Leona felt bloodlust.
Kneel? Beg for it? Of course, she was already kneeling, but for her to beg for it? Who gave him the right to tell her, a princess, to beg?
Who the hell was he?
Judging from the other distinct scent he exuded, this man was a werewolf. Yet a mere werewolf dared to order her to kneel and beg for food?
What exactly could he be hiding just beneath his belt? Why did he have to keep it there?
A lot of questions swam in Leona's head as she glared coldly at him.
Leona was proud. She was of royal blood. She would rather die than beg him for something that smelled delicious... But...
Why was her body moving without her permission?
The closer she got to the thing, the more she drooled for it. At this rate, Leona was sure he was going to get exactly what he wanted. When she was close, a memory finally flashed in her mind.
An embarrassing memory from when she was still a toddler—a little lion cub.
"Mother, what is that thing between Brother Lennart's legs?" Little Leona had asked her mother, eyes fixated on it. Her mother coughed, nervous, searching for an answer. When she delayed further, her father burst out in a thunderous roar of laughter.
"My baby is growing up," he teased. Lennart continued sparring with his other brother, ignoring the embarrassing discussion. Her father continued, "That's the organ we mighty lions use to mate." Before he could elaborate, her mother smacked his arm, shutting him up immediately. But that only made little Leona more confused.
"Father, what is mate?" she asked innocently, but her mother quickly changed the subject.
Recalling everything, after that day, Leona had read every book on mating and knew immediately what she was heading toward. The male organ—a dick.
Her face flushed red, and her eyes widened. She recoiled, landing painfully on her butt.
Her mind went dizzy, and she was stupefied.
What was she about to do? Was she about to eat a man's disgusting thing? Something meant for those kinds of activities?
But why did she want it so much?
"What happened, little princess? Scared?" the stranger asked, extending a hand toward her. Leona slapped it away, scared that if she touched him, she might submit.
Did he do something to her body? Why was she reacting that way to him?
The more she thought about it, the dizzier she felt. Darcien, on the other hand, retracted his hand with a frown. He was disappointed that the fun ended so soon and that the little princess had regained her senses.
He was shocked himself that he'd nearly dragged her away and marked her skin with his seed. Looking at her luscious lips, dirty thoughts disturbed him, thoughts that had never crossed his mind before.
He hated the thought of it.
It was definitely her heat disturbing her, but how naïve must she be to not know it was that time?
Could she contain herself? Darcien didn't know why he was worried, but it was rare to meet a lioness. He was curious.
"Take her," he ordered, and two of his men stepped forward.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Leona snarled, baring her fangs and hissing for them to step back. Her mind was slightly clearer now, and she was disgusted by their scent as they approached.
Darcien frowned.
"Stop." He ordered them, and they stepped back like statues.
Darcien knew this was going to be a hassle. Judging from the scene, the Aslan Lion Pride was wiped off the face of the continent, leaving only their little princess as its survivor. If she stayed here, other predators would come to exploit her weakness and devour her.
Before they could, Darcien wanted her.
He had never wanted anything before, but this proud little lioness—he wanted her. Maybe he was also in heat, but he couldn't wait to return home and exploit the one person who looked into his eyes and didn't suffer under his curse.
Darcien closed the distance between them. Leona jumped at his proximity, her heart lodged in her throat with confusion.
Why was the enemy so close? Did they want to kill her?
Leona was scared, baring her fangs, trying to battle the need rising within her from just inhaling his scent. When he leaned forward, she swiped her claws at his chest, but he dodged.
Darcien was shocked. Why was she so wary of him? Remembering her earlier words, he realized she thought he was the enemy.
Well, he preferred it that way. It would be easier to mark her with his scent so everyone would know the lioness had fallen into his claws.
He leaned in and scooped her into his arms despite her struggles.
"What are you doing?! Let go of me, you murderer!" She thrashed, but Darcien was silent. Ignoring her weak arms flaying about.
Even when her teeth sank into his arm, he didn't budge. It was like a needle pricking his skin, so he didn't feel a thing.
With one leap, Darcien jumped tree to tree with his men following closely behind.
"Ahhhhh!!" Leona's screams were swallowed by the night. Her eyes locked on the flames consuming her pride, and she bawled in sorrow.
What was she doing? What had come over her? Her mind had become clearer now and she could understand everything, especially one important detail she read about, that she missed.
Her parents and brothers had just died, and yet she was grovelling at the enemy's feet like a horny lioness.
If her mother could see her now, she would shake her head in disappointment.
What hurt Leona more was that the heat inside her still burned. How could she not have calculated her heat to come around this period?
But remembering how her parents had locked away memories of such things, she couldn't possibly have known. Or even understood that there was such a thing as heat season.
They never predicted this would happen…
"Mother… Father… Brothers… I will surely avenge you. Even if I have to remain a naïve idiot to do that."
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as the burning remains of her home turned blurry.
But whatever furnace remained burned deep within her eyes.
It was a proclamation and a promise. She never knew this proclamation would bring her very own downfall.