SOLD TO THE LYCAN DEVILS

CHAPTER 4: IN THE DEVIL'S LAIR

ALTHEA

The carriage seemed to go on for eternity.

I was placed in a cage, doomed to witness the scenery from behind iron bars. I was still dressed in rags and I felt beyond dirty. Especially after my encounter with the brothers.

I did not know what the future held for me but I knew that it was nothing good. I did not even get to say goodbye to my omega family. I wondered how Alpha Theron would treat them in my absence. I was always the stubborn one, daring to stand against some of his rules that seemed beyond unfair to us but I knew that no one could do that for them now that I was gone.

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed to the goddess that they would survive in my absence. Then I opened my eyes and went back to thinking about myself.

The brothers had refused to give me anything to eat. This was probably the beginning of their punishment; starving me.

I sighed and stared at the cage sadly. The horse pulling my caged wagon was the last on the line, while the brothers were somewhere at the center of the escort crew. All I could stare at were the many trees that lined the forest we passed through.

The sun had almost set when I felt the wagon starting to slow. Were we stopping for a break?

The sound of metals creaking open took over the air. I immediately figured that we were passing through gates even before seeing the gigantic iron structures. Then I sadly watched them closely. It was as if I had walked into my own cell.

A guard dressed in a uniform so black that he looked like the devil himself appeared before my cage. He unlocked it and motioned for me to step out without a word.

Normally, I would have tried to act difficult and stubborn but I was too hungry to fight. I could not even remember the last time I had something to eat. I felt very weak and frail.

I slowly got to my feet and jumped out of the wagon. He grabbed my left shoulder and dragged me away. When he spun me around, I gasped at the sight before me.

A large castle stood in all its glory in front of me. The reddish golden light from the setting sun that illuminated the structure made it seem as if it had come out of a dark fantasy tale. It had a presence that made all who stared think twice before walking into it. There was a provocative aura floating around it that demanded authority and dominance, it was almost like standing before the Lycan triplets themselves.

From the pointy roofs that dominated the structure, giving off a gothic feel, to the dark stones that ruled the structure; everything about it had a psychological effect on its victims.

A large and dark structure of a vicious wolf stood in the center of the spacious court. The wolf was surrounded by water which reflected the glory as well as the horrors of the castle.

An involuntary shiver ran down my spine just from taking in the magnificence of the building. I caught myself gapping and I immediately shut my mouth. I brought my eyes down in time to see the Lycan brothers disappearing into the grand main entrance of the building and I thought the guard was going to take me through those same doors when I saw him leading me elsewhere instead.

He took me to the left side of the building. I noticed that there were lots of men patrolling the castle. Men who looked way too intimidating to be crossed and their dark uniforms screamed their undisputed authority in my ears. I shrugged it away and decided to pay attention instead, to the doom that I was about to face.

He stopped before another door which was also grand but did not have as much style as the main entrance. Two more guards stood by this new door. They looked beyond serious and I knew that I could not dare cross these men.

They let out low growls the moment they acknowledged our presence and I feared that they would take a bite off my skin if I made the wrong move. They looked almost wild. Was this to perhaps stop me from daring to escape?

The guard with me nodded at them and they gestured at him to go through. He tightened his grip on my arm and pulled me through the door.

Inside, I noticed how dark it was. I could hardly see a thing. The only source of light was from the large window above us. Silk draperies lined the walls and they seemed to float as we passed. The wind causing them to float hit me too and another shiver ran down my spine.

What lay beyond?

For some reason, my teeth began to clatter and my heart began to pound. I was getting scared.

Large double doors came into view at the end of the corridor. The guard pushed it open in one go and tossed me in. I was not prepared for it so I lost my balance and crashed on the marble floor.

Then the guard squatted before me and I managed to look up at him. "You had better not try to escape or you'll regret it," he threatened before walking out of the room.

I slowly sat up and looked around. That was when I realized that I was not alone in the grand hall. Girls lay on small mattresses staring back at me with inquisitive yet fearful eyes. There was a straight flight of stairs at the end of the hall that led up to another room. I wondered who stayed there.

I slowly got to my feet and found an empty mattress. I was about to collapse on it when a girl suddenly appeared before me.

"That's my spot!" She shot coldly at me.

I lifted my hands out in defeat and found another bed. No one came for it so I figured I could claim it as mine. I sat there and decided to examine the girls.

They looked lifeless, too sad to claim that they were living and I wondered just what the Lycans had done to them. I sighed and collapsed on the bed. I would wrestle my brain on how to survive here tomorrow. For today, I needed to sleep.

I hardly shut my eyes when the door burst open! All the girls got up— myself not being an exception. We all stared at the door to see what had caused the intrusion when the girls all gasped.

The Lycan brothers graciously walked in and they did not come alone. They were followed by a guard dragging a girl. She was visibly trembling and I could see the fear written all over her face.

Kael wore an expression that I could not read as he stood there with both his hands tucked in his pocket, hazel brown eyes scanning us all. When he saw me, he stayed on me for a while and I felt my teeth begin to clatter again before he finally took his eyes away.

Caliban stared at no one in particular. His eyes stared straight ahead and his expression held anger.

But Tristan unlike his brothers had a smile on his face. Yet this smile was dangerous and therefore made him unpredictable. I could not tell where he stood as his green eyes swept over us all.

"Carol here tried to escape. . ." He began in a voice that carried both amusement and anger.

The girls gasped again. I knew it was a great offense but I did not understand why the girls were making it look as if it was the greatest sin in the world.

Tristan outstretched his hand to Carol who was still held captive by the guard. "Come, Carol, come to me," he said in a soothing voice.

Carol gulped and refused to move. Her head was dipped towards the floor. The guard released her and she lifted her head toward Tristan in hesitation, as if contemplating whether to trust him or not.

"F— forgive me, master. . ." She muttered as her blond hair fell over her face.

"Come," Tristan said in a more commanding tone.

Carol let out a short whimper before accepting his hand. He pulled her closer to him and tucked her stray hair behind her ears.

"Why would you disobey us, Carol? I was beginning to like you," he whispered yet it was loud enough for us all to hear.

"Forgive me. It won't happen again," Carol begged in a tiny voice. She resembled a rabbit in a lion's den. She shivered from all his touches.

The other brothers remained quiet as Tristan played around with the girl. It was almost as if they knew her fate even without Tristan saying it out loud.

"You really want me to forgive you?" He asked in a soothing voice while caressing her cheeks with his fingers.

The girl nodded shakily.

Tristan suddenly smiled. Yet I could see the danger in it. "I forgive you. . .you may go. . ." He breathed.

Carol shot him wide disbelieving eyes. "Y— you're letting me go?" She asked, too shocked to accept it.

He nodded slowly and gestured at a bed. "Go on," he assured her.

For some reason, the rhythm of my heartbeat switched to a faster one. Something did not feel right. I could feel it in my gut that he was up to something.

Carol shakily turned her back to him and started to walk slowly toward us. I heard her heave a sigh of relief as she approached us. A triumphant smile played on her lips and I also started to push my doubts away. Maybe I was overthinking things again.

Suddenly, the aura in the air switched from uncertainty to hostility. Tristan moved too fast for us to see and he drove his claws into her gut from behind in a swift movement.

I went down on my knees as I muffled my scream. The rest of the girls gasped and I heard muffled screams. They began to whimper shakily in fear.

I watched the color drain from Carol's face as Tristan retrieved his hand from her gut. She stared back at us with wide eyes before collapsing on the floor.

Kael and Caliban broke into laughter as they stared at all our shocked faces.

Tristan let in a heavy breath before releasing it in satisfaction. "That was fun," he muttered and I continued to stare at him in horror. He turned to the guard who had come with them. "Clean this up," he ordered.

"Now, for our entertainment tonight. Who will the lucky girl be?" Tristan demanded in a playful voice.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw a woman staring down at the event taking place from above. She was the one in that special room.

"Althea," Kael spoke for the first time.