His Luna’s Vengeance

3. Father’s Betrayal

A/N

This book is set in older times, somewhere around the Victorian Era. Obviously, women rights are still neglected and you should expect to see women being treated like objects. That does not mean my FL will be walked over.

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The Alpha King is a royal asshole. He is the first sadist I have the unfortunate pleasure of making acquaintance with.

I arrive early to the meeting where the prenuptial agreement shall be discussed. I would rather not be ravished by King Cardan’s paintbrush in that dark office of his or sit down in that feast and listen to the idle blabber of the fools that made my father’s royal court.

King Cardan watches me from his throne of silver, amusement lighting up his glowing eyes. He finds my fidgeting amusing, the way I use my hair to cover my face and how I lean back on my spine to ensure my hair veils me.

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.

I chant it repeatedly in my head, mixing in a few obscene curse words I have only Heard from the low born soldiers in my father’s worthless army. I hope that the King’s god powers extend to reading minds and hopefully, he can hear an insult that will blunt his happiness.

I can only wish however, because the stupid King still watches me with unconcealed amusement. To lighten up my mood, I decide to look away from him.

My father and The King bargain, deciding that this and this will be paid and that and that will be protected.

Frankly, I really do not care for my father and his people, the ones that laid waste to my mother’s life. If she wasn’t dead, I wouldn’t be giving away my life to the Alpha King.

If she wasn’t dead, our kingdom would have never become so weak but I suppose that her death revealed that our kingdom was truly weak without the support of the Greater Moon Kingdom.

“Princess Adeline,” King Cardan beckons, causing the elders to glance at me.

They murmur when they see my lowered head, wondering what must have caused me to shrink. All they know is that I went to see the King and now, I’m a whimpering fool.

“Lift your head,” he commands, a child like excitement filling his eyes.

He knows what he is doing. What a cunning, petty man.

I lift my head and my hair falls away from my face, revealing King Cardan’s art on my pale skin.

My eyes fall to my father and I catch the greedy satisfaction shining in his gaze as he notices the bruises of my neck, the lipstick stains riddled all over my mouth.

Turning swiftly towards the Alpha King, his gaze hardens and his expression twists with fury.

“Have you no respect for my court and I?” My father rages, slamming a hand on the table.

I do not hide the roll of my eyes, hardly impressed with his theatrics.

This is what he wanted, after all.

“I don’t understand,” King Cardan’s voice is smooth and velvet soft, reminding me of the rocking of a boat against a calm sea.

“You don’t understand? In my presence! You have the audacity to ravish my daughter while I am under your roof! Look at her! My sweet little girl is barely holding back her tears!” He cries out like a petulant child.

By the goddess, I am so embarrassed.

“It appears as though she is no longer a sweet little girl. His majesty, king of werewolves has made her a woman,” one of the elders from King Cardan’s territory say, a wolfish grin twisting his dreadful big mouth upwards.

This question will be asked for eternity but I guarantee there will never be an answer.

Why do men???

“Enough!” My father’s right hand man or what I would like to describe as his lapdog hisses, his eyes flicking back and forth like a snake’s tongue.

I do not need to employ a philosopher’s services to know that the man is scared.

“There has not been a marriage yet. What does this say of the Werewolves?” Father’s lapdog says.

“I thought it hardly mattered,” The King shrugs his shoulder carelessly.

But I see the calculation in his body language, I see the tricks he is trying to pull off while being so callous with his mouth.

“She signed herself to me. You displayed her in front of me earlier today, asking me if I thought her beauty was worth a wedding band. I only wanted to touch her, to see if my precious gift from the Lower Moon was just as sweet as she seemed,” he continues.

“What would your rage do, mortal King? The treaty has been signed. The Alpha King only needs a ceremony to have her in his bed,” one of the werewolves question him.

“But the Prenuptial has not,” My father declares.

“And I expect to be compensated for this insult, for treating my daughter as though she were wanton,”

Wow, I really am nothing but merchandise.

This was what my father wanted, a chance to either reduce my dowry or demand something from the Alpha King. Of course, his only chance of seeing that happen was by letting the Alpha King have his wicked ways with me.

My father is a greedy man, someone that can be bought with money. To save my supposed honor, he would ask for material things.

“But you were not the one that was wronged. Princess Adeline was. I should expect to compensate her, not you,” The Alpha King spares me another glance.

My cheeks burn with humiliation and rage so red and molten it boils in my gut. I’ll make him pay. I must make him pay dearly for giving me an opening.

“You embarrassed my blood! As such, you should prepare to compensate me!” My father yells, overcome by his greed.

Have I no end to this embarrassment?

“What is it that you want, King Thorne?” The King looks pleased with himself.

My father thought that he was the one playing games and winning here. If only he knew how much of a fool he was. He just played right into King Cardan’s trap. This was what he wanted from the beginning, to expose my father’s greed.

“I demand more guards at the fields and castle,”

And then he goes on and on with embarrassing myself, our kingdom and the rest of his ancestors.

“If you want so much, then I suppose you should give me something else in return,” The King says, his eyes sliding to mine.

“I will hear you,” my father says readily.

“Adeline will have my child. In the first three months that she lives with me, she must be ready to conceive within the stipulated time,” he declares.

My face pales and my heart plummets. I try to speak but once again, The King has frozen me with his powers. A werewolf child will be harmful to carry but a lycan child is most likely going to kill me!

“Because I want her pregnant as soon as possible, she will spend all her nights in my bedroom. She’s free to do whatever in the day time,” he waves his hand.

“As you wish, your majesty,” My father says, surprising me and even a few of our elders.

I will most likely die giving birth to the King’s child! Is he out of his mind? I’m not even a wife at this point. I’m only a breeding mare.

“Easily settled. Now your daughter’s virtue has been defended,” another werewolf mocks my father with a smile

I have never been so humiliated in my entire life. If we were a more prosperous kingdom, talks of a treaty and marriage would have flown out of the window the moment my bruised neck and lips were exposed. But because we barely have gold to our land, father is willing to do anything.

“And what does the Princess want?” King Cardan purrs, a tiny smirk playing at his lips.

I will make you regret this!

“I want your harem abolished. Every last love slave should be released or employed by another. You will have none,”

The silence on the table is absolutely laughable. I want to throw my head back and cackle at the stupefied expression on everyone’s face.

However, my joy is short lived when I notice the King still seems amused- Himself and an elder that sits by his right hand, the one that made the joke of me turning into a woman.

“Oh but Adeline!” My father exclaims, eyes wide.

“Surely you cannot wish for something so great? The werewolves have appetites that we will never comprehend. Even one wife is not enough for them,” he says, his hands trembling.

They all think that I have invoked the wrath of the Alpha King.

“It has been made clear to me that the Alpha King will have as many wives as he wishes. When the time comes, he can marry them. But for now, I say he lets go of all his love slaves,” I declare.

“But Adeline!” My father starts his annoying whining.

Gods, it’s like a pestilent fly swarming around my ear.

I want him squashed.

“What the Princess wants, the Princess gets,” The Alpha King announces, once again stunning everyone.

“As my first wife, she has the right to concern herself with such matters. Is that all, Sweet Adeline?” He c.ocks his head to the side, his grin ravenous.

He looks like he wants to eat me raw and that is exactly the picture he wants to paint.

“That is all, your majesty,” I recline in my seat, unhappy at my failure to inconvenience this man.

But I’m made of so many vengeful things.

And afterwards, the prenuptial agreement is signed.

“I have forgiven you for tainting my daughter before marriage,” My father says, rising up.

“But I am afraid you left too many bruises on her body. Adeline has always been pale as a ghost and everyone, even the maids from our kingdom will know what you have done to her,”

The Alpha King looks pleased with himself, fingering the silver bones of his crown.

“So what do you propose?” He asks, folding his arms.

“I propose that she stays in your care before marriage. Let her stay hidden in your castle,”

Heavens, no.

“Father,” I jump to my feet, my heart picking up.

“Please no. You cannot do this to me. Let me go home, I want to go home,”

My father ignores me and continues.

“Up until the wedding. I want her hidden and I want those bruises healed,”

“What are you doing?” I panic, looking around for anyone to save me.

As usual, they leave me to fight my own battles. I am a woman in the midst of men and wolves, after all.

“It is even more inappropriate to live with a man before the wedding. I want to go home father, please,” I beg.

“What would you have me do Adeline?” He turns towards me, flailing his arms to look helpless.

“You have been compromised by the Alpha King. I cannot risk showing you in public,” he explains.

But I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear anything. I just want to go home.

My father is ruining all my plans, one by one.

“Does it really matter? The wedding is in a week,”

“What?” I croak, shock slapping my face rudely.

My father seems pleased at my panic, at the wild desperation in my eyes.

“He has tainted you. Because of that, you have to marry him as early as possible. I will send your friend Marina to you. I trust you will start getting adjusted to your duties as the Alpha’s first wife,”

A week? Only but a week? What in heavens name is going on? How had I not heard of this development?

“But-“

“This is not up for discussion!” He rages, banging his fist on the table.

“You will live with your future husband until the wedding,”

I sink into my chair, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I want to scream, I want to cry and I want to rip my hair out.

The elders file out of the room and I try to follow after the last of them, hoping to get an audience with my father.

But the door is shut in my face and locked from the outside.

“Father please!” I bang on the doors, struggling with the locks.

I try not to cry but my face feels hot and my eyes feel heavy with tears.

“Let me out! I just want to speak!”

But they don’t. They leave me locked in with the Alpha King.

Is he truly so eager to get rid of me?

I turn towards him like a wounded lion, furious at the smirk and calm on his face.

“This is all your fault,” I claw wildly at the brittle paint on my neck, rubbing it off.

But slowly I realize, this is not his fault. This is what he wanted.

“If you were not such a cunning prick, I would have gone home!”

God I’m so furious. I think I’m furious enough to slap him!

The Alpha King rises to his full height, towering over me.

“What did you think you were trying to do when you targeted by harem? S.exually frustrate me?” He smiles cruelly.

I would prefer a wicked man who was not so cheerful.

“You had to be taught a lesson,” I spit at him, fisting my hands.

The king scoffs and rolls his eyes, clearly unimpressed by my efforts.

“I’ll assure you that love slaves are not the only women willing to warm my bed, Sweet Addy,” he says arrogantly.

I wish I had magic like Achilles to turn this brat of a man into a pig.

“You-“

He is before me in a moment, blue Gray eyes flashing with a dreadful threat.

“Whatever game you are trying to play, I suggest you stop. I beat you fair and square today. Do you really want me to humiliate you more?”

“I took away your love slaves-“

“And I have you. What matters more to you? Having you like a squeaking mouse under my paw or being free while I leisure around my pick of women?”

“You do not have me,” I say defiantly, glaring into his stupid eyes.

One day, I’ll come to regret confronting this man without any fear whatsoever.

“I suppose. But in a week,” he shrugs nonchalantly.

My last mistake was thinking none of his actions were calculated.

“I am not your war spoils, your majesty. Not in a day, week, month or year,” I bristle at him.

I wish I knew how to kill a god.

The King steps closer to me, towering over me until my spine hurts from bending upwards.

“We’ll have to see how that ages, Sweet Addy,”

I wish he would stop calling me that!

Still, I wish and wish and wish but nothing truly materializes out of it.

“I heard your appetites are ravenous. Why don’t you stop t.orturing me and go hunt down food or a replacement for your harem mistresses?”

“I’m going to wait,” he says, tilting my chin upwards.

He stares into my eyes meaningfully, inky locks of wavy hair framing his eyes.

“And I am hardly a patient man, but what is a week against the centuries I’ve lived?”

“Leave me alone,” I answer feebly, throwing my chin out of the pinch of his deft fingers.

“Look around you Sweet Addy,” his velvety voice has lost its softness and teasing and has been replaced by icy coolness.

I suddenly realize he’s been holding back his power and the terror that inflicts everyone who feels the magnitude of it. He’s been trying not to scare me.

“You’re in my territory, my home and my court. You will pay homage and you will bow before my throne. It’s the only way you’ll stay with me,”

I don’t want to stay with you, I want to say.

But the Alpha King has vanished, leaving me to let the weight of my situation sink in.

I’ve been trapped by the Alpha King. There’s no way out for me.