A Throne of Fangs

4 - A Vessel For Others

I had sunken into myself in the few days it had taken to finalize the arrangements. Or maybe they had been finalized long before I was even told.

It didn’t matter.

I went over every possibility to try to get out of this, but before I could even decide on a plan of action, I was awoken by servants packing and ushering me out of bed with fervor.

I stalled as much as I could, but I couldn’t put this off. A servant led me outside, and I looked back once, unable to truly believe this was the last time I would see this place as my home.

I trudged forward, not even bothering to look at the garish-wrought gold carriage the royals had sent. I paused when I ducked in, scowling at who sat across from me. Bethany cradled her still-flat stomach, her other hand clasped firmly around my father's hand. The strong, formidable man I knew was reduced to a nobody's puppet. Normally, I wouldn't be one to pull rank, but with her, I had a visceral need for her to remember her place. And it wasn’t here in this carriage.

The carriage started with a jolt, and we were on the way.

Bethany settled back and let out a deep, contented sigh. I looked out the glass window, rolling my eyes. Was a literal moment of silence too much to ask for?

"It won't be so bad," Bethany said gently. I guess it was.

I regarded her with a mix of boredom and disgust. “Why are you even here?” I asked her.

Her wide eyes fixated on me. “For support, of course. You are essentially my daughter now.”

“You couldn’t even procreate when I was born,” I pointed out.

Her lips formed a thin line, and my dad swallowed, looking out the window. I almost wanted to say anything just to get a real reaction from him. This was worse than watching him drown in grief; he seemed hollow now. I wanted a piece of him to feel real. Hell, if Bethany might have actually made him happy, even give him a shallow comparison of the happiness he had with my mother, I could stomach that. But she only made him worse.

“Let us lay the past to rest,” Bethany said warmly, but her eyes were anything but. I reluctantly dragged my attention back to her. “We have a bright future.”

“Some of us do,” I retorted and fixed a cold stare on my father, who looked anywhere but me.

An Alpha didn’t break eye contact. An Alpha did not back down.

“You might have the brightest future of us all,” Bethany continued.

I swear she just liked hearing herself talk. “f**k off,” I muttered.

Her dark gold eyes darkened over her grim face. "My dear," she tutted, “Royals do not-”

“How would you know? You have never held a position of power,” I told her, looking her up and down, curling my lip in disgust. “The only person in this carriage that is going to be royal is me… So, as your future princess, I said f**k off.”

I pinned her with a stare, one that I knew she could never replicate, no matter how hard she attempted. It was forged from the confidence I was born with, hardened with the knowledge I was destined for something great. It was passed down from my ancestors, worn first by my great-grandfather, one of the three strongest wolves to first turn to men. It sang of great power, tasted of destiny, and though my father had lost it, it was now mine to pick up.

I was the beacon for that power. It was my family's line, reforged and enforced by every Alpha that held it. It was my birthright, and I would be damned if I let this b***h take it from me.

“Uh-,” she spluttered, looking at my dad for reassurance for the first time since she dropped the innocent damsel act months ago.

"Darling,” my dad started, still unable to meet my eyes.

"You can too. Neither of you talk to me."

I crossed my arms and sat back.

The rest of the ride was silent.

___

We stopped that night even though we could have made it within a day. I was supposed to arrive fresh, and that was something I apparently couldn’t obtain by sitting all day. I didn’t mind putting it off for another night so I could hold onto the lingering flicker of hope that I still had any semblance of freedom.

After a morning of poking and prodding, plucking loose facial hair, tightly curling my already naturally curly hair, and pinning it into my skull, we were off again. I was in a worse mood than before, and my head was pounding.

When we pulled up to the palace, I was filled with conflicting dread and relief. I wanted to get out of the stifling company and carriage, but the company I was promised next might not be any better.

The castle was cold and dark, formidable and intimidating. I would have been scared if I wasn’t so annoyed. In one of those rooms held a pompous prince spoiled by entitlement. But I guessed I was, too. I didn't have too many life experiences, and he was just as much a pawn in this as I was. I pushed that rational thought away; I wanted to hang onto this anger a little longer; it fueled me.

Humans dressed in finery, the gold and red of the crown, came and opened the door before I was ready. Bethany motioned me out, and I glared at her, taking my time. I felt like an adolescent; I knew I was being childish, but I wanted to hold onto any semblance of power I felt slipping from me.

I would have to play a completely different role, and I would play it for my damned self, for self-preservation. So, I relished the last childish outburst I could have.

As I ducked through the open door, I slipped on a mask of fierrey resolve even though my body was filled with dread. It was never even a distant thought that I would live anywhere but the home I was born in. I didn’t know anyone here. I would be alone in a position of power with no real power.

I felt like prized cattle. The thought of what I was here for me was nauseous. I tried to suppress it before, but now it was rattling through me.

I was fine being a vessel for my pack as an Alpha. But my womb being sold to produce children for a man I didn't know, nor did I want to know, was something else entirely. It diminished me in a way that using me for just my bloodline never could. It separated me from my ancestors, from the men, from those else with pure blood. It reduced me to something beneath them. There was only one important part of me now.

I never thought I would marry for love; in my position, it was destined to be more political. But I thought I might get to know them a bit, at least. More than that, I would get a say in it; they would come to support me, not the other way around.

I had never felt so powerless.

Lesser wolves stood at attention at the bottom of the stone steps. Omegas, a king, deemed them. Those of mixed blood. Impure. The ones that created them, their offending parents, were stripped of any title they held and sometimes punished further. Their offspring were taken as servants or forced to serve in the royal army. But it was that or death.

They were stronger than humans, but they were not pure wolves. They could be used, but needed to be reminded that they were separate from us. That they were not us.

It always filled me with unease. Their only crime was to be born of love. I understood the need for the few of us wolves to maintain our lines, that if we all mixed, we would end up all being the same eventually, and then what would determine power?

But I wouldn’t give away those feelings. I held my chin high. My father came to stand next to me, but when he held out his arm to me, I pretended I didn't see. I walked in front of him, ascending the steps alone.

In a few days, I lost all autonomy over my future and body, and I would be damned if I couldn't walk up the steps to my future palace without an escort.

I stopped when I reached the very top, waiting for my entourage. The king and queen were standing there; they might have been imposing in another life. In a life where I was a ward of their territory, not some bought bride.

They didn't look at me; they didn't look at anything; they looked past people, above them, through them.

I'd only ever seen them in a distance across events. they seemed untouchable, but today, my anger clouded any sense of self-consciousness or self-preservation.

I came to stand in front of them and curtsied deeply. Finally, their gazes settled on me for however brief a moment. "Your Highnesses,” I greeted warmly, gazing at the ground between us for a long moment before raising my eyes, still dipping my head.

The fair, light blonde-haired queen barely inclined her head. She looked bored at worst and indifferent at best. I couldn't decide what was worse from a future in-law.

"Welcome, Anaya." The King nodded and offered a brief smile. His golden skin & warm brown hair, and trimmed beard made his wife look like a ghost in comparison.

"It is an honor," I responded. I averted my gaze, and his blonde queen waved me away. It was the dismissal I was waiting for.

I walked into the castle, not bothering to wait for my father. This would be mine eventually. I and if everyone but me had a say in my orchestrated demise, I would accept the benefits, and somehow, though I didn’t know how, I would conquer this place.

A gilded cage, I think some called it, but a cage nonetheless.

When I stepped through the sky-high wooden doors, I wanted to look around at the dark splendor, but I wasn't there as a guest. I was here as a future princess. I took a deep breath through my nose.

This place would be mine.

A large bird-looking woman who had all the worst qualities of a raven stood motionless as my solitary welcome party. Her black hair was pulled into such a tight bun it seemed like a self-inflicted punishment.

She looked down at me over a hooked nose with beady, knowing eyes. "Anaya from The West, I presume,” she said with something that tasted like distaste.

So… she thought she was in charge, and she might have been, but now I was here.

But I knew I had to be cautious. I learned to observe before acting on assumptions alone. "You presume correctly.” I masked my emotions with a sweet smile, not bothering to ask who she was. I would give nothing away.

"Hm." she studied me; I held my head high. "I am Thatcher? I am the Head of Household here. You are my charge, and I’ll help you learn your duties at court.”

"Ms. Thatcher, it's a pleasure. Head of Household isn't a small job; the castle is your credit," I said, trying to pull on a damned demure look I saw Bethany feign often. I never thought I would draw on her for inspiration, but I was playing a fake b***h, and she played it so well. "I should like to rest before the festivities.”

"Yes." She pursed her beak. "This way."

I desperately wanted to gawk at the high ceilings and the crystal chandelier, but I kept my gaze impassively unfocused as she led me to a hallway not far from the grand main entrance. I barely glanced at the tapestries adorning the hallway walls bathed in firelight, laying out the histories of the wolves.

Ms. Thatcher stopped so quickly that I almost rammed into her back. "This is where you are to stay until your wedding." She opened the door, and I brushed past her.

The room was large, with light stone polished walls and high ceilings. Tall windows let in the afternoon light and danced off the dark furnishings and sage green accents. I was surprised to find I might actually like it here.

"Take a few moments to rest, and then the doctor will be in to confirm you are a maiden.” She looked me over as if she could see under the layers of thick fabric I wore.

My jaw clenched, and I felt a flare of anger. “If I'm not?" I asked, crossing my arms.

She pursed her lips. "Then you wouldn't be here."

"I guess you have your answer then.” I jutted my chin. She turned to leave. “And the prince? Is he untouched?" I asked with a hint of innocence, hiding a dash of anger. "I suspect he wouldn't ask something of his wife that he wouldn't uphold." I made my eyes wide.

Her mouth hung open for a mere second, and I reveled in the tiny victory. "What the Prince does is none of my concern." She turned on her heel before I could say anything else. She paused at the door. "We will be back soon. Once your virginity is confirmed, we will get you ready for him.”

The door shut behind her, and it rang through the high ceilings, the song of my solitude.

I left my home as a future Alpha, a leader. The moment I walked into this castle, I lost everything, not even respected by the staff because they knew, they knew I held no real power.

I was nothing. I had nothing besides my anger.