The Bride of the Vampire King

This is what nightmares are made of

*trigger warning*

Aneela

Aneela stared at the man in front of her in disbelief. He wasn’t talking seriously, was he? How could anyone want someone else’s death just because? She had never done anything bad to any vampires, she hadn’t even met one before the night of the ball, why would they even want her dead?

She had spent her entire life guarded in her parent’s castle, protected at the House of wolves with little to almost no interaction with the outside world. Her teachers, her maids, everyone was part of the pack. When she went out to run, she explicitly ran on wolves territory. When she left her home there was always someone with her. Even if she wanted to meet a vampire or any other creature that existed in the world, it would be impossible to do so. That’s why the Moon Goddess’s Ball was her only chance at tracking down the vampire king and asking him a favour. She definitely didn’t expect him to raid the castle searching for her in order to steal her and kill her for the audacity of being born. Was Roan Alexander insane? He did not look insane last night. No, he looked… angelic, hateful, determined. Dangerous in a way that had attracted her in the beginning… and, if she had to be honest, even after that and because of the way he acted towards her. But now? This was getting too far and too real for her liking. Some resemblance of actual fear started to creep in her soul and she wanted to scream, to toss and kick until the feeling went away because she’d never let fear control her. She was the damn princess of the werewolves, she did not fret, she did not cave in, she pushed back.

Staring with dread into the cold blue eyes of the vampire in front of her, Aneela knew she had no choice but to lie. At least until she got to the bottom of this story. She might be chained to a ceiling right now, but it had to be better than being killed by the vampires simply for existing, right?

“That’s the craziest thing I have ever heard,” she dragged right now, voice sounding almost c*ocky as it dripped with the righteousness she didn’t feel. “Sounds a bit like that human story from thousands of years ago. You know, about this guy who killed millions of people just for being born, putting them in camps and starving them to death and…”

“We are not starving you!” The vampire snapped suddenly. “You refuse to eat our food. And we are not out to get anyone else. Just her. If we could tell you why, you’d understand our reasoning.”

Aneela laughed at him, at his just as righteous sounding anger. It would be really hard to understand whatever their reasons for killing her were. Too hard, no matter what they had to say in their defence. “You literally attacked everyone on that ball, and kidnapped me. You stole my wolf and call me someone’s belonging and not a person. If that is not insane and against every law there is, then…”

“Shut up, you insolent girl!” He shouted at her, the back of his hand landing on her cheek with all the force he had in him.

Aneela’s head snapped to the side, the pain in her face so strong that for a second it blinded her. Should she be someone weaker and not a werewolf with alpha blood in her veins, she might’ve fainted. It was the humiliation that left her speechless. No one had ever hit her before, not even her strict mother, the queen herself.

The sound of that slap echoed in the wet walls around them and rang in Aneela’s ears even seconds later. She knew she would remember this sound till the day she died. Not even the screams of that man the day she was going to kill him would ever satisfy her anger.

“You will die for this,” she said with determination, not even caring how trembling her voice sounded now.

“No, I won’t,” he said dryly. “Now, are you going to eat your food, or do you need more punishment?”

Something inside her, some defiant part of her that whispered in her ear that her pride was more important than anything else, told Aneela not to give up. She had to test him after all, had to know how far he’d go. She raised her eyes daringly to the vampire, darting her tongue out to lick the drop of blood pooling at the corner of her mouth where his fist landed. “I am not hungry, thank you.”

“You will eat!” The vampire shouted again, the cracks in his demeanour getting larger, more visible. He leaned to get the bowl back and when he looked into Aneela’s eyes again, she winked at him. “You will eat!”

“Make me then!” She teased, almost pleadingly.

She had no idea what she was doing, or why she was doing it. She didn’t even question herself when she barely felt any fear right now as he let the bowl slip though his fingers. The food splashed on the ground, bits and pieces of it staining both their feet. The bowl crashed on the ground into thousands of tiny pieces, making a total mess.

This probably was the drop that spilled the glass because the next second the vampire, that beautiful angelic looking creature who could fool anyone to believe his innocence, slapped Aneela again. And then again, and again, until the world started to loose its edge and she felt almost numb. Her head was ringing, the pain of each blow almost breaking her to pieces, scrambling her thoughts and mind just like it happened with the bowl.

The vampire was shouting something at her as he continued to hit her. Something about being a nobody and therefore not having even the right to talk back. Something about how she should be happy for the mercy of his king and how she would soon submit to him without a doubt.

Aneela tried to laugh. Her entire face and neck throbbed with the pain now. Everywhere his fists landed it was like an explosion erupted under her skin. She didn’t scream, didn’t even flinch, holding her ground for as long as she could. Her heart beat like crazy in her chest, the bolt of adrenaline the only thing keeping her going at this point.

Vision blurring, Aneela could see in bits and pieces that handsome face in front of her contorting into something born out of a nightmare. She realized something was wrong with her reactions the moment he hit her so hard that she saw her blood splattering on his face, and barely even got scared. If she were in her right might that sight would’ve freaked her out to death. The wet traces of her own blood on him, the pain, the injustice and humiliation of it all, they were supposed to freak her out, to make her scream in pain, not laugh. Right?

“What have you done to me?” She asked, barely taking a breath. Her voice sounded weak and pleading and Aneela hated herself for it. Everything hurt, she no longer could keep her feet on the ground. They gave in and a new pain erupted in her body as gravity dragged her down, but the chains kept her standing, her arms straining with pain.

Aneela tried to hold her ground now, but the wet ground was more slippery than before - it was stained with the disgusting slob and her own blood, and the shards of the broken bowl were piercing her skin. Her tormentor, that handsome vampire didn’t seem to stop, not in the slightest. He hit and hit her, until there was not untouched part of her body, her skin covered in cuts and bruises where his heavy rings landed on her with each vicious blow.

“What have you done?” Aneela tried again, and hated herself for her weak tone. Maybe she was begging, even though at this point she didn’t know what she begged about. To stop? To tell her how he managed to control her reactions? To plead with him to let her go? To explain to her why it seemed better to be beaten to a pulp for keeping secrets than to be killed for just being born? What was going on with her brain?

“Nothing you didn’t ask for, little wolf,” the vampire smiled at her through lips stained with her own blood. Had he bitten her? Why the hell did she not feel it or remember it?

“I won’t eat that food,” she insisted, a little part of her she didn’t know existed, making her push his buttons further, even if it meant he might kill her if it went on like this.

“Oh, you will, even if it is the last thing you will ever do!” He told her, voice low and intimate, and too close. “Even if I have to force you to scrape it from the ground. You will eat because that’s what the king ordered! And you will thank him for the food like a good little pet.”

“No…” Aneela protested, barely able to take a breath as his fist landed in her ribs and something deep inside her cracked at the impact. She almost screamed with the pain spreading anew like fire inside her entire body but choosing to ignore it once more, brain completely muddled with confusion, she thought it better to tease him more. She could never show weakness, she wasn’t raised this way. “Bring me something better and then we can talk.”

“You are not special!” The vampire said breathlessly himself, hot air coming out of his mouth and burning Aneela’s flushed skin. “You are not the princess in this castle. You are just a means to an end and you don’t get to make demands!”

She wanted to reply again. To curse him or spit on him now that he was this close to her, or maybe both. But suddenly the pain got too much and there was no way for her to even lift her head again. Something white and hot was spreading in front of her vision and Aneela could no longer hold her ground. Even her lips refused to move any longer.

As she was giving up to unconsciousness again, the numbness in her body and mind finally getting to her, Aneela could swear she heard someone else’s footsteps approaching. She could also hear the blonde vamp hitching a breath as the other one showed up. There was something about this other vampire. He smelled of rain and earth, and for some reason it felt so comforting to know he was there with her, just to be there and witness her pain.

Suddenly the air around her felt like it was filled with power, the electricity was like a living breathing thing right now. What the hell was going on? The man who stepped into the small cell made it seem almost cramped, his presence sucking the life out of it immediately.

The king? It was the king! Aneela almost wanted to laugh but all she could actually do was whimper in pain as she dangled on shackles lifelessly like a broken doll, almost out of breath.

“Why is she still conscious?” The king, Roan Alexander asked with his lazy voice and Aneela almost whimpered again. She wanted to remind them she was still there into that room and even though they thought they could break her by beating her this bad, she was not to be ignored or talked about as if she didn’t exist. She was the princess for goddess’ sake. But then, she was too weak to talk right now. As messed up as she was, she knew it was not normal to care about any of this. The pain was not supposed to feel this… electrifying? What were they doing to her, really doing, beneath the beating and torture?

“My king, she seems to be too strong,” the blonde one replied, all defiance gone from his voice.

The king grumbled and it reminded Aneela of that night they danced and how warm his gaze and voice made her feel then. That wasn’t normal either, she thought vaguely drifting in and out of it.

“Did she speak, Ambrose?” Roan Alexander asked in his usual compelling manner. He was standing a few feet away, as if he was disgusted by the sight of Aneela’s broken dirty body and trying not to stain himself with the mess.

“I am afraid not, my king. She is holding up quite remarkably.” The blonde one, Ambrose, said, sounding almost amused, impressed even. “She said she’d eat only if we bring her decent food.”

There was a pause after that. Silence fell sticky and heavy over them and Aneela wondered if it was just her or the sigh escaping the king’s lips sounded almost regretful as his gaze lingered on her.

“Then let’s do that,” he finally said, sighing again, almost annoyed this time. “Send someone to clean this mess come morning. If she doesn’t speak next time, you can start cutting.”

Aneela’s eyelids trembled. She really wanted to open her eyes fully and look at him. She wanted to ask him why the hell he was doing this to her, why he was letting other people do this. But she couldn’t. She was too exhausted and weak, and whatever that drug was, it was too strong.

“Are you sure, master?” Ambrose asked, voice filled with doubt as he contemplated her.

“She is a wolf after all. She withholds important information and we need to make her speak.” The king replied, a certain edge to his voice, as if Aneela was supposed to be hurt and degraded just because of her wolf nature.

“My lord, can I speak freely?” There was concern in the blonde vampire’s voice as he stepped in.

The king probably waved him a permission or something, because Ambrose stepped towards him, the bow of his head shifting the air and letting the current bring his scent to Aneela. Her wolf was sleeping right now, or it was gone forever, she had no idea. But the shifter part of her would never forget that scent and she would pursue it until the moment she got her revenge on him for what he put her through today, orders of his king or not. Roses and earth. The combination was so unexpected yet so memorable right now, especially as it was mixed with her own blood’s scent, that it would be imprinted on her forever.

“She is just a girl, my lord. I know we have to find that princess b*itch, and I will follow your orders to the grave, but do we really need to break her like a pet? She is not here by her own free will, if word gets out…”

The king grumbled at that. He gave Aneela a look and scoffed, making the blood freeze in her veins. “She is mine now, whether she likes it or not, and I will do whatever I want with her. Make her eat from my palm like a caged bird, Ambrose. Do what you do best. I want her begging for my mercy.”

Then he left. And Aneela’s hope and strength left with him.