Chapter 1- We Leave Tonight
Arabella Toussaint:
"You’ll be offered to the Lycan King in exchange for your brother’s freedom," My father’s announcement stunned everyone present in the room, "Your brother murdered the King’s sister. Now someone must pay the price."
It was more like a death sentence for Vanessa Toussaint, my half-sister.
"What are you saying, Dad?" Vanessa cried when she heard about the deal, "Why am I being punished for something I didn’t do?"
"I know, sweetheart. The Lycan King demanded a daughter from this house in exchange for your brother’s life!"
My stepmother, Vikki Toussaint, sniffed her nose while I stood in the corner of the study room, watching the drama unfolding before my eyes. Like always, I was here to mop the floor when all of them barged in and sat down as if I was invisible.
But that was not something new. I had been invisible since I was six. Nobody looked at me unless they wanted something cleaned or needed a punching bag to let out their frustration.
"Vanessa. Darling!" My stepmother dabbed the tears with a napkin, "Please try to understand. They’ll kill Victor," she sobbed, hiding her face behind her palms.
"Mom," Vanessa went to her and knelt, "I love my brother. Okay? I also don’t want him to die... but I’m already engaged to Alpha’s son. For Goddess sake, I’m the soon-to-be Luna of this pack!"
I felt my heart sinking.
Will the king kill my brother? He was the only one who used to take care of me.
Not that much, but he did offer me leftovers.
Tightening the grip around the mop, I looked down at the floor.
Right now, the entire Toussaint family looked like they were standing on the edge of a cliff. Victor Toussaint— the Toussaint heir... the pride of the family— was imprisoned by the Lycan King for murdering his sister.
Nobody knew what truly happened. After losing his sister, the king had gone crazy. He wanted Victor’s blood in return.
The council elders were holding the king back because Victor was Beta Rick’s heir. Later, they all mutually agreed to hand over Beta’s daughter to the king as compensation for the blood debt.
"Just imagine!" Vanessa sobbed, "Instead of marrying Dante, I’ll be offered to the king as a slave!"
My father, Beta Rick, dropped his head into his hands. His wife, Vikki, started crying silently. She looked truly helpless.
The woman who controlled everyone in this house looked defeated. She was bound to lose one child after all.
Vanessa’s tear-filled eyes moved around the room desperately, and that was when her eyes landed on me.
Arabella Toussaint.
A cold dread took over my heart.
Her eyes lit up, "Wait a minute!" She rose to her feet as she started walking towards me. I must be looking like a frightened puppy standing there, "The king never said that he wanted a specific daughter..." A smirk appeared on her lips, "How about Arabella?" She turned towards her parents, as excitement flashed across her face.
Her parents straightened, trying to understand what she was saying, "The king wants a daughter as his slave. Arabella knows how to do the job. Our mother trained her well."
I pressed more into the wall, maybe trying to get swallowed by it. I had been invisible for the past twelve years. And now they were noticing me for all the wrong reasons.
Instinctively, my hand raised to the faded cut near my temple... the one that never healed properly after I failed to get a wolf. The vision in my left eye blurred slightly, just as it always did whenever I was stressed.
My father slowly got up from his seat, "Arabella!" His voice boomed in the study, "Victor took care of you. Do you think we don’t know how Victor used to sneak food into your room? Now is the time to pay him back with your kindness."
Something cracked inside me. Vikki was my stepmother, but Rick Toussaint was my real father. How could he sacrifice his one child over another?
Is throwing me away this easy?
If Victor killed someone, that wasn’t my mistake.
"I ... I ... um..." My throat tightened as I tried to speak for myself, but Vikki raised her hand to stop me, "We raised you, Arabella. Gave you a roof over your head. Don’t you think you should repay us?" She asked me with a sinister smile.
I gulped hard and then nodded. A slow grin spread across Vikki’s face, "That’s like my daughter," She came and hugged me, but then had to step back immediately. Her face twisted in disgust, "Uh. When was the last time you took a shower?" She waved her hand near her nose.
I wanted to speak. I wanted to remind her that she was the one who asked me not to waste water.
Just last week, I turned eighteen and didn’t get a wolf. Nobody asked me. Nobody noticed.
Except Maya, who was my best friend. Unlike me, Maya was an Omega by birth. She was the only one who used to take care of me.
She even stole food from the VIP kitchen to feed me. Among werewolves, slaves stood at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Even Omegas ranked above them.
In a way, Maya was superior to me.
My so-called family— their stares were crawling on my skin. Vanessa must have sensed my fear because she held my hands gently, "Don’t worry, Arabella. You’ll survive. They want a slave, and you’re the perfect choice. You know how to do chores and all that... right?" She then leaned towards me, "Sometimes you might have to warm the beds of royal warriors."
Cold fear spread through my body as a sick feeling twisted in my stomach. This was not the life I had imagined for myself.
I was already planning to run far away from this abusive life and live in peace. I was just waiting to save enough cash in my wallet to survive for a small period till I would find a job.
But no.
All my plans crumbled when Vanessa set her eyes on me.
"I’m... I’m just an Omega... They need a beta girl..." I swiped my tongue over my trembling lips, "Please... I don’t think I’m fit to be a..."
"Actually, Vanessa is right," my stepmother got up with a small smile, "You’re also Beta’s daughter. The same blood runs in your veins..." She then turned to face her husband, "What do you think, Rick?" She gave my father a pleading look, and the man instantly melted.
"Of course," His eyes darted to me, "Vanessa is already promised to Dante. We don’t have any choice," He said with a shrug, and I felt my heart drop, "We never punished you for killing your mother, Arabella. You owe this family that much."
A numb ache started spreading through my body.
***
"This can’t be happening. Tell me this is a nightmare!" My best friend Maya was pacing restlessly through the garden like a caged lioness while I sat on the grass numbly.
Maya suddenly spun around, "I told you!" She crouched in front of me, "You fool! That’s why I asked you to run. But all you cared about was saving enough money. Now what?"
I squeezed my eyes, forcing back the tears, "You run alone, Maya," I whispered with a burning throat, "I can’t join you. My family needs me. My brother needs me."
"What the fuck!" Maya cursed, "Nobody needs you. Okay? We leave tonight."
I started shaking my head as my eyes welled up with tears, "The king will kill our whole pack, Maya. You know the consequences."
Maya’s shoulders dropped in defeat. She must have realized I was right. Once the king came to know his soon-to-be slave had run away, he would burn the whole pack.
"Don’t give up!" Maya leaned her forehead against mine, "Don’t you dare give up, Bella. We will find a way. I’m sure we will find a way. Let this pack rot in hell. You owe them nothing."