened. Her chest hurt as she remembered her father was dead. Betrayed, by the son of his dearest friend, it was the stuff of nightmares. Grimblewald. Her anger surged, searching for signs in all their interactions that this was going to happen, but he had given away nothing, not until the attack was already underway. He had told the rogues about the wall, she was sure of it, and she only wondered why the rogues hadn’t killed her yet. She was after all, the rightful heir and killing her would only take out any threat to their rule. Rosalie heard a voice outside “Is she awake yet?”. It was unmistakably Grimblewald. “Not that I last saw boss, but we haven’t checked in an hour”.

Her door was pushed open, and Grimblewalds scent filled the room. It was stronger now, no doubt because Rosalie’s Lycan had tried to surface, and was closer now. Lycan’s couldn’t shift until we turned 21, our shifts took a greater toll on our bodies and we needed to be more mature to withstand the pain. We also usually inherited powers from our bloodlines, although Rosalie and her father had not yet discussed where Rosalie’s talents would lie. A singular tear fell from Rosalie’s eye as she thought of him.

“Ahh, happy to see me?” Grimblewald said, pulling Rosalie again from her thoughts. He leered at her, an evil smile on his face. “Perhaps we are fated after all”.

“I would never be fated to the likes of you, Grimblewald” Rosalie spat “I don’t even know how you have the audacity to stand in the same room as me”.

“Temper temper” Grimblewald replied, undisturbed by her anger. “Is that any way to thank me? After all, I’m the only reason you’re alive”.

“You’re the reason my father is dead” Rosalie replied, her voice dark.

“Ah yes, an unfortunate casualty, but necessary for the greater good” Grimblewald said, his hands tracing the fabric canopy hanging over her bed.

“And what good could ever come from your King falling, enlighten me” Rosalie said, her eyes narrowed, unable to conceal her hate for the man in front of her.

“Well, my Princess” began Grindlewald, his words causing Rosalie’s skin to burn with disgust. “I’m aware your first shift is only 20 days away. I will allow the first shift, to see if we are indeed fated. I believe we are, since we were children, I have watched you, admired you, loved you. You were the only one to show me kindness, and I know the bond must have existed since then.”

“You foolish man” Rosalie stared Grindlewald in the eyes as she spoke. “What I felt for you was pity, not love. And your actions have robbed me of even that.”

A flash of emotion crossed Grindlewalds face, but Rosalie couldn’t read it. “My Princess, I am under no illusion that my actions may have… Slightly soured our relationship. But the bond between Lycans can overcome all. And we will be mated.”

“Slightly soured?? You murdered my father! Tore down my kingdom! I will never mate with you! We are not fated, you disgust me! Even if we were fated, I would reject you the moment the bond tried to take hold” Rosalie replied, venom in her voice.

Grimblewald started laughing at her, which only infuriated her more as she was tied down and forced to stay in the same room as him as he ridiculed her. “You think rejecting me would change anything Princess? You don’t exactly seem to have much choice in the matter, do you?” Grindlewald nodded towards the chains holding her down. “Even if we are not fated, there is a full moon the week after your shift. I will take you as a chosen mate, and you will be mated to me, whether you are willing or not. I have sacrificed it all for you Princess, and you will be mine”.

Shock overcame Rosalie in waves. So this was his plan all along? He knew her father would never agree to their mating, so he forced it like this? Lycans once mated, were mated for life. The moon Goddess blessed us with more strength and power than average werewolves. We were larger, faster, even the lowliest omega Lycan could overpower an Alpha werewolf. We were also blessed with Goddess given powers, passed through our bloodlines. However the cost of this was that we were held to much higher standards than werewolves. If a Lycan rejected their fated mate, they would be cursed, slowly becoming weaker and more frail, susceptible to disease, they would then lose their minds and forget everything they knew until eventually either dying from disease or ending the suffering themselves. Lycans that rejected a fated mate they had already marked, died instantly from the disrespect for the fated bond. The moon Goddess both blessed and cursed them, and the Lycans had to follow the Goddesses word to the letter in exchange of their gifts. The Lycans were revered by the werewolf populations because of this, out of both fear and respect for their steadfast belief and following of the moon Goddess. Wolves could take chosen mates, Lycans could not, if we did not meet our fated we simply died alone. Taking a chosen mate would mean overruling the moon Goddesses plan for us, and those who did were rumored to live a cursed life. This also meant Lycans could not selectively breed a more powerful population, rumors are that some Lycans chose strong females as their mates for this, but the women always died in childbirth. Lycan women often died in childbirth regardless, as Rosalie’s own mother did, the tax that carrying a Lycan baby often completely depleting the mother and making her unable to survive the birth. This is why the Lycan population was decreasing in size, and why they plowed so much money into medical care for pregnant and birthing Lycan women. Grindlewald knew if he marked her, Rosalie’s only way out was death.

Horror swept over Rosalie, and Grindlewald chuckled as he saw the realisation hit her. “Yes Princess, you will be mine”.

“What would your father say about this! Surely your mother is against this, where is she?” Rosalie asked, bile rising in her throat.

“My mother?” Grindlewald said with the same leering grin “Oh, my mother helped me plan this. In fact I’d say a lot of this was her idea”.