Isabella’s POV
I gradually opened my eyelid. I took a look around my besiege. I was still in this damn cell, napping on the cold floor.
Father was too cruel. He locked me up and treated me like a criminal. I was his daughter for goodness’ sake! Why did he have to torment his only daughter? He wouldn’t even allow me to meet my mates. He refused to let me see them. I loathed him.
I was cold. My entire body was freezing. I tried to use my werewolf earshot to figure out how many guards were keeping tabs on me, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel my wolf either. I couldn’t hear anything. It was as quiet as a cemetery.
Why couldn’t I feel my wolf? I was scared. What did they put in my food? What did they feed me? Did I lose my wolf? I kept asking myself over and over again.
I swallowed hard due to fear, frostiness, and starvation. Why was father torturing me? Was I not his daughter?
I detested him. He was no longer my father. I stood on my toes when I heard a sound approaching my cell.
“Who’s that? Hello?” I called out in a precarious voice, but no one conceded. The sound stopped all of a sudden. “Show yourself.”
My heartbeat quickened. I winced and backed off when my back hit the cold wall of the cell. The footsteps moved again and eventually stopped in front of my cell. My mind went into havoc when I noticed a dark figure standing outside the front door of my dungeon.
“Who are you?” What do you want from me?” I asked, but received no response. “Stop trying to scare me. Show yourself now!”
I heard a horrible, evil laugh. I retreated to the alcove of the dungeon.
Was it one of my father’s enemies? Were they here to exact vengeance on me? I wasn’t the Lycan King. I was his daughter. No, I was his unwanted daughter, whom he had imprisoned in this cell.
“Oh, please!” I pleaded for mercy.
The figure entered the prison through the open gate. It was getting closer to me, whoever it was. I cuddled myself due to the fear I was feeling. My wolf wasn’t here.
“I thought it would be hard to break you down, but I was wrong. Making you feel this scared was a blessing,” the unknown person finally said, his voice sounding manly.
“What do you want from me?” I asked. I couldn’t see his face because he was covering it. “I’m not your enemy. I’m not the king. I’m nothing but his unwanted daughter.”
“What do I want? You are the enemy of the Lycan King, not mine. Can you give me anything I want?” the voice asked.
“As long as you spare my life, I can give you whatever you desire,” I replied. “Only if I have it.”
“You do have it, little Isabella.”
I was stunned. Only sister Anna addressed me as such. It wasn’t one of my father’s enemies, but rather my rival in love. Yes, it was her, and I was well aware of her intentions. I knew why she was here.
“Don’t think I’ll reject my mate for you, Anna,” I fired back. “I will never reject them. They’re mine. There’s no need to pretend. I know it’s you.”
“Oops, you ruined the fun. You’re right. There’s no need to conceal my face from you again because you already know who I am.”
Her voice came out evil, but now it was clear. She removed whatever she was wearing to disguise herself and her voice. I could see it. Everything was clear to me now. She was a two-faced bitch.
“What do you want?” I hissed, getting infuriated by her presence.
“You know what I came here for. I want you to stay away from what’s mine. Stay away from my mate,” she snarled at me.
I sneered. “The last time I checked, you weren’t Aiden’s mate. You were just his bed partner, his bitch, so shut up. Who the hell are you to tell me to stay away from my mate?”
“Your mate? This is absurd. Do you think you’re Aiden’s mate?” she grinned.
“What do you mean? Of course, I’m Aiden’s mate. He will love and protect me with his life. You’re only jealous and full of hatred. If you want to fight, I’m ready to fight you to death, bitch,” I said and laughed at her.
“Love? Protect you? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve been detained in this cold, dirty cell for a month now, and yet your so-called mate has been resting soundly on his bed without caring about where you are. Is that what you call love and protection? Wake up from your dreams, girl. They don’t want you, and you will never be his mate,” she mocked.
I was burning with fury. How could she tell me he didn’t want me? Who was she to tell me shit about my mate?
“How dare you, Anna?” I roared, inaugurating an attack, but she easily caught me by my throat.
My wolf… She was gone.
“Calm down, love,”‘ she whispered. “I’m not here to pick a fight with you. I’m here to tell you something more important that you need to know.”
“I don’t need you to tell me anything. I’m not interested in whatever you have to say,” I refused, my voice weak because of her grip on my neck.
“Oh, really?” She tossed me roughly on the cold floor. “You don’t want to know whatever I have to say, even if it has to do with your mate?”
I was gasping for air when she mentioned my mate. I immediately rose to my feet.
“What happened to him?” I asked her, getting worried, but she didn’t respond. “Tell me, what happened to him?”
“I thought you weren’t interested to know? Why are you so eager now?” she taunted.
“Shut up and tell me what’s wrong,” I shot back.
“Keep calm, bitch, and speak to me with respect, otherwise you won’t hear anything from me,” she sneered.
I would take any insult from her. I would keep calm as long as she informed me of what was happening to him. I was damn worried.
“I’m sorry, sister Anna,” I gulped.
“Good. I’m pleased with your obedient character. Do you want to know?” she asked, to which I nodded.
“Yes, sister Anna. Tell me. I want to know.”
“I don’t think you want to know.”
“I want to know. Please, sister Anna! Kindly tell me,” I begged her.
“Then, kneel! Kneel and crawl to my feet,” she demanded.
“What?!” I exclaimed. “Do you realize what you’re talking about? Do you know who you’re talking to? I’m a noble-born. Anyone from a royal family doesn’t kneel for commoners. How dare you ask me to kneel for you?”
“How dare you call me a commoner! I’m your father’s third-in-command daughter,” she growled, her eyes blazing with rage.
“According to my father’s rule, you need to bow down to me. I’m a princess. Even your father has to bow down and honor me,” I sneered, folding my arms together. “Anna, who do you think you are? A queen or what? Is it because my father and mother love you and that made you feel like you’re part of the Royal Family? Ugh! Stop gagging me, bitch. You’re nothing but an imprint in your cranium slut. You’re a nobody, Zilch.”
“I can’t believe this is what you think about me. So, you don’t think of me as your real sister?” she mumbled, tears running down her cheeks.
“Oh, no! Enough of this. Enough of your fake tears. It won’t work on me. Stop faking it. It’s gross.”
“It didn’t work on you either. Same as Aiden. You guys are indeed family. You won’t take pity on a weak girl like me,” she blurted out.
“A weak girl?” I burst into laughter. “Cut it off, slut. You grabbed my neck just now. How can a weak girl do that? You’re shameless. I never knew you were like this.”
“Shut up!”
She clasped my hair, and I shrieked in pain.
“You think I’m not royalty since I wasn’t lucky enough to be born into a Royal Family? But soon, I will be the Lycan Queen, and everyone will fall under my feet. Every Lycans will crawl and lick my toes. I shall rule over the Lycans alongside my mate. Your brother Aiden and I shall slaughter whoever stands between us!” she declared. “I shall be your Queen, Isabella, and you’re going to kneel and bow for me.” She gave a wicked grin and pulled hard on my hair.
“Let go of my hair, bitch!” I screamed, getting her hands off me.
“I’m your queen and you have to do everything I say. Kneel and worship the ground I walk on, or I shall discipline you for disrespecting your queen and defying my order,” she affirmed as she slapped me arduously on my checks.
“You’re crazy, a crown-addicted bitch. You never loved my brother, Aiden. You only care about the crown.”
She smirked before saying, “Bingo! You finally figured it out, my little Isabella. I’m after the crown. Only I deserve to wear the crown, and I shall do whatever it takes to be the Lycan Queen. Just obediently die for me, my little Isabella.”
I was shocked. She wanted to kill me. She was here to kill me, to silence me. How could a sweet and innocent girl like her abruptly change overnight?
No, she wasn’t a changed person. This was her from the beginning. I was blind, not knowing the real her. She was good at pretending. I was deceived.
“You must be tired of pretending to be who you are not, Anna. You were too callous.”
She let out an atrocious laugh. “An evil being? Thank you for the compliment. Why do you want to be Aiden’s mate? I was his rightful mate. You forced me to do this to you.”
“I’m his mate. I was who the Moon Goddess endowed him with,” I said as she grabbed my neck because of jealousy.
My bones cracked as she threw me hard to the wall. She laughed out loud and mocked me when she saw how I struggled on the floor.
“Your majestic, my princess,” she teased. “Is that all you’ve got? Stand up and fight me to death, little Isabella.”
My body was crushed. Where were the guards? Was this going to be the place where I die? She was going to kill me.
“No one’s going to save your ass, baby girl. The guards are gone. The pack is not like before. Everyone in the pack is restless, so you’re going to die in my hands. But before that, I will tell you something about Aiden. What I want to tell you earlier, you can take that as a send-off gift from me to hell.”
She walked towards me as she planned to finish me in one go.
“You’re not Aiden’s legal mate. You’re fake. He has a real mate whom he already met. I don’t know her, but I’m sure he met her at his school. I’ve been investigating her. So, little Isabella, you’re just a pawn. A pawn the Lycan King’s enemies aim in weakening the pack’s state. You still don’t get it, do you? You’re fated and mated by an unknown power, not by the Moon Goddess herself, and that is why none of them cares what happens to you. You’re just a lovesick soul. But don’t worry, I will find that bitch girl and send her to accompany you on your way to hell. You won’t be alone and lonely, little Isabella. You will be my stepping stone to the throne,” she blabbed out.
“What? I’m just a pawn?”
Everything was a game. I was hurt. I was better off dying. I closed my eyes, waiting for my demise.
“Good girl. Don’t worry, I will make it fast so you won’t feel a thing,” she said as she prepared to finish me.
She was about to put an end to my life when a loud, thunderous roar interrupted her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The angry voice carried a powerful aura. I knew who the voice belonged to. It was my Imperial Father, the Lycan King.