Chapter 5 A Warrior Bride
CHAPTER 5: A Warrior Bride
Aric's POV
“My King… your human bride has arrived. She is being led to the throne room as we speak.”
The servant girl’s voice shook as she said it... well, it should. It was a stupid thing to say.
I was on the sofa one moment and the next second... before she even blinked... I was right in front of her with my hand wrapped around her throat.
I didn’t squeeze too hard.. just enough to remind her who I was.
“What did you call her?” I growled into her face.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“M-My King, I... I only meant...”
“She is not my bride.” My voice was low and deadly calm. “Don’t ever refer to that human scum with that title again. Understood?”
She nodded so fast I thought her head would fall off.
I dropped my hand and she stumbled backward, bowing again and again before rushing out of the room like her life depended on it.
Lyrin’s laughter filled the room the moment the door closed. My sister had no shame.
“Oh, brother…” she said, still laughing. “But she is your bride. The humans already announced it everywhere.”
I turned a glare on her but she only grinned wider.
“It’s politics,” I snapped. “Nothing more and who knows how long this… arrangement will last.”
“Long enough for you to finally stop brooding,” she teased, lying back on the couch dramatically.
My cousin Darius snorted from where he lounged near the fire.
“I want to see the girl. Humans look so fragile. I hope this one doesn’t faint just from seeing you.”
“She better not,” I muttered. “I didn’t agree to this treaty for babysitting.”
“Then why did you agree?” Darius asked, getting up as I headed for the doors.
“To stabilize my borders,” I said simply. “The humans have been reckless but now their king wants peace so fine. I’ll give him peace... for now.”
“And the bride?” Darius asked as he walked beside me.
“What about her?”
“You’ll have to at least look at her.”
“Looking is fine,” I said coldly. “Touching is not happening.”
Darius smirked.
“You sound very sure for a man who hasn’t met her yet.”
I ignored him.
We reached the tall golden doors of the throne room. Guards pulled them open the moment they saw me.
Lyrin didn’t follow. She waved us off with a scoff.
“Enjoy your little human. I have no interest in watching a brat bow and tremble.”
“Suit yourself,” Darius said.
I walked in, took my throne and waited.
The massive room grew still just as the doors swung open.
SERAPHINE’S POV
The first person I saw when I walked into that enormous hall… was him. The Lycan King. Aric Draven sitting on his throne like he owned the whole world... which, to be fair, he probably thought he did.
He looked at me like I was dirt under his boot. No... like I was lower than dirt. Like I was something he’d scrape off the bottom of his claw.
My stomach twisted and my hand tightened around my uncle Magnus’s arm before I even realized it. He squeezed my hand gently, letting me know he was right there but gods… the sight of Aric Draven was nothing like I expected.
I had imagined a monster.. a beast and a creature with blood on his fangs and zero self-control but instead, I saw a man. A dangerous one, yes. But a man all the same... tall, powerful, broad shoulders and eyes cold as ice with black hair pushed back.
And then he looked at me like he hated my entire existence and my heart burned. Yeah. There he was. My target.
My uncle, our soldiers and I walked slowly toward the throne and then I heard a scoff from the left side of the hall.
“Oh look. The human runt is here.”
I knew that voice.
I turned sharply... and there he was. The Lycan I captured a week ago. The one I hunted and captured with my men just about a week ago.
Don’t judge me. It was the closest thing near me at the moment but he was free now because of this stupid treaty and seeing him standing there... arrogant, looking down at me... my blood boiled like hot oil.
Before my uncle’s hand could stop me… I snapped and without thinking, without caring that I was in a gown and in a Lycan palace full of armed soldiers… I moved.
One second the Lycan was sneering. The next second I had tackled him with my leg hooked around his neck, twisted and slammed him flat onto the marble floor. He choked as I tightened my leg around his throat. I leaned down, whispering,
“Still mad about your buddy I killed?”
“Seraphine!” my uncle shouted in pure horror.
But I wasn’t done. The Lycan tried to grab my dress for leverage... mistake. I pushed harder.
All around us, claws came out, growls erupted and Lycans rushed forward with fangs bared and ready to rip me apart and then...
“Enough.”
One word from the throne and everything froze. Aric Draven had raised a hand and his soldiers halted immediately. He stared at me… no, glared at me with a deadly sort of calm.
“Impressive for a human,” he said. “Embarrassing for one of mine.”
The Lycan under my leg made a strangled sound as Aric leaned back in his throne a bit with his voice dripping with insult.
“Do you choke all men you meet, or only the ones who annoy you?”
I lifted my chin.
“Only the weak ones.”
Everyone gasped and even Magnus stiffened beside me.
Aric’s lips slowly curved… not into a smile. Into something colder and with a smirk that promised trouble.
“Oh, I see,” he said softly. “You and I will get along just fine, little human.”
My heart jumped at the way he said “little human.” Not the best sign.
“Now release my man,” he ordered.
I didn’t want to.. but I did.. with a shove.
The Lycan scrambled up, red-faced and humiliated. Serves him right.
I stood and brushed my dress down, trying to regain some dignity. Hard to do when every eye in the hall was staring at me like I was a feral cat. Then... something strange hit me.
It came out of nowhere. A pull.. a… feeling. My knees almost buckled and I staggered but my uncle caught me instantly.
“Seraphine?” he whispered.
“I... I’m fine,” I said quickly.
I wasn’t.. Not even close because suddenly, every part of me was hyper-aware of Aric Draven like someone turned up the brightness on him and dimmed everything else in the room.
My heart pounded, my skin tingled and my breath came shallow.
No. No. No. No.
This couldn’t be... this better not be what I thought it was because I wasn’t a werewolf. I wasn’t even half-blooded but I had studied their kind enough to know the signs.
That weird pull.. that sudden awareness and fhat invisible string yanking me toward him.
“Oh hell no…” I whispered under my breath.
My eyes snapped to Aric and for one terrifying second, I wondered… did I just... did I just feel a mate bond…?!