The Alpha King Is A Sleeping Beauty

CHAPTER ONE

The Whore's Spawn

/-Jade-/

"Come here, you little whore! Dance for us..." Hands were all over my body, pulling me in different directions, even before I got to the pole.

Bile rose in my throat as my skin prickled with disgust.

"Don't you want money? I have lots of it," another drunk slurred, showering me with wads of cash. His fellow vile wolves laughed. Of course, they saw nothing wrong with harassing a stripper.

I stopped in my tracks as he smacked my ass with his money.

"Go on, little slut. Get on your knees and pick them up. We know you need the money," another laughed.

I could feel the sting in my eyes as the tears began to form, my fists clenched by my side.

"Get down, you worthless whore!" Someone shoved me to the ground. "Grovel on the floor and pick as much as you can. Give us a fine view of that ass..."

I gulped hard. They were right. I needed the money. Otherwise, my uncle would kill me.

My hands set to work, picking as much as I could but that only gave these disgusting men access to my body. They touched me, everywhere, groped wherever they wanted as I gathered as much of the money as I could.

I shut my eyes, pretending these rowdy men were not molesting me. That this was all a horrifying imagination.

I reached for the last note but a foot stepped on it. I looked up slowly.

"Not so fast, sweetheart. I think we have done our parts, it's time to make us happy, don't you think?" The man grinned, grabbing my hair.

I tried to pull back but I was shoved forward. "Don't resist. Didn't Alissa teach you anything?"

At the mention of that name, anger coursed through my veins. It was rapid and almost blinding.

"You'd expect more from the daughter of a pack whore," He went on and in that moment, I saw red.

I forgot that this was the biggest and most expensive bar in town. I forgot that the drunk ass disgusting bastards here were elites and distinguished members of the pack. All I could see were foul-mouthed assaulters.

Just as my anger was reaching its brim, he unbuckled his belt and pulled out his member.

"Maybe we should give the whore's spawn the lesson her mother failed to give her," he said and they cheered. A hand forced my head down, while others held my hands so I wouldn't escape.

He grabbed my chin, forcing my mouth wide open and pushed his member.

"Now suck on it, like a good girl. Don't struggle," he said, pushing himself into my mouth. I struggled to free myself from their grip and he slapped me.

"I. Said. Don't. Struggle."

I knew no one here would come to my rescue. Not even the manager. They were big on keeping the customers happy. Aside from that, my mother had quite a reputation in the RedClaw pack, so no one really cared what happened to me.

A stripper born of a whore was no different from a whore herself. I was a nobody, a fatherless bastard, born to satisfy their dirty fantasies. And my uncle made that possible.

"Good girl. If your mother had been this obedient, maybe she would have still been alive."

That was the final straw. I opened my mouth and bit down on his member as deeply as I could. He let out a scream and all hands left me.

I didn't let go of him. I was going to rip it off.

"Get off me!" He yelled, punching me in the face but I refused to let go. These were one of those times I wished I had my wolf. I would extend my canines and rip him apart in an instant.

The bar was in panic as he cried.

"Get her off! Get her off!!" He sobbed, and the men charged at me, grabbing me from all directions, but it only made my job easier, and he wailed.

They stupidly applied more force and subsequently aided me in ripping it off. His screams tore through the building as blood gushed out.

They let go of me, rushing to him as I spat his dick out. Without hesitation, I ran. I didn't dare stop to catch my breath or even look back.

I ran all the way home.

On getting to my uncle's house, he eagerly got off the couch, waiting to collect my earnings of the day, but his expression dropped when he noticed I was empty-handed.

He was a sturdy man with a big stomach and a very mean face. His eyes narrowed at me.

"Where is it?" He demanded, ignoring the fact that I was covered in blood. "Where is the money you earned today?"

My throat went dry.

"Answer me, Jade!" He barked and I flinched.

"I.... I.... Couldn't make any money..." I stuttered and he was in front of me in an instant.

"Would you kindly repeat that?"

I sucked in a breath, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes.

"They were harassing me, Uncle. They didn't even let me dance, they put their hands all over me..."

"And?" He asked impatiently. I don't even know why I was surprised. This man didn't care what happened to me. He just wanted money for gambling, beer and funding his daughter's treatment.

"They spoke about my mother and I lost my temper and attacked one of them. I think I ripped his dick off and then the bar..."

"YOU DID WHAT?!!" He yelled.

"It was self-defence..." I tried explaining, but then Merida, my eight-year-old cousin, appeared in the doorway. She was pale and sickly as always.

"What's going on, pa? Why are you yelling?" She asked weakly, taking slow shaky steps towards us.

"Your worthless cousin has doomed us! She injured a customer in Legacy!" He exasperated. "Do you have any idea the kind of people that roll in that bar?! Do you even realise how much trouble you've brought to us?"

"But it was..."

"It was nothing, you little wrench! So what if they insulted your mother? Wasn't she a whore? They put their hands on you, so what?! What were you expecting when you chose to strip?" He barked at me.

"I chose to strip?" My voice broke as I asked that question. "You were the one who dragged me to that bar and signed me up as a stripper simply because it would generate more money than my waiting job. You didn't care that the place was filled with rough men and I was only fifteen. For four freaking years, you forced me to strip, threatening me with your daughter's medical condition. You didn't give me a single penny, even when I was facing all that abuse and harassment. I can't even count the number of times I was almost raped..."

I didn't get to finish the words when a slap met me across the face.

"You ungrateful brat!" He growled. "Don't you dare talk to me like that! Without me, you would have died on the streets with your useless whore of a mother!"

A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Father please..." Merida pleaded. "If Auntie is in trouble, we need to help her."

A teary smile formed on my face. She was one of the reasons I was enduring all this maltreatment. Her mother died immediately after childbirth. I practically raised her, even though I was just twelve then.

"We?" He scoffed. "I don't need to do anything. She will pay for her crimes!"

My heart skipped a beat.

It seemed like my brain did not fully register how much trouble I was in until that moment.

"But pa... you can't just abandon her," Merida's eyes watered. "I... I need her... Who will take care of me if they take her away?"

That seemed to get to him. The man was so deep into gambling that he couldn't do anything useful for himself. He shot me a thick glare and returned to the couch.

"Come sit here, baby," he gestured at her. She walked slowly to the space beside him and settled down. She let out a cough, and he stroked her back gently before turning his attention to me.

"Merida's right. We still need you. But there's not much you can do if you remain here. Those men are rich and powerful. If they find you, it is over. Which is why you have to go somewhere else, to an entirely different pack."

My stomach twisted. A different pack? To strip all over again? I didn't even have any money on me, so how the hell was I even going to travel, not to mention survive on my own?

"I have a place in mind," he said. "It's something I have been planning for a while now. But this time, we won't be going for the small fish."

My stomach twisted further. Why did I not like the sound of that?

"Go in there and pack all our belongings. We will be leaving for Skyspire immediately," he instructed, and my blood ran cold.

"Skyspire?" I blurted. "Isn't that the Lycan pack?"

"Yes?"

"Uncle, you know we can't get access to Skyspire. Only the highest-ranking weres are allowed into the pack," I said. "They will kill us before we even come a hundred meters close to their borders."

"That restriction was lifted three years ago. Especially since the princess went missing. The borders are open to everyone, as long as they have useful information on how to find the princess," he smirked, and my blood ran cold. "The reward money for whoever has useful information is ten million, and the one who finds the princess gets a hundred million."

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I had a really bad feeling about this.

Goddess, what is this man up to now?

CHAPTER TWO

The Plan

/-Jade-/

One Week Later

Skyspire was breathtaking. Vast, modernised, and far superior to RedClaw in every way. Even the poorest here lived better than most WereAlphas. The Lycans carried such a regal presence that just seeing one stirred an uncomfortable sense of inferiority.

We were staying in a low-end hotel, thanks to Uncle Terad. I didn't expect him to have savings, but somehow, he managed to get us here and pay for a month's stay. It was a single room, so I slept on the floor. But I was safe, far from RedClaw, and that was enough.

Still, how long would that safety last? Uncle Terad had a dangerous plan brewing. Every day, he went out gathering intel while I stayed back to care for Merida.

Now, after a week of preparation, we were finally seated, ready to talk about it.

"From all I have gathered so far, there are two things involved here," he started. "First is the missing princess and the second is the Lycan Prince."

"The Lycan Prince?" Merida and I blurted at the same time. I thought she was sleeping but I guess children just have a thing with Princes.

"Apparently, Princess Annabelle of Moonspire was engaged to be married to Prince Jalaal of SkySpire, but on their way to Moonspire, where the wedding was about to take place, a huge accident occurred, leading to a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. The Prince was retrieved, but Annabelle was never found," he explained.

"That is very sad," Merida pouted. "Is the prince still alive?"

"The information hasn't exactly been made public yet, so I couldn't quite get the details. All that we know is that they are desperate to find Annabelle. There's a ten-million reward for any useful information concerning her whereabouts and fifty million for finding her," he answered.

"I know you're thinking, what is the plan here? We don't have any information concerning her, and we can't even find her either," he continued.

It was a good question. How did I come in on all of this? What was he really after?

A wicked smile crossed his face. The kind that sent chills down your spine and made your skin crawl.

"Tomorrow is the Lycan King's birthday celebration. Important guests will come from all over the world, and most importantly, the gates of the palace will be open to everyone, which means we have free access to it..." he paused, giving us time to process the information before proceeding. "I imagine there would be lots of expensive and priceless gifts, and as such, the royal treasury would be open."

My stomach sank as a feeling of dread washed through me.

"We will be attending that ceremony tomorrow. Now listen carefully because we are going to aim for a double income. While I will devise a plausible lie as information for the lost princess to get the ten million reward, I want you to sneak into the royal treasury and grab the SkySpire Eclipse Stone."

"WHAT?!!!" I exclaimed. He was quick to shoot me a glare, of course. What the hell was he talking about?

Steal an eclipse stone? When I didn't have a death wish? I thought it was suspicious that he offered to give false information about the missing princess, but asking me to steal something from the royal treasury was completely insane.

"Uncle, please permit me to say this... the Eclipse Stone is a sacred symbol. A relic...."

"Which is why it would make us a fortune in the black market!" He cut me short. "Not only would I be able to pay Merida's medical bills, but we will live in luxury for a very long time. You don't even have to strip anymore!"

"What if I get caught, Uncle? These are Lycans! They're three times more powerful than regular wolves and less merciful. If I get caught, they will behead me on the spot! Besides, I don't think they will just leave the Treasury unguarded..."

"Are you daft?" He snapped and I flinched. "Why are you making a big deal out of this? It's just a stupid stone. All you have to do is get into the Treasury and grab it. Or do you not want Merida to get better? Do you enjoy seeing her in pain? Looking so pale and sickly?"

"I... I just think ten million would be enough to..."

"Just listen to yourself! How selfish can you be?! This is clearly something you can do so why are you making a fuss? Would you prefer to continue stripping so you can injure every man that looks at you?!" He barked and my eyes watered.

He was practically asking me to throw my life away and acting like it was no big deal. Why can't he just be satisfied with the reward money? Do I really have to steal?

A hand rested on top of mine and I blinked back the tears rapidly. I looked up to meet Merida's weak smile.

"Auntie, is Daddy upsetting you again? You don't have to listen to him, you know?" she said innocently, then coughed violently until she was spitting blood. I hurried to grab her a cloth and some water.

"Sorry," I apologised. "Please drink."

She drank up just as I requested. I hated seeing her so vulnerable and sickly. She was my only light in this miserable world. The only person who genuinely cared about me.

"I'll do it," I finally accepted, sucking in a deep breath. "For Merida's sake."

"Like you ever had a choice," He scoffed. "Now go prepare yourself and find something presentable to wear for tomorrow's event. If you mess this up for me, I will kill you."

I lowered my head. "Yes, Uncle."

Everything went according to plan, just as Uncle Terad said. He got dresses for Merida and me, just so we wouldn't look rowdy and cheap.

We followed the long line of guests into the palace. The palace was simply magnificent and breathtaking. It reeked of wealth and power, the kind that made you feel small and worthless.

The walls were covered in gold and silver, the floors so shiny I could see my reflection. Bright lights sparkled from the ceiling, and the whole place smelled like roses and power.

I felt out of place, like I didn't belong here.

Soldiers in black armour stood tall at every corner, watching everyone with sharp eyes. I tried not to look nervous as we walked deeper into the palace.

"Stay close," Uncle Terad whispered, grabbing my arm. "When the dancing starts, we split. You know what to do."

I gave a slight nod, trying to ignore how my palms were already sweating. Merida offered me a weak smile before drifting off toward the long banquet table to get some treats. I was happy to see her so lively and excited.

I kept my head low as I moved through the ballroom. People were dressed in sparkling clothes, laughing and drinking expensive wine. I pretended to marvel at the giant golden statues and ice-carved wolves, even though my eyes scanned every hallway, every possible exit.

Where would they keep the Eclipse Stone? The Treasury had to be secured, but if Terad was right, the celebration would create a lapse in attention.

A bell rang, and everyone turned toward the high dais.

Then they entered.

The royal family.

Every soul in that room bowed, or froze, as I did.

The queen looked cold and regal, her dark hair pulled into a braided crown, her eyes beautiful yet stern. The Alpha King, tall, silver-haired, and barely past his prime, wore a stoic expression that could've turned stone to dust.

The air in the room shifted, and I could feel the pressure against my bones. So this was what being in the presence of the Lycan Royalty felt like. I was literally fighting the urge to drop to my knees and submit.

"Begin the ceremony!" the royal herald boomed, snapping me out of the trance.

Musicians began playing, dancers poured in from the side wings, and the guests turned to enjoy the performance.

It was my moment.

I slipped from the crowd as planned, weaving through the hallway while the guards focused on securing the ballroom.

My heart pounded harder with every step. I followed the map Uncle gave me, down the mirror hall, up the stairs, past the silver statue, through a side passage.

Then I saw it: the red door.

Two guards stood in front of it.

My stomach dropped.

But before I could panic, I heard a loud scream from behind me. Something crashed.

The guards turned and ran toward the noise.

That was Uncle Terad's distraction. Just as we planned.

I didn't waste a second. I ran to the red door and slipped inside.

The air inside was cold. Strange blue flames lit up the walls. The room was full of treasures, gold, crowns, ancient weapons and artefacts, but my eyes went straight to the centre.

There it was.

The Eclipse Stone.

It sat on a tall stand, glowing softly like moonlight. It was dark and beautiful, and it almost looked alive.

My breath caught.

This... was unlike anything I'd ever seen. No wonder the Lycans guarded it with their lives.

I took a step forward, heart thudding, reaching into my pocket for the silk pouch I was supposed to hide it in.

Just as I reached for it, a dark menacing aura infiltrated the room. It was nothing like the Lycan King's. It was five times more intense and suffocating. My entire body was trembling from head to toe, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I struggled to breathe.

I turned slowly and my eyes widened in horror. The sight before me didn't seem anything human. Six foot five, white hair that fell slightly below his shoulders and skin as white as snow.

His eyes were red-gold, like sunlight bleeding through wine, but they were dead and emotionless, surrounded by white, long lashes. Running from the side of his eyes to his jawline were two lines of symbols, vertically drawn on either side of his face.

He was nothing like anything I had ever seen. Unnervingly beautiful and almost unreal. Yet so terrifyingly powerful at the same time.

His eyes were fixed on me, yet it seemed like he couldn't really see me. Like he was looking through me.

He didn't ask me what I was doing there. He didn't give me the chance to explain.

Those pale pink lips parted and he uttered the one word in the iciest tone I have ever heard.

"Thief."

I almost peed in my pants right there.

Chapter Three

Princess?

/-Jade-/

Who was he?

The King? No, that couldn't be right. We just greeted the King and Queen. So... the Prince?

He was dressed in a thick black royal robe with very rare embroidery. That was more than enough proof that this man was royalty. Which meant I was in deep trouble.

The best thing to do at this moment was to run. But my legs wouldn't cooperate with me. It was like they were rooted to the ground.

"P...Please...listen to me... " I stuttered out, in a pathetic attempt to lie my way out of it. "This is all a misunderstanding I promise you..."

"Thief," the words left his lips again as he approached me with slow, majestic strides. The temperature in the room must have dropped by a couple of degrees because of the chills that ran down my spine.

My eyes watered. "I just lost my way. I'm not..." The words died in my throat when he appeared in front of me.

My heart stopped, eyes widening in raw fear as his cold fingers wrapped around my neck. My eyes watered.

Oh goddess! Is this really how I am going to die? All I did was obey my uncle, I didn't even have a choice.

"A common thief in the heart of Skyspire?" Those words, despite the rich deepness of his voice, sounded like judgment. A tear rolled down my cheeks.

"I beg you..." I pleaded and his hands tightened around my throat. I wanted to reach for them, struggle with all my might to get them off but my body was paralysed with shock and fear.

I couldn't move a finger.

"Don't do this..." The tears came pouring down. "I'll do anything. Just spare me please..."

Yet, despite my tears, even though my body was limp and trembling in his hands, his eyes... those rosegold eyes remained emotionless.

He still stared at me like I was something abstract.

He released my neck and my lungs received a sudden burst of air. I didn't even realise how much he was choking me because I was more concerned about being publicly executed.

I coughed out, gasping for air. Before I could even think he had let me go, he grabbed my arm again.

"Where are we going?" My voice broke in panic. "Please let me go, I won't come back ever again, I swear."

He didn't respond to me. For a second, it made me worry whether he could speak English. Was that why he hasn't said more than one word at a time? Does he even understand me?

His fingernails dug deep into my arms as he pulled me along with him like I was weightless. To the bannister just outside the room. My heart was pounding hard now. And fast.

Is he trying to make me confess in front of all the guests? Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. He wanted me to hand him my own head on a platter?

To think that down there, two floors below us, the main perpetrator was dancing and laughing. Safe. While I was about to die for his plan.

"Worthless..." the word came out cruel and unforgiving, just like his eyes. "Criminal..." This time, it was louder, accusatory and very death-worthy.

I fell on my knees, rubbing my hands together in plea. "Please listen to me... I admit I broke into the treasury room, but I swear to you I had a good reason for it..." he lifted me by the neck almost effortlessly.

"Please..." I dangled in the air, struggling like a fish out of water. "I said I'll do anything!" I didn't mean to yell but I did. Out of sheer, blinding desperation. Which was probably a terrible choice.

"Then die," the words came out so calmly that I almost thought I imagined it until he tossed me over the bannister like a piece of garbage.

The world began spinning immediately, and I let out a terrifying scream as I crashed over the bannister, gravity yanking me down at full speed.

Faces blurred. Lights twisted. All I could hear was the wind and my own scream.

I thought I was going to die, so I waited for it. The intense pain that came with the shattering of flesh and then nothingness.

But none that came. Instead, I was hearing murmurs and gasps. Did I die of a heart attack before I hit the ground?

I mean, that would be a relief. Dying without experiencing pain...

"Is she alright?"

"What happened to her?"

"Who is she?"

Okay, what is going on? Why did it feel like I was hanging midair? My heart skipped.

Oh goddess, did I hang somewhere while falling? Was it waiting for me to open my eyes so whatever was holding me would snap and I would complete the fall?

The mere thought of that sent terrifying shivers down my spine. Maybe if I stayed unconscious a little, they would be motivated to get me down.

What should I do? What do I....

I felt a hand on my cheek, slapping it gently. "Hey! Hey! Are you okay?"

That made my eyes go wide open, and then I realised that I was being held up by three guards. Relief washed through me instantly. My shoulders slouched and my body relaxed upon realisation that I was out of danger.

I was placed on my feet gently and that was when it hit me. The intense stares piercing through my skin, the murmurs and questions from the crowd.

"Young woman..." The authority in that voice made me flinch. It was the Lycan Queen herself. "What happened to you?"

Oh Goddess! What do I do now? What would I say I was doing upstairs? What if that scary man comes down here to expose me?

Isn't that death on the spot? How could I be wanted in both RedClaw and Skyspire?

"Don't keep me waiting," She snapped. "Raise your head and answer me!"

I was about to do just as she said when that dark aura infiltrated the room again. The guests began moving backwards. I glanced over at them. Their faces were all pale, eyes wide with fear. Expressions that made my stomach twist in a knot.

Were they afraid of him too? I thought he was royalty!

I could hear his footsteps descending the stairs, but I didn't dare look.

"Is he allowed to be in here?"

"We have to run! Before the devil's spawn kills us all!"

"Get out of my way!"

"He'll curse us all!"

Just like that, the entire hall was in chaos with guests scrambling for their lives. I searched the crowd frantically for Uncle Terad and Merida, but of course, the cunning man seized this opportunity to escape with his daughter, leaving me to my fate.

In a matter of minutes, the hall was empty. Everyone was gone except the guards who held me in place. I could feel their hands trembling on my body.

They were fighting the urge to run as well..

In all this, the King and Queen remained on their throne, but the fury in their eyes? I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

Not only did I succeed in getting caught, but I also ruined the entire event. There was no hope of escaping now. I was doomed.

"Look what you've done! Because of you, everything is ruined! Who permitted you to set foot here?" The Queen sprang off her seat in anger.

My knees went weak as conniption gripped me. "I...I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to..."

"I merely punished a thief,'' his icy response cut through mine. So she was talking to him?

"A thief?" She repeated. I could feel their eyes on me now. Without any hesitation, I fell to my knees.

"Please spare me, your majesty. I swear I can explain. This is all a misunderstanding," I lied. It was the only way to save my head.

"Raise your head. I want to get a good look at your face!" She ordered, and I gulped hard.

It would be more difficult to lie if I had to look them in the face, but I couldn't disobey her either. I raised my head slowly, praying to any God that was listening to save me. Even if it was just this once.

Her eyes widened the moment our gazes locked. She staggered back in shock.

A puzzled look crossed my face. Why was she staring at me like that? Like she just saw a ghost? Her husband immediately rose to support her.

She pointed at me, her fingers trembling. "It's... h-her..."

Me who? What did I do this time?

He followed her hands and the minute his eyes landed on me, they widened.

"Princess Annabelle?!" He exclaimed and I blinked.

Huh?

"It's you!" He blurted. "You're alive!"