Knowing Your Place (1)

Ophelia closed her eyes, awaiting his touch. Since no one would stop him, he could do as he liked to her. 

To her surprise, her husband walked by her and lay on the bed prepared for them. 

This was it?

Ophelia was relieved yet still puzzled. Was she to seduce him while he laid there?

It should have been wonderful that he ignored her, but Ophelia couldn't enjoy it. She had no choice but to go straight to the bed since her orders were to mate with him or die. 

It was impossible to hide that she didn't mate with him. Her capturers would notice the second she walked out the door.

Ophelia continued to pull on the strings to let her dress drop to the floor.

"Why do you insist on undressing when you're terrified?"

Ophelia looked at her husband who didn't spare her a second glance but still knew what she had done. "It is our wedding night."

"And on this wedding night, I have a wife who is afraid of me. Pick up your dress and go to sleep," Sylas said, uninterested in the martial duties.

Ophelia wanted to do just that but she feared what would happen if she didn't. She could bear one night with him if it meant she got to live another day. She needed to find a way out of all of this to get back to her family. 

"You are my husband now. This marriage won't be considered final unless consummated. They will all be expecting us," Ophelia's words became a whisper as Sylas sat up. 

Again, Ophelia was left standing before a man wearing only a necklace.

Sylas got up from the bed and grabbed her hand. "Very well. You'll have to endure it."

Ophelia gasped, startled by him pulling her toward the bed.

She hit the bed first with Sylas soon towering over her. Ophelia's hands instinctively covered her chest. She was the one who pushed for this yet she was the nervous one.

Ophelia closed her eyes as Sylas started to touch her body. The experience was strange to her but she endured it to live another day.

When Ophelia opened her eyes, there was light in the room and the candles had all melted. She was alone in the room as Sylas had wandered off somewhere.

She was officially his wife.

His mate.

With their duties over, he must not see any reason to greet her in the morning. Not that Ophelia wanted him to.

Ophelia raised the blanket to cover her body. The events of last night were still fresh in her mind and the feeling of his hands still lingered on her body. She mated with a man who was fated to be someone else in this household. It wasn't her fault, but Ophelia was angry with herself for helping to steal someone's mate.

The doors soon opened, revealing the man Ophelia now had to call her father.

Joel smiled, satisfied with the sight before him. "It's true you survived. How did you do it?"

How did a servant girl like her tame that beast when all the others died?

"I don't know," Ophelia replied. 

Behind Joel was Freya who was just as equally shocked as her father that Ophelia was alive. She expected to find Ophelia dead like the other woman. It didn't please her to know there was doubt about her surviving a night with the king yet this woman, this servant and pretender, lasted the night. 

Freya should be thrilled that the plan would last a little longer so she wouldn't need to marry Sylas but it didn't sit well with her that nobody was doing well. 

"Where is he?" Ophelia asked.

Freya folded her arms. "Why? You thought you would wake up in his arms?"

It humoured Freya to see that Ophelia thought the king would be a doting husband. She was unaware of how cruel the alpha could be.

"Enough!" Joel yelled at Freya. If Ophelia was foolish to convince herself the king loved her then the plan would go even better. 

Joel couldn't have Ophelia wanting to run away from Sylas. His use for her had just begun. 

"He's gone for now but he will come get you later. That gives us enough time to teach you a bit about how to be a lady and act as a luna. We have a lot to do in a short time so get up. Watch over her," Joel ordered Freya. 

Freya was happy to stay to get to the bottom of how this woman had seduced the king. She had much to speak about to put Ophelia back in her place. 

Freya waited for her father to leave to then approach the bed. The king's scent filled the room and lingered primarily around Ophelia so there was no denying the two had mated. "Was it painful?"

"It was strange and hurt at times but-"

"How unfortunate it will be like that every night from now on. Wait, you didn't think this would happen one time, did you? You're his wife so he can have you as many times as he sees fit and you will have to give yourself to him. How unfortunate for you since he is a cruel man who kills everyone he grows tired of," said Freya.

Freya couldn't have Ophelia leaving the room thinking she was worth something now. She was still a worthless whore who had to do as they said. 

Ophelia didn't need Freya to tell her all of this since she wasn't foolish to think she had entered a happy marriage. To take Freya's place meant something bad might happen in the future.

"Pour cold water on her and scrub her skin until I can't smell his scent on her anymore. Then bring her back to me. I don't care if you have to bruise her skin to get it off. Just do it!" Freya ordered the maids.

Freya was fuming with anger after seeing how Ophelia looked at her. "Don't look at me like that."

Freya approached the bed, raising her hand in position to strike Ophelia for her rudeness.

Ophelia grabbed Freya's hand right before it could connect with her face. She had been fooled by Freya once but that would not happen again. "If you want me to keep up this act of being your sister then you can't go around striking the queen. Your new queen."