The Alpha Princess And Her Dragon Mate

The smell of blood is pungent; despite her efforts, she can't ignore it. As an Alpha, her sense of smell is far sharper than that of ordinary wolves. Sabrina had lived in the pack house all her life. It wasn’t uncommon for wolves to return from a hunt smelling of death and blood, but this scent was far more unsettling. Rising from her bed, she made her way out of her chambers. Following the smell of blood led her to him. At first, Sabrina didn't recognize the scent—it reeked more of pain, anger, and fear. As she slowly approached, her eyes widened. She recognized those boots, the dark trousers, and the loose button-up shirt. This was her father’s usual training regalia. Before she knew it, she was on her knees beside him, cradling his head in her lap. "F...Father..." Sabrina choked out. Pressing a hand to the bleeding wound on his neck, she felt confused. Usually, such an injury would heal on its own. There was a reason her pack was considered one of the strongest in the Empire—their healing abilities far exceeded those of ordinary wolves. But now... her father was losing blood. He wasn’t healing. "Help! Someone, please help us!" "S...Sabrina... hush... don't..." "Father, please hold on. Help is on its way," she insisted, though there was no one was coming. It was strange. In a pack house as large as theirs, with dozens of soldiers stationed at every corner, people should have been rushing forward by now. Yet the place remained eerily deserted. Sabrina didn't understand what was happening, but her father did. The dying king reached out to hold his daughter’s hand with his shaky, bloodstained ones. "Go... R... run before they... get you too." "I don’t understand! Father, please, please hold on a little longer. I’ll go get help!" The man cared not for himself. He worried only about the precious daughter he was about to leave behind. It was too late for him—he couldn’t survive this. I should have known better. I should have protected you better. Traitors, all of them. "I... I love you, Sabrina. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect... you..." "Father? Father!!" Oh, Moon Goddess, please, no! Sabrina clutched the man close to her chest, tears streaming down her face as she cried in misery. She called for help, but deep down, she knew it was too late. Her father was gone. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t. Sabrina didn't know how much time passed as she clung to her father’s body. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and she felt so drained that even crying made her body tremble in pain. There was something in the air—something spicy and suffocating. Poison? She wasn’t sure. Could that explain why no one else was in the pack house? Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Sabrina’s heart thudded with hope as she looked at the approaching soldiers. Her sister and fiancé led the group. "Oh my God!" Eleanor exclaimed in horror. She looked from their father’s gradually cooling corpse to her older sister, who was still hugging his body tightly. "Y...You... You killed him! She killed my father!!" "What?!" Sabrina was stunned and hurt by the accusation. How could her own sister accuse her of such a thing? Sabrina would sooner die than harm her loved ones. "N...No, I didn’t! I found him like this!" "Sabrina Thorne, you're despicable," Edwin said, his eyes frosty. He pulled Eleanor into his embrace, holding her intimately to comfort her. Edwin—her fiancé, her father’s most trusted Beta—now looked at her as though she were mere dirt beneath his feet. "Seize the traitor! She murdered our Alpha!" "No! No! Edwin, please! I would never! I... it wasn’t me, please!!" Desperate pleas fell from her lips, but no one paid her any heed. No one bothered to listen to her side of the story. She struggled helplessly, but her strength wasn’t enough to fight off the men who dragged her away. She was held roughly, dragged like a criminal. Sabrina cried, making one last effort to plead with her beloved fiancé, but he was too preoccupied with her sister. One of the Alphas grew impatient with her struggles and slammed her head against the brick wall to silence her. Warm blood dripped down her face. Sabrina found she couldn’t even summon her wolf. The last thing she saw was Edwin placing a gentle kiss on Eleanor’s lips before her vision went dark. Sabrina didn’t see the light of day again until she was dragged out of the dark dungeons, chains binding her hands and feet. She was presented before a handsome man in a pristine suit. Taller than all the other werewolves, his body was well-built, and his eyes were as black as night. She had only seen him from afar, on his coronation day—a ceremony she had been required to attend as the future Luna of her pack. The Lycan King's eyes were even more vicious than Edwin’s. He gave her one look of disgust and turned to address the couple behind her. "Are there any witnesses to testify against her?" Eleanor stepped forward, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Edwin stood closely by her side, his expression filled with worry, as though he expected her to collapse at any moment. "I saw it," Eleanor said, her voice trembling. "Though, unfortunately, I couldn’t reach my father in time before my sister stabbed him. My... father informed me the night before his murder that he feared my sister was becoming too ambitious. Knowing she would become the leader of our pack after his death, Sabrina... she... she rushed to take matters into her own hands. She killed him." Sabrina swallowed hard, her throat dry and parched. She hadn’t had a single drop of water or food for three days. Still, she opened her mouth to defend herself, but the look she received from the King made her stop. No matter what you say, nobody will believe you. It’s the perfect setup. "And the murder weapon?" the King asked. "A knife, Your Majesty, coated in venom," Eleanor replied. The knife was presented to the King, along with evidence of Sabrina’s fingerprints on it. Sabrina stared at the blade—the same one Eleanor had gifted her on her birthday a few weeks ago. Tears welled up in her eyes. The King eyed the items coldly. His dilated eyes focused once more on Sabrina’s wretched form. "Hearing all the evidence pointing to your betrayal, do you still deny your crimes?" "I did not kill my father! I loved him more than anything in the world!" Sabrina cried. "With your whole pack testifying against you, you still deny it?" "I am innocent, Your Majesty!" The Lycan King smiled cruelly. "Banish her to Blood Island." The room fell into heavy silence. Sabrina broke down in tears at the same time Eleanor cried out, feigning remorse and disbelief. Blood Island was home to dragons—the most bloodthirsty creatures in existence. As a mere she-wolf, Sabrina stood little chance of surviving there. She would be torn apart—that is, if she survived the journey there. Once again, Sabrina was dragged away, crying and pleading. Just like before, no one took pity on her. * * * The dungeon was cold and dark, the only light coming from a small crack high up on the wall. Sabrina leaned against the damp stone, her thin arms wrapped around her body in a feeble attempt to secure some warmth. She was hungry and thirsty, so much so that she didn’t even notice when someone entered the dungeon. It wasn’t until the figure presented her with a cup of water that she snapped out of her daze. Sabrina gulped down the water eagerly. It was barely enough to wet her throat, far from satisfying, but it was still a relief. Only after her thirst was slightly eased did she look up and recognize the figure. Her younger sister, Eleanor, stood before her—beautiful and radiant as always, her smile mocking "It pains my heart to see you like this," Eleanor said softly. Yet, there was no pain in her voice or expression. Instead, she seemed almost... joyous. "But this is simply the will of the Moon Goddess. It cannot be changed." "W...Why?" Sabrina croaked, her voice hoarse and broken. "Why? You ask why?" Eleanor repeated, her tone mocking. "Obviously, it’s because I want everything you have. Your fiancé, the position of Luna—everything. Father always favored you the most. He loved you so much. Unfortunately, he’s not here to see you fall. It would have broken his heart... such a shame." She sighed "You can’t imagine how delighted I was when Edwin agreed to this. When the whole pack agreed. A woman can never lead a pack, dear sister. We all know that. Father didn’t." "You... you colluded with them. You... killed Father..." Sabrina’s voice cracked, disbelief and horror evident in every word. "A small sacrifice," Eleanor said dismissively. "I gave him a proper burial—he deserved that much." Sabrina stared at her sister for a long moment, refusing to believe what she was hearing. This was the same girl she had grown up with, the sister she had loved more than herself, the one she would have died to protect. Tears streaked down her face as she reached out and grabbed Eleanor’s hand, her eyes pleading. "I will forget this," Sabrina whispered desperately. "I swear on the Moon Goddess, I will... forgive you, Eleanor. For Father’s death. But please... you need to help me. I beg of you. I... I am your sister. Please, Eleanor. I swear I will forgive you." Eleanor pulled her hand away with a look of utter disgust. "Oh, Rina," she sneered. "I don’t need your forgiveness. I need you to die." "Eleanor... please!! Please! Eleanor!!" Sabrina cried out, but her sister turned away. Eleanor walked out of the dungeon without a second glance. Three men waited for her just outside, their appearances rugged and filthy. She glanced at them with satisfaction. "Have fun, boys," she said lightly. The men exchanged wicked grins before stepping into the dungeon, one by one. Sabrina’s pained screams echoed through the walls all night, growing weaker and weaker until finally, she could no longer summon the strength to cry out. She lay limp on the cold floor, her body battered and broken, as the men took advantage of her. I swear, Eleanor... Edwin... I won't forget this