Chapter 7 Please your husband

~Sage~

I had no idea why he had summoned me here, but that invitation made me.uneasy. Nothing good ever came from being alone with Alpha King Damon.

When I reached his door, I hesitated for a moment before I raised a hand to knock. “Enter.” a gruff voice from inside barked,

I pushed the door open slowly, stepping inside and keeping my head bowed. The thick smell of sweat and alcohol hit me immediately, making my stomach turn. My eyes darted around nervously, taking in the lavish but oppressive décor and an enormous bed at the center of the room.

Alpha King Damon lay sprawled across silk sheets that probably cost more than my family's entire worth. His massive belly rose and fell with each wheeze, spilling over the waistband of his trousers like dough left too long to rise. Gray chest hair sprouted in patches across his sagging skin, and when he turned his head to look at me, I saw dried spittle crusted at the corner of his mouth.

The sight of him filled me with disgust. His skin was pale and mottled, his chest covered in wiry gray hair that seemed to curl in every direction. He looked nothing like a king and everything like a bloated predator waiting to pounce.

I fought the urge to gag, forcing myself to keep my expression neutral. But inside, I was crawling with disgust.

“You took your time,” he grunted, his voice rough and impatient. He didn’t even bother to sit up, instead waving a hand lazily for me to come closer.

I forced my feet to move, stepping cautiously toward the bed. My heart pounded in my chest, and my palms were damp with sweat. I wanted to run from the room and never look back, but I knew what would happen if I disobeyed him.

When I was close enough to the bed that I could smell the sour wine on his breath, he turned his head to look at me, his beady eyes narrowing. “Have you forgotten why you’re here? Have you forgotten your purpose?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, my lord.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Good. Then you’ll know what’s expected of you.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry as a desert. “Yes, my lord.”

“Then come closer,” he ordered.

I hesitated for a second, and his eyes hardened. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

My legs moved on their own, bringing me to the edge of the bed. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the sour stench of sweat and wine making my belly turn. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to get away, but I forced myself to stay still.

"On the bed," he commanded when she stopped just out of reach. "And take off that ridiculous dress."

“M-my lord—”

His hand shot out faster than I expected from someone his size, grabbing my wrist hard enough to bruise. "Did I ask for your opinion? Or have you forgotten your place?”

I shook my head frantically, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. “No, my lord. I haven’t forgotten.”

"Then do as you're told." He yanked me forward, and I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of the mattress. "Unless you'd prefer I send word to your father about how uncooperative his daughter's being. I hear he has already spent the bride price. It would be a shame if I demanded it back."

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn’t cry. Crying would only make him angrier, and I couldn’t afford to provoke him. Slowly, I climbed onto the bed, my body trembling. Every fiber of my being resisted, but I forced myself to obey.

I lay stiffly on the edge of the bed, as far away from him as I could manage. The mattress dipped under his weight as he moved closer, his hand reaching out to grab my arm.

“You’re tense,” he said, “A bride should be eager to please her husband.”

"Please," I whispered. "I've never…I don't know what to do."

"You'll learn." His grip loosened slightly, and his thumb stroked my wrist in what he probably thought was soothing. It made my skin crawl. "I'll teach you."

No. I didn't want to be taught by him. Not now, not ever. I didn't want to even imagine his stuff in me. I had to find a way to distract him somehow.

"Your Majesty," I said quickly, "Maybe we could wait until after the mating ceremony? It would be more... proper."

He laughed, a wet, ugly sound. "Proper? You think I care about proper?" His hand moved to my thigh. "I'm the Alpha King. I take what I want."

"But the council—"

The slap came without warning. My head snapped to the side, and my cheeks burned from the impact.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His breath reeked of rotting meat. "You're here because I chose you. Because your pretty little face caught my eye. You should be grateful."

Grateful. Yeah right.

"Now," he continued, releasing my face, "take off the dress, or I'll rip it off myself."

My hands shook as they moved to the zipper at her back. Think, think, think. There had to be a way out of this that didn't end with my body being used by this old man.

"Your Majesty is very strong," I said, forcing admiration into my voice. "I bet you could rip through anything."

His chest puffed up slightly. "I've torn through armor with these hands."

"Really?" I let my fingers fumble with the zipper, buying time. "You must have so many battle stories."

"Hundreds." He leaned back against the pillows, his eyes still watching me but with less urgency. "I once killed twenty rogues with my bare hands."

"Twenty?" I made my eyes go wide. "At the same time?"

For the next few minutes, I kept him talking, asking about battles and victories while pretending to struggle with my dress. But I could see his patience becoming thinner and thinner. His hand kept reaching for me, and I kept having to shift away under the pretense of adjusting my position.

"Enough talking," he finally growled. "Come here."

Before I could move, a loud knock sounded on the door.

“What is it?” Damon barked, his voice filled with irritation.

“My king,” a guard’s voice called from the other side of the door. “There’s an urgent matter that requires your attention.”

Damon growled, his grip on my arm tightening for a moment before he let go. “It can wait.”

“The place is under attack, my king,” the guard insisted. “The rivals have infiltrated the palace.”

Damon cursed under his breath, and his face contorted with anger.

Damon rose from the bed, pulled on his clothes and stormed toward the door.

He paused at the door, turning to glare at me one last time. “Don’t think you’re off the hook. When I return, we’ll finish what we started.”

With that, he slammed the door behind him, leaving me alone in the room.

I sat up quickly, my hands shaking as I clutched the edge of the bed.

As I sat there, paralyzed by fear and disgust, the door opened again. My heart leapt into my throat, thinking Damon had returned. But when I looked up, it wasn’t Damon standing in the doorway.

It was a young man that I'd never seen before, tall and broad-shouldered with eyes the color of winter storms. Blood dripped from a gash across his forehead, and his clothes were torn like he'd been in a fight.

"You must be the new bride," he said, voice rough. "I'm Matt, Keith's beta. He sent me to fetch you. You need to come with me right now."

Behind him, somewhere in the palace, a howl split the air. Then another. And another. Then I heard screams and things shattering.

“What's going on?” I asked as another scream tore through the air.

"The kingdom is under attack" Matt said,

"They're already inside and I have to get you to safety.”