My Treasure

Chapter 1

Gillam

When I turned fifteen, my father finally noticed me. Suddenly, he talked to me, smiled at me, and praised me. I was so happy.

He called me his beautiful prince, often invited me to eat his morning meal with him and said that looking at my pretty face brought him joy. He praised my slight form, my large sapphire eyes and full lips, and encouraged me to keep my long hair loose.

“Your golden hair shines brighter than the sun, my beautiful boy. Brighter than the crown on my head. You’re the fairest omega in the country and my finest jewel.”

Finally, after years of measured coldness, my father seemed to love me.

Except I should have known it was a trap. The king didn’t care about anyone or anything but his power. The very beauty I was so proud of became my curse.

Four years later, the day the first heat signs came and my scent changed, the king sniffed the air at breakfast and smiled victoriously.

“You’re ripe. You’ll marry Lord Buer on Sunday.”

The king should have let the knights compete for me and allowed me to choose a mate from among them like tradition dictated.

Instead, he’d promised me to a man three decades older than me and notorious for his cruelty.

My father was going to sell me like a broodmare, in exchange for more power and wealth.

That night, I slipped on a servant’s tunic and hid my hair under a dirty cloth. Carrying food for three days and a dagger, I fled from the palace unnoticed.

Except where would I go?

In the villages, someone might have recognized me, so I kept out of the way, stumbling through the forests along the main roads.

I hoped to make it to the border and swim across the river, but the rough terrain slowed my progress, and I was tired.

I tried to sleep during the day, hidden in hazelnut bushes, and resumed my journey when the night fell, staying out of sight.

My father’s soldiers were surely looking for me.

On the second night, mist shrouded the woods.

I kept to the right of the road, hiding away when I heard carriages pass.

After a few hours, the fog thickened, and I lost my path.

When it lifted, I found myself in a clearing.

A howl cut through the silence, and I knew I’d wandered too deep into the forest.

The wolves were coming. I could hear them howling in the dark, closer each time. I couldn’t walk anymore, but even if my legs still carried me, I wouldn’t be able outrun a wolf.

I shook all over, from cold, fear, and tiredness. The pain would be the worst. Could I offer them my throat? Would they understand and end my life quickly before ripping me apart?

But even face to face with a grim death, I didn’t regret running away.

What would have awaited me if I’d stayed at the palace was a thousand times worse.

A slow killing of my soul in the arms of a man I loathed.

He’d have used my body and crushed my heart while my own father looked on with cold disdain.

No, I’d rather get eaten by wolves. They weren’t evil, not really. They needed food like every living creature. Compared to men, wolves were innocent. Could I prepare myself for the pain?

Shivering in the damp blueberry bushes, I clutched my dagger to my chest—my weapon was useless against an entire pack. What would be the point of hurting them? I’d only enrage them. Could I cut my own throat before they found me? My wrists? Would that make my demise easier?

I needed to decide fast. They were coming.

As I gazed into the night sky, a shadow covered the moon and the stars. A cloud? But it was too dark. Black. And it grew, spiraling downwards.

My eyes bulged, my heartbeat galloping.

The black shape descended fast, enormous wings stirring the air.

Was this the grim reaper? Or a demon sent from hell to collect my soul? I’d disobeyed my father and threw myself into the path of mortal danger. I deserved to go to hell.

Using the very last of my strength, I crawled backward in a useless attempt to escape.

Giant claws circled my chest and thighs, and the demon lifted me off the ground.

A scream tore from my chest, and the dagger fell from my cold hands.

Icy wind attacked my skin, but then heat pressed against me, muscles gliding underneath smooth skin, heavy heartbeat thumping…

The creature cradled me to its chest as we flew through the night.

“Please, make it painless,” I whispered. The demon couldn’t have heard me.

I didn’t remember anything more from the flight. Drained and terrified, I must have fainted.