Chapter 5

Elowen's POV

Signe swallowed, but she didn't back down.

"My brother serves in the royal army. He's stationed near the palace. He's told me what happened to the prince. Everyone knows he's been disgraced."

"Watch your tongue."

"His wolf soul was sealed by an ancient curse! The Alpha King stripped him of his position as heir and sent him to the frozen borderlands. He can't even shift anymore!"

Her voice grew louder with every word.

"He's not the powerful prince people used to admire. He's a disgraced prisoner who can't even turn into a wolf. And you expect one of us to marry him? How is that good news?"

"Enough!" Mistress Aud snapped. "How dare you speak of the royal family like that?"

Signe flinched, but Marta suddenly stepped beside her.

"She's right."

Mistress Aud turned sharply.

Marta's face had gone pale, but she clenched her hands into fists.

"We came here to work, not to be sold off as wives whenever the Earl needs someone to take his daughter's place. My family sent me here to earn money, not to marry some exiled prince."

"Mind your words," Mistress Aud warned.

"No. If you force me into this marriage, I'll go home and tell my family everything. Let them come here and ask why the Earl thinks he can decide who I marry."

Signe nodded quickly.

"My brother won't stay silent either. If the royal army hears that the Earl is forcing servants into marriage, do you think no one will care?"

The great hall fell quiet.

I looked at the two girls.

They were frightened, but they still dared to speak. They had families who might come looking for them, brothers who served in the royal army, people who would notice if they disappeared.

I couldn't help envying them.

Even in their fear, they had someone to threaten to call for help. Someone whose name they could use to make the Earl hesitate.

A sudden sob broke the silence.

Beatrice had started crying again.

"I won't! I won't marry that crippled, cursed monster!"

She jerked her injured wrist away from her mother's hands, nearly knocking the white bandage loose.

"I'd rather die! Father, you promised me! You said I wouldn't have to marry him!"

The Earl immediately moved to her side.

"Easy, darling. Don't upset yourself."

He gently took her by the shoulders and turned her towards him.

"You won't marry him. I promise."

"But they want me to! Everyone wants me to marry him!"

"No one is going to force you."

He stroked her hair until her sobs gradually softened. Only then did he turn back towards us.

His expression had changed. The anger was gone, replaced by a patient, almost apologetic smile.

"Please, don't misunderstand. I only wanted to ask whether any of you might be willing to help our family."

He looked at Signe and Marta.

"Prince Aldric was once the most admired young man in the kingdom. Countless young she-wolves dreamed of becoming his mate. Even now, he remains a prince by blood. I thought this might be an opportunity for one of you to rise above your station."

He paused, as though giving them time to reconsider.

"But if neither of you wishes to marry him, I won't force a good girl into something she doesn't want."

Signe lowered her eyes.

Marta said nothing.

The Earl nodded, as if he respected their decision.

"Very well. Then we won't speak of it again."

His gaze moved slowly across the three of us.

Then it settled on me.

"Of course, we still have Motley."

I froze.

The Earl smiled kindly.

"She's always been obedient. She has no parents, no family waiting for her at home, and no one depending on her. Perhaps this could be a chance for her to change her fate."

For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood.

Me?

I raised my head before I could stop myself.

"Me...?"

The slap came before I could say anything else.

Mistress Aud's palm struck my cheek so hard that my head snapped to the side.

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

"You ungrateful little wretch!" she hissed. "Who do you think you are?"

My cheek burned. I could barely hear her over the ringing in my head.

"You're a lowly Omega slave bought from a pair of human traffickers for half a moon copper! You have no parents, no family, and no one who would dare speak for you. His Lordship is offering you the chance to marry a prince. That's more than someone like you deserves in several lifetimes!"

I pressed my lips together.

"Do you think you have the right to refuse?" Her voice dropped, turning vicious. "The Earl can have you beaten to death right here, and not a single soul would come looking for you. So you'd better learn to be grateful."

I slowly turned my eyes towards the Earl.

He hadn't moved. He hadn't told Mistress Aud to stop. He hadn't even looked surprised. His gentle smile remained, as though the slap had been nothing more than an ordinary part of the conversation.

And suddenly, I understood.

He had never intended to ask us.

Signe and Marta had been allowed to refuse because they had families, connections, and people who might make trouble for the Earl. He had needed them to speak first, to make their refusal look like a choice he was willing to respect.

Then he could offer me up instead.

I was the one girl in the room who had nobody to complain to, nobody to come looking, and nobody who would care if I disappeared.

Mistress Aud turned away from me.

"Here. Take these."

She handed Signe and Marta several crescent coins each.

"Keep your mouths shut about tonight. His Lordship has been generous enough to consider your feelings. Don't make trouble where none needs to exist."

The coins changed hands.

Signe glanced down at them, then quickly closed her fingers around the money.

Marta did the same.

Their expressions softened almost immediately.

"Motley," Signe said, avoiding my eyes. "You should just accept it. You don't have a family to worry about. Marrying a prince is still better than spending the rest of your life cleaning that execution pit."

"Exactly," Marta added. "His Lordship is already being kind to you. Don't be foolish and turn down such an opportunity."

I looked at them.

Only a few moments ago, they had stood together and insisted that no one had the right to decide whom they should marry. Now they were telling me to accept the same fate they had just refused.

They hadn't been fighting for us.

They had been fighting for themselves.

And now that they had been given a few coins, they could afford to leave me behind.

I stood in the middle of the great hall, my cheek still burning from the slap.

No one had asked whether I wanted to marry Prince Aldric Auren. The Earl had decided. Mistress Aud had decided. Even the two girls who had just protested against being forced into marriage had decided for me.

If even the beloved daughter of a noble family was so afraid of this marriage, what chance did a worthless Omega slave like me have?