Chapter 1 Marked

　"Have you found Prince William yet? The ceremony will begin soon! Where the hell is him?" Mr. Carson asked the servants who rushed towards him, their cheeks flushed from the cold night air. As the Head of Servants' at the Golden Palace, they all looked to Mr. Carson for answers he didn't currently have. He pulled at his fine collar as if he was suffocating from the pressure.

"No-no, not yet. We've searched-"

"No?" He interrupted one of the girls who looked as if she were about to faint. "Then what are you coming to me for? Keep searching the grounds!"

Today was the most important ceremony between Royal House Arnold and Warrior Reilly Pack. As some other packs with the massive army were trying to conquer Royal House Arnold, the only way to retain the power of the Royal House Arnold was to connect with Warrior Reilly Pack by marriage.

To show great respect to Warrior Reilly Pack, Alpha King Charles had given the order that all the royalty members have to attend the wedding on time, including Prince Daniel, the fourth in line, who had traveled back from the military just to celebrate it.

However, as the third prince of Royal House Arnold, Prince William hasn't shown up yet.

The servants rushed off in all different directions to find any trace of a Prince who was never easy to find. Mr. Carson sighed heavily. Sweat slowly dripped down the back of his neck. He wiped his palms on his trousers when he heard the music grow louder from the ceremony whenever a servant pushed through the grand doors.

Laughter and light conversations filled the air inside that hall. The crown prince Martin Arnold and his Lady Grace Reilly were busy enjoying their fresh wedding with the respected royal families and lords.

Lady Grace Reilly, the distant niece of Luna Queen, was perhaps the most beautiful creature in the entire kingdom. Not a single soul came close to her beauty, werewolf or human, they simply couldn't compare. House Reilly shared half the kingdom with House Arnold. No one had ever dared to cross the Reilly family, not even the Alpha King Charles himself.

It was truly a big day for the entire kingdom to have their families merge - which made each passing second without Prince William feel as if Mr. Carson was standing in his own grave.

Mr. Carson forced himself to glance inside the ceremony to see if anyone had noticed. Prince Martin seemed happy enough, whispering in his lady's ear as drinks were set in front of them. The rest of the party didn't seem to notice the absence of William yet - or he'd thought so until he locked eyes with Luna Queen.

The look she gave Mr. Carson made him shiver worse than the cold outside had when he realized he would be left alone with the blame if the prince didn't show up. The sky darkened horribly since their search began-guests would surely eat this up as their nightly gossip if he didn't resolve this soon.

"What are you standing there for?" Mr. Carson shouted at the closest group of servants when he turned from the door. The color drained from their faces as he neared them. "Find Prince William right this instant! Foolish omegas and humans, if he is not found soon it will be on all of your heads!"

"Yes sir!"

As an omega maid, Doris had been serving the Palace for 5 years. Not once was she allowed to step foot outside of the palace grounds.She was quite literally a slave to all those higher up than her. Freedom was all she ever wanted. As long as she didnt make any serious mistakes, she might be freed soon.

Doris knew she should've stayed inside to help the other servants with the party, but she allowed her mind to wander just enough that she ended up alone in the gardens.

For a moment, she imagined she was only a guest in the castle. Someone who came just for the party and was free to come and go as she pleased. She couldn't imagine herself ever coming back if she had the chance to leave, but it was nice to dream on a night full of love.

Doris hurried her steps back to the path she strayed from. It wouldn't be wise to be caught out here, she wasn't allowed anywhere she wasn't told to be. Especially outside—

A deep growl interrupted her own silence, Doris's steps froze from the noise. It sounded as if it echoed all around her, for a moment—she wasn't sure where to turn.

"My… mate…" She felt his hot breath caress against the back of her neck when he whispered behind her, she moved too slow to prevent the man from forcing her to the grass beneath them. Doris’s scream pierced the night.

"My… mate!" He shouted as he straddled her against the cold ground, the darkness blinded her from his identity. She struggled beneath him and tried to push the man off.His grip was strong and rough as he pinned both her wrists above her head with one hand, she could smell the alcohol on his breath when he whispered the word over and over against her ear.

"I don't—" Doris gasped when he ripped her maids' uniform off with little to no effort, leaving her almost bare in her undergarments. She struggled uselessly against his hold, the cold air stung her exposed skin. Doris didn't understand what this man meant by mate.

She was21. Most werewolves shifted by the time they were 14 years old. But her wolf never shifted. She never heard her wolf's voice like other werewolves could. So there wa s no way she could have had a mate—this man was obviously very drunk and had the wrong girl.

"Please don't—" Doris cried out in pain when she felt his teeth latch onto her neck. He bit down with no hesitation, as if he were claiming her in that moment to feast upon for eternity.

The burst of pain slowly passed when he kissed the mark he just made upon her skin almost tenderly, her eyes fluttered open at the sensation.

A wave of heat burned her entire body as he trailed his lips down her neck, only stopping to explore the tops of her breasts.

Goosebumps coated her skin beneath his touches. Her breath quickened, she saw him tilt his head towards her in the darkness as if he listened to every slight sound she made.

His free hand moved to caress her breasts where his mouth wasn't. She felt disgusted with herself—

"Oh!" Doris tried to swallow her moan and flushed red when she couldn't hide her own reaction to a man that attacked her. She didn't realize her body was so sensitive to touch in certain areas—even to a beastly man like him.

Doris didn't want this, she knew she didn't. But the way her back arched towards his touches—her body just wasn't listening to her mind. The shame she'd felt could've burn her alive, it only seemed to encourage him.

His rough hand ran down the side of her body, surely feeling the heat he caused beneath her skin. The man leaned up to whisper in her ear the same word he'd said dozens of times, the one that confused her more than anything. "Mate…"

"Please, I'm not—"

Approaching footsteps stilled his wandering hand once and for all. He stood, and for the first time she saw the moonlight shine on his face enough to reveal who her attacker was. She couldn't believe—

"Prince William!" The voices shouted. The attacker was Prince William!