Mine At First Sight
Chapter 5 - A Bumpy Ride

▪️L E N N A▪️

We had been travelling almost non-stop for the last twenty-four hours.

Since I belonged to the most Southern province and the Lycan’s territory was the furthest Northern region within the Malvar Empire, we had over four hundred miles to cover.

Usually, it would take an average horse about five days give or take between stops to complete the journey.

Although, the horses the Lycans possessed were much faster and needed less resting time. As a result, it would take us about two days to reach our destination. At least that was what I had been told during our first intermittent exchanges of dialogue.

Needless to say, I was glad that we were halfway through, for I was ready to leave the confined space that I found myself sharing with the Lycan King. My curiousity about him had been growing the more time I spent in his presence, and I did not wish for my interest to be so evident.

Within the first few hours of leaving my home, I ended up falling asleep. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to replace penetrating grey-green eyes keenly staring at me.

After passing through three of the provinces within the central plains, I could not help but notice the treatment of some of the humans when we stopped to get some food at one of the local taverns.

Some looked happy and content in their position, going about their daily tasks with a smile on their faces. However, I noticed that some wore collars around their necks while their werewolf masters cursed and beat them. Their bodies were riddled with bruises, their overall appearance haggard, as though they had not eaten properly for days.

It seemed that I was more ignorant to the workings of the empire than I cared to admit.

When I boldly began to ask the Lycan King questions, he simply told me that I should not concern myself with such things, commenting that I had my own fate to worry about.

He calmly stated that what the Vizras of each region did with their subjects was no concern of his. Once their treatment remained within the confines of the laws, he saw no problem with it.

Humans were at the bottom of the social structure and had no real say in what happened to them or their kin. If such grievances were brought to the head of the human healing family, it was their responsibility to bring such matters to the Vizra’s attention.

In turn, it was up to the Vizra to ensure that no detrimental abuse was administered to the humans by those they served. But even as he explained certain things to me, I still felt slightly confused by the way everything seemed to work.

Clearly, Vizra Rorik was a great werewolf, for his province held no such abuses from what I had ever seen. The treatment of humans under his watch was nothing like what I had been privy to in these last few hours, as no such complaints had ever been brought forth to my father. Together, they both ensured that humans and werewolves co-existed within the social constructs of the empire.

This only made me miss my home even more.

Regarding the way the social system had been set up, I knew that I should not allow myself to get overly upset, as this was how things had been done since King Eberhard’s reign. By placing the Vizras in charge of the region, the werewolves had surrendered their freedom and sworn allegiance to the Lycan throne. Once the guidelines had been put in place, he had left the Vizras to enforce the rules as they saw fit.

It seemed that life would continue as normal, except for the mass murders, coupled with the fact that now both werewolves and humans had been enslaved.

This was how things had been for the last few centuries, and while many were content with the way things were, I also knew that many others would not mind having more freedom to live their lives as they saw fit.

Unashamedly, in my ignorance, I had just thought all provinces were like mine.

Even though I understood that I lived a life of privilege compared to how other humans lived, the humans within our province experienced a relatively good life compared to what I had recently witnessed.

I could not help but wonder how the humans were treated in the Lycan region, but I knew that I would soon replace out.

The Lycan King’s disinterest in the humans’ plight irritated me.

Though, from his point of view, I understood why it was of no consequence to him. He was a Lycan after all, and King for that matter. So, it was only obvious that he had other, more pressing matters to attend to.

Although, a part of me wanted to believe that, somewhere under that rough exterior of his, there was a heart.

I was surprised by how patient he was, as I voiced a barrage of additional questions where the route of our journey was concerned. He seemed delighted in telling me about the lay of the land, and I found myself listening attentively while he educated me on the names of different trees, landmarks, and such, as the carriage rode past.

The last few hours of the journey, however, were spent in silence, my eyes fixated on the changing scenery that unfolded outside the window.

The sound of King Edric’s deep voice brought me out of my thoughts.

“Are you pregnant?” he probed, while observing me.

My body stiffened at his unexpected question, and I could not help but furrow my eyebrows slightly at his open enquiry. Since the atmosphere within the carriage had been somewhat relaxed in terms of how he had answered my previous questions, I decided to test his patience with my response.

“I would’ve thought that you’d have been able to smell it on me?” I asked, my gaze turning from the window to look at him, though I was cautious enough not to stare directly into his eyes.

He growled low in his throat, “That mouth of yours will get you in trouble! It seems that the Vizra has been spoiling you. Do you think your eyes will get you special treatment with me?”

“I would never think to talk out of turn when in the presence of others, Your Majesty,” I responded and slowly glanced up at him.

“Just when we are alone then?” The corner of his lips seemed to twitch in slight amusement while he held my stare and said, “You’re a bold one, Lenna, I can respect that.”

From what I knew about werewolves and Lycans, they respected strength.

As such, I had been trying to walk a thin line between being audacious without being disrespectful while in his presence. I silently patted myself on the back for managing to keep somewhat of a balance, especially during our forced close proximity.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I would rather be able to express myself to you truthfully than lie to your face,” I admitted, momentarily getting lost in the raw power that I saw reflected in his eyes.

“Fair enough,” he ran a hand over his low beard and continued, “as for being able to smell if you are indeed pregnant, I figured that it would be more polite to ask than replace out for myself.”

Shaking my head, I broke our gaze to look out the window, “No, I’m not pregnant.”

“How are you so sure?”

His voice forced me to look back at him once again and I found myself idly playing with the edge of my cowl between my fingers.

After a few moments, I answered, “I took the necessary herbs to ensure that I would not be.”

I could see his eyebrows tilt upwards as he spoke, “No one has used such a remedy in centuries! Where did you replace such a thing? And how do you even know that it’ll work?”

Since my relationship with Berengar was hidden, we had not been able to procure the modern injections to prevent pregnancy. But those were just an updated version of the old formula I had been using anyway.

Berengar had not released in me, he had pulled out each time as an extra precaution, but the Lycan King did not need to know that.

“My great grandmother had a book filled with a lot of herbal recipes to deal with various things. As for if it’ll work, it has been for almost two years,” I said, though, now that I thought about it, I felt my confidence falter slightly.

“Two years!” He seemed to choke on his words before he composed himself and said, “It seems I was wrong about you two.”

My curiousity got the better of me as I asked, “What do you mean?”

“I had assumed that it was just a short casual sexual arrangement, as I wouldn’t expect the son of a Vizra to risk his life for a human. But if you two have been engaging in such activities for all that time, then I guess love had to be involved in there somewhere.”

The tone in his voice was laden with disdain.

Angling my head as I looked at him, I probed, “What if it was? From your facial expression I take it that you don’t believe in such?”

Scoffing, he replied, “I am a King, I don’t have time to waste on fairy tales.”

A breathy laugh escaped me, “I think it is more because you are a man than a King. I know males tend to not be as romantic as their female counterparts. However, no, while I love Berengar to death, he is like my brother.”

“So, you believe in incest?” the Lycan King’s eyes widened, though mirth shone through his gaze.

“W-what? No!” I sputtered and shook my head to clear such thoughts before adding, “I simply meant that he’s very dear to me and has never judged me for who I was or because of my skin condition.”

King Edric’s attention shifted to the white hair by my temple, before he slowly raked his gaze down my body, staring at my hands which were currently folded on my lap.

Surprisingly, since being in his presence, he had never once seemed disgusted by my appearance and I could feel his grey-green eyes observing every patch of white skin that covered the back of my hands, leading up my forearms.

A part of me silently wondered what he thought when he looked at me, but I quickly pushed the notion away.

Clearing my throat, I continued, “Anyway, Berengar is my best friend and, when I turned twenty, out of curiousity, I asked him to take my virginity and then–”

“You got addicted to his penis,” he interjected.

The Lycan King’s crudeness embarrassed me, but I would be damned if I let him see how much his words affected me. As I was about to open my mouth and defend myself, he changed the subject.

“What about your powers?”

Briefly looking down at my open palms, I replied, “You probably know more about what I’m capable of than anyone else within the empire. For the last three years, there have been moments where my hands would glow and sometimes bursts of energy would blast from my palms, but that’s about it, I am afraid.”

“Wait, did you just say three years?”

At his outburst, I realised my mistake, but I was not given a chance to gather myself as he rushed on.

“Your eyes only changed over a year ago. Are you telling me that you’ve been hiding things from your King? Though given what I know about you so far, I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised,” he sneered, his eyes narrowing at me.

I cringed unsure of what punishment this would bring me, and as I was about to try and apologise and explain, the tone of his voice lowered with his next question.

“What other secrets are you hiding, Lenna?”

My throat seemed to close on itself and I felt myself shrinking under his harsh gaze.

“You know what, I’m sure I’ll replace out. Tell me about your other traits. Like your dreams for example,” he said, while leaning his arm on the hand rest.

Of course, he knew about my dreams. I was not even surprised anymore. Though I was a bit annoyed that I seemed to have no privacy where anything in my life was concerned.

“My dreams are sporadic. They started as a teen and I’ve never been able to predict when they would occur. Lately, I’ve noticed that I can sometimes feel the emotions and energy of most people around me.” I pursed my lips and paused, before shamelessly asking, “You will help me figure it out, no? I mean, it’s the only reason that you took me as your first slave, yes? To see how best I can be of use to the Lycan region?”

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with my reasoning. Just remember your place, human, and all will be well,” he stated dismissively.

I bit my inner cheek to stop myself from verbally lashing out.

Tilting his head, he commented thoughtfully, “I’m surprised by how well you seem to be taking all of this.”

“Yes, well, it’s the way of the empire, no? Though I’m curious as to what will be required of me,” my hands moved to comb through my hair as I pulled it all to one side,

The King’s eyes followed my every movement as he asked, “What do you mean?”

Slowly, I began to loosely braid my hair, “As your slave, what will you expect of me?”

“Ah, that! We shall discuss such matters when we arrive at the castle,” another slight frown creased on his face.

“Might I ask why you waited over a year to come for me?”

Scoffing, he replied, “You may not!”

I paused for a moment before asking another question, “Can I ask then why you’ve never taken a human slave before?”

Granted, I knew it was bold to openly voice such a thing, especially to him of all people. But I figured like before, he would either answer my question or he would not.

Either way, I had nothing to lose.

To my surprise, he did.

“Simply because the slaves in charge of the castle chores more than suit my needs and I don’t have need for a personal one. I’m sure that you’re aware that most Lycans take personal slaves out of amusement. Either to warm their beds or for whatever other recreational purposes,” he answered simply.

I had heard the stories, that often times human slaves were shared among the various owners. It just seemed odd to me that he, being the King, did not have many slaves at his disposal.

His answer intrigued me.

Pressing on, I enquired, “Do you warm your beds with human slaves?”

A loud sneer came from his side of the carriage, and as I observed the maddened expression that formed across his handsome face, I knew that I had overstepped my boundaries.

“Would you sleep with a goat?”

The Lycan King’s question confused me and before I could even try to figure out what he meant, his low, rumbling growl pulled my attention back towards him.

“You forget your place!” He lashed out then then added, “But to answer your question, I’ve never slept with a human, Lenna.”

For reasons unknown, his response pleased me, and I found myself saying, “Neither have I, Your Majesty.”

Raising an eyebrow at me, he stated, “Frankly, it’s not something that I plan to change, I’m not interested in laying with your kind, so don’t go getting any ideas in that pretty little head of yours.”

What an arrogant ass! I thought.

The nerve of him to assume that I would be interested in sharing his bed!

As I remained silent, the Lycan King went on to say, “You’re my slave in title only, I do this to stake my ownership on you! No other Lycan can claim you as theirs!”

Bowing my head slightly, I replied, “Understood, Your Majesty.”

I was property, nothing more.

It was not as though I was expecting him to bed me. Gods no!

In fact, it was interesting to know that he did not sleep with humans, though I supposed since he saw us as nothing more than farm animals, he probably felt that it was beneath him. Either way, it was merely curiousity on my part, and I silently cursed, as my inquisitiveness seemed to have led the Lycan King to think that I was interested in laying with him.

Ha! Never!

Though, I had to admit that the contempt I harboured for him was slowly weaning. I knew that nurturing negative energy would not have done me any good. Which is why I figured that I would just concentrate on making the best of the situation I had found myself in.

Growing up, I had learnt not to fear my pain, but to embrace it and create things from it.

So, while I still felt an intense ache from having to leave my home, my mind would remain focused on becoming the strongest me that I could become.

By the time we arrived in the Lycan region, my face was all but plastered against the window of the carriage.

The views before me were absolutely incredible. Green fields were littered with various hues of orange, red, and yellow. As the morning sun shone from above, it was like looking at a rainbow on the ground, as the flowers and other crops vibrantly coloured the landscape.

My eyes bulged at how tall everyone was!

It was easy to distinguish who was human from who was Lycan, besides the seemingly required slave garb that I noticed was being worn.

In their human form, the Lycans towered over everyone. Even the females were tall, each one I saw was at least over six-feet in height and my jaw slightly dropped at how imposing they all appeared.

The villages were beautiful.

The famous Soljord Mountains looming in the distance, were a perfect backdrop to the architecture of the half-timbered buildings. There was a river that ran through the side of the village, and the King’s castle stood high in the background.

As the wagon continued to make its way through the cobblestone streets, I noticed humans walking around with smiles on their faces, some more than others but still, serenity etched over their facial features. But generally, from my initial observation, they seemed to be happy to be living with the Lycans as they went about their daily errands.

Though I supposed they would be. After all, it was an honour to be a slave to a Lycan. Also, given what I had witnessed in the provinces in the plains, living here would be a welcomed escape.

The surroundings reminded me somewhat of my home.

Particularly with the various hills, valleys, and the large lake I could spot from where I sat. Though the views here were much more glorious than what I was used to in my own province. It was obvious that the terrain was among the best in the entire empire.

Additionally, it did not go unnoticed by me how people stopped to cheer at the wagon as it passed through the village.

Glancing at the Lycan King, it was clear to me that, while he may not seem to care much for humans, they were certainly devoted to him, and that just made me all the more curious about the large man sitting opposite me.

When we arrived at the castle, my eyes widened at how big and beautiful it was.

The castle was just magnificent with its grand archways and stained-glass windows. I imagined unicorns would prance around the courtyard if they still existed. Every stone was even and square, each one precisely and perfectly placed.

Upon exiting the wagon, a large crowd surrounded us. They were all Lycans, their piercing gazes intently watching my each and every movement.

I had to push back the rising fear that I felt trying to choke me. The tension in the atmosphere was thick, as the raw power vibrating from their massive bodies threatened to knock me off my feet.

Never had I seen such large people before, and to think, some were even taller than the King himself!

My eyes blitzed over the crowed, scanning the faces of men, women, and children. Some were perfect and blemish-free, while others wore their scars with pride. I was beginning to feel dizzy, when a loud voice broke through my reverie.

“Oh my! She’s absolutely perfect!” I heard a tall brown-skinned woman say while she pushed past everyone.

I looked up at her and admired how dominating she appeared. The colour of her skin reminded me of my mother’s, though it was a few shades darker. It was obvious that the woman’s heritage was linked to that of the Khorgan people and I could not help but feel a slight warmth spread through me.

In some strange way, due to our shared ancestry, I immediately felt connected to her.

Though, I had to confess, the Lycan’s forwardness would have scared me, if not for the large smile that she had on her face.

“My name is Faeda, I’m the King’s third in command. It’s so nice to meet you, Lenna!” She introduced herself while grabbing my hand in hers, forcing our gazes to connect.

The friendliness of Faeda’s gesture surprised me, rendering me speechless while standing in front of her.

“Let the human breathe!” I heard a gruff voice say from among the crowd.

It was then that I watched in fascination as many moved aside to allow a man to step forward.

Never in my life had I seen someone so pale!

Although, upon closer inspection, I realised that he had vitiligo. But unlike my own sporadically placed white patches, it seemed that his covered his entire body. The Lycan’s flawless facial features bordered on beautiful, and I found myself fighting not to look into his blue-green eyes.

Pulling my attention back, Faeda stated, “Don’t let the pretty face fool you, that grumpy ogre is Ghaffar, he’s the King’s second in command.”

“Excuse me, I can introduce myself you know,” he said with an exasperated look, and I noticed Faeda roll her eyes at him.

Suddenly grabbing me by the upper arm, the Lycan King spoke, “You two can interrogate her later once she has unpacked and settled into her quarters.”

Before I could even reply, I found myself being dragged away from the courtyard and into the castle. Turning back, I watched as the Lycans slowly disappeared from my view, forcing me to focus my gaze on what was in front of me instead.

The inside of the castle was just as grandiose as the outside with the hallway being lined with carved pillars. As the Lycan King continued to pull me with him, I allowed myself to get lost in the atmosphere around me, wanting to see as much as I could.

A few minutes later, I was pushed into a large chamber.

“You’ll not leave this room unless I give you permission!” The King huffed and slammed the door behind us.

Turning myself away from him, I inventoried the space and immediately noticed that my trunks were laying in the middle of the floor. My face scrunched up in slight confusion, as I could have sworn that they were still on top of the wagon.

Taking in my surroundings, I noticed that the bedroom had many large windows that gave a great view of the landscape. Some of them had cushioned benches near the ledge, and I knew that I would be spending many hours reading against the window, like I had done back home.

There was also a desk next to some floor-to-ceiling shelves, as well as a nice fireplace with some comfortable seating in front of it.

Noticing a door off to the side, I walked over to it and peeked inside and saw that there was a large bathroom.

It was much bigger than any that I had back in my home, with a stone wall shower and a large porcelain tub. The shower was unlike the ones we had back home, as I did not see any visible tanks exposed.

I knew that the Lycans had more advanced water systems than anyone else in the empire, and I would be lying if I was saying that I was not eager to try the shower out.

As my eyes glanced back towards the bedroom, I noticed the large bed. I could not help but feel as though this chamber was more fitting for a guest and not a mere Lycan slave.

“Is this room mine?” I asked, turning to face him.

“Yes… Why else would I have brought you here?” He had an exasperated look on his face as he added, “Is there a problem?”

Chewing on my bottom lip for a moment, “This seems a bit nice, no?”

“Would you rather I chain you to a post and have you sleep on the ground outside?” the Lycan King’s eyebrows raised, as he crossed his arms over his wide chest.

His response caught me off guard and I stammered, “W-what? No… I–”

“It can be arranged,” he said with a scowl.

I frowned slightly, confused by how quickly he seemed to get agitated, “I just didn’t expect such an opulent room.”

His unexpected change in attitude was much different from our interaction in the wagon these last two days and I could not help but wonder why.

Scoffing, he moved away from me, “Yes well, as I told you before, I need to keep you safe, so that means you will reside in the upper levels of the castle, as opposed to where most of the other slaves usually stay.”

“Understood,” I said and walked over to my trunks.

Kneeling in silence, I began unpacking while the Lycan King sat on the bench at the foot of my bed, watching my every movement. It unnerved me slightly, but I knew that there was nothing I could do about it.

After some time, the King suddenly demanded, “Why did you pack weapons? Whose are those?”

Getting up quickly, he was next to me before I even knew what was going on and hauled me to my feet. My body grew taut in his hold and I frowned slightly while looking up at him.

“You’re hurting me…”

“Answer me!” He growled, though his hold on me did loosen.

The glower on his face intensified as he leaned his face closer to mine. It felt a bit unnerving to have him standing so close to me while staring into my eyes.

“I packed them because they belong to me. What, you think I stole them?” I asked, while holding his gaze.

“The thought did cross my mind…”

He then muttered something inaudible under his breath before fully releasing me. I rubbed my upper arm, which I could feel was already bruising, while I watched as his fingers touched my bow and arrows.

The King then picked up my shield, examining the small spikes, “You know, having silver in your possession is a punishable offense. How did you come by this?”

“It was a gift,” I expressed through gritted teeth.

“From your boyfriend, I presume? As I know your father would not have condoned such a thing,” the king said, while dropping my shield back in the trunk as he approached me.

The way his eyes darkened, I shivered slightly, and slowly backed away until I felt the stone wall behind me. I knew that I could not lie to him, but I did not want to get Berengar into any more trouble than he already was.

Silently, I chastised myself. I should have left the weapons at home.

“Will you stop stalling and answer me!”

His voice rose as he shouted, his right palm slapping the stone wall next to my head and I hated the way my voice trembled as I proceeded to reply.

“Yes! Please don’t punish him!”

I then proceeded to tell him about the years spent in the forest, training with my best friend.

When his left hand reached for me, my body stiffened while I stood my ground. This was it I thought to myself. I have not been in the castle for more than half an hour and I was already going to die.

“Why shouldn’t I punish him? He knows it is forbidden… Just how many rules has this young wolf broken for you?”

From the way his tone dipped, his second question seemed as though it was aimed at himself, rather than me. I noticed the way his frown deepened while he fingered the edge of my black cowl as though suddenly thinking about something.

Keeping my eyes locked with his, I willed my heart to slow, “Then punish me…”

The Lycan King then reached for the lacings of my cowl and slowly untied it, letting the material fall to the ground, “You would do that? Sacrifice yourself for your friend, a werewolf at that.”

“It doesn’t matter that he’s a werewolf, or Lycan, or human. Berengar is my friend, and just as he would do anything to protect me, I would for him!”

My voice, to my surprise, did not falter this time.

Tilting his head slightly, his eyes travelled down the length of my body, then back up to my face. Cupping my jaw, his thumb slowly grazed over the skin of my cheek, and I willed myself to remain still. His expression was impassive, and I could not tell what was going through King Edric’s mind, which made his sudden touch all the more startling.

“I suppose there’s something to be said about a werewolf that would betray his own kind and the empire,” he commented thoughtfully before removing his hand from my face.

Shaking my head, I countered, “He would never do such a thing! When I was thirteen, some human boys visiting from the neighbouring province were harassing me. They ripped my gloves off before tugging at my clothes, wanting to see if there were other parts of my body with white patches of skin.”

My hands fidgeted in front of me as I paused for a moment, brief flashes of the boys pushing me to the ground and roughly touching me threatened to take over my current train of thought.

King Edric’s nostrils flared as he asked, “Did they hurt you?”

“No, Berengar had been nearby and intervened before they could. I dare not think about what could’ve happened had he not been there.”

“I see…”

With a straight voice, I boldly continued, “It was due to that incident, Berengar wanted me to be able to protect myself if such a thing ever happened again. Besides, he only got me the shield and sword when my eyes changed, in the event that a werewolf decided to come after me. I have only used these weapons in his presence and kept them hidden as he instructed me, when we weren’t using it for practice.”

The corner of the King’s lip twitched, “So you’re telling me you can fight off a werewolf?”

“Of course not!” I fired back, then quickly added in a lower tone, “Your Majesty... I cannot. But Berengar hoped that, with his training, I would at least not die within the first few seconds.”

“Fair enough, though a direct violation of the law, I cannot ignore the usefulness of his deeds, especially now, with these eyes of yours.”

“Thank you!” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do not thank me just yet. After all, you told me to punish you instead,” a small smile formed on his lips as his eyes raked over me once again.

Oh shit!