Tamed by the Lycan Prince

41- SACRIFICE

CHAPTER FIVE

-SEVERA-

We arrived at the meeting door at the end of the corridor. Boris opened the door and stepped aside, motioning for me to enter. I walked into the room. I couldn't believe what I was seeing - the sentinels were holding my parents down. Meanwhile, the Luna Mother and my grandfather sat calmly at the meeting table, seemingly unperturbed by the situation taking place involving my parents.

"What are you doing? Let them go!" I demanded.

Boris just laughed his gravelly laugh again and moved to join the Luna Mother and grandfather at the table. "Have a seat, Severa," he said, waving a hand towards an empty chair.

I hesitated, my gaze flitting between my parents who were valiantly struggling against the sentinels' restraint and the trio at the table. As much as I wanted to rush to their aid, I knew I wouldn't be able to overpower the guards single-handedly.

"Sit down, child," Luna Mother commanded, her tone as cold as the icy glare she cast my way. "Your parents are not your concern right now."

"Not my concern?" I spat out, the words full of venom. "They are my parents! How dare you tell me they aren't my concern?!"

My grandfather looked at me, his yellow eyes stern and unyielding. "Young lady, how dare you shout at the Luna Mother like that? Do you have no manners?"

"Since when did manners involve having your parents held as hostages?" I quipped back, crossing my arms defiantly.

Boris chuckled again, "Your defiance is as entertaining and alluring as always, Severa. But we have business to discuss, so sit down...now." His voice carried a chilling finality that left no room for further protests.

Reluctantly, I slid into the chair, my eyes never leaving my parents. Their mouths were covered with duct tape. My parent's expression was filled with anger, more intense than anything I had ever witnessed before.

"Good girl," Boris mocked from across the table, his dark eyes full of amusement. He seemed to revel in the situation, the corners of his mouth pulling up in a smug smile. "Let's get on with it then, shall we?"

Trisha's voice sliced through the tension like a sharp blade as she spoke. "Now then," she said, addressing both me and my parents, "my son wants to take you on as his second wife."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I sputtered, my mouth opening and closing as my mind tried to process what Trisha had just announced. My consternation was mirrored in my parents' eyes.

"His wife?" I finally managed to utter.

"Yes, my second wife," Boris echoed, leaning back in his chair. "You've grown into a beautiful woman, Severa. Strong-willed, passionate, defiant...just the kind of partner I want." His words were laced with a vile charm that made my stomach churn.

"But I don't want to be your second wife," I protested, my voice shaking with fury and indignation. "I'd rather die than marry a despicable man like you."

Boris only laughed, a sinister chuckle that echoed ominously around the room. "You'll change your mind soon enough, Severa," he drawled, waving his hand dismissively.

My grandfather growled in frustration, his voice reverberating off the stone walls. "Stop this nonsense," he scolded me. "You will not disrespect the Alpha in this manner, Severa. You should feel honored that Boris has chosen you to be his second wife."

"Is that so, Grandfather?" I retorted, my voice seething with rage. "Am I to feel honored at being chosen by a man who has no regard for me? A man who has held my parents hostage to make me submit?"

My words hung in the air like a tangible thing. Silence reigned, and for a moment, I was sure that grandfather would fly into a rage, punish me for my insolence. But he said nothing, his expression as cold and unyielding as the stone walls of this room.

"I won't marry you," I retorted. "I won't. You don't scare me." My voice sounded far braver than I felt, but if there was a time for courage, it was now.

"Is that so?" Boris grinned widely, showing his ivory white teeth, a predator's smile. "You're bluffing, Severa. I can smell your fear."

He was right. I was terrified. But beneath the terror, a spark of defiance ignited, fanning my resolve.

"I'd rather be hanged than marry you," I declared, my hands shaking as I glared back at him. "So do your worst, Boris."

His laughter filled the room, a deep, terrifying sound that made fear crawl up my spine. But I held onto my anger, savored it like a lifeline. Anger could make the fear bearable.

"You are so defiant, Severa," he smiled, a twisted amusement in his eyes. "But defiance won't save your parents, nor your family." His smile fell as his expression turned serious, and he glanced over at my parents.

"Kill them. Locate the rest of her family to carry out the same fate upon them." The cold command echoed through the stone chamber, sending a chill straight to my heart.

"No!" I screamed, lurching forward, but Boris was in front of me in an instant, his hands wrapping around my wrists. I struggled in his grasp, my heart pounding and my blood boiling with an anger so fierce that even Boris seemed momentarily taken aback.

"Let them go!" I begged.

"It's too late," Boris mused, his grip strengthening. "But don't worry Severa, I'll make sure their deaths are quick."

"No, please!" I begged, tears streaming down my face. "I'll do it. I'll marry you." The words tasted like ash in my mouth, a bitter surrender that stung more than any physical wound ever could.

Boris leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Say it again," he demanded. His cruel smile returned as he enjoyed my despair.

"I'll marry you," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. Each word felt like a knife cutting into my soul, a dagger straight into the heart of my dignity. But if it would spare my parents, my family, I would swallow the bitterness.

"That's more like it," Boris smirked, releasing my wrists. His fingers traced a path up my arm, his touch leaving a trail of icy shivers in their wake. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he cupped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. The triumphant glint in his gaze cut through me like a winter's chill.

"I revoke that order," he commanded the sentinels, his eyes never leaving mine. "She's agreed to the union." My heart pounded in my chest as the room fell silent. My parents were safe, for now. But at what cost? I had just sold my very freedom, my future.

"Now that we're on the same page," Boris murmured, his thumb brushing against my lower lip, "we can move forward. You will marry me on the same day as Wilhelmina."

I held his gaze, my heart pounding in my chest, my soul aching at the depth of the sacrifice I was making. Yet, despite my fear and revulsion, I knew it was the only way. The only way to ensure my family's safety.