Hekate’s Bride

“Do not come any closer. I will jump from here if you do,” the female says as I hurl myself through the doors once more, only to be repelled by an invisible force that will not let me leave this room.

I have been trying repeatedly for a minute now but I’m stuck here.

“Go ahead, Lorna,” he says, eyes sparkling with wicked delight. “A few broken bones can be fixed in time for the ritual come nightfall.”

I rear back, stunned. Lorna? If she is Lorna and this situation is what I think it is, then… my eyes snaps to the male prowling closer to her. That isn’t Rune. It is Hekate.

Not that I know the difference between them anymore.

The woman peers down from the window. “I would never survive a fall from this height.”

“You would,” he cooes, bracing a hand on her exposed thigh that sits in the windowsill. “The shift is nearly complete. All that is left is the consummation of our bond tonight. A mere fall cannot break a lycan.”

I don’t know what to expect, but it isn’t the way her eyes darken and her tongue darts out to caress her bottom lip at the word, ‘consummation’.

If all my lessons on history serves me correctly, then Lorna shouldn’t be leaning into Hekate’s touch on her thigh. Her eyes should not be shuttering and her breaths should not be reduced to pants.

She should not be looking at him like she can’t help herself and her next words shouldn’t be without bite.

“Do what you will. I refuse to be your bride. I hate you.”

Hekate chuckles and he lifts her foot off the window in a swift, smooth maneuver, curving her long elegant leg around his torso instead. “You tell such lies with your beautiful mouth.”

Lorna doesn’t fight him. Her hands go around his neck and she holds on tightly as he backs her into the wall. His hands disappear underneath the regal purple fabric of her gown and her eyes flash black before they roll back in her head.

“I hope the Goddess punishes you for your cruelty,” she whispers, even as a moan slips her throat.

Jealousy nips at me and I turn away, swallowing. The feeling doesn’t make sense, just like my being in this place and time.

“You’ll never have my heart,” I hear Lorna say as I proceed to the door and what follows is a sharp sigh and a plea for more from him.

“I already do,” Hekate pronounces and she argues no more.

I suppose Hekate wasn’t lying when he said she had grown to love him. That brings several questions to mind about what else he didn’t lie about.

Why has the truth been twisted for several centuries? Why lie about his relationship? Why exactly am I being made to see this? What is truly happening? Is Hekate truly the enemy?

Sure enough, when I try leaving the room, I am let through, taken back into the portal and broken into a million pieces again as I travel back home.

*************

“Your actions are utterly disgraceful. Kings have gone to war for less. We must have the Goddess to thank that the King of Lycans does not want you punished for harming his heir.”

I stare at the tiled floor, counting how many steps it might take to walk up that daiz and tell her how I feel about this questioning session.

Could they not speak to me in private? Why reprimand me in front of the entire court?

My nails dig into my palm and I force out the words I am expected to say. “I apologize. I let my anger overwhelm me and acted without thinking.”

“Perhaps, an apology would do. A public apology,” Delta Noah says and the wooden platform groans under an angry stump of my father’s foot, causing all to fall silent.

Elder Adolf coughs slightly, drawing our attention to the far end of the wall where he sits, draped in the same robe he wears to my father’s court whenever a meeting is called. His weathered face has more lines and creases plastered on it as he frowns. “May I speak freely?”

My father waves, giving him a go ahead. I do not like Elder Adolf. Or any of the elders on my father’s council. They have done nothing to hide their contempt at the idea of a woman ruling the Alpha Throne next.

Getting them to accept me as heir had taken three unsuccessful Alpha duels–of course, unsuccessful from their end. Father fought for me. For my place. One day, I will be challenged for my crown, and I will have to fight to keep my title.

An honour, it used to be, but now, I’m skeptical of everything. Exhausted too.

The elder stands shakily, grabbing either sides of him for support. “With regret, I must assert that the princess has consistently demonstrated her inadequacy to assume the responsibilities befitting this realm. My words may appear harsh, but I am bound by a commitment to honesty,” he says, adding the last sentence when my mother’s warning growl reverberates through the room.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

It doesn’t stop him from continuing and speaking more words that make me want to rip out the skin from his throat. “Her unreliability and impulsive nature pose a grave concern. Moreover, troubling whispers persist of her indiscreet interactions with male lycans, extending invitations that compromise the sanctity of our lineage. By ridiculing our pack and casting aspersions upon our race, she perpetuates her unsuitability for the throne until such time that her wings of, ‘youthful exuberance’ are clipped and her judgment is duly tempered.”

My lips draw back from my teeth in a fierce snarl and I let it show. All of my anger. All of my frustration. “Do not forget in whose presence you speak, Adolf.”

He sees something in my eyes that drains all the colour from his face.

“And what do you suggest will ‘clip the wings of your future queen’?” My mother suddenly says and I know that even if she is mad at me, possibly disappointed, she will not let me get insulted by these people.

Elder Adolf swallows audibly and it takes a while for him to get the dreadful words out. “The prospects of her finding a suitable mate have significantly diminished. It is my prudent suggestion that she be united in matrimony with a male of noble stature, capable of ruling as her esteemed King Consort. In doing so, she shall remain steadfastly aware of her loyalties and obligations.”

Whispers fill the air and I watch with horror as every single face seems to look contemplative. A bitter laugh escapes me. “You’re insane. You all are.”

I storm across the vast space, slamming shut the doors of the Grand Hall so hard, it pulls off its hinges.

“Astrid,” I hear mother call after me, but I walk the hallways, needing the safety and silence of my room.

So I punch Rune, and somehow, that translates to ‘I need to a man to mate with.’

Wonderful. Really.

“You will not walk away–”

I whirl so quickly, time seems pause for me. “Leave me alone!”

Mother halts abruptly, sucking in a sharp breath and in an instant, her face is white as sheet. She lunges forward, grabbing my face with her hands. Her eyes are wide with fear as she tilts my head left and right. “What have you done?!”

I jerk from her grasp. “What do you mean?”

“Your eyes are wholly black–” Mother stops talking and grabs my neck roughly, pulling me forward as she sniffs my face and my neck.

While I am still trying to comprehend her reactions, she suddenly lets go of me, releasing a cry of outrage.

My head jerks to the side as her hand connects with my cheek, delivering a resounding slap that echoes off the walls of the hallway. “You have ruined everything! Who marked you?!”

Tears spring to my eyes as I hold my cheek. “Rune.”

Mother’s eyes widen with a mix of shock and fury as she processes the news. Without warning, she lashes out and grabs my arm hard enough to break it. She pulls me down the length of the corridor and I try severally as I try to keep up her pace. “Mother, it isn’t what you think–”

“I told your father we were spoiling you; letting you do what made you happy. He trusted you. We trusted you, and this is what you do! Shame us!” Her grip tightens and I start to whimpers, trying to wrench my arm from her hold.

Maids and guards alike pretend not to watch us, but I know it will spread like wildfire before morning.

Mother doesn’t stop until she is before my room, hurling me into it.

Dread fills me when she slams the door shut and a pair of keys jingle from the other side. I run to the large door, slamming my fist into it again and again. “Mother? Let me out.”

There is a harsh click and I know she has locked me in. “Mother!”

But she doesn’t reply. The sound of soft footsteps disappearing down the hallways replace the jiggling sound of keys and I crumple to the ground, sobbing.