The Demon King's Bride

A Deal Struck

Phoenyx

Pinned between two of the warrior's for her father's pack, Phoenyx was guided through the halls of the packhouse. It was rare that she was summoned into the presence of the Alpha, and typically meant that her day was about to become a lot more complicated and painful. As always, she moved between the warriors with her head bowed, her eyes focused on the ground before her.

She had learned early in life, that the less attention she garnered for herself the better. Despite the fact she was born with two other pups, she had been the one to earn their father's ire. No one spoke of their mother or who she had been. Phoenyx could only assume she resembled the woman. At least that would explain the grotesque difference in how she was treated in comparison to her siblings.

To the pack, she was an enigma. Believing she was wolfless, they could not explain how she had endured their taunts, their beatings. She always healed and returned for the next round of trials that came her way. Unlike the other females of the pack, Phoenyx was short. Most females among the shifter community, even the wolfless, were over the height of five-foot-six, she stood at barely over five-foot-one. A majority of their kind had dark colored hair in varying shades of brown, black, silver, and auburn. For her, she had brilliant hair that was a rich, crimson red. Strands of gold and yellow shot through some of the strands so that when she shifted just right, those curls appeared like living fire.

Every single trait of her appearance was an exact opposite to the rest of the shifters in their pack. She was such a rarity, that people from other packs and clans had come here to see the cursed one among her father's people. Many said she was a disgrace. A wolfless abomination born of some union her father had made that was unsanctioned since it was not with his fated mate. Yet, no one spoke of who that female was, or what had happened.

Things they were aware of, was that Phoenyx had been born with the twins. The Alpha brothers that were the apple of Alpha Trevain's eye. Both Micheal and Adrian were rumored to be the next great Alpha's of this generation. Possibly able to take over the Shifter Throne. They had been born in their wolf forms, unable to take their human skin until they were six months old.

Phoenyx had been born in her human skin and never even partially shifted no matter how much happened to her. The twins had been the epitome of perfect shifter health as they grew up, whereas she had been small, frail. Unable to fight or strike out at any of the others that took it upon themselves to test her as she matured. There had been more tears, broken bones, and pain than most could imagine.

Where the boys had been taught science, philosophy, math, and culture - Phoenyx had been relegated to learning to scrub floors, wash walls, do laundry , and practice being unseen and unheard. Her life had been one trial after another, with Victor working tirelessly to remove her as she was considered a spot on the family name. Yet, he never quite succeeded and no one could figure out why.

None of them were aware that Phoenyx had gotten her wolf at sixteen. Nor were they aware that she and her wolf were so integrated with one another, there was not a separate personality. Her wolf was just a part of her with a different form. They were also unaware that she could use magic. Something no shifter should have been able to do. Normally such talents were relegated to the other beings of the supernatural world.

Since those revelations, Phoenyx had been extra careful to keep herself hidden. She helped in the packhouse, cleaned and cooked for the whole of the pack. She never went on a run inside the territory. Kept her scent hidden, and did her best to keep herself out of the way of anyone who could reveal what she was. It made for a very limited scope of seeing the world around her. Primarily moving between the chores she did around the pack and her room, which was more of a closet in the basement of the packhouse.

So why she would be called before her father today, she had no idea. She spoke to no one, did nothing when people preapred for events around the pack and did even less to make people forget she was born of the Alpha's blood after all. If anything, Phoenyx had become a master at hiding who she was and what she was capable of. It was her hope that she would be able to survive long enough to find a way out of her pack before they realized just how wrong they were.

Soon, they would realize that she had stopped aging. All those that were wolfless, tended to live a human life, with a human life expectancy. She was nearing thirty and did not appear a day over the age of eighteen. Even her brothers looked as if they were at least in their early twenties. Yet, she was stuck looking like a child.

"Good, good, good." Victor mumbled, lifting one hand and waving it lazily. "Leave us." He ordered the two warriors before levelling icy blue eyes on Phoenyx. Immediately she looked back down at the ground, moving to clasp her hands in front of her as the Alpha continued to speak, "So I suppose you're wondering why I called you here."

Phoenyx did her best to be completely still, her fingers clenching tightly before her as she spoke in a near whisper, "No, Alpha. I assumed you were giving me a new chore for the day."

"That was all you were good for 'til now." He snarled and shook his head moving forward and pushing his hand up under her chin to force her head up, "You're finally going to be of some use to this Pack and our Kingdom. A deal has been struck with the Elders. In order to keep the peace between the kingdoms and prevent a war that would reveal us to the mortal realm, you will be married to the Demon King in two weeks."

"Our kind do not..." Phoenyx began, only to feel Victor's fingers bite into her flesh as he stilled her mouth.

"You do not get to speak on our kind." He spit in her face as he frowned, "You are not one of us. You are not a Were or a Lycan. You smell nothing like us, only the tainted blood of your b***h of a mother is what we sense from you." Phoenyx flinched and tried to pull free of Victor's grip. "The fact that you are not of our kind is why we are giving you to the demon. He will get none of our genetics or traits from being paired with you, even if he chose to take a liking to your sickly form."

"I did not agree to be bartered off."

"It is not your choice. You are wolfless, homeless, nameless, and powerless. You are of zero benefit to this pack, and further, you are a mark upon the whole of our kind. Nearing thirty and still wolfless. No strength, no power. If you were to stay I would be forced to find a way to rid us of you in some other fashion. If you do not agree to the marriage, then you will be gifted to the son of the Vampire King as a consort to solidify our truce with them." Victor pushed her off, his grip relenting as she stumbled back away from him.

"So why even tell me of your plan? If I have no choice, then what good is it to inform me when you will just do as you see fit anyway." She asked.

"To make you aware of just what your position here is." Victor smirked a little, "You are being bartered off, but if you breathe one word of anything that happened here in this pack, you will be slaughtered when the time comes. Although that might happen anyway." Victor chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm being bartered just for you all to break your word?" She frowned, peering over at Victor for the first time to really look at him for the first time in years.

At nearly six hundred years old, Victor Trevain had aged well. His body was lean, his shoulders broad. Black hair fell in long, straight strands that were as dark as a raven's wing. His eyes were a dark black, the outer ring of the iris was a burning blue as he looked to where she stood, moving towards her with barely leashed power, showing him to be the predator that he was. Yet, even as he stalked towards her, Phoenyx did not move. Others would have crumpled under his Alpha aura, and normally Phoenyx played into that. Sadly, this was not the day for that as he spoke again.

"The Demon King has sat on his throne for too long. Even the Light Celestials have changed leaders on the throne every couple of hundred years. He has sat unopposed and unmated for nearly a millenia." Victor gave a cool smile, "The other kingdoms have grown weary of him trying to police their every move. He is a thorn in the side of our people and the others of the Supernatural world. It's time for a change of regime."

"So I'm a distraction." Phoenyx said softly.

"Or what buys him more time. If you cannot deflect him from his interference, then we will move. If the marriage has him backing off, it will buy you some time before the incursion happens to dethrone him. Either way, we are rid of you." Victor grinned and smiled a little, "Thus the reason you were brought before me now."

"I don't understand." Phoenyx narrowed her eyes, peering at Victor as he growled.

"God, I cannot wait to be rid of you. Those amethyst eyes of yours bespeaking your witch blood. She cursed me when she had you." He muttered and then shook his head, stalking forward and snarling as he let his Alpha aura loose, "You will never speak of the things done to you here in this pack. You will not speak of the things I have told you tonight. You will live, in silence, unable to tell him anything really. Your ability to offer up the secrets of the pack and of our lives to him will be gone and you will never be able to tell anyone the truth." With a malicious smile, Victor lifted his hand, "So I suppose we should make the most of the time we have left." Even as he spoke, his arm flew, his hand smacking Phoenyx fully across the face and sending her flying back across the room with the impact.