*18+ Sexual/Violence Content Warning - Read At Own Discretion*
A vicious smile touches his lips as he seems to read my intentions.
"I knew it was you. I knew you belonged to me."
***
For centuries an ancient treaty has kept werewolves out of A...
Someone prods my cheek with a sharp finger. Once, twice.
It rouses me, my eyes blinking open to see a pair of dark blue ones staring back at me, unnervingly close. I jerk back, only to realise I'm sitting upright on a wooden chair.
The person backs off. A woman, with her hair braided behind her, a frosty expression exploring her features.
I feel strangely light, as if my limbs are not my own.
Slowly, like liquid flowing through a small gap, my memories return to me. I was in a car accident, trying to return home. Eldon was in the car…Eldon.
I look around, only to see he is next to me. He too sits in a chair, his head slumped forward, tawny hair draped like a curtain over his face.
We are in some unfamiliar cottage. The woman watching me is the only other soul present, aside from my very unconscious, possibly dead boyfriend.
"Eldon?" I hiss, my voice hoarse.
He doesn't respond, although from here he doesn't seem to be injured. Despite the violence of our crash, I don't feel particularly injured either, my body free of wounds of blood.
"He's fine. He's been healed," the woman states. "You both have."
She has her arms folded over her chest, staring down at us pointedly. We are in some kind of cottage, in a very cramped living room. An eerie feeling crawls over my skin at the realisation that this place likely doesn't belong to her.
"What is going on?" I ask warily.
"Thanks to the magic of Venn's best healer, you've recovered quickly," she explains, examining her fingernails tiredly as if this is all a large inconvenience for her.
I stiffen, remembering the conversation occurring right after the crash.
"Y…you're…"
"You can say it." Her smile turns cruel. "A werewolf."
I swallow thickly. Until I found out about Venn, I didn't think I had ever been so close to a werewolf before. They keep to themselves, in their packs, far away from humans.
But now one is standing before me, and they don't look pleased at having to share the same air with me.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"We just saved your life, idiot." She looks at the man walking up from behind me, coming to stand before me with the same grim expression on his face. "And your boyfriends."
"Why?" I ask warily.
"Apparently there is a very strict order that no harm comes to a girl with dark blonde hair and a scar on her cheek," the man states. "An order that has come from very far up."
All the breath presses from my lungs. That order came from Venn, who is clearly trying to protect me. I could be dead right now were it not for that…
"Where are we?" I turn in the chair, snagging my gaze upon our very normal surroundings.
"Some poor souls home," the woman states. "We killed him."
I whirl back around. "What?"
"And we will kill you too if you don't stay quiet and wait for the Alpha's arrival," she warns, giving me a sharp look that insists I oblige her.
I stiffen, my mind still feeling like a slog to wander through. I've just survived a car accident, after all, and despite being healed, I can feel the phantom sensation of the crash.
"Wait…Venn is coming here?"
The woman stalks forward suddenly, her dark blue eyes flashing. I recoil back in the seat, realising I'm stuck in a house with people who probably want all humans dead.
"That's Alpha to you. You speak his name respectfully, whether he's ordered your safety or not," she growls, looming over me. "And yes. Figured he would want to see you, since apparently you're important."
I glance to the door. I need to get out of here. There is a chance Venn has not yet selected his wife, and is on his way here to claim me.
"Does he know he's coming to see me?"
She narrows her eyes. "No. He just knows there is something important happening here."
"Shit…I need to leave."
I launch up from the chair, only to be forced back into it. She steps before me, her body a blatant warning to stay still.
"I don't think so," she hisses, scowling down at me. "You're not ruining my chance to impress him."
I huff out an irritated breath. She clearly has no idea what is at play here, but if I try to run past her, she's going to catch me and tie me down.
"You won't be, trust me. He made it very clear I need to stay away from him," I insist, looking around for help, but I only find an empty room and one man who just silently watches me.
The woman's eyes narrow slightly, sensing my discomfort.
"Why?"
"Something about him taking me as his bride â€" how he won't have a choice in doing so," I say lowly, glancing sideways at an unconscious Eldon.
I know there will be no protecting him from learning the truth if it comes to fruition, but if I can avoid it, I will. My boyfriend harbouring resentment toward an Alpha King won't bode well for him.
The woman takes a step backward, her expression morphing from tense irritation to blatant fear. She exchanges a glance with the man.
"Fuck. Do you even understand how it works?" She snaps, digging her fingers into her scalp.
I blink, looking between the pair. This revelation clearly means something to them, considering how stressed they suddenly appear.
"No. He didn't explain it to me."
"If Alpha Venn believes he is going to pick you as his bride, then that decision is out of both of your hands," she tells me. "The Moon Goddess has deemed you worthy, assuming you're telling the truth."
Worthy? I don't feel very worthy of being an Alpha King's wife, but I suppose what would that even feel like?
"Then I need to get away before he can find me…" I insist, gripping the arms of the chair tightly, ready to launch to the door at a moment's notice.
The woman doesn't move, though, her body still hovering in front of me.
"There's no point. She will always command you two together," she explains. "Most of the human population has abandoned this town, and yet you're still here. That's not fate, that's the Moon Goddess."
I shake my head, refusing to accept such a ridiculous notion. "I'm only here because my sister is missing and I'm trying to find her."
"It is all as the Goddess intends." The woman says it so casually it makes me shiver. This is something they truly believe.
Admittedly, so much of what has happened does feel strangely connected to this event. Belle disappearing without notice, her car leading us straight to the Alpha's estate…also the road blocks being in place when Venn tried to get us out, and the crash that ultimately led us here.
Shit. Something really is going on…
"No…no this can't be happening! I don't want to marry Venn." My voice raises to the point of yelling, receiving a sharp look from her. "Your Alpha…I mean."
"It is the highest honour imaginable. How dare you run from this, from your destiny. Venn is coming here to claim you as his, and you shall claim him as your own," she hisses lowly, her cheeks flaming bright red.
I stand, no longer caring about civility. I can feel the weight of Venn's incoming presence. I can practically feel the Moon Goddess's touch, altering our paths to fit her narrative.
"I need to leave," I snap, moving toward Eldon â€" I need to get us both out of this town.
"No chance." The woman shifts so her body is blocking my path to the door. "Even if you manage to escape, Venn will always find you. He is in a state of flux right now, the prophecy waiting to be fulfilled. Continuing to run will only hurt him."
I face her, staring her down. "And what if it's not me, huh?"
"Then it will do you no harm to wait," she growls. "But if Alpha Venn has had an intuition about you, then the decision has already been made."
"Well, I happen to believe in free willâ€""
A strong, resounding knock sounds from the front door. We all freeze, knowing exactly who that is. My chance to run has been squandered, and now all I can do is face what stands beyond the door.
"Free will is no match for the Moon Goddess. Your future has been decided," she murmurs lowly, giving me a pointed look before she opens the door.
Venn stands on the other side, his form taking up the entire doorway. I suck in a breath, taking a small step back.
He looks at the werewolf before him. "Mia…"
He looks…possessed. The whites of his eyes are vanished, his eyes now entirely black. His expression is blank as he scans the room, his attention landing on me.
My blood chills. This may be Venn, but he is clearly not in control of his body.
"Venn, I'm so sorryâ€"" Mia starts.
"Quiet," he growls, pushing past her.
"Holy shit, Venn. Your eyes…" I breathe as he approaches me.
He doesn't respond, reaching for me. My entire body doesn't feel my own as I remain rooted in my spot, staring up at him.
His hands hold either side of my face, shockingly gentle. Suddenly he starts speaking a foreign language, holding my stare as he does so.
Vacantly I notice people dropping to their knees in my peripheral. I can only stand, overcome by the urge to remain stationary while Venn speaks unknown words to me.
He drops slowly to one knee, than the other, pressing his forehead against my thighs, continuing to chant. I stare down at him, unable to move, unable to say anything.
"Alvera Sallow, allow me to take you as mine," he says lowly, his sound muffled by his bowed head.
The urge to say no has completely vanished from my body. It's replaced instead with the urge to fall to my knees as well and repeat a phrase echoing in the front of my mind.
"Venn Evric. I take you as mine," I breathe.
He continues speaking in the strange language before he stands. He closes his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. When he opens them again, the black in his eyes is fading, revealing the Venn I've come to know.
Something intangible releases its hold on me. I stumble back a step, shaking my head to clear the feeling.
Venn grabs my arm, steadying me. "You're okay, Alvera."
I blink up at him. Nothing is okay, and yet for whatever reason, the dread can't settle, like my body is actively repelling it.
Venn clutches either side of his head, shaking is slowly.
"Venn, are you okay?"
"I'm just dizzy." He grimaces. "Getting her out of my head."
The pair of werewolves in the room stand, staring at me warily. I don't think they are going to be threatening my life again.
"What just happened?" I ask.
Venn holds my stare. "We're married."
A gasp sounds from behind me, then some rustling. I turn to see Eldon stirring, rearing his head up before he lets out a groan.
"Fuck, my head is killing me," he mutters before scanning the room, seeing us all staring at him. "Oh, hi Venn."
"Hello Eldon."
His gaze shifts to me, his eyes widening. "Babe…what the fuck is on your neck?"
I frown, bringing my hand up to touch it. I don't feel anything abnormal, but when I turn to the mirror on the wall, my heart sinks into my stomach.
A marking, just like the one's on Venn's body swirl on my neck, thick lines crawling up to my jaw.
"Uh oh."
💜••💜
Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading this story, it means a lot!
If you want to read ahead at any point, you can read this story 10 chapters ahead on Radish and 15 chapters ahead on Inkitt (:
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