Their forced luna
Chapter 57

Amanda

Aren took his time with me. It made me want to gag. This was all one big farce.

"You can scowl all you want, Alessa, but you belong to me. You were given to me by the Goddess herself, and you were informed of it. Stop fighting the inevitable. Give in."

I didn't let him see my glare, but I clenched my free hand into a fist. The bite of my claws into flesh brought me a sense of peace.

"This way," he instructed, leading me down the hallway. We weren't going to the dining hall. Wherever he was leading me was far grander than that. The carpet beneath our feet changed from merely soft to something that only royalty should step on. It had to be made of something exotic. Tigers?

"Ahh, you have a good eye, Alessa. We treat upon what is left of some of my past enemies. Those that stood in the way of what I was promised." He smirked. "These are the hides of tiger shifters that refused to submit to me. The men anyway. The women tried to escape."

I couldn't help myself. "Escape?" I questioned.

Aren paused and glanced over at me. "You think that I'll hide how they did it? They actually did escape this mansion, but they didn't get far."

He was practically laughing at his last words. I licked my dry lips. "What got them?" was it those monsters in the woods that had howled for my death?

"My pets," he answered with a shrug. "Pity. They had great birthing hips. I'm sure they could have pushed out many a child to be blessed by our Goddess."

Maybe they had the right idea. I didn't want to stay her with him. I was on limited time. I didn't want to have to use my body to try to escape here. Not when it seemed it was what he was waiting for. This man had been at this for far too long for such an easy action to work.

"Alessa?" he called to me.

Closing my eyes, I ignored him.

"Alessa," he growled again before making a gulping noise.

"That's not my name," I answered still refusing to look at him.

"Open your mouth," he ordered instead. A finger brushed between the crevice in my lips. "Open wide."

Keeping my lips closed, I opened my eyes and glared at him. If only there was a way to reach Ares. I could try to turn things around in my favor. The wolf was powerful, but locked away along with my own wolf. I couldn't even shift in this state, the best I could do was make my claws appear and that was just the tips.

"Alessa," he sighed and shook his head at me. "You continue to defy. Just when I thought you were learning your lesson. No matter. You won't have a choice after I've taken you as mine. Once you bear my mark, you're my property to do whatever I want with." he held out a small glass filled with an inky black liquid. "Swallow this, and it'll be like the best dream you've ever had."

"What is that?" I snapped.

"It'll make your dreams come true. Open up for me, take a little sip."

"Sir?" another of the maids bobbed her head to him and chewed on her lip. It was covered in tiny scabs. "There's been an incident."

Aren groaned. "Truly? You are interrupting me? You know that I'm about to take another bride. This had better be important."

She whimpered. "The demons," she blurted.

Aren scowled. "What are those stupid things doing? Don't they understand its pointless to go against me? I can crush their black hearts without ever having to touch them."

"They've broken through the gardens. Your pets weren't enough to stop them." she gulped.

I held on to her every word. Were the demons coming for their own ruler? It would make sense. But how had they found her, when Zale and the others hadn't came for me yet?

"Tell the others to deal with it. They know their place." the tips of his fingers brushed against my shoulder. "I have prior matters to attend to. After I'm finished I'll handle it. I have a wife to take." He kissed my shoulders and I repressed a gag.

The maid looked down at the ground and then away. Her eyes widened and she practically bounced on her feet as she waved a hand around. "Mitsi!"

The cat-shifter froze in place and with a deep wince turned in place. "Yes?" she whispered.

"Tell Master Aren what's going on," she snapped at her. "Tell him."

Aren pulled away from me. The non-chalance from before dried up. Instead his eyes narrowed and his nostril flared. "Yes, Mitsi. Tell me. Why am I not selling two of my maids off this very moment? You better make this good. You know how I feel about being interrupted on the first night."

Mitsi whimpered. "It's just-"

"Out with it!" Aren roared at her.

Mitsi shrieked and shrunk in on herself. "The demons aren't alone, Master!"

"What did you say?" he whispered. A deadly calm layered his words. "Please, tell me exactly what you're talking about right now. Be clear or I don't care that it is my child in your belly, I'll feed you to my men myself."

Mitsi sobbed. "It's the Prime and one of her mates. They've all joined together."

Silence blanketed over us. Wind swirled around Aren sending his hair flying. He whirled on me. "Alessa, you will go sit with Cee until I've finished ripping apart all of those so-called heroes outside. You are mine, and you're never getting away from me." He turned to Mitsi. "You, take her there. If anything happens to her, you know the penalty."

"Yes, Master," Mitsi whimpered.

Aren turned to the other maid and motioned with his hand. One of those wind bubbles he had kidnapped me with sprang around her. She screamed then held her throat. The air roared around her, flailing at he skin and littering it with cuts. Her blood was soon picked up by the tornadoes that ripped through what should have been a position of safety.

"Stop!" I ordered him.

Aren didn't look my way, he continued staring straight at the screaming woman as the wind ripped into her and created ribbons of blood all over her body. "I don't need help that can't deliver a simple message. She can stay in there until I get back. If she survives, I'll let her go."

I screamed at him, but he ignored me and walked off, striding down the hallway and towards the exit.

"Please, let's go,' Mitsi begged, grabbing my arm.

"Wait, we can't just leave her!" I pointed to the maid trapped. "We have to do something!"

Mitsi shook her head and bowed her head. "All we can do is pray that she dies fast."

I tried to argue more but Mitsi didn't give me a chance. She ushered me down the hallway and away from the execution taking place.

I had to get out of here, no matter what.