A Maid for the Lycan King

“Mother, I’m scared!” It was my first time traveling by sea, not only was I petrified by the sight of the roaring waves, I was terrified of what our captors will do to us. I wanted to move, but the chains bound around my neck and feet made it impossible. “Adanne,” she cried. The look on my mother’s face was heartbreaking. She’d cried until she could not, the pain of losing a spouse and home is far better imagined than experienced. “You will be fine, Adanne,” she whispered. Why was she sounding like that? After losing my father in a gruesome battle three nights ago, I wasn’t ready to lose her too. “Mother. Why are you sounding like that?” I cried. She lowered her gaze to the wound on her waist and all I could do is shake my head and sob more. “No-no, you’re not leaving me mother,” I teared at her unsaid words. A wave of sadness flooded through me and shook my whole body. “Adanne?” I was still crying but not listening. “Adanne!” She used her Luna voice and I had to stop crying and looked at her. “You have to be strong. Look at all these people, they need you,” she said. Sobbing, my eyes traveled about the ship to the several men and women on the main deck of the ship. And couldn’t hold it anymore, I broke into tears all over. These are my people, they were my people. I’m not sure anymore. Three nights ago, I was their princess, we had a home. We were celebrating the New Yam festival when the enemies came upon us. They came to us with sophisticated weapons and a powder we didn’t know existed. The were-dust powder when puffed on the face of a shifter, rendered them immediately weak and paralyzed for hours. Thus the enemies were able to overpower us and seized all that we hold dear. “They need you,” my mother whispered. She was right, they needed me, my people they need me but I also needed her. “Don’t leave me, mother. I need you too,” I cried. I was supposed to shift into my wolf that night, as with every werewolf on their eighteenth birthday and if lucky, find my mate. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life but instead, our village was raided. Tears raced down my face and I closed my eyes. A grunt from her had me reopening my eyes. I was surprised to see her move even under the chains, she butt-shoved herself to my side. My mother was a tall woman, she had even undergone a warrior’s training at a young age even though she was a princess. She met my father, the son of a blacksmith, on the night of the New Yam festival nineteen years ago. Having emerged the winner of the female wrestling competition, she’d wrestled with my father who also was the winner of the male category. In what was supposed to be a fighting competition, these two had fallen in-love. Rumor has it, it was on that night they discovered they were fated mates and got married the next month under the full moon. Over the years, their love has been one thing I admired so much; how they respected each other, cared for, and remained faithful to one another until my father’s untimely demise three nights ago by the enemies. Tears seeped from my eyes. I sighed as our skin came in contact and rested my head on her shoulder. She began to sing our favorite song.. “When your heart is heavy and your spirit is down, remember the laughter and the fields we roamed. In the darkest hours, when all seem lost, remember the stars we named.” ‘For our home is not lost, our heroes are not gone. In our hearts, their names engraved. We hold onto the hopes, the dreams of a reunion. Remember the laughter and the fields we roamed..’ I couldn’t help it, I closed my eyes to sleep. “Land ho!!” the lookout man hollered. My eyes fluttered open. With weary eyes, I scanned about the ship and then I heard the captain. “Prepare for anchor!!” Breath lodged in my throat. We’d gotten to our destination! “Mother! Mother?” I turned to nudge her only to notice the color has drained from her face. And her body was terribly cold. “Mother? MOTHER!!” I screamed and it drew the attention of the enemies. They darted towards me and examined the situation. My mother had passed on while I was asleep. “No, mother. Wake up!” I wanted to pull her to my chest and hug her but they took her away from me. While uttering profanity, they tossed her body into the water. “No -mother!” I cried and chewed down on my bottom lip to stiffen the pain but it was unbearable. My whole body convulsed, my heart torn into several pieces. A woman, one of our people, raised a song of tribute to my mother, to all our fallen heroes. I felt the wet hot tears fill up my eyes again. My gaze settled on something that belonged to her. Crying, I picked up the necklace and held it to my heart. “Put out the fender and prepare all the lines,” the Captain commanded. The sky was a blanket of stars when we finally ducked. I was absentminded as they dragged us down the ship still under the heavy chains. I kept looking back at the sea which now was my mother’s resting place. Her body is probably rocking its bottom. Sniffling, I placed her necklace on my chest. “Move them!” I heard the Captain command and once again we were moving on a single file. The people were gathered on the streets and booed us as we passed, some even threw rotten fruits at us. Some, not all of them. A handful of them looked at us with empathy, something I didn’t quite expect from people who raided our home. Despite the civilization I thought we had at home, this place was exceptionally large and beautiful, with streets which are interconnected and paved. “Move it, will you?!” The Captain barked at us and we waddled even faster. I continued to clutch the necklace in my hands to my chest. My throat burned from thirst, my stomach churning from days of starvation. At last, we stopped before a secluded building, an auction house, the signpost before giving it away. They moved us inside using the back door and one after the other have us enter the room and climb the stage. It finally got to my turn. “Please, don’t leave us!” My people cried. I broke into tears all over. “The moon goddess watches over each and everyone of us. Do not be discouraged and I assure you one day we shall see home again.” They cried. I cried. While uttering profanity, the enemies snatched me away from them. They shoved me into the larger room, up the stage to an all-male audience. “And now here is their princess,” a stout man said, stroking his mustache. He must be the auctioneer. “Look at her beautiful caramel skin sparkling under the moonlight!” He grabbed my face and smiled. “Don’t you all love how those brown eyes twinkle with so much youthfulness and charisma?” “Three hundred!” the first person hollered and the man sneered. “We certainly can do better.” “Three hundred and fifty!” another person from the audience hollered. Tears rolled down my face. “Four hundred.” Another voice joined, “Four hundred and twenty!” The auctioneer glanced at the Captain and they exchanged smiles. With their highest sales tonight being at two hundred and sixty-five, this no doubt, was about to be their biggest selling. “Did I hear a four hundred and fifty Sterling?” the auctioneer asked. “Four hundred and fifty!” “Five hundred!” another countered. “Oh, keep them coming!” The stout man spun me around. “Look at her a*se! They’re perfect! Imagine the pleasure of hitting those from behind.” He spun me again to face the audience and grabbed my hand and opened my palms to them. “She can also serve as your maid, a bedwarmer at night and a maid in the morning. Now do I hear an eight hundred?” “Eight hundred!” “Eight hundred and fifty!” More tears raced down my face as the bidding continued, getting stagnant at a thousand. Suddenly, a rough looking man jerked to his feet. “One thousand, five hundred and fifty.” He grunted and the men with him giggled. Silence fell in the room. Already I felt dread settling in the pit of my stomach. No, may I not be sold off to them! “One thousand, five hundred and fifty Sterling! Astonishing! Any challenger in the house?” the auctioneer asked. “Going for one thousand, five hundred and fifty Sterlings. One, two, three..gone!” And he rang the bell in his hand. Sobbing, I watched the auctioneer unlock my chains and shoved me to the Captain for the rest of the transaction. My new captors paid and dragged me with them out of the auction house, down a lonely street. “Walk fast, would you?” the leader of the group snarled, he was the one who stood and made the offer. They all reeked of alcohol. I followed obediently. “I want to be the first,” another said and the leader punched him in the face and the fellow fell to the ground, coughing “I told you she’s mine. MINE!” the leader barked. “Until I’m done, then you guys can have her,” he said and grabbed my hand again and tugged me with him. The rest of them followed. I want to yank my hand free and run, but I know not where I am or where I’ll be going. My heart raced as they took me with them down another lonely street and then stopped before a small building. We stopped and the man holding me releases my hand as he fumbled his pockets for something. “Fvck!” he groaned. “What is it?” another asked. “I think I have lost them! The keys!” Their leader snarled and looked at the rest of the four men. “One of you should go back and get it,” he commanded and I held tightly the keys in my hands. Goddess help me, I’d be dead if he finds out I’d snatched the keys from him at the brief fight back there, when he punched his fellow gang member. “I must have dropped it at the Auction House,” he added. An argument ensued on who should go back. It quickly escalated into a fight and soon they were throwing punches at each other. Their leader stepped in to separate them and I seized the opportunity and ran. A growl tore from their leader’s lips. “Stop it, you morons! She’s getting away!!” First, I heard the cracking of bones and before I could react properly, before I could look back a two legged monster clawed my back so hard that the force slammed me to the wall. A devastating groan escaped my lips. I turned around and coughed up blood on the floor. “Where did you think you’re going?” The monster shifted back into the leader of the gang and he grabbed my hair. I let out a deafening cry. What was worse was when the keys slipped out of my hand and he saw it. “B.i.t.c.h!!” They all took turns in kicking me and I cried. Suddenly, a howl broke out in the atmosphere. “What the hell!” My abusers stopped and began scanning the environment. I joined them. “Did you hear that?” One of them asked and the other nodded. We all searched for where that was coming from. Blood was tickling down my face. Another howl broke out in the darkness and then we saw it, the biggest shifter I have ever seen. Lightning streaked across the cloud. Suddenly the men with me started to whimper and cowered. I do not understand how one monster can frighten five grown men. They began to step back, their faces on the ground, and then they turned and ran away. I managed myself to my feet and staggered. More blood trickled down my nostrils. The world spun and the ground swayed below me I moved my gaze to the lycan at the end of the street, and I fainted.