Cassia's POV
I was drowning.
Not in water, but by the whispers that had followed me since I arrived, their scornful, sharp-edged words that cut deeper than a blade. I was not welcome here. I had never been meant to survive here.
Now, as I stood in the middle of a dimly lit chamber, facing the man I was supposed to marry, I felt like the rumors about him were just lies.
Darius stood with his back to me, his broad shoulders tense beneath the folds of his embroidered tunic. He hadn't spoken to me since we left the council hall. Not a single word.
But I had waited long enough.
"Are you going to ignore me forever?" My voice came out steadier than I expected.
He didn't turn around.
"I assume you know why you're here," he said finally.
How could the most honorable, romantic werewolf everyone talks about be the man in front of me?
I clenched my fists. "I know I was given to you like a prize at an auction. A political pawn. A necessary evil."
I felt the silence stretched between us and then he finally turned. His amber eyes locked onto mine, but there was no warmth in them.
"Then we understand each other."
A bitter laugh escaped me. "Understand each other? You haven't even looked at me properly, let alone treated me like your future wife."
Darius let out a slow exhale, stepping closer. "That's because you aren't."
"Excuse me?" I froze.
I mean even though I was probably an exclusive slave in their kingdom I was and will always be princess and demanded to be treated as one.
"I don't want this marriage any more than you do. But unlike you, I don't have a choice." His gaze darkened.
A rush of anger shot through me. "You think I do?" My voice rose. "I was thrown into a carriage like a lamb for slaughter with no proper send-off and sent here to be your obedient little wife. Do you think I asked for this?"
His jaw tightened, but he didn't flinch.
"Listen carefully Princess," he said. "You will do your duty, and I will do mine. We will play our roles in public, but that is all. In private you will stay out of my way, and I will stay out of yours."
I felt like I had been slapped.
"And if I refuse?" I challenged.
A flicker of something… probably annoyance? Amusement…? crossed his face.
"Then you'll find out exactly how little power you have here."
He didn't give me the chance to respond. With one last piercing look, he turned and walked out, leaving me standing in the suffocating room.
The walls of the palace had never felt more like a prison.
By midday, I was forced to attend a formal gathering of the werewolf nobles, an event that felt more like an interrogation to me.
I was seated at a long table, surrounded by people who clearly wished I wasn't there. Golden goblets of wine clinked, silverware scraped against plates, but the tension never faded.
The women whispered behind their fans, casting me sidelong glances. The men openly stared, assessing. 'Perverts!' I wanted to scream at them.
I kept my back straight, my expression blank but inside I was suffocating.
Then one of the noblewomen leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with thinly veiled mockery.
"Tell us Princess," she purred. "Have you ever seen a werewolf shift before?"
"No." I met her gaze evenly.
A chorus of murmurs rippled through the room.
"How unfortunate," another noble mused. "A princess of wolves who has never witnessed the power of our kind. Funny. Shame, shame." She chuckled.
I gritted my teeth, and I could sense the trap being laid before me.
"Would you like to see?" The first woman smirked, tilting her head toward a towering man beside her.
My stomach clenched as the man stood from his chair and began to unbutton his tunic. His muscles tensed, his breathing deepened, and then his bones started cracking.
I sucked in a sharp breath, before my eyes, his body contorted, shifting with unnatural speed. His skin darkened beneath coarse black fur, his fingers twisted into claws, and within seconds, a massive wolf stood where the man had been.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
The nobles laughed softly sipping their wine as if this were some sort of entertainment. Oh, was I dancing?
I should have looked away. I should have remained calm, but I couldn't breathe.
Flashes of the battlefield filled my mind, the howls, the torn bodies, the scent of blood. The war had been over, but it never left me and now, I was surrounded by the very monsters I had been raised to fear.
The werewolf took a step toward me, its blue eyes gleaming with something. Hunger? "That's enough." Darius' voice cut through.
The werewolf froze and slowly it shifted back, the fur retracting, the claws disappearing. Within moments, the man stood before me once more, naked, smirking as if nothing had happened.
I saw the way Darius' jaw was clenched. Shouldn't he be happy? For sure this was his plan.
The nobles resumed their conversation, but I remained silent, my nails digging into my palms beneath the table.
They wanted me to break in fear, but I was not going to give them the satisfaction, but gods, how I wished I could escape this place.
Later that night, I wandered the halls of the palace, the moonlight spilled through the towering windows. My footsteps echoed as I turned a corner, pausing when I heard voices ahead.
I moved closer, pressing myself against the cold wall.
"She is weaker than I expected," a low voice muttered. "She won't last long."
"That doesn't matter," another voice responded. "The real problem is what happens when the Alpha Prince finds out about her. You know him, that's why he was sent to war maybe."
My breath caught.
"We don't have time," the first voice said. "He'll return soon. And when he does…"
"It will be too late."
A sharp pang of unease spread through my chest.
The Alpha Prince again? What were they planning to do to me?
I had never heard mention of another prince, but the way they spoke… he ruled this place? Then how about the king?
I took a step back with my mind racing with questions.
Who was this Alpha Prince?