YOUR PALACE OR..YOUR PRISON

**Freda’s POV

“What the heck?” My thoughts were in chaos as disbelief clawed at my throat. Any witty retort or smart comment I might have formulated were thrown to the wind. Me? A queen? This was probably up there in the list of insane things that happened today. Who would have thought that the pack outcast, the girl deemed a disgrace to the werewolf blood, was suddenly on the precipice of being the queen of an entire coven of vampires. The irony was so thick I could practically chew on it.
I opened my mouth to speak but words failed me. I was in a state of discombobulation. I closed my eyes, praying that everything will be a dream. That I would open my eyes right now and I would find myself in my bed. No bloodshed, no vampires, no….
“This is not a dream Freda.” Damien’s deep baritone voice ruined my attempts to escape into my imagination.
I sighed and slowly opened my eyes while my mind reeled, replaying the events of the day in fast-forward. From Draken threatening to kill us, if we didn’t submit to him to Damien claiming me as his mate, killing his twin brother, dethroning his father, sending him to jail and claiming the title of vampire king for himself. All because, ‘in his words’ he wanted to protect me. The absurdity of it all.
“But…I can’t be queen,” I finally managed to stammer, the words catching in my throat. “I don’t even know the first thing about ruling a kingdom! This is all happening too fast.”
“I understand this is a lot to take in, Freda. But there’s no turning back. I am king and I need my mate to rule by my side as queen.” Damien said firmly as his searing crimson eyes bore into mine.
It was going to take a whole lot of convincing and sweet talk to sway the hot vampire before me. Although being a queen was very enticing, I didn’t want the responsibility that came with it. I wasn’t a warrior, a strategist or a diplomat. I was a half-breed wolf-less girl who barely understood the dynamics of my own werewolf pack, let alone ruling an entire vampire kingdom.
“There must be a mistake,” I said in panic. “Perhaps the mate bond…maybe it’s just a heightened connection from the madness of the day. If we all just calm down, take a deep breath and let things settle then I’m sur…”
“This isn’t some game Freda.” Damian interrupted me mid sentence. “You know just as much as I do that this is real. This connection.” He closed the distance between us and caressed my cheeks in his big soft palm. “This connection is real.”
And there it was again. That spark, the little sparks that erupted when his skin touched mine. I had never felt anything like this before and the urge to have this man all over me increased tenfold when our skin came in contact. This was very…unhealthy but in a good way I guess?
“I’m not even a full werewolf.” I blurted out, trying to make Damien see reason. “My mother is a human and I haven’t even awakened my wolf. Won’t that cause problems? Won’t the court, your people, reject me? I’m not a vampire.”
“I am King. I will make them accept you.” A slow smile spread across his face. “The mate bond transcends such trivial matters, Freda. You are mine, and I am yours. Your heritage doesn’t change anything.” Damien persuaded me as his voice became softer. “Be my queen, be mine Freda.”
My mouth opened and I was just about to say the word yes when I caught myself. I needed time to think, to decide. I voice out what I felt and stand my ground.
“Even if there’s a mate bond, Damien,” I took in a deep breath and met his gaze. My voice was surprisingly steady considering I was a nervous wreck. “I need time to think, to understand what this means.”
Annoyance flickered through his eyes and he glared at me. I met his gaze head while putting up a brave appearance but raw fear was shackling me inside. What if he disregarded the mate bond and killed me straight away? What if he forced this on me? These were the questions.
“Very well, Freda.” In a surprising turn of events, Damien conceded. “You will have some time. But understand this – you won’t leave this room, not until you’ve made a decision. You are my mate, and this castle is now your palace..or your prison, depending on how you choose to see it.”
His words hit me like a physical blow. This was the worst possible scenario. I had still hoped we could have worked something out. I had so many plans and being a queen to a bunch of blood suckers was definitely not among those plans.
“You can’t do this to me,” I choked out. “I have a life to live. I have things to do, the pa…”
“If you’re feeling lonely then I can arrange for your pack to be moved to Valthrun. They would be well looked after and treated with respect. As for your life, your new life is by my side.” Damian stated with a voice devoid of warmth.
If only this man knew how much I hated everyone in my pack. My father was slowly becoming an exception because of the recent change in his behavior but I still hated him. I racked my brain for a solution but it drew blank. I had no option.
“Alright.” I sighed heavily as I nodded. “I don’t need you to bring my pack to Valthrun but I do need to think about being a queen…please.” I looked up at Damien’s crimson orbs and pleaded.
“Alright.” Damien accepted without blinking an eye. “Take your time. You will be staying in this room henceforth.”
Damian then flashed a small smile and turned around to leave the room.
“Wait!” I pleaded and Damien stopped in his tracks, turning around.
“Anything else?” He raised a brow and inquired.
“I would like to see my father.” I sputtered out and pleaded with my eyes. If I was going to be locked up here then so be it, but I needed to make sure my old man is alright. even if I still detested him, he was the only one I had here.