The Beast And The Blessed

Seven: Natalie

Natalie’s P.O.V.

Several hours had passed before I had mustered up the courage to help myself to a shower. I was glad that I had my get-a-way bag with me when I was taken from my pack. Clean clothes and a warm shower did wonders for me and my injured arm, and I was ready to test the limits of my new captivity and learn my place.

If I wasn’t allowed to leave ‘our’ bedroom, then I would find out very quickly. I paused at the door briefly, wondering what would happen if he came back and I wasn’t there. What kind of punishments did human breeders get? Were there other human breeders here?

I shook my head, glancing back to the room, admiring the glow of the mid-afternoon sun on the gold detailing that decorated the bedposts. It made me wonder what other beautiful designs were waiting for me to discover in the rest of the castle.

The bronze handle was cold beneath my touch, like a warning that I should just back away and stay where I had been left. Instead, I pulled the door open, jumping at the sight of the large back blocking my exit. The man was easily two heads taller than me and could pass for a giant had I not known he was a Lycan when he wasn’t in his skin.

He moved to the side, turning to face me as he cleared the way for me to exit. He bent at the waist, taking me by surprise as he bowed in his crisp back suit. I didn’t know what to do or how to handle it. But as he straightened back up to his full height and returned his gaze down the hallway, I assumed I was free to roam.

“Hello,” I said softly as I tried to assess the man before me. “Am I allowed to leave the room?”

He glanced down at me with his eyebrows pulled together as if he were confused before looking away again with a quick nod of his head in confirmation. I stared at him for a moment longer, waiting for him to change his mind or report me to the king. When he didn’t move, I turned and made my way down the hallway, very aware of the giant man shadowing me.

winding staircase of *marble steps made me pause as I wasn’t sure in which direction to go,

highness,” A young woman gasped, and I turned in time to see her

in her left hand. It was

Your Highness.

impression? I had been chosen as a mate. I was not a fated mate. Could a breeder really be placed as queen, or would I only fill the position until he

thank you. I’m not sure where I am going.” My

the king’s study, so you may dine together?” She smiled widely, and I placed her at no more than sixteen. She would have shifted by now, which meant that she could also hear my heart hammering in my chest at the mention of the man who had unofficially claimed me as his mate. “If you

information but not quite set on seeking out and spending time with the man that I was

me that while I truly didn’t know or trust him, I should go

I was to be their queen, I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I would wait until they were correctly informed of my position here before I would start acting of a

curtsied again before continuing down the

gesturing with his hand for me to head down the hallway.

we grew near the entrance of the east wing, the hallway was illuminated by a bright glass mural of all colors. I gaped at the intricate details of the story it displayed of the goddess blessing the wolves and them transforming into the Lycan form. The way the artist depicted the beast was beautiful and nowhere

I made my way down the corridor. The double doors on my left stuck out like

door, flinching when it was ripped open

chest suggestively. He remained void of expressions, but the slight twitch