~LEILANI RAVENWOOD~
I was no longer bound by chains or hung from the ceiling within the prison gates, but it made no difference. I was still without food. My stomach walls had grown sensitive and painful, the kind of pain that came from a burning, acidic hunger. That was how starved I was.
The headache never left. It throbbed relentlessly, splitting my thoughts in two, and the cold, damp prison floor only made everything worse. I couldn't sleep, yet I couldn't bear being awake either. Death hovered at the edge of my thoughts, but even that was denied to me.
My wolf remained dormant, suppressed and silent, and I no longer had the strength or the courage to slam my head against the wall and end it.
I heard the metal door opened and I sat upright. The same females that had nearly killed me by drowning approached. I recoiled inwards instantly. They hated me, and I had begun to detest their visits.
They stopped at my front and one tossed something towards me.
Bread. Stale and hard enough that it made a sound when it dropped to the ground.
"Well?" she said, amusement dripping from her tone. "Eat."
My hands shook as I grabbed it. Shame burned hotter than hunger, but my body betrayed me anyway. I devoured it in seconds, crumbs sticking to my lips, and my throat working desperately to swallow.
They laughed.
"Must be your lucky day." She said. "The High King wants to see you."
My heart stuttered.
Chains were clasped around my wrists before I could react. The cold iron bit into my skin that was already bruised raw. They hauled me to my feet and dragged me from the cell, down the corridors that smelled of blood, burnt flesh, and something awful.
As we passed other cells, my eyes caught sight of persons that were familiar. My friends. Jeremy and Layla. Their scent were unmistakable.
They hung by chains the way I had been hung before, beaten almost beyond recognition. Their faces swollen and their bodies limp.
"Jere? Layla?" I called out their names, tears rolling down my cheeks instantly in agony.
Their eyes found me and I could see a glint of relief in them.
"Leilani?" Jeremy croaked out.
I lurched toward them instinctively, but was struck at my stomach with a staff held by one of the females. Pain exploded through me to the point I almost lost my balance and fell to the ground.
"Behave." She warned.
Layla was crying while Jeremy tried to pull against his chains. It was useless.
Guilt tugged at my heart. They were in that position because of me. Because of a prophecy that followed at my birth.
I was dragged from the prison and into the halls of whatever building that held me captive. It felt like a castle that had learned how to survive the modern world. Marble floors stretched beneath my bare feet, smooth and cold, reflecting the soft glow of grand chandeliers suspended high above. The walls were layered with artistry. Ancient murals preserved behind polished finishes and modern lighting. They depicted wars, bloodshed, and submission. Crowned wolves kneeling before a single towering figure.
We reached the end of the hallway and a massive door stood before us, the kind that a giant could possibly walk through. And when it opened, I saw first a huge throne at the far end of the room. And seated on it was Sebastian Kol. He wore silk trousers and a loose robe that draped over his shoulders revealing his chest down to his abdomen.
The room was lit up by chandelier, and his skin glistened under the light. The same with his eyes that shone blue from a distance, but dimmed slightly as I was dragged closer, seemingly being controlled by him.
I hated that my heart stumbled at the sight of him. Hated that my body reacted at all. I blamed it on whatever treacherous bond the goddess had placed between us. That had to be the only reason why my body found the monster of a man before me attractive.
I noticed a few others in the room. His executives. One male was situated at the door, two females at both sides of his throne, one other male seated on a couch at the side of the room, then the two females who pulled me into the room.
I felt their gazes crawl over me. Sebastian included. His gaze was unwavering and too intense, forcing me to look away from him. The male executives were far worse. I noticed black veins appearing on their skin as they watched me in a predatory manner. The same attitude the other male had exhibited at my nakedness back then in the prison cell. Their lust was evident, their restraint hanging on a thin thread, and that thread seemed to only exist because of Sebastian's presence.
I couldn't help wondering then. His executives clearly desired me, likely because they were fed with Sebastian's blood, whose fate was intertwined with mine. If they could barely control themselves in my presence, why then did Sebastian, the full entity that embodied the curse show none?
I was relieved however. I hated to imagine what would happen if he did desire me in the same manner his male executives did.
I decided to break the silence first.
"T-thank..." I paused. Was I really going to thank him after all the evil he's done to me? Oh well, anything for freedom.
"Thank you for giving me audience." I said, but a strike to my legs sent me crashing to my knees. One of the females had hit me with her staff again.
If I ever get the chance, I'll kill them first. I thought.
"He is your high king. You will address him as such." She hissed.
Then the other stepped forward and said to Sebastian.
"She claims she has something to offer. For her freedom and the release of her people."
Sebastian's mouth curved. Not into a smile, but something malicious.
"Interesting." He murmured, "Everyone wants freedom."
I heard chains rattle behind me and when I turned, I saw Rowan. My bethrothed, before all of these life changing events started.
My breath left my body in a soundless rush.
He looked broken, bruised and barely conscious. His eyes found me instantly and he whispered. "Leil?"
I reached for him, and he did the same but we were both dragged back by the executives.
"How touching." I heard Sebastian say. "You came to bargain for your friends and he came to beg for you."
My voice shook. "Please don't hurt him. I'll do whatever you want."
That finally earned a reaction.
Sebastian tilted his head, studying me as though I'd just said something fascinating.
"Anything?" He asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Oh gods, I shouldn't have said that.
Knowing the little I did of the man in front of me, I certainly shouldn't have said that. Still, I was willing if it meant Rowan and the others would be free.
Slowly, I nodded.
Silence stretched. Then, he stood.
The room seemed to shrink around him. He descended the steps slowly, stopping just a few feet away from me.
"I will give you a choice." He said.
My heart pounded so loudly I thought it might rupture.
"If you stay," he continued, "submit to my authority, and serve where I see fit, your pack will be spared further punishment."
Hope flared, fragile and desperate.
"And Rowan, here will be set free." Sebastian added.
Rowan's breath hitched. "Leil-"
"I accept." I cut Rowan off with no hesitation. I knew he was about to discourage me from it.
Sebastian nodded once. "Very well."
The chains around Rowan loosened.
Relief crashed through me so hard my knees nearly gave out.
Rowan staggered toward me.
"One last thing." Sebastian said mildly, already returning to his throne.
Time slowed.
"I said he'd be free." He continued. "I never said in what realm. Some tend to find freedom only in death."
There was an instant gush of wind. His executive that was situated at the door was now behind Rowan. A blade flashed and Rowan's head hit the floor, his blood splattering everywhere.
A scream tore out of me before I could stop it. Rowan was dead, his head decapitated. He had killed him!
I lunged, rage ripping through my pain and hunger. I felt my eyes change colour, my wolf fighting desperately for release.
"I'll kill you!" I screamed, hurling my chains at Sebastian with everything I had, aiming for his neck.
He caught them easily. With one pull, he dragged me forward, his fingers closing around my throat. My feet left the floor, and air vanished from my lungs as he suspended me effortlessly with a tight grip at my neck. I felt the bond flare violently between us. Dark veins flickered beneath his skin like his executives now. Touching me clearly made him uncomfortable, but he didn't falter still. He didn't let go of me.
"Fiesty." He murmured. "Good. It'll come in handy on the bed when you fuck my executives."
He released me, and I crashed to the ground.
"Take her to the Elysium for training." He said coldly. "I've been searching for a female capable of curing the lust of my men, and considering your connection to me, you'll do just fine. If your blood can undo my effect, then sex with you would surely sate them." He continued, very casually as though he wasn't talking about forcing me into one of the whores at his pleasure house.
"I will not." I replied, firmly.
That mischievous smile returned to his face.
"I must have missed the part where that came out as a request." He said. "You wanted to bargain, little wolf," he continued, a glint of triumph in his eyes. "Welcome to my terms."
