"All my life, I have never been touched by a man. I've remained clean and chaste." — Ava Goodchild
Prologue
"Spread your legs, little Ava. Open them and let me devour you."
I trembled at his words, my hands clenching my garment tightly. His voice sounded like sin itself, and his eyes held a lustful gaze, darkened with desire.
"P-Please, we don't have to do it this way," I whispered. "A-An insemination would w-work quite fine—"
A low, angry growl shook the entire room. He pounced toward me, clearing everything in his path. I watched in terror as fur began to sprout from his shoulders. I swallowed hard, my throat tight with anxiety.
"Do it, or my guards will do it for you. You do not want to test a beast!"
He growled powerfully, his aura radiating a dangerous, suffocating presence.
The first thing I saw when I woke up was an old chest—brownish, with streaks of rusted gold engraved on its body. I was in a room that felt like a small cubicle, the walls covered in mysterious paintings and ancient engravings.
I stood up, rubbing the back of my head softly. "Where am I?"
In the dimly lit room, I had a hard time seeing clearly. Suddenly, a door creaked open. At the entrance stood a large, imposing shadow.
"I see you're awake, little Ava."
Bulky, heavy steps began to pound toward me. I felt like prey being stalked.
"W-Who are you? A-And where am I?" I stammered, my voice breaking.
Unexpectedly, hands wrapped around my waist, drawing me flush against him. My thighs clenched, and a strange, heat pooled between my legs. Something hard pressed against me, a sensation so foreign it left me confused and breathless.
"You seem to remember nothing," he said, his tone rough and husky.
"N-not in detail. A l-little reminder might help, please."
"As my breeder, we'll be christening every part of this castle, little one."
My eyes widened in shock. "W-what?!"
Suddenly, the fog in my mind cleared. Memories of the previous day began to resurface...
FLASHBACK
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, once every two hundred years, a virgin outcast is sacrificed to the beast."
The speaker's voice boomed through our community. He was a man with a clownish expression, dressed elegantly in the finest robes our village could offer. My eyes searched the crowd for Moses. He was the only one who didn't treat me like a freak.
We had planned to run away today to escape the selection, believing the ceremony was tomorrow. But they had played us. They moved the date up, and we were trapped.
"Lily, Tabitha, Rose… Enchantress…"
The names were called—girls marked as "weird" or "anomalies." In our village, any girl with an eccentric opinion was branded a witch or a plague. An outcast to be avoided.
I was one of them.
"Ava Goodchild."
The announcer finally called my name. I was the last on the list. I clutched the hems of my gown and walked toward the designated area.
"NO! NO! Not my Ava!"
A voice wailed from the crowd. I looked back to see the woman who raised me running forward.
"COME BACK, AVA! This is not for you!"
She was instantly restrained by the guards, but she fought furiously. I walked to her and held her face in my palms.
"I'm going to be okay, Mum," I lied.
"OH SWEETIE. This is all my fault. I should have raised you better," she choked out, her face red with bitter tears.
"Promise me you'll take care of her," I told Moses, who had moved to calm her down. "If things go wrong, promise to stay with her."
He gave me a reassuring look. I slowly untangled my hands from my mother's face and walked toward the stage.
"Well, that was quite the unsettling drama," the announcer commented. He snapped his fingers. "Bring the Box of Luck forward."
Each of us had to pick a letter and pass it to the speaker.
"You're safe."
He said it over and over as girl after girl stepped forward. To be safe, you had to draw an even number. If you drew an odd number, you were chosen as the beast's breeder.
"Taken."
A cry rang out. One of the girls trembled with fear. The crowd gasped as she tried to bolt. I recognized her from the library.
BANG.
A shot rang out. I watched in horror as she fell, crimson blood pooling around her lifeless body.
"This serves as a lesson to anyone who tries to escape her fate!" the speaker announced fiercely. "Clear her remains."
The guards dragged her away, and the process resumed.
"Safe... safe... safe... taken."
There were only a few of us left. My heart hammered against my ribs as I handed over my letter. It was forbidden to look inside early.
"Taken."
The word hit me like a physical blow.
"NOOOO! Not my Ava! She's just a child!" Mum yelled. Moses dragged her away before the guards could aim their weapons at her.
"Be safe, dear. Do as he says, and he might let you go," someone whispered.
But we all knew the truth. No girl had ever survived the beast's hands.
The two of us who remained were led into the heart of the forest and tied to a massive, ancient tree. We were left there in the dark, vulnerable to the dangers of the woods—and waiting to be devoured by the beast.