“Oh gods, oh gods,” Emeriel’s breath hitched in terror, panic setting in. Of all the shapeshifters in the world, why a UREKAI!?
It advanced with purpose. Its glowing yellow eyes bore into Emeriel, filled with hunger.
Shaking his head fiercely, Emeriel scrambled backward. “No, no, no! Leave me alone!” he shouted, “Guards! Someone, help!”
But no one came.
The beast leapt onto the bed, pinned Emeriel beneath it. Its claws tore through his clothing, exposing his vulnerable body to the creature’s hungry gaze.
With powerful force, it pushed Emeriel’s thighs apart, and its monstrous form pressed against him…
Emeriel jolted awake with a scream. His body was shaking, drenched in sweat, and he quickly glanced around the dark, empty room.
“It was just a dream,” he whispered, trembling. “Thank the gods. Just a dream.”
The same nightmare again. He had been having this dream for months now.
He swallowed hard, running a shaky hand through his hair. “Why do I keep having such a terrifying nightmare?” he murmured. The thought of a Urekai… No one in this world wanted to meet one. Certainly not Emeriel.
Yet, despite the terror, a lingering warmth from the dream stayed with him. His body felt different, the unsettling sensation not easily shaken.
What did this mean?
Stepping outside the next morning, two warriors stopped before Emeriel.
“The king summons you, my prince,” one of them said. “Your presence is needed in the courtroom.”
Shit. That foolish minister wasted no time ratting on him. Emeriel let out a breath. It’s just a whipping; he would be fine.
But as he walked down the hall toward the door, it felt eerily quiet.
Something was wrong.
The court was always noisy from the outside. Mutterings, murmurs, arguments-those were to be expected.
His worry deepened when the door opened, and all eyes didn’t turn to gaze at him condescendingly. Instead, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the center of the king’s court.
Emeriel’s gaze followed theirs.
Two men dressed in all-white robes, with long, straight, waist-length black hair, stood appearing harmless.
But a longer glance had Emeriel noticing muscles barely concealed under their robes, their slightly tipped ears, and their incredibly handsome faces, which were completely unreadable.
He froze.
Urekai.
These ones looked expensive and aristocratic.
Emeriel’s throat went dry. No one prayed to meet a Urekai face-to-face.
“What do you say, King Orestus?” the Urekai with the long scar running down his cheek spoke. He looked the most intimidating.
“No, this cannot happen,” King Orestus protested, looking terrified and doing a poor job of hiding it.
The frown on the scarred Urekai’s face deepened. Clearly, this was a being that did not take no for an answer.
“You are mistaken if you think we are giving you a choice, human king,” he said, taking a threatening step forward.
The ministers of the court gasped, shrinking back into their seats.
“Easy, Lord Vladya,” the other Urekai spoke, his voice gentler, imploring rather than commanding.
The scarred Urekai, Lord Vladya, gave the king a hard look that would make any man tremble. “It is the least you can do, human king. Give us the princess, and we will leave quietly.”
“We are ready to pay for her,” the other Urekai added, reaching into his robe and withdrawing a large bag of coins.
Fear receded. The king’s ears perked up with interest.
“Not just money-there are gold coins too,” the non-scarred Urekai said. Everyone gasped, including Emeriel. Gold coins were rare and highly valuable.
The Urekai continued, “All you have to do is hand the princess over, and this bag is yours.”
Wait…
Princess?
They couldn’t possibly mean…
The grand entrance opened again as two guards led Aekeira into the court.
No, no, no, not my sister.
Emeriel moved forward, but the guards who had escorted him stopped him in his tracks. He bit his lip hard, trying not to draw attention to himself, but it was incredibly difficult.
Surely, this couldn’t be what he thought it was. It had to be a dream. There was no way the Urekai were here to buy his sister as a slave…!
The two guards leading Aekeira to the center of the court stopped a few feet from the Urekai.
The terror on Aekeira’s face mirrored Emeriel’s feelings.
“So, let me get this straight,” King Orestus began. “All I need to do is sell her to you, and all this money is mine? There are no other conditions? Nothing else?”
“Yes,” the non-scarred Urekai responded.
Lord Vladya moved forward, closing the distance between him and Aekeira, who was visibly shaking now.
Cupping Aekeira’s cheek and tilting her head to the side to get a better look, he appeared utterly disgusted. “She’ll do.”
King Orestus picked up his gavel and struck it hard on his desk. “Sold! From this moment on, Princess Aekeira belongs to the Urekai.”
“WHAT!?” The shout escaped Emeriel’s lips before he could stop it.
He ran toward the center of the courtroom and fell to his knees. “Please don’t sell my sister to them. Not to the Urekai! Please, Your Majesty.”
The king gave him a bored look. “It’s out of my hands now, Emeriel.”
It’s out of his…
Emeriel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You can’t let this happen. She’s your niece too! How could you do this?”
He wasn’t proud that his voice turned high-pitched like a girl’s as he practically screamed, but he didn’t care. “You know a fate worse than death awaits her beyond the great mountain! How could you agree to sell her to them?”
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply