Cassia's POV
I sat on my seat and took sips from my wine cup waiting for the banquet to finally end.
The grand banquet hall was filled with laughter, music, and the scent of roasted meats and spiced wine.
Golden chandeliers filled the room in warm light, their glow reflecting off the polished marble floors and the extravagant silk gowns of the nobles.
It should have been a night of joy, a celebration of victory after the long and bloody war between my kingdom, Lysoria, and the werewolves of Varyon.
But as I sat at the long banquet table beside my father, King Alric Lirien, my stomach twisted with unease. The laughter around me felt forced, everything felt hollow. Something was wrong.
"For years, we have fought against the werewolves of Varyon,"finally my father stood, raising his goblet high, also silencing the room as he said, his deep voice echoing across the hall. "We have shed blood, lost sons and daughters, and yet, we have endured."
The nobles pounded their fists against the tables in agreement. Seeing their reactions my father continued, his gaze sweeping over the gathered lords and ladies before settling on me. Something was happening? Something always happens when she looks at me that way.
"But war must end," he declared. "And so, for the sake of peace, I have made an agreement with Supreme Alpha Hadrian Valerian, the ruler of Varyon." He took a slow breath and then smiled. "To unite our kingdoms my beloved daughter, Princess Cassia Lirien, will be given in marriage to his most trusted Alpha Lord Darius Rael."
And there was silence.
My heart stopped. The room blurred, and the words rang in my ears like a death sentence.
I sat frozen, my fingers tightening around the silver goblet in my hand. Did I mishear him?
I turned toward my father, but the pride in his expression confirmed it… I totally heard him right.
He was selling me to the enemy.
Gasps started echoing around me, but I barely heard them over the roaring of my heartbeat in my ears. My breath quickened, my chest tightening as a wave of rage surged through me.
"You… I.. fath.." My voice caught but I forced myself to speak. "You're giving me away? To some monster?"
"Cassia, this is for the good of Lysoria. We need this peace." My father's smile faltered slightly but he said it anyway..
"Peace?" I let out a laugh with a shaky voice. "You planned a rebellion against the werewolves barely a year ago! And now you expect me to marry one of them now?"
"The rebellion failed. If we do not accept this treaty the next war will destroy us." A muscle in his jaw twitched.
I stared at him in disbelief. My father, the man who raised me to hate the werewolves, who told me that they were monsters who only knew bloodshed was now sending me into their world as a bargaining piece. Just some sort of trash?
I pushed back my chair so hard it scraped against the marble. My legs trembled as I stood up.
"You're selling me off like livestock," I said with my voice barely above a whisper.
"Cassia…"
"No!" I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry there, in front of them all. "If you wanted to throw me away you should have done it before I wasted my life fighting for this kingdom!"
And with that said I turned on my heel and stormed out of the banquet hall.
Tears blurred my vision as I ran to my chambers, my gown dragging across the cold stone floors.
'Bang!'
The moment I reached my room I slammed the door shut, pressing my back against it as I tried to breathe.
I had trained for years to be a warrior princess, to stand beside my father in battle as his only child. I had watched friends die, held the hands of fallen soldiers as they took their last breaths. And now…? I was being sent away as if I were nothing more than a tool.
As if I had no choice. Of course who was I? A nobody, my choice didn't matter.
A sob tore from my throat and I sank onto the edge of my bed.
For years, I had imagined many futures… like leading our kingdom, fighting beside my people, even dying on the battlefield if necessary, but I had never imagined this.
Never imagined that my own father would hand me over to a werewolf lord, the very creatures who had nearly wiped out our people.
I curled my arms around myself, my body shaking and yet, no matter how much I wished to fight back, I knew the truth.
I had no way out.
I cried myself to sleep and when the first rays of sunlight filtered through my windows, there was a knock at the door. I barely had time to wipe the dried tears from my face before a group of maids entered.
"My lady," the head maid said with a bow. "It is time to prepare you for your journey to the werewolf council."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight. But I had no strength left. I was weak.
I let them dress me in a gown of deep crimson, the color of our kingdom's banners. The silk was soft, but I felt like I was being wrapped in chains.
They adorned me with golden jewelry, placed a delicate crown upon my head, and styled my long, dark curls into intricate braids. When they were done, they stepped back, allowing me to look at myself in the mirror.
I barely recognized the girl staring back at me. She looked like a princess but she felt like a prisoner.
To my surprise no one came to see me off, just a letter from my father about how something came up.
"So this is it I guess." I chuckled and went into the carriage. A hoarse would have been better.
The roads were long, stretching across vast mountains and deep forests, the lands growing colder the closer we got to Varyon. I stayed silent, my hands clenched in my lap as the carriage wheels rolled over the dirt paths and then to General Aeron, my father's most trusted knight, who sat by my side.
When we finally passed through the gates of Varyon, the capital city rose before me.
It was a beautiful, tall tower of silver stone, grand bridges arching over rivers, and sprawling streets filled with werewolves and humans alike.
After what seemed like forever the carriage came to a stop and I got down.
The palace, the doors were thrown open.
Seemed like this wasn't the palace I needed to be in.
The whole place was fifty times better than any human kingdom I've been to.
A tall, imposing figure stood at the entrance.
My breath caught.
Darius.
His muscular features were illuminated by the golden torchlight, his silver hair falling just past his shoulders. He was handsome, striking even, but his amber eyes held no warmth.
The moment our eyes met, my stomach twisted.
There was something in his gaze, something that told me he already knew something I didn't.
Something was wrong, and deep down, I knew… This was only the beginning of my nightmare.