Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Kinslee POV

Pain shot through my body like a blast of electricity. I became aware of myself slowly. My body worked like an old wheel trying to find its rhythm again. I lay beneath something wet and squishy.

I laboured to open my eyes. It felt like concrete sealed my eyes shut. Since my body felt like I’d been hammered with a mallet, giving in to sleep didn’t feel like a horrible idea.

That was until I heard heavy boots crush twigs and leaves on the ground. My mind kicked into panic mode, but my body protested every move I made.

“What the hell is this?” A man asked, gruff and annoyed.

“I don’t know. She’s alive. Someone must have dumped her here,” another man responded.

I forced my eyes open a crack. Tall, muscular men in the same dark purple uniform hovered above me. My throat was sore, which stopped me from speaking.

“Every wolf found at the border must be taken to the King. Even if she was left as wolf bait.”

The King?

Wolf bait? What are they talking about?

I couldn’t ask them. They hoisted me off the ground. I was powerless to stop them.

I became aware of two things. I wasn’t home anymore, and I was completely nude.

What happened to my clothes?!  When the wagon carrying me came to an abrupt halt, my eyes popped open.

I could smell the morning dew and the moisture in the air. I looked around, and the sun crept on the grass and the edges of the wooden wagon I was in.

The last thing I remembered was the tower at the castle. Talking to my sister in the dark room. My twin sister’s face, which was a mirror of mine, flashed in my mind in a rush of fury.

The window frame flashed in my mind… I blinked the images away and stared at anything in the wagon with me.

My exploration of the wagon didn’t last long. I was yanked out of the wagon. My legs felt like jelly, but I was forced to march through heavy metal doors.

“W-Where am I?” I rasped.

No one responded.

I was taken to a basement and tossed on the ground like a useless bag. More intimidating men awaited me in the basement. I hissed and scurried to hide my nakedness.

“Isn’t this interesting?” The man stepped forward.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped.

The four men chuckled. “Who do you think you are?”

The man who spoke was younger than the three behind him. I thought they might be in the pack council.

“I’m Kinslee De Monte, from the De Monte Wolves Pack,” I said, quickly. “I’m an Alpha female and… I have no idea why I’m here.”

“That’s convenient, isn’t it?” The young male barked.

He had a point. But I wasn’t lying.

They shared glances. “Now what would the daughter of a prominent Alpha being doing in the middle of the Vaneka Territory?”

“Vaneka Territory?” My voice cracked.

“Yes, territory of the Lycan King.”

Not just the Lycan King. The Hybrid King! A ruthless Alpha who thirsted for blood and action. The only wolf with both magic and lycan strength.

My heart dropped. How did I end up here?

I was miles from my pack!

“She’s an imposter. She’s a spy from our enemies. I want to know who sent her.”

“I’m not lying. I’m Kinslee De Monte. I don’t know how I got here.”

“Kinslee De Monte is at the academy,” he snapped.

“What?” I squeaked.

The man narrowed his eyes. I must look more guilty now than before. I glanced over my shoulder. The door had been left jar. That was my chance.

Despite my wobbly legs I bolted towards the door.

“You won’t go far,” a growl came behind me.

I reached the door. A partial taste of freedom then the door flew open. I stepped backwards as an imposing man marched forward. I was paralysed for a second. He bumped into me and curled his fingers around my right arm.

I was trapped.

“There better be a good explanation for why you woke me up!” A deep drawl with a venomous sting to it filled the room.

“Your Highness,” the men said in unison.

He looked down at me. His eyes analysed me like a high-tech machine.

“What the fuck is going on?” Lycan King Kyan demanded, staring at me.

“A spy was found outside the southern border. She’s claiming to be Alpha Dillion De Monte’s daughter,” the guard’s voice trembled.

My heart raced rapidly. Blood rushed to my ears, and my wolf raised her head weakly.

His scent was like a rope around my neck, dragging me forward. It was like everyone in the room vanished in that moment. His green eyes paralysed me and stopped the words on my tongue that were about to tumble out.

He grabbed my chin.

My wolf clawed at me from every angle. Her howl filled my mind and forced me to say the dreaded word! The longer he held me, the harder it was to ignore his scent. I stared into the eyes of a vicious monster. A man who destroyed villages and turned women into widows.

Yet, I couldn’t deny the gravitational pull between us.

“This is interesting,” he muttered.

The male who’d interrogated me marched forward. “She could be a spy.”

“A naked spy? What type of spies have you met, Finn?” The Lycan King asked.

Finn smirked and crossed his arms. “She has interesting tactics, I have to admit.”

My body trembled not out of fear but of need. I couldn’t take it anymore. If I didn’t speak, I would break.

“M-Mate,” I whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.

He glared at me. “Quiet.”

My heart shattered, and my wolf went dead silent.

“What?”

He grabbed my face roughly. His hand was like fire on my skin. “Keep your mouth shut. Not here. Not now.”

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. I squeezed my thighs closed, but that didn’t stop the desperate ache between my legs. I’d never felt this way with anyone before. I’d never known the mate bond to manifest with such force. It was nothing I’d ever heard of.

“I’m Kinslee De Monte. My father’s pack is very powerful. He’ll come for me,” I bluffed.

Finn took me in from head to toe. The Lycan King still had me in his grip and showed no signs of letting me go. In fact, he inched closer. I could feel his body heat.

Finn frowned, his blue eyes darkened. Before he could speak his mind, two more people joined us. One of them was an elderly man, and the other one seemed like a stubborn yet powerful woman.

“Dillon De Monte is the least of our worries,” Finn said.

“What are you talking about, Finn?” The King said, rubbing his forehead.

Finn pointed at me. “Look at her shoulder, Kyan.”

I followed Finn’s finger to the mud staining my skin. I frowned. What’s he talking about?

Kyan rubbed the wet mud from his shoulder and dragged his hand down my arm. It sent a strong electric shock down my spine.

Kyan looked down at me with emotions I didn’t understand. He was a tyrant. He could kill me and feel no remorse.

I turned to see what the mud hid, and my blood ran cold.

That should not be there!

“She has the mark of morrigana,” Finn stated.

I bit my tongue to prevent a scream. “No-No, this can’t be true!”

Reya’s face flashed in my mind again. She smiled and laughed in my face.

A collective gasp filled the basement.

“She’s dangerous!” The councilman said.

“Send her away!” Another one added.

The memories flooded back instantly.

The mark of Mayari etched itself into my skin and sealed the prophecy on me. The mark of morrigana appeared on Reya’s body, condemning her to be the bringer of destruction. That stone switched our destinies.

Reya did more than switch our destinies. She stole my life.

My twin sister killed me.