Just as I was about to close my eyes, the familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the cold stone corridor, and I groaned internally. Another guard, no doubt, coming to taunt me for fun, to remind me of what I'd become. A monster. An abomination.
The Iron Gate creaked open, but instead of the rough, scuffed boots of a guard, I saw something much worse. The Queen.
In all her regal glory, she stepped into my cell, her gown flowing behind her like waves of darkness. She was dressed impeccably, as always, her posture upright and perfect. The scent of roses surrounded her, cloying and sickening against the stench of wolfsbane, blood, and sweat that clung to me like a second skin. Her gaze swept over me, her eyes hard and cold, as if I were nothing more than dirt beneath her heel.
I struggled to my feet. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I stood tall as much as my broken body would allow. I was trained by my mother, after all-trained to respect nobility, to bow when it was required. Even now, even in this miserable state, I bowed.
"Long live the Queen," I rasped, my voice hoarse from days of silence and lack of water.
The Queen's nose wrinkled, her delicate features twisting in disgust as she took in the foul odor that lingered around me. She looked at me like one would look at a diseased animal, something filthy and wretched, too far gone to save.
"I can't believe you turned out to be what you are," she said, her tone dripping with disdain. "You deceived us all."
I said nothing. I didn't move. There was no point in defending myself-anything I said would only make things worse. So, I bowed my head and kept my mouth shut, focusing on the cold, hard floor beneath my feet.
"You hurt my daughter," the Queen continued, her voice laced with venom. "And for that, you will not be fed today. You dared to look into her eyes, my beautiful, noble, and curse-free daughter-the princess of this kingdom. You should know your place by now."
My stomach twisted at the mention of food. I had already gone days without a proper meal. The scraps they fed me, laced with wolfsbane, barely kept me alive. But I knew better than to protest. To beg for mercy. It wouldn't change anything.
The Queen walked closer, her eyes narrowing as she regarded me like something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "It was so miserable that your mother defiled herself with a fallen. I always knew she was disgusting. Loose. Huffing and panting after men, desperate for attention. She was shameful even in her youth, flaunting her beauty to anyone who would look. It's no surprise you turned out like this."
Her words cut deeper than any physical wound. My mother, the woman who raised me, who loved me despite what I was, had been everything to me. And hearing the Queen speak about her like that-it made my blood boil. But I bit my tongue, forcing myself to stay silent.
"Thank goodness the King found me, his true mate," the Queen continued, her voice filled with arrogance, "before he mated with your vile mother. I only groomed you, took you under my wing, because I thought you could be something. I wanted you to be the mate of my son, Jameson. I wanted him to have someone beautiful, elegant, and pure-someone worthy of his status. But instead, you turned out to be an embarrassment to the crown."
Jameson. My heart clenched at the sound of his name. The heir to the throne, the boy who had once been my closest friend. We had grown up together, trained together, shared secrets. I had loved him, once. But all of that was gone now. All of it had turned to ash the day the secrets of my birth was exposed.
The Queen smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice. "My son is coming back soon, you know. He's been away, receiving the best education, preparing to take his rightful place as heir. What a shame that he was once fond of you. What a shame that you turned out to be nothing more than an abomination. A wretched, winged creature. You don't even have a wolf!"
I flinched at her words, the sting of truth too much to bear. She was right-I didn't have a wolf. My fallen side had made sure of that. I was neither fully wolf nor fully fallen, trapped between two worlds. Fate couldn't be more cruel. And now, the one person I had once believed might accept me-Jameson-was returning to find that the girl he had cared for was nothing more than a monster.
"The longer you remain alive, the worse it will be for you," the Queen said, her voice softening, as if she were offering me some kind of twisted kindness. "My best advice? End your life. Do it in a beautiful way, and spare this kingdom the curse of your existence. Maybe then you can reunite with your vile mother in hell."
I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into the palms of my hands. I would never kill myself. Not for her. Not for anyone. As much as they wanted me to break, as much as they wished for my death, I would not give them the satisfaction.
"Stop thinking highly of yourself," the Queen snapped, her voice harsh once again. "You are no longer noble. You have fallen so far down, nothing can save you anymore."
With one final, regal smile, she turned on her heel and swept out of the cell, leaving me standing there, shaking with rage and helplessness. When would this end? When would my misery finally come to a close?
Just as I was about to collapse back onto the floor, the door to my cell swung open once again. This time, it wasn't the Queen.
A pack guard barged in, whom I had never seen before, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "Get up, beast," he sneered, dangling a collar and leash in front of me like I was a dog. "Time for your royal dog walk."
I groaned inwardly but forced myself to stand. The guard grabbed me roughly, slapping the collar around my neck with gloved hands, the cold iron digging into my skin.
He yanked on the leash, and I stumbled forward, dropping to my hands and knees as he led me out of the cell. My body ached, my muscles screaming in protest, but I had no choice. I had to obey.
As we moved through the corridors, I saw the maids gathered, snickering at me, whispering to one another. Their laughter filled the air, cruel and mocking. But I could hear everything they said, every little insult, every vile word.
The irony of it all was that they weren't better than me. I heard the screams at night when the Queen beat them for her amusement, or when she forced them to mate with the guards in front of her while she watched. They were just as trapped as I was, just as miserable. But they had power over me, and they reveled in it.
One of the maids stopped in front of me, a sneer on her lips as she threw a piece of bread at my feet. "Eat up, beast," she taunted, her friends laughing behind her.
I glared at her, refusing to give in. No matter how much they degraded me, I wouldn't let them strip away the last shred of my dignity.
When she saw that I wasn't going to obey, she crouched down to my level, her hand flying across my face in a hard slap. My cheek stung, but I didn't flinch.
"You're just a cursed beast," she hissed, "a winged abomination."
I laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. I lifted my head and met her gaze, my voice low and mocking. "And you are filthy. I hear you complain about how you never wash up because you have 'better things to do.' I really pity the men who have to touch you."
The maid's face turned scarlet, her eyes filling with tears as my words hit their mark. I had struck a nerve, and it felt good, even if just for a moment.
"You... you demon!" she screamed, lunging at me in a fit of rage. But she lost her balance, falling flat on her face in the dirt.
The guard laughed, his harsh voice echoing off the stone walls. Her friends giggled behind her, but I didn't care about their laughter. I didn't care about the guard's twisted sense of humor. I had won, if only for a brief moment.
The guard yanked on the leash again, pulling me to my feet. "Let's go, mutt," he said, but there was something different in his tone now, something almost amused.
He led me back to my cell, his grip loosening just slightly, as if he didn't see me as such a pathetic creature anymore. When we reached the cell, he threw a loaf of bread at me.
"Here," he said gruffly. "Eat."
I stared at the bread in disbelief. It wasn't laced with wolfsbane. It was fresh, real food. Without hesitation, I grabbed it, tearing into it with desperation. The taste of it was like heaven on my tongue, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't feel the sharp sting of poison in my veins.
I looked up at the guard, my voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."
He grunted, giving me a small nod before walking out of the cell and locking the door behind him.
Was that hope?