YOU FOUND HER FIRST, BUT SHE'S MINE NOW

Lycans have been known to be the most formidable werewolf breeds known to mankind. Their superhuman strength, agility, and other abilities have alienated them, making the ordinary werewolves fear the very mention of their name.

In the Grey Clouds Pack, Lord Diego was the ruler. He was a Lycan and had lived for two centuries. Yet, his skin had no wrinkles and his eyes had not grown dim with age. His voice was crisp and terrifying and would send his many servants and concubines scampering away.

No one had thought of - or dared to - oppose him.

But this was about to change when sunny afternoon, his car almost ran into Ruby Marcus, a 19-year girl who had blonde hair and golden eyes.

"Watch where you're going, man!" she shouted, and Lord Diego was profoundly stunned. What insolence was this in a girl so young... and pretty to shout at him?

He stopped the car and asked whom she was. She said her name and when she probably had noticed whom he was, she started apologizing for being harsh and all of that. But Lord Diego didn't think it was genuine.

"Pray we do not ever cross paths," he told her, "because you'll regret that you ever existed."

His signature jet black Mercedes drove off. He was in a light mood and the girl had gotten lucky.

However, later that evening, when he went to meet one of his chronic debtors...

¶

Ruby stared at the man standing some feet away from her, her face contorted in horror. What was Lord Diego doing in her house? And why was her father on her knees begging him?

"You, again?" Diego said, his chest rising and falling in wrath.

But Ruby ignored him and turned to her father. "Dad, what the hell is going on here? Why are you on your knees? Get up!"

"How dare you!" the Lycan King exploded and surged forward. He raised his hand and stopped just inches away from her face. His eyes flashed red, but Ruby didn't flinch. This baffled him the more, and he took some steps back. After a moment of tense silence, he said to Marcus, quietly, "You're owing me a million pounds, is that right?"

"Yes, my lord," Ruby's father cried. "You're absolutely right."

Ruby was stunned. A million pounds! How?

Diego continued, "Now I perceive you can never pay me back in cash, it's impossible. But there's a solution."

"Anything, sir. I am willing to please you, my lord."

Much to Ruby's horror, the Alpha pointed a crooked finger at her and said, "I want her." A pause. "As wife."

"There's no way that's happening," Ruby began. She was not going to be sold to this ruthless human-god all in the name of indebtedness. It wasn't worth it! Not after he'd sworn to deal with her if they ever crossed paths.

One of Diego's guards moved towards her. "You don't need to go back to your room for anything," he said. "Your basic needs shall be supplied, in the castle."

"This is all going too fast," Ruby exclaimed. "I have not even agreed to this!"

"Your opinion is irrelevant," the guard said and stood aside for her to leave the house.

More guards surrounded the house. Diego was already walking to his car. Ruby knew there was nothing she could do to stop this. She ran after him.

"Sir, could there at least be a moment of sober discussion?" she asked, and when he ignored her, she rerouted the question. "How long will I be your wife?"

He then stopped and turned to look at her, then said:

"The contract of marriage shall be dissolved when you birth me an heir. In that way, you repay your father's debt. I shall have my lawyer prepare the papers."

¶

And so that night, after the contract paper had been signed, Ruby was ushered into Diego's chambers, and he grabbed her like a fluffy snow rabbit. Ruby stared into his eyes and saw in them nothing but hatred and a beastly passion.

This was her punishment.

"You intrigue me, girl," he growled and attacked her lips and her neck and her breasts. She gasped for air, begged to be given time to adjust. She just needed time to absorb all of this. How did she have woken up an independent woman and now had her clothes shredded by the most dreaded werewolf in the city?

But he ignored her, lifted her to the bed and tugged at his zip.

When he slipped himself into her, the pain exploded and Ruby thought the world was covered in blood. He paused for just a slight moment when he noticed he was her first man.

But, since Diego was not a man given to sentiments, he continued thrusting, for almost half an hour, until they both groaned and yelped into the night's air. His seeds were shot into her.

And being a lycan seed, things were bound to happen a little faster than natural.

¶

The next morning, Ruby woke up to an unpleasant surprise.

"Get your ass up off my bed," she heard Diego say. He was standing beside the bed, hands behind his back. "You think you came here to lazy around? You shall work among the Omega wolves, where you belong."

Ruby was dazed as the memories of the previous night came hurling back to her. They had had steamy sex, her first sex ever. What was this now?

"Sir, I -" she tried.

"Listen, Ruby!" he shouted. "I'm sick of you trying to counter everything I tell you. Do you have a freaking idea who's standing before you? My name is Diego Lucas, the only surviving Lycan, and that is because I am immortal. I am the most feared werewolf on this fucking Continent. I cannot have a little mortal girl defy my instructions. This will attract a heavy penalty if it repeats itself."

And, from that day henceforth, Ruby was subjected to hard labour. She served the lords and princes who flooded the Lycan's castle. She worked among the lowliest of the pack, washing dishes, assisting haughty queens and eating the leftover crumbs.

Once, Ruby got a surprise visit from her younger sister, Elsa, who'd just returned from studying in the States.

They weren't allowed to speak to each other for over a minute, but Elsa promised to find ways to get her out of there.

Her mother came, too. Teresa wasn't a regular woman. She was an undercover assassin for a certain drug lord. She had a striking boldness and an American accent.

"I'd want to speak to Diego," she had said to the guards, already pushing herself through.

"Stop there, woman!" the guard barked. "Who do you think you are?"

"You wanna know who I am?" she asked and snapped her fingers. "My actions shall do the talking."

So she left. But before she did, she took one long meaningful look at Ruby and in a low voice asked if "anything" had happened between her and Diego.

Ruby instinctively said no, and changed topics. But she knew her mother wasn't foolish.

It was the next morning that Ruby discovered she was pregnant. A new shade of fear rose in her.

When she cornered Maggie, her friend in the workroom, that evening and asked about Diego and his affairs, she got the shock of her life.

"I see him with many women," Ruby asked, "but no son or daughter. Doesn't he care about such things?"

Quietly, Maggie related Diego's dark backstory. "He's tried to have kids, but they always die a mysterious death on their first birthday. It's been five occurrences already."

"My," Ruby gasped. "Was he cursed or something?"

"Maybe yes, or no," Maggie said. "But I know he desperately wants an heir. Whoever is taking the kids' lives might be a human, a really brave one. But there's a sick pattern to it."

"What pattern?"

"The kids die only if Lord Diego knows about the babies. A woman I know got away with the child alive because the Lycan didn't know about the baby."

"What do you advise I do?" The fear in Ruby's voice was loud.

"You must not let him know you're pregnant. If you can keep it a secret from him, you might be able to break the curse and save your baby. That is your best shot." She shrugged. "I don't know how you'd do it, or what's next for you. But..." Her voice trailed off just as the door flew open.

A guard stood at the door. "Lord Diego demands your presence now," he said, standing aside for Ruby to pass.

Ruby trembled. Had he found out already?

¶

"It came to my notice that you are pregnant," Lord Diego said from across the large room, and Ruby almost passed out with fear.

She opened her mouth to try to deny it, but it was of no use.

Diego continued. "My doctor has conducted a secret test on you and has confirmed the pregnancy. Therefore, I have decided to keep you in a private room, where I can keep an eye on you until you give birth to my child and end this shitty contract."

He dismissed her without allowing her to say anything.

The second month came and passed. Her belly grew. Then the third, until Ruby reached her ninth month.

It was a nervous period for the Lycan King and one day, he rushed down to see Ruby and get her ready for delivery.

When he opened her door, her room was empty, and a note was left on the table.