Ava Winter was destined for greatness as the princess of the Night Fang pack. A fierce warrior and loyal daughter, She dreamed of leading her people, until a crippling tax debt forced her into a political marriage with the Alpha King. Torn from her family, her pack, and everything she knows, Ava is thrust into a cold, ruthless kingdom where she's seen as an outsider, unworthy of the crown. The Alpha King, haunted by his tragic past, hides his emotions behind a wall of icy indifference. Unknown to Ava, he's harbored feelings for her for years, but his silence only deepens her resentment. Alone and heartbroken, Ava battles to find her place in a court rife with deceit and power plays. When betrayal strikes from within, Ava faces unspeakable danger at the hands of someone who seeks to destroy the king by claiming her. But in her darkest moment, she discovers an unshakable bond with the Alpha King that neither time nor tragedy can sever. Together, they must stand against a rebellion threatening to tear their kingdom apart, a rebellion fueled by hatred for Ava a "barbarian princess." With her strength tested and her heart on the line, Ava must embrace her role as queen to unite a fractured realm, protect the man she once hated, Will Ava rise to become the queen her people need, or will the forces against her doom them all?
Chapter 1 The tax
I was slumped on I pile of grass heaving badly as I felt vomit crawl out of my throat but I fought the urge and tears threatened to spill from my eyes
I felt my heart twist in fear and agony as I curled myself into a ball and cried
"Is this how I will meet my end?"
As I thought about my current predicament I felt a dead chill run down my spine as goosebumps crawled at my skin
"Ahhhhh" I screamed scratching and tearing at my skin in panic but In that moment of pain I was able to think
"Should I run?" I laughed manically
"If I stay they would come for me and then I wouldn't know how I meet my end"
"I'm not going to give the Alpha king the pleasure of seeing me break, he wants a mate then he's going to have to catch me first" I said out loud while laughing manically
I was alone in the forest of our mountains the night fang pack and I was a bit far from the pack house
But that distance is nothing for a trained female wolf, I sprinted through the woods barely making a sound and when I got to the pack house it was lights out which means everyone has gone to sleep
Feeling the adrenaline in my blood spike by a large height I pushed through and leaped up to my room window gracefully without making a sound in my human form
I packed a few supplies and sat at the roof of our pack house scanning our pack with a cloudy gaze as the night breeze blew through my hair
Stress, anger, pain all these emotions were built up in my heart my throat clogged at the pressure as my chest tightened in pain
I was torn because of the decision I had to make
A day ago the Alpha king sent his cabinet members to our pack to collect the annual tax and our pack couldn't pay this time
We have been dwindling in numbers in the past years and we barely make up to a thousand now
Everyone is leaving the mountains for greener pastures, we are so secluded so they feel like the world beyond the mountains has changed so much but I don't think so.
As if expecting that we wouldn't be able to meet up, they demanded that I should be sent to the king to be his mate and five of our best warriors would join the kings army
And if by next year we still can't pay the tax then we are to move down the mountains and join the kings kingdom which is the silver moon pack
"The king wants me as his mate?" a cruel shivers run down my spine at the thought and I felt tears gather in my eyes
Nobody has seen him shift he goes to wars alone and comes back with absolute victory
Some say he's not a wolf but a demon but who is going to step up and challenge him
no one
He has been married four times and each died after or within a week after their marriage ceremony
He has ruled for a 104 years and he hasn't had any successful relationship his brides always end up dead one way or the other probably by his hands
After the announcement was made everyone started guessing
"how long would she live" nobody even tried to get me out of the situation even my parents
I know the cost of a broken deal
In our world, it's a burden you would pay dearly for
In the end the part of me that wants to live wins
as I leaped of the roof top i took a sprint into the woods disappearing into the night
I ran as fast as I could running towards our pack borders but I couldn't think straight, I am basically leaving my people for dead if the alpha king knows that I'm missing he could wipe them out for letting me escape
I felt my heart tighten with guilt and i slowly came to a stop I fell on my knees as I felt tears drip from my eyes to my knees
"I did nothing to deserve this"
"My people do not deserve to die"
"But..but I... I want to live"
"I do not want to die" I cried as struggled to get up my feet but my limbs were as weak jelly
I felt my chest tightened as I struggled to breathe through the tears my guilt eating away at my will to run
"Do you want to sacrifice the lives of a pack of 987 people just because of your selfish interest to live"
My wolf spoke up for the first time since all these drama has been happening
And I just cried harder her words putting more pressure in my heart as I struggled to breathe in air as my tears clouded my vision
I'm not saying you shouldn't be scared I'm scared too, but it's our life against 987 people and I don't think that's a bad sacrifice
I felt a little bit of shame for trying to save myself when she was ready to die for our people
the comfort in her tone it felt like a cooling balm was rubbed over a wound caused by a burn and I was in fact ready to die
I gave up struggling I gave up fighting and passed out few feets away from our pack borders
Other books by Peace_Cooks
More