The alpha's face was annoyingly beautiful. Long raven black hair framed his face but it was pulled into a pony tail. He had black perfectly shaped eyebrows. Long eyelashes covered his dark eyes which were staring at me now with a mischievous glint in them. His red sinful lips were pulled into a smirk. He was dressed in a white cotton shirt which was not fully buttoned up, giving me a view of bronze muscled chest.
"You should bow." One of the girls poked me from behind as I ogled their alpha.
I turned to look at the girl who nodded her head at me and then turned to look back at the alpha whose gaze was still fixed on me. Annoying smirk in place. I fisted my hands at my side and glared back at him.
The girl poked me again. "You should bow, human!"
I hated the way she threw the word 'human' at me. Like I've got a name and it's not like I refer to them as beasts or werewolves! But she was right though, I needed to bow. Everyone's eyes were fixated on me now. Each of them looking at me with curiosity in their eyes. I fisted my dress in my hand and made a curtsy with so much grace that Christine and Rissa would applaud me if they were here.
I looked up to find the alpha give a single nod. I was about to ask what that means when I was suddenly pushed forward.
"Move!" One of the girls ordered.
I did as she asked and moved towards the table. I could feel eyes on me as I walked and my hands were clammy. But I didn't pay them any attention. I was afraid if I looked, they would see how scared I was and use it against me. Instead of looking, I kept my gaze on the alpha. I find him much more pleasant to look at than his subject.
I finally got towards the head of the table. Stopping in front of an empty chair that was placed beside the alpha. I lowered myself to the seat, keeping my eyes trained downwards. From my peripheral vision I could see a servant begin to pile my plate with food. Another servant came and poured wine into my cup.
I mumbled a thanks as the servants left but I didn't pick up my food to eat. Instead I just stared at it. I was hungry but I was wary about the food. It might be human flesh for all I know.
"Eat!" A sharp voice commanded and I realized it came from the alpha. I looked up at him then back at my food.
"Don't worry it isn't poisoned." Aurora said from opposite the table with an encouraging smirk on her face.
I heard Kiran scoff. "I'm not sure that's what she's worried about, she's probably thinking about what kind of meat it is."
He wasn't wrong but I'll be damned before I tell him how right he was.
"What? You think us all vile beasts?" A loud voice boomed from the end of a table. I looked up to see a man with brown beard and long hair grinning at me.
"Don't worry human, we don't bite." A voice that belonged to a female said beside me.
I turned only to find her smiling at me. Long canines protruding from her mouth. Her mouth was full of the red wine...No, not wine, I noticed a chilling sensation creeping down my spine. It was blood! I averted my gaze from her and fixed it on my food. Yeah, I'm not really hungry.
Aurora pushed a plate full of lamb rack towards me. "Eat this, it's really delicious."
"Thanks but I'm not hungry." I told Aurora with a small smile. Her face fell at that but I wasn't really hungry. My appetite already vanished at the sight of blood.
"Eat!" A loud voice boomed and it came from the alpha.
I looked at the alpha only to see him glaring at me, the smirk already gone.
"I said I'm not hungry!" I retorted looking away from him.
"And I asked you to eat!" He said with a cutting edge to his tone.
"You don't tell me what to do!" I countered back shooting him a glare
That seemed to amuse the alpha because he leaned back to look at me with me. That annoying smirk back in place. "Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. I don't answer to you. Now, let me go!" I commanded still glaring at the alpha.
The alpha merely cocked a brow up at me. "Go where?"
"Home!" I answered and as soon as I said that loud laughters erupted from the table.
I looked around as everyone threw their head back as if I had shared a joke. Even Aurora was laughing. The only one who wasn't laughing was the alpha who was had a lazy smirk in place. He was looking at me as if he knew a secret. Something about me that I didn't know about.
"Well, what is it?" I asked when I couldn't take it any longer.
"What you said, about you going home." Kiran said and I turned to look at him.
"And pray tell how's that funny?" I arched a brow up at him, "I want to go home! I demand to be set free to return to my home!" I commanded and again, the whole room erupted in laughter. I could feel heat creep up my neck in anger.
"Quick! Someone fetch little red her cloak!" A voice boomed from the end of the table.
"She wants to go home to her mommy!" The woman behind me whined and everyone laughed again at that.
I was starting to feel angry! No, I was already angry! How dare they laugh at me? I asked fuming in anger from where I was sitting. Without another thought, I stood up from where I was sitting. My chair pushed backwards from the force I used to stand up. The whole room grew silent at that. Eyes now on me, watching what I was going to do.
"Arianne, what are you doing?" Aurora asked in confusion.
"Leaving!" I answered and turned to leave but a voice stopped me.
"Sit!" The alpha commanded and I turned to look at him. All traces of amusement have been wiped clean from his face. "Sit down Arianne!" He repeated more sternly this time.
Something about his tone suggested I quietly do as he asked without causing any more trouble for him. I also noticed everyone had gone eerily quiet. I lowered my self to my seat and turned to look at the alpha who was leaning back against his chair.
"Now, what makes you think you have any home to go to?"
"What do you mean?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.
The alpha arched a brow up at me as he assessed me with a lazy look in his eyes. "Did you really think you were selected?"
What did he mean by that? I asked myself as I glared at the alpha. "Then why am I here?"
"You are clearly not the first person I pictured in mind to be selected." The alpha commented with a lazy drawl, "But your family made me an offer, that was tempting" He smirked at me.
I didn't like where this was going at all. I turned to look at Kiran, since he was the one who came to fetch me. "What is he talking about?"
Kiran rolled his eyes at me. Probably because he was bored of me already, like I could give a fuck. I was going to get my answers today.
"Marilyn Fairchild was the one originally selected on the night of the blue moon." Kiran told me and I paused at the name.
Marilyn Fairchild? I know her. She was the florist in my town. She was very kind and generous. I didn't know her much but from what I see anytime I'm in town with her, she treats everyone really good. Also when I go to shop with my hair covered, she attends to me and treats me fairly, like she treats other customers.
"So what happened?" I asked eager to know what happened next.
Kiran sighed but answered anyway. "Her family was devastated at the choice. Blaming the gods why their sweet daughter had to be chosen instead of the towns freak." He said this looking at me square in the eyes.
The town's freak? That was me. It's who I am. I thought to myself as I felt tears well up my eyes.
"I was curious about who that was." Kiran continued, "And they led me straight to you, man, your family didn't put up much of a fight when the Fairchild declared that it was you who should be taken instead of their precious daughter. Your dad was relieved while your stepmother was all smiles and besides, why wouldn't she be? We paid them five thousand pieces for you." Kiran informed me and my eyes went wild at that.
Five thousand pieces? That was wealth! Lots of riches. The new house they could move into. The servants they could have, the horses they could buy with that! Five thousand pieces was a lot of money and it would really do my family good. If my father was smart and still has enough common senses on him, he'd invest in that money. But of course, Christine has him so wrapped around her finger, he can't seem to make a decision for himself.
The money would do my family good, but at the same time I'm hurt. Hurt they would think to offer me up for the selection and also collect money from it. I was angry. Angry at my family, the Fairchild, the whole town and the stupid werewolves. Why can't they just leave us alone? Why come up with this selection at all?
"So, can you see?" The alpha asked me, "You don't have a home to go to anymore. Now eat, you will need your strength!"
Like I could eat after hearing the horrible truth. "I'm not hungry!"
"I offer you my generosity by clothing, putting food on in front of you and you chose to disrespect me?" The alpha asked getting angry, "You should be fucking grateful!" He growled at me.
"Grateful? What should I be grateful for?" I cocked a brow up at him, "You call this generosity? Gloating and parading me naked in front of your subjects?"
"Well, just so you know you are not completely naked." The girl beside me whispered but I ignored her and continued.
"Do not call this generosity! You wouldn't know what it means to be generous even if it smacks you in your face! You know why?" I asked looking at him with a hard glare, "Because you are not human! You are a monster!" I finished just as a low growl rumbled from the alpha's throat and I thought I saw his dark eyes flash red in anger.
"Then how about I show you just how much of a monster I can be?" The alpha asked and just before I could ponder what he meant by that, he snapped his fingers.
"Take her away and lock her up!" He commanded just as the girls who had followed me in pulled me up from my seat. "She is not to be fed or attended to, till she is ready to kneel and beg for my kindness!"
"No!" Aurora shouted from where she was sitting but no one made a move to stop the girls from dragging me away. No one dared to do so, because it was his command! The command of a king!
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Sorry for the late updates guys, I went on a little trip! But I'm back y'all and thanks to those who are voting for my story, I love y'all!
Let's see your thoughts on this chapter in the comment section and I'll give you another chapter tomorrow.
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