Chapter 2 Hunter

AUDREY

Gripping onto the counter, I shut my eyes tight, trying my best to blink away my haziness. My stomach and head ached badly.

I was being starved as my punishment, but this time it was the longest I had ever gone without food. Six days ago I was seated in the cellar, tied down and bound by ropes and chains. I awaited the grim reaper to dish out my punishment. He was exactly like his name, he was huge, always wore a dark veil and had this leather whip in his hand. He was very muscular and in my eleven years of being here I had never seen his face, honestly I consider myself lucky.

He came in and removed my chains. "You have been pardoned from the physical torture," his gruff voice informed me as he pulled off the heavy metals. I hissed when I saw the burn marks on my ankles. Wolfsbane. I would be weak for the next 2 weeks because of them. Sugars

Wolfsbane, like any other poison, was illegal and banned from the reach of all packs.

I was shocked when I found this pack had an endless supply. They must have smuggled them in despite the very clearly stated laws against owning or even selling such. It was no surprise that various packs got away with possession of wolfsbane or silver bullets.

The king never went around for inventory, neither did he ever send any of his guards. I pushed myself to my feet, staggering to the entrance where I came face to face with Vivian. I swallowed harshly, averting my gaze from her jade cat eyes that glinted with amusement. "Don't for a second think you will not be punished," her ear-piercing voice came, increasing my throbbing headache.

Just like her mother's.

"You are not going to get even a morsel of food. You will beg for crumbs and would not be given. Added to that, you will do all the chores your fellow omegas are supposed to do and that too without any help.

You will be put on cooking duty as well," she smiled wickedly, knowing fully well the smell of food would kill me. "Maybe after that you will learn your place," she spat, looking at me with eyes filled with hate, disgust and resentment. She walked away, her white blonde hair following her movements.

With much difficulty I steadied myself, inhaling deep breaths to keep my gaze concentrated. I could see the other omegas trying their best to help dish the other meals for me. I mouthed a soft 'thank you' to them before walking out to the dining hall where everyone was seated. I slowly strolled over to the Alpha and placed his dish before him, the smell of the delicious food making my stomach growl.

I apologized for my posterior orchestra and excused myself to go pour the drinks in everyone's cups.

"I'm sure all of you have heard that tomorrow is the annual Mating Ball and for the first time since it was made a tradition, the Alpha King is going to be gracing us with his presence," Alpha Nicholas informed, raising his jug to his lips and taking a swing of his drink.

The King, the Alpha King. Alpha King Darius Lockhart. His name was enough to send shivers down people's spines. His name echoed throughout the dynasty, he was ruthless, a beast. He was also a very private person and as a result a lot took his public absence to their advantage. His secrets remained hidden behind the shadows of his distance.

Some had never seen him in their life, but the mere mention of his name was enough to leave a thick mist in its path. Some say they had seen him and never forgotten the encounter. He was said to be the most feared ruler of the mystical world, because he was impulsive and very short-tempered. He had lived for hundreds of years and still never found his mate, as a result of this his wolf was angry and out of control.

A lot speculate that it was the moon Goddess' way of punishing him by giving him a very dangerous uncontrollable wolf and no mate. He was never destined to find true love or receive the unconditional love a mate could offer. Thinking back at the stories made me sad. Everyone deserves love, be it even the big, crude, scary Alpha King.

The stories I heard as a young pup depicted him as a sharp-clawed beast; his hands were so big they could rip people's limbs apart, his claws long and sharp to cut through people's throats in a single swipe, his voice so thunderous it had everyone fall to their knees. And his eyes, dark and stormy like an eternal abyss drawing you into their depths to drown you.

He was feared by everyone and anyone, even though a very large population had never laid eyes on him. He always stayed away from events, occasions, even ceremonies, even those that would demand his presence, he missed them all. It added to his eerie, mysterious aura. So why was he attending this Mating Ball?

"We are in charge of serving, so all the omegas will be transported tomorrow morning to get themselves ready. Everything has to go perfectly, one slip up and we are done," he finished, giving me a pointed look as if telling me not to mess things up. I gulped down hard, feeling my hands begin to shake at the attention drawn to me.

Sugars, breathe.

"I hear he is still unmated, father," Vivian chimed in, chewing on a piece of steak. Gosh, I couldn't stop staring at how good it looked.

"Yes, that's right," he confirmed. "Everyone above the age of eighteen is expected to come and who knows, you may find your mate, Vee."

"My mate may be the King for all I know," she smiled, blushing slightly at the thought.

Why would Vivian think being the King's mate would be something to smile about or even expect? I doubt she'd heard the rumours surrounding him and his markings. "We have a lot to look forward to," Nicholas added, drawing everyone's dispersed attention back to him. "After this mating ball hopefully Hunter would have found his mate and would assume the position of Alpha."

I noticed Hunter's grip on his fork tighten, his eyes flickering to my shaken form. I diverted my gaze, going round to fill the Luna's glass. "I have already found my mate, Alpha," Hunter's impatient tone came, making my eyes widen at the tone he used in front of everyone. The betas and their children included.