Chapter 2 Bride for a week

Zara

My gaze stayed fixed on the king as I waited for his decision, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

“I don't want her,” he said coldly. “Send her back.” The moment those words left his mouth, relief rushed through me.

My heart did a little happy dance, my prayers had finally been answered.

The last thing I wanted was to become another woman who entered this estate and never came out the same. Stories about the king's previous women had spread far and wide, and none of them ended well. Some disappeared without a trace, while others died under mysterious circumstances. Whether the rumors were true or not, I had no intention of staying long enough to find out.

Besides, there was something about this estate that made my skin crawl. It was beautiful, grand, and expensive, yet it felt strangely cold, as though darkness hid behind every elegant hallway. I just wanted to leave.

"But, Sire, you have already signed the marriage papers. Her father has signed as well, and I have already sent the documents for registration," Elijah said carefully.

"I don't care, Elijah," the king replied without hesitation. "Call them back and tell them to stop the registration." His voice became even colder. "Pay her for her time and send her back to her father."

I slowly shifted my weight from one foot to the other before cautiously raising a hand. "You don't have to pay me," I said quietly. "I'm perfectly happy to go back on my own. If it's not too much trouble, someone can just drop me off in the city."

The room instantly fell silent, every  pair of eyes turned toward me at once. For a second, I wondered if I had broken some sacred rule.

Elijah frowned at me."You do not speak unless you are spoken to," he said sharply. "And you should be grateful that you were considered worthy enough to stand in His Majesty's presence."

I swallowed before giving a small nod. "I really am grateful," I said sincerely. "I appreciate being allowed to stand here and see His Majesty in person. Most people never get an opportunity like this."

I paused before continuing. "But it's obvious that His Majesty doesn't like plus-size women. Just looking at me seems to upset him. I only want to leave as quickly as possible so his royal eyes won't have to look at someone as unpleasant as me."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Honestly, I had no idea where that courage came from. Maybe it wasn't courage at all, maybe I was simply exhausted.

I had spent most of my life listening to people mock my weight, whisper behind my back, and make me feel like I was never enough. I didn't have the strength to endure another round of humiliation, especially not in a palace where every glance reminded me I didn't belong. I just wanted to leave.

Before I could even take another breath, a sudden movement caught my eye. One second the king was standing several feet away, the next he was right in front of me.

I froze, my  eyes widened in shock as I instinctively looked back toward the spot where he had been standing only moments ago, trying to convince myself that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. He had crossed the distance so quickly that I hadn't even seen him move.

“You think this is funny?” he asked.

I instinctively took a step back. The distance between us disappeared in an instant, and his presence felt overwhelming. My heart lurched as I slowly lifted my head to meet his gaze.

His eyes were the most striking shade of green I had ever seen. Up close, he was even more breathtaking than he had looked from a distance. Every feature on his face looked perfectly sculpted, almost unreal. It was hard to believe someone so handsome could have such a rotten heart.

I quickly shook my head. "No... no, sir," I stammered. The confidence I had found earlier vanished without a trace. "I... I just want to go home since you don't want me. I think you deserve someone better."

A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "At least you are aware of your place," he said. "You're nowhere near good enough, let alone acceptable."

His words stung but  if enduring a few more insults meant getting away from him, then so be it.

I had already made up my mind. The moment someone dropped me off in the city, I would disappear. I wasn't going back to my father's pack. I would rather start over somewhere nobody knew my name than return to the people who had traded me away so easily. This was my chance to escape.

His eyes shifted away from me and settled on Elijah. "She doesn't have a wolf?" he asked.

Elijah lowered his head and gave a nervous shake. "No, Sire."

The king's expression darkened. "So not only did you bring me an abomination..." His voice grew colder with every word. "You thought it was acceptable to insult me by bringing a human?" His eyes narrowed. "I could have overlooked an omega."His gaze flicked toward me with open disgust. "But a human?"

Before I could even blink, he was standing in front of Elijah. Everything happened so fast that my mind struggled to keep up. Elijah collapsed onto one knee, clutching the bloody stump where his hand had been only seconds before. His severed hand lay several feet away on the floor.

"How is she supposed to carry my child without a wolf?" the king roared. Elijah cried out in agony.

My entire body went cold, pure  terror spread through me. If he could casually cut off the hand of the man who had brought me here, what  would he do to me?

My breathing became uneven. Carry his child? No one had said anything about being brought here to become his surrogate.

My legs trembled so badly I could barely stay standing. "I-I'll leave," I said, my voice breaking. Tears blurred my vision. "I will leave on my own. I can find my way to the city." What had my father gotten me into?

The king looked at me with complete indifference. "That's probably for the best," he said. "You wouldn't survive an hour as either my wife or my surrogate."He spoke as though he were discussing the weather.C"I've married five women before you. Strong women, Alpha females and none of them survived longer than a week."

A chill ran down my spine.

"They couldn't carry my child for more than a week before it killed them." His gaze swept over me from head to toe. "So what chance does a foolish little human like you have? You wouldn't even last an hour."

Carry his child? That wasn't motherhood, that was a death sentence.

I nodded so hard my neck hurt. "Thank you..." I whispered. "Thank you for letting me go." Not waiting for another word, I turned around and ran.

I sprinted through the palace as fast as my legs would carry me, I didn't stop. I knew escaping on foot was a terrible idea, from what I had seen on the drive here, it would probably take an entire day before I reached the nearest town or city but I didn't care. Anything was better than staying here.

Relief flooded through me the moment the massive estate gates came into view, I was almost there then the enormous iron gates slammed shut with a loud metallic boom.

I skidded to an abrupt stop, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest. Slowly, I turned around. The king was standing several feet behind me, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"I have changed my mind," he said calmly. My blood ran cold.

"You will be my bride for one week."