Chapter 1
A porcelain plate sits in front of me.
It’s filled with the most decadent foods.
The likes of which I’ve never dreamed of eating.
The mouth-watering scent causes my stomach to grumble softly.
I’ve never had such high-quality food before.
The sight of the magnificent plate makes me think of my usual meals.
The scant, stale half rotten meals that have filled my belly thus far pale in comparison.
If I didn’t know better, I would believe that someone in this cold house had love for me.
Instead, I am being fattened up.
Like a lamb being sent to slaughter.
As I hesitantly pick at the food.
My childhood memories flood through my head.
Crashing into me with such force that I almost feel myself transported back in time.
The putrid scent of my stepmother’s cloyingly sweet perfume assaults my nostrils.
Combined with the sound of the elders mashing down on food.
The slight small looks bring the gravity of my situation to the forefront of my mind.
I’m not surprised that this is how my last day here.
Even though it doesn’t surprise me, my heart aches with an all-too-familiar pain.
I’ve experienced mistreatment since birth.
First, it was lashings.
Then countless nights without food.
Finally, my very being scorned by all around me.
My experiences have run in line with Cinderella.
Except instead of a kind prince who would save me from my wicked stepmother’s mistreatment.
The only prince that awaits me is a Lycan.
There is no kind fairy godmother there to help me.
I have only myself to rely on.
My father’s cough snatches me out of my thoughts.
I raise my head.
Only to be met with the realization that the once rowdy table had long since gone quiet and all eyes were on me.
The attention causes my heart to jump.
Some eyes scowled at me with eyes filled with hatred and disgust.
Some people at the table smirked, taking great amusement from my fate.
Surprisingly, a few people at the table looked at me with pity, such as Sir Cole and his wife and daughter.
They are rare in that they’ve never mistreated or cursed my birth, unlike everyone else living in the castle.
“Philomena,” says my father, his voice stern as usual.
His eyes bore through me.
I want so desperately to avert my gaze, but I know what awaits me if I do.
“Eat,” He demands and I have no choice but to do so.
“Yes, father,” I reply, picking up a piece of roasted turkey from my overwhelming plate.
My father isn’t a violent man.
He is as warm as a tundra, especially towards me.
I’ve felt no warmth from him and we don’t have a relationship outside of royal duties.
I can feel the eyes searing into me, and I feel like I’m being probed, every action that I make finely inspected.
“Your father is right Philomena, I would hate for the Alpha to take issue with your appearance,” says Queen Opal while subtly emphasizing the word “appearance.”
Even though she tried her best attempt to sound motherly and sweet.
I could hear the malice and understood the implication in her voice.
“Thank you for your concern stepmother,” I say, not caring if she takes issue with my tone.
I look up at her overly painted face and see her eyebrow twitch and her fake smile crack before immediately recovering.
She hates it when I call her stepmother.
I believe she thinks that the title gets tarnished when it comes out of my mouth.
If we were alone, I would have no choice but to call her “Queen Opal”.
I see my sister glare at me next to my stepmother, but I am so used to it that I don’t give her a single look.
I should be the one glaring at them.
I am being forced to wed a stranger for no reason. The king’s and queen’s whim and desire for me to not dirty their kingdom any further has forced me to marry someone who isn’t human.
While they laugh and celebrate my coming departure. I sit there, never feeling so lonely. Surrounded by people who have scorned my birth. Forced to eat more food than I could comfortably eat while wishing that time would move faster.
By the end of the dinner, I felt like my stomach would explode because of the amount of food that I ate.
My stepmother monitors all of my meals.
Enforcing strict rules that only allow me to be given enough food to stay alive.
I am not used to eating more than a handful of food once per day.
As I get up to leave the dining room, Sir Cole’s wife and daughter Madam Crista and Lady Claire approach me.
Their eyes dart around and their hesitant body language spoke about their uncertainty.
I give them both a small smile and sadness fills Lady Claire’s eyes.
“Have you finished packing, Lady Philomena?” Asks Madam Crista to which I reply “Yes, I am finished packing. ”
She hesitates before asking, “Are you nervous? I can imagine it would be nerve-wracking meeting your future husband for the first time?”.
It is a widely known fact that I have never met him.
I’ve heard stories about him and his kind that make my heart clench and wetness form on the palms of my hands.
I don’t take offense at her question because I know her intentions are pure.
Unfortunately, because of the palace, all the walls have ears, so I have to be careful how I answer.
“I am nervous but am also very excited to meet my future husband,”.
I say, trying to sound as natural as possible.
Even though they were pretending to socialize with each other.
Three of my stepmother’s lackeys hover around the area that we are standing in.
Maybe they thought the marble pillar they were behind would hide their presence from me, but I am used to this, so it’s made me very hypervigilant.
I glance over at them, and they turn and walk away while giving me dirty looks. They tried to hide their expression using fans but I could see their eyes.
Madam Crista and Lady Claire notice me glance behind them.
“Lady Philomena, we have to bid you goodbye,” Madam Crista says, and she and Lady Claire curtsy, to which I return the favor.
“I bid you both goodbye,” I say, giving them a smile and even though I disdain being here, I will miss them both so much.
The thought of not being around them sends a sharp pain to my heart.
If I was in a safe space I probably would’ve cried but I cannot afford to show any weakness.
For I am surrounded by hungry wolves that, given the chance, would rip me apart.
As they walk away, Lady Claire turns around and says in a whisper that only I can hear.
“May happiness find you” with a single tear that escapes her eye.
My heart aches for her. I’ve always regarded Lady Claire highly because of her kind disposition. She is much too good for this wretched place, I can only hope that her fiancee Sir Henry will treat her with the love and respect that she deserves.
I nod in acknowledgment of her well wishes before finally leaving the dining room.
I can hear whispering around me as I walk down the long wooden corridor that connects the dining room to the general area.
“How dare she proudly walk around knowing what’s to come for her? ”
“Monster’s whore”
“Hopefully she gets ripped apart by those creatures”
“Surely she will”
“She’s being sent to her death”
“Finally, the king and queen have got rid of that plague”
“She’s a monster that killed her own mother”
“Blessings to the king’s kind heart for not killing her at birth”
Even though I am used to hearing this as I’ve heard it my entire life the comments about my mother touch upon my greatest hurt. It never ceases to surprise me the level of unnecessary cruelty that I’ve been shown for the crime of being born. They speak as if I asked to be born as if I plotted as an infant for my mother to die giving birth to me.
It’s so cruel the things they say.
I am fortunate to have made it to my room with little difficulty.
Usually, I would be surrounded by two or three lackeys and assaulted sometimes physically and other times verbally.
I have been smacked, punched, and kicked countless times so much so that I have come to expect some sort of pain just to get to my bedroom chambers.
I have several things that I still need to do before I leave, such as clean my room, organize some paperwork, and finish packing my bag.
If I was anyone else it would be peculiar laughable even for me to be doing those things.
Typically a lady of my stature would have several maids and attendants accompanying her.
For example, my sister Princess Malena has twelve attendants and seven maids at her beck and call.
