Marked By The Devil King

　　PHOEBE'S POV:-

　　It was happening again. The darkness! It was around me again. I heard demon's screaming in my ears as they approached me. The crock of my neck burned as if someone might have dropped the molten glass on my neck. I was sitting on the ground. I covered my ears with both of my hands. I screamed at the top of my lungs. But my screams were muffled as the demons were getting nearer.

　　I was shaking with fear as I opened my eyes and looked up again. I saw him standing in front of me again. He was right there. Yet again, I could only stare at him. His eyes shined red and my soul left my body for a moment.

　　"Stay away from me. Don't you dare get anywhere near me." I screamed at him with all the strength that I could master. Yet it was not enough at all.

　　There was a devilish smirk on his face as he leaned in. Before I could move, he pulled my face closer to his and kissed me forcefully. That bruising kiss, I hated it so much. Yet it just didn't stop. I wanted to push him. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to claw his heart out. But I had no power against him.

　　My lungs were burning for oxygen. It had been way too long but he just didn't stop. My vision started to darken up again. My head felt light. I heard the light everyone sees when they are closer to their deaths. But I only saw darkness.

　　With a loud gasp, I opened my eyes and sat up on the bed. I looked around. I was back in the alpha's sweet. My clothes were drenched with my sweat. Holding my head in my hand, I cried quietly in my room.

　　Ever since that day, I had been having those nightmares. I tried everything I could. There were a bunch of dreamcatchers hanging in my mansion. Yet, the nightmares just didn't stop. I was afraid to call asleep, they were that scary.

　　I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I couldn't cry like that. Not when I was the strength of my pack. I pulled the comforter off of my body and crawled out of the King sized bed. It felt awkward to sleep in the same bed that my parents shared long ago. But I couldn't do anything. I had to follow the laws strictly if I wanted my people to do the same.

　　After a long warm bath, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body. A long sleeved gray t-shirt and gray workout pants were lying on my bed along with my workout underwear. I looked around, as if trying to find the dirty gaze I felt on my body whenever I was naked in my bedroom.

　　I sighed… "You are becoming paranoid, Phoebe. Get a hold of yourself. You can't fall apart when you bear the burden of the whole pack on your shoulders." I reminded myself of what was actually important in my life. Taking a deep breath, I pet the towel slid off of my body.

　　The moment the towel touched the ground, I had that same feeling like someone was watching me. Shaking my head, I continued wearing clothes. As everyday, I pulled my hair up in a high ponytail and put my workout shoes on.

　　I stepped out of the mansion, munching on an apple and a water bottle in my hands. I reached the training grounds first, as I was expected to. "Alpha! How can you beat me every single day? I woke up at 4 am this morning. Yet, you beat me again." The Beta of my pack, Beta Jade spoke in a low tone as he approached the training grounds.

　　I smirked proudly at him. "You can't beat me, Jade. Just like our fathers. Your father never beat my father's record. My father, the alpha, was always the first to step into the training grounds." I replied to him proudly. Both Jade and I started laughing.

　　Jade and I grew up together at the Alpha's mansion. We were best friends. He was like a brother that I never really had. He helped me through the hardest times of my life. The day I lost my parents. The day, I was tricked by my sister and sold to the king. The day I finally took over my father's pack.

　　I had endured all the hardships before I finally took over my father's pack. My sister had ruined it for years. My father was the strongest Alpha of the shifter Kingdom. His pack was the strongest too. But an accident took him away from us when I was only 15. Since I was too young and naive, I thought my sister would take care of the pack like father did.

　　But I forgot what my father used to say about her. That she was a liar and a coward. And a greedy person like my sister should never become the Alpha. My father was blessed with two daughters. But never once he showed remorse for not having an heir that could carry his name in the future.

　　He had trained us both to take over his seat. However, when he tested us, he decided that he couldn't leave the pack in the hands of my sister. My sister never let me know that bitter truth. She hid it from me. I learned the truth about my father's will after I took over the pack.

　　After a long training session, I was finally going back home. I showered and had a big breakfast. It was time for me to join the others in the hunting game my father used to play with me. I stepped out, wearing a red polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans and brown long boots. I was wearing a hat on my head instead of the helmet.

　　"Mr Brown, are you ready to beat the others in this game again?" I asked my horse and he excitedly nodded his head. Smiling widely, I hopped onto his back. As soon as I grabbed onto his harness, Mr Brown started running toward the spot where all the players met. The game was played on Saturday after breakfast.

　　"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the game. The rules are simple. A few rabbits will be released in the forest. Anyone, who can find more than five rabbits, can move on and find a deer. Whoever hunts the deer first, wins the game." Gamma of the pack, Gamma Sarah informed us.

　　She then walked away and the rabbits were released in the forest. Before anyone could move, Mr Brown was already following one of the rabbits he had set his eyes on. I had my archer set in my hands. My eyes were set on the target and Mr Brown slowed down. I was ready to take the shot when I heard something unusual.

　　A beautiful scent reached my nostrils and I couldn't help but fill my lungs with that scent. Cassandra, my wolf, was suddenly so excited. I hopped off of Mr Brown and started following the scent that suddenly left my wolf restless.

　　Getting closer, I started to hear someone groaning in pain. I paced up my speed. If anyone was wounded, as an alpha, I was supposed to save their life. As I got to the scene, I found a tall and muscular man lying by the lake and the vultures were gathering around, ready to eat him alive.

　　Crows and some dogs had also gathered around. They were getting too close to that man. My eyes shined red and my platinum blonde hair grew longer. My canines and claws grew bigger. Holding my ground, I howled loudly. The wild animals were scared. They quickly ran off.

　　I made my way toward the man. He had stopped groaning. It looked like, he was unconscious. I turned him about and Cassandra howled inside of my mind: "Mate!"

　　My heart squeezed as I looked at him. He was a foot taller than me. He was a very handsome man. Yet, I couldn't get him even if he was my mate. Unlike other she-wolves, my story was different and very dark.

　　I carried him in my arms and walked back toward Mr Brown. Mr Brown quickly lowered his back so I could place that man on his back. I hopped onto Mr Brown's back and started my journey back. As I got closer, I heard them all cheer. "Looks like Jade beat us up this time, Mr Brown." I whispered and Mr Brown huffed angrily.

　　"No worries, Mr Brown. We will win next time. This time, we had a more important job to do. We are the alphas after all." I added calmly and Mr Brown nodded his head.

　　Mr Brown stopped behind everyone. All of them turned around and looked at me. "Alpha, where have you been? I was worried. And who is that?" Jade was back in his overly protective brother mode as he looked at the man on Mr Brown's back. I hopped off of Mr Brown's back and walked toward Jade.

　　"Calm down, Jade. I am no longer a child. Anyways, I found this wounded man by the lake. He would have become the breakfast of the wild animals. But I scared them away." I replied to Jade calmly. He walked toward the man on Mr Brown's back and sniffed onto him.

　　"He is a rogue, my Alpha. After everything you have endured, this could be a pay back from rogues. We have to be careful." Jade spoke in an angry tone. I would have agreed with him. But this time, my thoughts were a little different.

　　"I would have killed him when I found out that he is a rogue. But before that, I found out that he is my mate." I informed Jade and everyone around us, suddenly gasped in surprise.

　　Back at home, while I was waiting for the healers to come out, I could feel an angry glare at me. For a while, I tried ignoring the glare since I knew exactly what that person wanted. I couldn't hold it against him. He was just trying to protect me from another heartbreak. He was right about me, I was too naive.

　　As time passed, glare started to bother me. It felt like someone was poking an old wound nonstop. "Jade! Just say it already. You know well, I am no longer as patient as I used to be." I yell or growl at him. But I was pissed.

　　"I still think it's a bad idea. We don't know him. He smells like a rogue and someone did quite a number on him. Do you want me to go on and on?" Jade almost screamed at me in annoyance. But he narrowed his head as soon as he realized his mistake.

　　I wanted our relationship to be as humble and playful the way it was when we were children. I lost my whole family in a few years. All I had left were some friends that I made before I became the alpha. Now people wouldn't look at me because I was their alpha and they were not allowed to raise their gazes at me.

　　"I know it's a bad idea. I know I will not be able to protect my heart yet again. But I couldn't let him die on the street like that. I owe him at least this much before I would reject him." I answered Jade in a low tone. My hand was on the mark that had suddenly started to burn again. Of course, I was not too far away from the man who was chosen for me by the Moon goddess.

　　Jade wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. "I am so sorry, alpha. I didn't mean to hurt you." Like a big brother, he comforted me. And without any argument, I let him.