THE KING'S SLAVE BRIDE

MY DIGNITY

NA’IMAH

It is settled. Kaedyr is going to die, and I’ll be the one driving the blade that kills him through his stone-cold heart.

I don’t care how long it will take for me to make it happen.

But one thing is certain: he is going to die by my hands, even if it is the last thing I do.

My clan, one of the many things we prided ourselves on, was the dignity of being pure until fate gave us a mate. We pride ourselves on purity and the blessings of nature that come with it. A young Valtara hybrid who ends up mating before losing their virginity wasn’t considered impure or tainted. No, they were celebrated not only for their resilience in waiting for nature to align them with the right person, but also because they were considered a gift, and believed to be the reason why nature’s abundant blessings will never leave their new home.

My purity as the princess of Valtara was worth more than any gold Kaedyr could ever offer, and in the blink of an eye, not only did he taint everything sacred about me, he took my chance for nature to choose my long-life mate for me.

As if fvcking me like a whxre wasn’t enough for him, he also marked me.

A mating mark was more than just a bit among every shifter species. It wasn’t just considered special, it was sacred, a vow of loyalty. But you don’t just mark anyone for the sake of it, not unless you’ve imprinted on them, gone the proper way of courting them. The decision to complete the mating by marking had always been a mutual agreement between both partners. In rare cases where a mating bite happened without prior agreement, one would wait for the possibility of imprinting and the Alpha had to claim their mark.

Kaedyr had marked me without consent, had stolen the chance of any other Alpha imprinting on me within the blink of an eye, and I knew without doubt, he wasn’t going to claim his mark. He wouldn’t.

“Leave. I’m done with you.” His disgruntled voice cut through the troubled thought in my head.

Without saying a word, I straightened up, clamped down on my tongue to bite back a cry as pain flared up between my legs and my stomach contracted into a painful knot.

Shame swirled around me, clinging to my skin like a toxic cloud, but I ignored it as I walked head high to my clothes. “Am I permitted to get dressed?” I asked, hating the tiny tremor in my voice.

Kaedyr stopped in his tracks. He was on his way to the recliner at the corner of the room, and he turned to me, face hard and jaw squared. “Are you stupid? Why the fvck would I care if you get dressed or not.”

I ignored the sting in my eyes as tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me breakdown, not after he had boldly stated that he wanted to steal the light behind my eyes and clip my wings. Maybe he succeeded in stealing my light because I can’t deny the heavy cloud of darkness weighing down on my soul right now. He has already taken enough from me. I am not letting him take more.

“You’re the one with all the power, your majesty. Whatever you say goes,” I replied stiffly.

An expression I didn’t have the energy to decipher crossed his face and he sneered. “Get dressed and get the fvck out. This better be the last time you cross my path, henceforth.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I turned my back to him as I bent down to pick up my underwear. I knew he was watching because I could still feel his eyes on me. The surge of disgust that came with the knowledge of his eyes on me made me want to hide from his stare, but I refused to give in.

I am not going to hide from his eyes no matter the extent of shame dragging me down and the riptides of emotions I was drowning. I bent over, dragging on my underwear. If he’s looking, then he needs to see what he has done. The blood trickling down my leg, the bruises between my thighs, the angry print of his grip on my waist. He needed to see everything for what they were.

When he eventually looked away, I immediately felt the absence of his gaze. Did it make you uncomfortable? Did seeing the truth of what he did make him feel guilty and uncomfortable? Is that why he looked away?

I had all these questions running in my head even though I knew the answers to them. Why would he feel any form of guilt for what he did when he clearly stated why he was doing it?

Calling him Eseh, and hoping at least that name would have an effect on him. I had hoped it would remind him of the times when I thought of him as a different man. The times when I treated his wounds and nursed him back to life. A part of me had hoped there would still be a bit of Eseh in there, somewhere, the lone Alpha who went out of his way to catch games for me just so he could get a smile out of me.

But I was wrong, and a tad foolish to hope. Eseh was a fake persona he wore to deceive me and capture my people. This was the real him. Kaedyr, the ruthless Lycan king I’ve heard evil stories about, tales worse than the doings of his father from the moment he took the throne.

With the final string of my corset in place, I brushed my palm over the dress before slowly making my way to the door. I was in pain, more pain than I could account for. “You marked me.” I found myself saying as I reached the door.

He eyed me, rolled his eyes, then shrugged. “So?”

“I don’t have to ask if you’ll claim your mark right?”

“Why would I? You’re a slave, what makes you think I’d claim my slave as my mate?” I knew he wouldn’t, but I still had to ask.

“Then will you reject your mark?” If he doesn’t reject his mark, it will remain there for all to see, but not only that. An unclaimed mark will forever ruin my chances of anyone ever imprinting on me. It will make it impossible for any other Alpha to mark me or claim me.

“And ruin the fun of having you miserable for as long as I want?” he scoffed. “No, you’re my property and that means no one gets to have you.”

I nodded. There was no point arguing with him. He had all the power. For now.

“Okay,” I muttered and opened the door. “I just want you to know,” I began, pausing with one foot outside the door. “No matter how long it takes me, one day I am going to enjoy the feeling of pushing a blade through your heart.” I don’t wait for his response as I let the door close behind me and I made my way out of his chambers.