That night, I toss and turn, but when sleep does find me for a few minutes at a time, I dream of the castle erupting into blue flame.

The most disturbing dream, however, is the one where the Lycan King sits on a throne, and I kneel by his side, collared and leashed.

After that, I don't fall asleep again.

Instead, I stare at the red walls, and pretend it was painted with the blood of the Lycan King, which I will admit, brings me slight comfort.

Without any windows, I can't tell how much time has gone by, but eventually, there's a knock on the door.

I don't bother responding, and sure enough, the person enters anyways.

To my surprise, it isn't the Lycan King, but the human girl that I took as a hostage and threatened to kill yesterday.

"If you're looking for an apology, you won't get one," I tell her coldly, even though it probably violates a term in the agreement we came to yesterday. 

She nervously tucks her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and looks down, but I can still see the slash on her neck that my claw left. "I'm your lady in waiting," she says timidly. "King Nikolai sent me to help you get ready for your lessons today."

My eye twitches in irritation, and it takes all my willpower not to scowl at her.

"He told me that if you seemed nervous about lessons, to remind you that he looks forward to meeting your family," she sighs dreamily. "That's so sweet."

I bite my tongue so hard, blood fills my mouth. Of course, the human girl had no way of knowing that it wasn't a romantic comment, it was a threat, a reminder to remember the deal.

"Yes, my mate is the sweetest," I say through my teeth, but if the human girl notices, she doesn't say anything about it.

She facepalms. "Crap, I went about this all wrong," she mutters, and straightens her spine before curtseying. "My name is Camilla," she says, still holding the sides of her plain, blue dress. "It is an honor to be your lady in waiting, Your Highness."

I gag at that title internally, but plaster a sickening smile to my face.

"We should get you ready," Camilla says, looking at her watch nervously. "King Nikolai hates tardiness."

"Lead the way," I say through my teeth, and get out of bed, all while picturing the Lycan King's head rolling across the floor of his castle. 

****

After a scorching hot bath, Camilla begins to comb my hair.

"What happens during these lessons anyways?" I ask. May as well know what I'm getting myself into and try to prepare for it.

"Oh, just normal royalty lessons," Camilla says distractedly. "How to speak, which fork to use, that kind of thing."

"Like I'm a pup all over again," I mutter in disgust.

Camilla doesn't seem to notice the bitterness behind my comment, and takes it as a joke and laughs as she weaves my hair into an intricate braid.

"It's not so bad," she says finally. "Lady Doris can be a bit... tense, but she'll probably be a bit more patient with you. Y'know, since you could have her beheaded at any moment."

Yeah, right. The Lycan King would undoubtedly keep someone I disliked around me more, knowing I couldn't do anything about it.

"Will the L-" I swallow, catching myself. "King Nikolai be there?" I try making the question seem light, casual, and not like my life depends on it. Which it technically does.

Camilla looks at me sympathetically. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I forgot to tell you. King Nikolai regrets to inform you that he has another entanglement, but sends his regards."

I relax slightly at her words. At least he seemed to be holding up to his end of the agreement to stay away from me as much as possible.

"Very unfortunate," I lie.

Camilla hums in agreement, and places something on my head.

"What the hell is that?" I ask in horror.

Camilla looks at the piece of metal on my head and frowns. "Um, a tiara?"

I look beyond moronic, and want nothing more than to melt it in my hands.

"Oh, don't worry," Camilla says, not realizing the true meaning behind my disdain for it. "You'll get to wear a crown for more formal events. Although if you wanted to, I could go get you one. There's plenty more in-"

"No," I interrupt abruptly, and spit out the next words. "The tiara is fine."

Camilla seems confused by my sudden anger, but shakes it off and smiles kindly. "Now for my favorite part: the dress."

She leaves to go get it, and when she returns, I cringe when I see it.

It's teal, long, and disgusting.

"Wow..." I swallow. "That sure is... something."

"I know," Camilla looks at it adoringly. "It's stunning. You'll look perfect in it."

Sabotage. The Lycan King is sabotaging me by putting me in clothing I'll hate.

Because I have no choice in this cursed kingdom, I put on the god-awful gown.

I don't look in the mirror.

I can't stand the sight of myself.

****

"Try again one more time," the haggard witch called Lady Doris says through clenched teeth, though she smiles.

Trying to keep my eye-twitches to a minimum, I raise my skirt and lower my head, curtseying before her.

"I thought I told you to straighten your spine, dear," she says in a saccharine tone.

Oh, how I'd like to rip out her spine, one bone at a time.

"My apologies, my Lady," I say, trying not to sound half as annoyed as I feel.

We had been practicing curtseying for four hours.

Four hours of this bullshit.

I suddenly missed my parents' trainings. Not even they were as picky as Lady Doris.

She sighs. "It'll have to do for now. We need to move on to eating etiquette."

Yeah, because I need someone to tell me how to eat.

****

According to Doris, I do indeed need someone to tell me how to eat.

"Chew slower," Doris instructs. "Like this."

She delicately spears a piece of lettuce and places it in her mouth, chewing impossibly slowly.

"Like this?" I ask sweetly.

I put the dumb leaf in my mouth and chew at .002 miles per hour, making a show of making it as slow as possible.

Lady Doris winces.

"Hello, ladies," the voice of my nightmares says from behind me, and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.

Lady Doris instantly rises to her feet and curtsies. "My King," she greets, curtseying in perfect form.

I roll my eyes when her head is bowed, but her head snaps up. "Lady Drakon, wouldn't you like to show your mate what you learned today?"

Grinding my teeth, I get out of my chair and turn towards the Lycan King, who grins at me expectantly.

I curtsey, every inch of movement causing me severe pain and shame. "My King," I say, my voice so sweet it nearly gives me a cavity.

He takes a step towards me, and it takes all of my strength not to take a step back.

I flinch when he takes my hand, bowing down to kiss it.

I hate the way my skin tingles and heart races when his lips press against my hand.

I also have the feeling that if Lady Doris wasn't watching, he would have mocked me for it.

"You look lovely, my Queen," he murmurs, brushing his lips against my skin once more, and I fight to not rip my hand out of his grip.

Thankfully, he releases it, and doesn't meet my gaze, instead looking at Doris.

"How was my mate?" he asks casually, but I know better.

Doris glances at me briefly before looking back at him. "She sure has a sense of humor," she says finally in a pseudo-kind tone.

The Lycan King laughs gently, fakely. "I am quite lucky."

"Indeed, my King," Doris lies. "Would you like us to continue?"

Please say no, I beg silently to whatever Gods left.

"No," The Lycan King responds, and I almost sigh with relief. "That will be all for today, thank you, Lady Doris. I would like some time alone with my mate."

Doris bows. "Of course, my King."

Quickly, she leaves the room.

Fear penetrates my heart, deep. He must be mad that Doris hates me. My snide chewing play may have just cost one of their siblings their life.

"Don't kill any of them," I beg. For my siblings, I would beg.

Confusion flickers in the Lycan King's eyes. "Why would I kill one of them?"

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Lady Doris-"

"She doesn't like anyone," the Lycan King interrupts. "She has been in charge of lessons in etiquette since I was a pup. If I were not the King, she would have tossed me down the stairs for not holding my fork right."

If he were not who he is, I may have laughed at that.

"You're not going to kill them?" I confirm, still not believing it.

He sighs. "Drakon, I will only kill them if you intentionally do something to break the agreement. Short of trying to kill her, I do not particularly care how you interact with Lady Doris."

This surprises me, but I nod, and decide to push my luck. "I would like to call my parents."

Even more surprisingly, he agrees. "Alright."

"Really?" I ask, unable to hide my shock.

"It will be good motivation to remind you to behave," he says coldly, immediately reminding me why exactly I hate him.

"Come," he orders, and like a fucking puppy, I follow after him.

The castle is huge, and I have a feeling I hadn't even begun to see the majority of it. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings, expensive paintings line the walls, and guards are flooded throughout.

They bow as we pass, but since the Lycan King isn't watching, I ignore them.

Eventually, we reach some kind of office, clearly valuable books scattered throughout.

It's surprisingly messy. Not quite what I expected from him.

"The phone is behind the desk." He nods towards it. "I have somewhere to be. When you're finished, you may go wherever you wish in the castle, but do not leave the grounds."

"You aren't going to listen in to the call?" I ask dubiously.

"You're smart enough to know what will happen if you say something you shouldn't."

He leaves, because he's right.

I dial my mom's number, and she picks up right away.

"Ares," she answers shortly.

"Hi, Mom," I say, twisting the phone chord in my finger. I hate how much this room smells like the Lycan King.

"Drakon," she breathes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie. "Enjoying castle life."

"Really?" my mom asks, doubt plaguing her voice. "North told us that you're the Lycan King's mate, and went with him willingly but..."

"I'm fine," I reassure her quickly. If my mom knew that the Lycan King was holding me here against my will, she would throw all reason aside and storm the castle. Strong as she may be, my mate could kill her instantly. "I saw him and... well, you know how it is with mates."

That may have been the wrong thing to say because she tried killing my dad when she first saw him, but luckily, she just laughs slightly.

"Yes, your father figured that was the case," she says, relief saturating every word at my reassurance. "I had my doubts but... I guess Cain and North were right. I'm glad you're happy there. Is the fire..?"

Have you stopped combusting whenever you get slightly vexed?

"My mate... helps control it," I say wryly. Not technically a lie.

"That's good." She exhales in relief. "Well... good. I thought I may have to go spill some Lycan blood but... if you're happy..."

"I am," I say, and before she can press more, I steer the conversation to a close. "Hey, Mom, I should really get going. Can I talk to Dad really quick?"

"He's in the Eastern territory helping the twins set up. Give him a call though. He'll be glad to hear from you."

"Will do," I say, and my heart drops slightly. I didn't expect to miss them so much.

"Come visit soon," my mom orders.

I swallow. "I'll try. Things are a little... crazy right now. When the... mating stuff is over... I'll come visit."

When- if- I'm ever allowed out of this hellhole.

"I'll talk to you later. Goodbye, Drakon. I... Love you," she says, and if I didn't know that my mom never cries, I would have thought she might be.

"Love you too," I whisper, and hang up because the notion of my mom crying is too much for me to bear.

All of this is too much to bear. 

***

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