The Lycan Prince's Lost Bride | Read Free Preview
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Chapter 1 — A Placeholder
*Elsa's POV*
I quickened my pace, even though my legs were aching from trekking long distances from school. The thought of seeing him again fueled my walking steps.
He's the only one who made me feel safe around here.
Derek, the soon to be Alpha of Stone Creek pack. Though, sometimes I feel I don't deserve him since I'm just a nameless orphan with no identity who was picked at a nearby forest.
Getting to his room door, I paused and took a deep breath before knocking, but I was left with no response. Maybe he was busy preparing for our vacation to Scotland. I giggled silently with excitement. I was about to knock a second time when I suddenly heard his voice.
"Monica, I can't wait to see you again. I've missed you. Not seeing you these years was like a slow death."
My heart sank, and my hands hung frozen in mid-air. Did I hear him, right?
M... Monica?
I blinked, not sure I was hearing perfectly.
"Yes," his voice dropped to a low possessive rumble. "I can't wait to make you mine. You are the only woman with the bloodline and fire to be my luna." I staggered backwards, I became dizzy, and the hallway seemed blurry. I was shaking so violently that my bones might snap any minute.
I noticed a total silence from Derek's room. He must have noticed I was outside. I quickly turned around, wanting to leave the scene, but the sound of an opening door made me pause.
"Elsa?"
I blinked and quickly wiped my face with the back of my hands so he wouldn't see my tears. I turned to face him sharply.
"Why are you lurking behind the door?"
He asked, with a slight frown, still on the phone with her when I was falling apart. He opened the door ajar and I slowly walked in like a zombie.
"Who are you talking to, Derek?" Monica's voice trailed from the speaker, sharp and demanding.
I stared at Derek, hoping he'll at least stutter or exert a form of guilt on his face to show he still cared, but the next words he said were totally a killing blow.
With a smile on his face, he said, "Oh, just my maid. You remember her, Monica. Elsa."
"Ah, the scrawny little stray with the silver hair," Monica laughed. "I remember."
I felt a tightness on my stomach that made me feel like throwing up, but I clamped my jaw shut, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a breakdown.
"See you at dinner, my love, " she purred.
"I'm counting the minutes," Derek replied, wearing a look of pure adoration. A look he had never once given to me.
The moment the call ended, he tossed the phone on his desk with a casual flick of his wrist. He turned to face me, but I couldn't find the words even though I had so many things running through my mind at the moment.
"Hey," he said, strolling towards me. "Why the face? You look like a drowned, abandoned pup?"
He hooked a finger under my chin, forcing my gaze up, and searched my eyes like there was something missing.
Looking into those hazel eyes and seductive lips I had tasted for years. For a fleeting second, the pain dulled.
"What are you doing here? Missed me that much?" He asked as he slowly snaked an arm around waist, his hand sliding down to squeeze my bottom with a possessive force. I shut my eyes and exhaled deeply. I wanted to melt into him, but the ghost of his words replayed in my head.
"Are we still going to Scotland?" I blurted out, not letting his touch blind my sense of judgement.
"Scotland?" He asked, looking genuinely baffled as if the words were foreign.
I blinked back the tear that was threatening to spill again.
"Derek, you promised to take me on a trip to Scot -"
"I remember," he snapped, cutting me off. "But plans have changed. I'm not taking you."
The tears finally broke through. Hot and stinging. "Why?"
He didn't even flinch. "Because the love of my life is returning to Stone Creek Pack. My real life starts now."
That was it. I lost it. The world seemed to be spinning.
"Derek, what are you saying? I thought-"
"You thought I would stay with a placeholder forever?"
He cut me off again. His voice was laced with irritation, and his eyes darted from place to place.
"A place holder?" I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief. The tears wouldn't stop pouring now.
He came in front of me and brushed a strand of hair from my face and wiped my tear lightly. "Look, Elsa. You knew this was coming. I'm the future Alpha. I need a Luna, and that's Monica. You know I'll eventually marry Monica because I'm the Alpha of Stone Creek Pack."
"B... But Monica is married to the Alpha of Nightshade!" I shrieked, my grief finally turning into a desperate hot rage.
He nodded calmly. "She was. The bastard abused her, and she finally found the courage to leave. She's coming home to me." He said with a smile of relief.
It felt like a fever dream. I had been his secret, his lover, his everything ever since I turned 18.
Now, I was being discarded like yesterday's trash?
"Since you're here, clean up my room," he paused, looking around the room, "and... clear up the wardrobe. Dispose off your lingerie. I wouldn't want Monica to find a reason to be upset."
He said the words with such casual cruelty. The "maid" comment wasn't a slip. It was my new reality. Derek didn't care about me like I thought he did.
"No!" The words tore out of me. "I won't! I am not cleaning your room so you can bring her into it!"
Derek froze but suddenly gripped me on the shoulders, his fingers digging into my skin. His eyes narrowed like a wounded wolf.
"What did you say?"
"Listen," he sighed, letting loose his grip for a patronising tone. "Don't make this difficult. You're jealous, I get it. But you, of all people, should know you can't even be my public mistress and talk more of my Luna. You don't even know your real name. To make it worse, you're wolfless!"
The words cut through me like a sharp sword. I felt like I was going to choke from my tears. I thought I could rein it in, but not with the harsh words. And it hurts even more because he was right.
"Elsa, I know I promised to care for you for a lifetime, and guess what? I'm not letting you go."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled hundred-pound note, and shoved it into my palm.
"Go shopping, buy something pretty. You've always been a good little girl, Elsa. Don’t start acting up now." He leaned in, pressing a cold kiss on my lips, patted my cheek, and strode out without looking back.
The second the door clicked shut. I collapsed and burst out crying. The only reason I've survived this pack was Derek, but if he's going to discard me like this, then I might as well leave Stone Creek. I can't bear to go back to the era of being bullied.
I regret the day I stretched out my hands towards him to save me from my bullies. The Stone Creek Pack was one of the most powerful packs and wealthy, too. They have kept their dirty secrets hidden from the outside world. How could he let me expose my bullies 3 years ago when his sister was one of them?
Now that I recall, I just came to the realization that he only tried to save me for his sister. Though he slapped her hard in front of me, which was something he had never done, he begged me afterwards to drop the case because I had strong evidence I could leak to the pack council authorities. They were somewhat fair and punished, even the high born.
I spent the next hour purging the room of my existence. I packed every crap of clothing, every scent of my skin, making sure no trace of me remained.
I drifted into a short slumber in my little box room prepared for maids like me when I instantly jolted awake by a sound like a crack of thunder. My door didn't just open. It splintered off the hinges.
"Ah! The little slut is actually getting some beauty sleep."
Emma's shrill, piercing voice sliced through the dark. Panic almost paralysed me right there on the bed. She wasn't alone. Frances and Ryan stood behind her, their faces twisted with the familiar cruelty of what had happened three years ago before Derek protected me.
I scrambled to stand up but my knees gave out, and I fell back onto the mattress, trembling.
"How dare you sit in my presence!"
Emma lunged at me, her hands tangling in my hair, her long nails pinching into my skull as she threw me off the bed to the floor.
My fear has finally come into manifestation. I must find a way to escape even if I die trying.
Chapter 2 — Be A Good Girl
Elsa's POV
"P-please... leave me be."I rasped. The words sounded pathetic even to my own ears. I couldn't defend myself due to the trauma of what they did, which still haunted me like a ghost. I find it difficult to walk properly on one foot cuz they broke my legs, and since I don't have a wolf yet, healing was dead slow.
Ryan kicked me on my kneecap, causing me to fall to my knees. The echo of their laughter filled the room seeing my pitiful state.
"Now we can finally have a civilized conversation, "Ryan sneered. His chest swelling with a pathetic sense of triumph
Emma released my hair, but the forceful pull had left me with a terrible headache after all.
Emma finally uncurled her fist from my hair, but the damage was done. My scalp throbbed like it was burning, and that blurred my vision.
"Listen, gutter-rat?" Emma lashed with a predatory glint in her eyes that made my skin crawl. "Your hay days are finally in the mud, and you know why?" I stared at her, my chest heaving with panic.
"Tell her already..." Ryan urged.
"Well," Emma leaned in, her voice a poisonous whisper. "I'm sure you've heard the news. Monica is back to reclaim her throne. The real Luna has returned to sweep out the trash."
I flinched, my eyes stinging.
"Oh, look at her," Ryan mocked, feigning a look of pity. "The poor thing actually thought Derek would replace a queen with a hag."
Emma grabbed the back of my head, yanking my head back until I was forced to stare into her cold, vicious eyes.
"You thought my brother's bed was your safety, huh? That you've escaped us?" She leaned in so close I could smell the peppermint on her breath before she spat directly into my face.
"Your nightmare is just beginning, Elsa."
They finally left the room, leaving me shivering in the dark.
It all started three years ago at the Stone Creek Academy. Despite being a lowly maid, my test scores had been an insult to the high-borns of Stone Creek. I was like a rogue who dared to be smarter than the pack wolves. I was the girl who won the combat tournaments, taking down high born sons and daughters until they burned with humiliated rage.
But things changed on my 18th birthday. I had high hopes that my wolf would be powerful since I had this much skill and strength, even when my wolf hadn't awakened. Emma and the others had their wolf a year before me. So when it was my turn, they were all looking forward to seeing what my wolf would be like.
I was also of the opinion that when my wolf awakens, the bullying would stop, and I'll be able to leave the pack without turning back. But I was so wrong.
I became "wolfless Elsa," a freak, a cursed little rat. And that was the day my life truly became a living hell.
***
That evening, after my chores, I packed up the little things I had and stuffed them into a frayed woollen bag. I rather rot in the wilderness than spend another second watching Derek parade his first love like a trophy while I suffocated in the shadows. I sneaked in two buns from the kitchen and a bottle of water.
I waited until midnight when the whole pack had become quiet. Since I've lived here for so long, I knew the blind spots, the lonely hours. I know when is the safest to sneak around, especially when I was sent for by Derek in the middle of the night or had to do chores late at night.
Stepping out of my room, I heaved a deep sigh and smiled. Finally, my path to freedom is ahead of me.
With my little backpack in hand, I marched down to the back gate. But as I arrived, my blood turned ice as I caught sight of two guards standing in front of the huge metal gate.
Shit! There used to be only one. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced it down.
"Not now, Elsa," I cautioned. "You can't afford to panic.” I whispered to myself. My eyes darted to the fence. It's high but not impossible.
I dashed to the darkest corner and hurled my backpack over the wire, hearing it fall to the ground on the other side.
Near the gate, a bin overflowed with dirt.
Ah! The goddess must be helping me for the first time.
I picked it up and strolled over to the gate, putting on an exhausted facade.
When the guards saw me, they both stood on alert. "What are you doing out at this hour?" One barked, his eyes narrowing.
"Emergency orders." I muttered, tilting the bin to show the waste. "They wanted the kitchen cleared before morning."
They opened the gate immediately without question. To them, I was just a nameless maid, doing grunt work.
As soon as I got out, the smell of unadulterated air hit my nostrils. I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply. So this is what freedom smelled like.
My happiness at this moment couldn't be overemphasized. I quickly rushed to where I had thrown my backpack, picked it up, and headed straight into the woods, singing freedom in my head.
I thought I was safe. I thought I had won, until a branch shattered the silence. I paused, my heart in my mouth. It couldn't be a rogue. I was still too close to the Stone Creek borders.
The bushes rustled, and three hulking black wolves emerged from the darkness, their eyes glowing with a dangerous look.
Just then, all three all shifted into their human form, and to my greatest horror, they were my bullies. Emma, Ryan, and Frances.
"Well, well," Ryan purred as he walked towards me. "Look at the little bird trying to fly."
I couldn't move. I felt like I was having a nightmare. There's nothing worse to being discovered by my worst fears.
"Is that a backpack?' Emma asked the moment she discovered my bag. I gripped my bag tightly like my life. She crossed her arms, a cruel smirk playing on her face.
"How dare you! She's trying to run away!" Ryan announced. This won't end well, and I definitely can't lose my chances. With that in mind, I bolted away from Ryan heading into the woods.
"Get her! Don't let her escape!" I heard Emma's loud shrieking voice behind me, command. The next thing I knew, I was being chased by all three, Ryan in front. I should have known escaping from Stone Creek wouldn't be easy. As much as I ran, I couldn't outrun a crowd. Not only by my bullies but by the pack's soldiers whom Ryan and the others called for reinforcement.
"Hand her over to me, I have to teach her a lesson!" The guards shoved me towards Ryan, who was bawling with a humiliated rage. He grabbed me by the wrist and delivered a hot slap that instantly made my vision blur.
No more! If I'll be punished, I might as well earn it. As Ryan pulled back his fist for another blow, I lunged forward, slamming my forehead into his with every ounce of my remaining strength.
"Fuck!” He shrieked, clutching his head. I didn't stop. I swung a desperate, heavy blow that connected squarely with his nose. I felt the bone give way.
“Argh! You bitch!” Ryan screamed, blood dripping between his fingers. The soldiers tried to attack me when they saw him bleeding but were stopped by a commanding voice.
"What the fuck is going on here?" The harsh voice of Derek instantly caused a bone chilling silence.
"Brother!” Emma wailed, pointing a trembling finger at me. “This ungrateful snake is trying to run and she almost killed Ryan!”
I stood there, gasping for air. My face bruised and my heart filled with a mix of grief and fury.
Derek stared at me, his expression unreadable.
"Is this true, Elsa?"
I didn't say a word. I bit my bottom lips until it bled.
“She's a traitor, punish her according to pack rules!” Emma screamed in annoyance.
"Don't let her tears fool you, she's trying to escape. You should punish her according to pack rules!" Emma kept ranting.
"Silence!" He yelled in his Alpha voice making everyone cower in fear.
"The Alpha of Crimson pack arrives tomorrow. I will not have this chaos. Do you understand?”
Emma gasped, her eyes widening. “Alpha Rain is actually coming for the engagement?"
I frowned through my pain. How can I bear to survive all through the engagement ceremony? I didn't care about who was coming but the man standing in front of me with absolute annoyance.
“You,” Derek said, pointing at me. “With me. Now.”
He marched back to the pack house. His hands shoved in his pockets while I trailed behind him like a lost puppy.
The moment we were inside his room, the door slammed with a force that shook the walls.
"Escaping? Are you insane Elsa? After everything I've done for you?!" He was pacing like a caged beast, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light.
"I want to leave the Stone Creek Pack. I need my freedom!" I yelled back at him.
"Freedom?" He spat the words as if it were poison.
"Don't be a fool. You have food. You have protection. I told you I'll take care of you. Isn't that enough?”
"Take care of me?" I let out a dry laugh. "You took care of your property, Derek! You used me to fill the hole Monica left, and now that she's back, you expect me to sit quietly in the corner? I was never a person to you!
Derek stared at me strangely and in rage, but just about then, his features slowly eased.
"Listen Elsa, I have a big day tomorrow, don't do any escaping shit. Alpha Rain is coming and I need to secure some royal deals. Do not embarrass me. Do not make this pack look weak!"
He reached out, his hands cupping my face with a pretentious tenderness.
"You're the most beautiful among my maids, Elsa. Dress your best tomorrow. Serve the visitors with a smile and I'll make sure you're rewarded. Do you understand?"
“Rewarded?’ I whispered. My heart, breaking all over again. “You think I can be bought?”
“Hush,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over my bruised lip.
“Be a good girl, Elsa. Just for tomorrow.”
He turned and walked away without looking back.
Chapter 3 — A Nameless Nobody
*Elsa's POV*
It was finally the D-day, the engagement of Derek and Monica. To say I'm pained would be like calling a hurricane a light breeze.
To see Derek and Monica flaunt their parasitic love in the pack was like a slow death to my heart.
The great hall was like an ocean of power. Alphas, Lunas, and Betas each represented one pack or the other.
In the kitchen, the air was thick with the steam of roasted meats with the nauseating chatter and smiling faces of everyone except me.
"Did you hear,” Sabrina muttered, her eyes wide with excitement. “Alpha of the Crimson Pack is actually here. In our pack!"Sabrina asked Kesha who was in charge of the cooked meal with a cheerful smiling face.
"The goddess has truly blessed this union!" Kesha gushed, her face flushed.
I remained silent, the only one unaffected. I knew nothing of the world outside the borders of Stone Creek. This is the second time I'm hearing of this Alpha Rain.
“They say his pack is the strongest to ever walk the earth.” Sabrina's voice drops to a whisper. “And the Alpha…they say is a god among men, but he's cold. Stone cold.”
Lycan and a royal. I can imagine the kind of power he exudes even Derek is cautious enough not to offend him.
“He hasn't touched a woman since his childhood betrothed vanished years ago.” Sabrina continued.
This is getting weird.
“Missing? Or dead?” Kesha wondered aloud.
“Either way, his father is desperate for him to take a new Luna. But he looks at every woman like they are nothing but dust.” Sabrina complained.
When I entered the dining hall to serve the guests, the atmosphere was suffocating. I tried to put my head down, to be the invisible maid they expected, but my eyes betrayed me. I looked toward the head of the table.
There Derek was. And there Monica was, sitting right next to him, fingers entwined. Laughing and chattering away with important guests. The environment indeed looked classy and elegant. Indeed, not a place fitting for someone like me.
Monica was a looker with porcelain white skin. As the daughter of the beta, she had always been the pack's crowned jewel. Slender with hair like midnight sun and a face that could make a saint sin. She looked like the moon goddess in flesh. Compared to her, I felt like a smudge of dirt on a white canvas.
While serving, I noticed Ryan and Emma, watching me with a sinister look. Their gaze made me shudder in fright. Those two are up to no good.
Just as I was about serving a high ranking lady whom I suspect must be a Luna of some pack, Ryan's boot shot out that very second and I went flying.
The world tilted and I crashed to the floor. The tray flipped and a bowl of rich, oily gravy splashed over the guests perfectly styled hair and silk white gown.
"ARGH!" The lady's scream shattered the playing music. I hit the cold floor hard, the remnants of the meal splattering across my own face and maid uniform. I looked up only to be met by a hot resounding slap from Emma.
"Stupid, clumsy bitch!" Emma yelled, her face contorted in a rage.
"Who the fuck is this goddess forsaken wrecth!" The lady screamed, clawing at her ruined hair.
I looked at Derek, my soul begging for the shred of protection he once promised. But he didn't even stand. He stayed seated, Monica clinging to his arm like he'll be stolen from her any minute.
"My sincerest apologies,” Derek said. His voice was cold and detached. “She is usually disciplined, I don't know what possessed her to be so reckless.”
I let out a low gasp, shocked by what he spouted.
“She has no manners,” the lady spat, eyeing me with disdain.
"She should be flogged according to pack rules,” Ryan stated, walking over to the scene. Seeing him triggered the last control in me.
“How dare you!” I snapped. “You tripped me. You put your foot out and-”
Ryan didn't let me finish, he lunged at me. Pulling my hair in one swoop. I waited to be punched again. This isn't his first time, but it never came as it seemed something or someone came into the room.
“What the hell is going on here?”
The voice didn't just command the room, it owned it. It was deep, raspy and vibrated into the marrow of my bones. A heavy silence descended the room. Ryan's hand went limp and he scrambled back, his face turning the colour of ash. Even Derek stood up, his stance shifting from Alpha to subordinate in a heartbeat.
I turned, my breath hitching in my throat. Standing on the doorway was a man who looked like he had been carved from the earth itself. He was huge, he exudes raw power and a kind of sophisticated danger.
“It's not what it looks like, Alpha Rain.” Derek stammered. His hands stretched for a greeting that went ignored. Monica hovered behind him. Her confidence was visibly wavering. “I am honoured you graced us with your presence. I hope we can discuss a collaboration-”
“Don't you think it's a bit early for business, Derek?” the Alpha interrupted. He didn't use a title. He didn't need to. He walked into the room with the lethal grace of a Lycan. The men behind him guard him tightly like a wall of iron. They were as formidable as their Alpha.
Just then, his gaze found me.
The world stopped, our eyes locked, and a jolt of electricity surged through my gut, making me feel breathless and strangely felt something stir deep within my soul, a recognition I couldn't name. Derek must have noticed his eyes' direction as he also looked at me.
“Derek cleared his throat. "Alpha Rain, please have a seat in my humble abode," he said in a polite manner, only then did he break contact and graciously walk to the seat prepared for him. Meanwhile, those around him stood except one man. I want to believe it was his beta, sitting next to him. I could see the ladies fawning over him. Emma and Frances were not left out. They looked like they could fly away from their seats.
"Go and wait for punishment,” Ryan said as he walked to his seat but what I didn't know was this statement alone would stir another commotion.
"I don't think so," the words from the strange Alpha made everyone pause their cutlery. Then he looked at me again.
"Alpha Derek, the rumours I heard about your pack seemed to be in contrast to what I witnessed today," He said, his gaze not leaving me even for a second.
"Uhm Alpha Rain, I can assure you that things aren't always like this. There seemed to be a mix-"
"Elsa?" My name was called but it didn't sound like it was mine because it sounded so refined and peaceful coming from Alpha Rain. "Would you like to come with me?"
Everyone gasped. I went wide, dumbfounded and confused.
"Alpha Rain, what do you mean? I'm sure you don't lack maids in your pack." Derek stated immediately.
"Would you?" He repeated, his gaze still fixed on me, not minding what Derek was saying.
“Alpha Rain, Elsa is just an insignificant maid in my pack. There's nothing she could offer you. That I can assure you “
"It's simple Derek, I found an interest in her," the Alpha said boldly, causing everyone in the room to murmur in surprise. I was shivering frightfully.
"Alpha Rain, I must say your jokes are hilarious."
"Then I must say you don't know me well. I don't make jokes." He said the words with a pretty serious expression.
I felt a warm tug on my stomach. Are they actually arguing because of me?
"Alpha, like I said, she is just a nameless nobody. Nothing to peak your interest," Derek continued.
If I wasn't feeling bad before now, the words of Derek shattered the little hope I had left for him. So I was a nameless nobody in his eyes.
Bitter tears stung my eyes but I refused to let them fall.
"We would talk about this later," he said, giving me one last look before engaging with the others. This must surely be a dream.
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