Amanda
Despite my parents' refusal to provide me with my child, I begged to see Alia one last time at least before I'd get taken away. However, I was instantly shut down. I even promised to do as they asked, lying through my teeth just so they'd provide for my child, then I'd hold her and refuse to let go no matter what. It was like they saw right through me because they refused.
"Don't try stupid games." My mother warned before they left me alone in the sitting room.
I spent the entire night wallowing in pain. The pain of having no idea if Aria was still alive or not, or where she currently was. Alia said she felt her twin and knew that she was alive, and I was desperately clinging to those words. The rest of the night was spent longing for my other daughter, Alia, wondering if my own twin- Rina, was treating her well or hurting her. My children were my lifeline. If I didn't care about what happens to Alia next, I'd have definitely chosen to run away right now. My parents weren't even watching over me because they just knew I wouldn't do that since I cared about Alia. It was very tempting to just up and leave, but the thought of leaving Alia to herself, knowing my parents could really have her killed, prevailed that urge.
By morning, guards from the palace arrived at my parents' house, and my parents pointed at me as the maiden they were presenting the enigmas from their household. I instantly began to try telling the guards I was being forced against my will in my sister's place but they paid me no heed and threw me over their shoulders after tying me up like an object.
Before I knew it, they arrived at the palace and I was made to kneel before the throne where the queen sat. Queen Elizabeth. I recognized her, having lived in this pack for almost two decades. I wasn't surprised she recognized me, after all back then, I was popular since I was constantly bullied by everyone. I had very low confidence growing up, thanks to constantly being compared to my perfect twin sister, and being made an outcast by everyone due to my wolfless state.
"So it really is you. I didn't actually believe your sister when she arrived last night, telling me she won't be getting sent to the enigmas, since her twin is back and is willingly taking her place." The queen drawled as she got to her feet and began to walk towards me.
"She lied! I'm being forced to do this and my child is being kept away from me! They even threatened to kill her if I didn't do this!" I cried out, feeling a spark of hope as the Queen paused before me and regarded me silently.
"Now you know we royals don't get involved with family issues." She husked out with a shrug and I almost broke down all over again.
I began to chant pleas, begging her to please help me out because she was my last option. She wasn't a terrible queen when I grew up here, she ruled fairly, compared to her cruel and ruthless mate, the pack alpha king– who probably isn't here right now because this isn't important enough to deserve his attendant.
The queen held a hand up and I bit my lips, waiting anxiously.
"I can't meddle, but I can look after your child for you, see that she isn't maltreated and is taken care of like royalty." She drawled in response and I stiffened, feeling uncomfortable. I didn't know the queen enough to trust her, but clearly, so far, she was better than my own family.
"How would I know you're not lying?" I asked and she laughed airily.
"I don't lie, child. What would that benefit me?" She asked and I realized that she was right. She has no reason to.
"But what if I don't ever return? What would happen to my child?"
And my other daughter, Aria… what would happen to my two babies…?
"She'll only know a good life no matter what." She responded and I swallowed emptily before nodding after a few minutes. Clearly, there was nothing else I could do at this point.
"Alright, thank you,"
The Queen waved her hand. "Don't thank me, this is the least I can do. Your sacrifice would save all our hides from the enigmas' wrath one more year. The pack is automatically indebted to you, and I do wish this doesn't have to happen, but every year- a different family in the pack is selected to provide a daughter for the enigmas. That's a sacrifice everyone has to make."
She didn't even need to explain how it works. I knew how it works since the same thing happens in Aaron's pack, and every other existing pack. Everyone answers to the enigmas at the end of the day, which is why the thought of being taken there today was beyond terrifying. I was yet to fully dwell on it because I still kept hoping I'd escape doing this. But now that my fate has literally been decided, I was thinking about it, and I was already panicking and drowning in fear.
What would become of me in the enigmas territory? Would I survive a day there?
"The enigmas are said to be savages. They're likely to r@pe you, and do other sick things to you. But they're likely to be uninterested in you because of your wolfless state." The Queen continued.
"Does that mean they'd send me back if I'm useless to them?" I asked, a flicker of hope lightening up my insides.
The Queen shook her head. "You'll be killed instead, so you must try your very best to not be 'useless' to them."
~~~
I was tied up in a sack and blindfolded then kept underneath a large boulder right at the entrance of Uvas pack. That's the spot where the enigmas would come to pick me up.
It felt like forever before I got lifted in the air and placed in a carriage, then a very rough and fast ride began, leaving me dizzy and breathless from fright and anxiety. I could hear voices and a foreign language, and that only worsened my fright.
After ages, I was lifted and dumped on the ground, and when the blindfolds dropped, I opened my eyes and couldn't recognize where I was at. Two large men were standing before me, completely shirtless with large, glistening pecs and biceps. They were so large and so tall, that my heart slammed against my chest and I screamed before scrambling backwards on reflex.
The two men laughed before one grabbed my tied legs and yanked me forward, then they loosened the ropes around my body, while I quaked between them. I want to appear strong and hide my emotions but I was too overwhelmed to do that.
After the ropes were loosened, I frantically glanced around for a way out of this situation, but the large fences my eyes were greeted with instantly had me deflating with a horrified feeling. The fences were at least fifty meters high, there's no way anyone could climb that.
The two large men wrinkled their nose after sniffing at my throat, and I almost passed out before they pulled away and glanced at each other, a disappointed expression across their faces,
"She has no scent. A useless vessel. We'd have to take her to the cell instead." One of the men said and my eyes widened because I thought they didn't speak English.
I was hurled up and over a shoulder before I could react, and I screamed and kicked out my feet, pounding down on the man's back, but it didn't make a difference because he was unshakable. The two men began to walk and I was left staring at the ground with blurry eyes because tears were swimming through them once again.
"The king is in a shitty mood and that's gonna worsen since we still didn't get a maiden worthy enough of being a sex slave from any of the packs we visited today." The second man grumbled as they entered a large building, then through a narrow hall.
As the men kept talking between themselves, I kept wondering what they meant by that statement. I was feeling extremely disgusted right now. I couldn't believe the rumors were true. Some people say the king of the enigmas takes a new sex slave every night, and he kills them after each night of passion. I couldn't believe that was actually true.
After a lot of walking, the men stopped and dropped me roughly. A set of people came forward to tie and gag me with a dirty rag, then I was thrown into a cell filled with so many women who were also tied up and gagged.
Each woman in here looked broken, with dead eyes and broken spirits. My heart instantly got wrenched as I pressed myself against the wall and cried into my gag till I passed out.
~~~
I didn't know how much time had passed. There was no way to tell day from night. I knew we were being watched by guards, but it was pointless since we literally couldn't do anything. The cell was too low for us to stand in. We couldn't speak to each other here at least. It was like we were kept this way so we could slowly go crazy.
There was no way to even keep hoping I'd be lucky enough to find a way to escape from here. Each time I tried to imagine how my kids were fairing, I teared up instantly. If they were together, I'd have been less worried because at least I'd know they have each other- because they tend to codepend on each other.
After what felt like forever, a man came and spoke a weird language, then the guards were roughly ushering us out, then we were made to line up.
After that, a menacing woman clad in fine silk and decked in jewels arrived and selected some of the women— who looked extremely relieved to my confusion. After the women selected four women, the rest of us were sent back to our cell.
I didn't know what they were selected for, or why those women were happy to be selected. But after long hours, the cell was opened and the laughing guards dragged one of the women out, while everyone screamed behind their muffled gags. The selected woman struggled and cried behind her gag, but the guards succeeded in taking her away.
By everyone's expression here after they were long gone, it slowly dawned on me, especially when the woman never returned.
Those guards went to have 'fun' with her.
That was when I was hit with a jarring realization. We were all here because we were deemed 'useless vessels', and sooner or later, that was gonna be my fate as well.