Chapter 4

“...ega.”

“Omega!”

Astria flew up, bolting to her feet. She could barely stand straight after getting up so quickly, staggering from a dizzy-spell. But she kept her stance, her hands quickly clasping behind her back, her head down and her eyes on her feet.

Silence stretched through the room as she waited for the whip to land. But there was nothing. No condemnation. No beating.

The clearing of a throat broke the silence, making her flinch.

Astria swallowed hard, daring to look up. What she saw made her freeze. In Beta Hilde's place stood a woman with a thick web of leather clinging tight to her voluptuous curves and around her chest. Two horns sat on her head, one chipped at the curved tip. Her eyes were red, slightly brighter than Khran's. She was beautiful… ethereal from head to toe.

Astria's head throbbed while staring at her, the memories of the night before flooding back piece by piece.

The betrayal… The royal court… King Wraith…

Her throat tightened. She couldn't breathe, let alone process it.

The man who claimed her body every night, the man who somehow made a strange, terrifying mark appear on her stomach… was the son of the Alpha King?

Her pack had treated her like trash, blamed her for his existence and had her devoted to useless prayers just to get rid of him. And yet… he wasn't just some rogue demon like they thought. He was a royal, the heir to the entire kingdom.

Syvania watched her as she all but hyperventilated on the spot. Eyes raked down Astria's figure then back. ‘Were werewolves really this foolish?’ Syvania thought, clicking her tongue. Her head cocked, a look of sheer disgust distorting her usually placid expression.

“I heard your kind were barbarians but it seems you wolves have some manners at least. Loosen up. No one's going to bite your head off… not just yet.” She stepped forward, her heels clacking against the tiled floor. A bowl sat in her hands, the content spilling over the edge when she shoved it into Astria's chest.

“Drink.” She demanded.

“What… is it?” Astria glanced down into the bowl, the blue liquid swirling. Her gaze trailed back to Syvania then warily wandered, absorbing the room. “And this room… w-where am I?”

The room was spacious and looked almost triple the size of where she had lived.

For the most part it was normal, with sleek furniture, a vast wooden wardrobe built into the wall, a chandelier hanging over their heads and even a lounge space looking out onto an open balcony.

But the strange thing was… the walls, the ceiling, the floor… were stone. And everything else? Pitch black except the mirror braced against the wall. Or was it even a mirror? Why was she staring straight at it, yet seeing no reflection? And why the hell was a two-headed dog sitting by the door, razor-sharp teeth dripping as it watched her?

She broke out into cold sweat as she steered her gaze to the floor, pretending its feral red eyes and hers hadn't just met.

Thinking back, she did remember her mate taking her through a transparent door of some sort. Now, apparently… that wasn’t her imagination?

She swallowed thickly, her hands wringing behind her.

Just who… no– what… was Khran Wraith?

Her fingers pinched her clothes, sniffing the cloth. She could still smell him lingering on her. Had he been the one to dress her into this strange roped dress?

“Hey!” Syvania snapped her fingers before Astria's face, scowling. “Worry not about what's in the bowl or where we are. Lord Khran is too busy to worry about the likes of you, so you mustn't leave a drop.”

Astria refocused, her heart pounding against her ribs. “K-Khran…” She tested the name on her tongue, unable to hold back the flush creeping up her neck. “Where is h—”

“That's ‘Master’ or ‘Lord’ to you.” Syvania hissed. “He is not some mere demon as your foolish people called him. My Lord is unfortunately the son of your Alpha king as well as the flesh and blood of our former Queen. But he is first an incubus before he is a filthy dog. You'd do well remembering that.” She spun on her heel with a scoff. The stone door slid aside on its own the moment she walked up, a soft thud sounding as it clicked into place.

“I-Incubus?” Astria stammered.

That word only came up in story books. The creature was said to be a demon, visiting humans while they slept and sucking them dry of their life force through sex.

If such a species existed, then just how ignorant had her kind been to believe they were the only supernatural beings?

“Drink and come along. Geez. Why does it feel like I'm raising a kid?”

Astria hesitated, her eyes glancing down at the bowl then at the demon's back. Biting her lip, she slipped the untouched concoction onto the table before scrambling behind her and into the candle-lit hall. The place seemed to be some sort of cave and while the inside of Khran's room was mildly modern, everything else seemed a bit ancient… the lamps, the weird carvings on the walls, the attire.

Walking further down, flowers lined each side of the hall, dim lamps hanging from the walls. Seeing it, a thought crossed Astria's mind, one that made her stomach tingle. Her eyes shifted to her dress and with cheeks burning hot, she touched the thick rope keeping it together. It had glistening pearls sitting at every joint and around her ankles and wrists, gold bands jingled together. The flowers, this attire… they could only mean one thing.

“Are we… getting m-married? N-Now?” She stammered, her hands fiddling together. “L-Lord Khran and I—”

The words were knocked right back down her throat, her body colliding with the wall as an elbow pressed ruthlessly into her neck.

Gasping for air, Astria's nails clawed for an escape but Syvania pressed harder, forcing her up the wall as if she weighed nothing.

“Earth-dwellers are food, she-wolf…” She growled, sharp canines extending over her bottom lip. “...not wives.”

Just then, the wall behind Astria jerked, sliding aside and giving way to an entrance. The lighting shifted as she staggered back and into the room, body slamming against the floor. A fit of coughs climbed her stinging throat but while she fought for air, the eyes digging into her back sent a cold chill down her spine.

Her hand cupped her neck, head turning slowly to see women sprawled across a vast bed… eight stunning beauties.

One demon in particular caught her eye, a familiar birthmark sitting on her exposed shoulder. A half-moon. It was similar to the one Astria was born with, etched into the fur of her wolf form.

“Who the fuck is this?” Uncrossing her long, flawless legs, she reacted before the rest, marching up. She towered over her from behind in long, black heels, and as her chin lifted slightly and she stared down her nose at Astria, her gaze narrowed.

“Another piece of trash, I take it?” Without warning, fingers clenched into Astria's hair, yanking her head so hard she slammed back against the floor, strands scattering over her face and her elbow stinging.

The tip of a heel hit her chest next, fingers digging into her chin. Then, the moment her hair shifted and her eyes were unveiled, gasps flooded the room.

“An earthling?” The demon's face twisted, her perfectly arched brow raised in disgust. “Why… would you bring this here?”

“She's the ninth member of the Lord's harem…” Syvania answered coldly, “...but not for long.”