Prologue - The Claim

The noise in the old cathedral church could be attributed to a thing: marriage. It wasn't just any marriage, but one that happened rarely, and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the couple. It was a rare occasion to see the royal family all in one place, and one of those rare occasions was the marriage of a royal. It was a celebration for the crown prince to get married, as it was also a historical moment; the introduction of the crown princess, and the future queen of their country.

Ladies were dressed in their flashy gowns and accompanied by gentlemen betrothed to them. Single ladies came with their families, wishing they were the bride. Chariots were displayed everywhere at the front of the cathedral while each household footman kept watch of their master's chariot to prevent it from getting mixed with others, although most of the nobles' chariots had the crest of the family engraved in a part of the chariot, either behind or beside it. The royal chariot was decorated in a manner to show they were the celebrant, even without the decoration, the chariot stood out among others with its white cart, equally pulled by white horses. The moment the church opened to begin the celebration, the nobles filled in, each taking their respective seat in the church, while the royal band followed behind filling the church with beats and trumpets of celebration.

There were gossips about the beauty of the to-be crown princess. "I heard she is the most beautiful in the kingdom." A noble said, the viscount of Trent, not trying to hide his disgust at such proclamation. He believed it was just words spread around by the slaves to make her popular. It might have been a strategy she had used in winning the competition. He could bet his wealth that no beauty matched that of his daughter in the Kingdom. "I doubt that as she had never been seen in public. She hadn't even attended her first season before enrolling for the crown princess competition."

The other noble shook his head slightly, "I heard she is a replica of her mother, the countess of Baron. If truly she is then she must be a beauty as everyone proclaimed."

Trent snorted annoyed by the fact that his daughter had failed to win the heart of the crown prince. Being part of the royal family was a dream, and the only way it was actualized was by having your daughter get married to the royal family.

Suddenly, the whole church went quiet as the royal family stepped into the church, although little whispers could still be heard in the church. The crown prince, Alexandra Basset walked in, in his royal outfit of bold red and royal blue with gold strips symbolizing royalty. His black hair was brushed back, and his crown was laid on his head gently.  As he moved ahead to the altar, little sighs could be heard from single ladies who had missed their opportunity to tap him as their husband. The most eligible bachelor was about to leave the position. 

The royal family; the king and queen moved to the front seat in the church taking their place beside their distant relation. Alex stood quietly in front waiting the moment his bride would walk in. He had a smirk on his face ready to see the response of the congregation to her, as she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he hadn't taken long to proclaim her as his chosen crown princess. He was royal and it was only fair that he had the best woman in the Kingdom.

Another hush fell on the congregation, and all heads turned towards the door as the bride came in. Audrey was a beauty as they had proclaimed; tall, slim with pale skin that rivaled snow white complimenting her white dress that flowed all the way to the back. Her face was void of makeup, but she hardly needed that to enhance her beauty. It was as if the goddess of beauty had visited the church and any sound could break the spell that had fallen on the whole congregation. Her smile was so charming that everyone was captivated by her look, but her attention was on just one man. The man soon to be her husband; her crown prince, who would make her dream of becoming a princess possible.

She took slow steps - in accordance with the beat of the band - to the front of the church beside her husband. She wondered how her wedding night would be. She had no idea what a woman was supposed to do to please her husband. She felt annoyed anytime her mother refused to talk about it, and she would have sought help from some of their married maids, but they were beneath her. She hardly spoke with them except when she needed to order them to work for her. Her peers, who were also her friends, knew nothing about the topic. Audrey's interest in marital responsibilities had always been heightened, but her mother had dismissed it saying that she would know when the right time comes. She smiled knowing it was finally the right time. Her curiosity was driven more out of excitement than fear. Audrey feared nothing, she prided herself on her courage, as the only daughter of the Earl of Baron she had everything she needed, and her father had made sure that she was provided the necessary things to keep her happy. The Earl of Baron's lips almost reached his ears. He couldn't contain the joy on his face at what his daughter had achieved. He had always known she was special and different from the other ladies, and being the crown princess only highlighted his point to the world.

For the third time, the congregation fell into complete silence, but this time there was a hint of fear, confusion, and disgust in their eyes. Fear by those who recognize the stranger that had suddenly opened the cathedral and barged in without invitation. Confusion by those who had no idea who he was, and were wondering why the royal guards weren't doing anything to drag him out from disrupting such an historical moment. And disgust from those who knew and hated him, irritated by his presence on such a happy occasion.

Just like every royal in the church, he wore a bold red and royal blue outfit but devoid of the gold stripe at the arm. Unlike everyone whose gaze was fixed on him, his was fixed on just one person; the bride-to-be. He moved slowly towards her while recognition dwelled in the eyes of the bride. 

Her throat hitched as the stranger walked towards her. Her gaze moved slowly to take in his outfit; it couldn't be what she imagined. He couldn't be royal. He was just a commoner she had met at the palace a day before. She shook her head slowly. The stranger wore a smirk on his lips, glad to have caught her unaware. 

She stood still confused by what was happening, and finding it hard to believe the truth. He stopped in front of her, while she cocked her head ready to question his sanity for disrupting a wedding when she felt his lips on hers.

The once silent church became noisy, as gasps and incoherent words were heard. No one could actually hear clearly what the other was saying. Everyone was talking at once, trying to pass their thought on such a horrific incident. Some were all smiles, glad that with the incident that just took place the prince was once again the most eligible bachelor in the country.

Audrey's head was light; she could hardly comprehend what was happening. At first, she did nothing to break off the stranger's kiss. She had never been kissed in her life. His lips were soft against hers, and she heard herself moan against his lips; surely it was because she hated the fact that he was kissing her. She tried pushing him off her, but he pulled her closer, with all his muscle he was much stronger than her and she ended up moving her chest against him while wriggling to break free from the insolent kiss. She opened her mouth to talk, but the stranger took advantage of it and captured her tongue with his. His hand moved to the waist dragging her closer to him so that nothing could pass in between them.

She bit his lower lips until she felt the taste of his blood in her mouth. 

He untangled himself from her, and she smirked. He must be insane to have kissed her in public. 'He is exactly as rumored. A beast, who has no respect for woman.' She thought.

His hand touched the blood on his lips. He smiled and sucked the blood off his hand, while his gaze lingered on her. For someone so small, she sure has a temper. Something he could deal with compared to the bird-headed female in the kingdom. 

The stranger moved closer to her again and tugged her closer to him with a sinister smile on his lips. She glared at him, her eyes shooting dagger daring him to pull a stunt again like he just did. 'If he thought it was going to end with me biting him again. He has it all wrong.'

"It's a pleasure to have you all gathered here today to hear my announcement. With pleasure, I announce this one as my wife." His voice was so loud that it echoed in the church. "I dare anyone to touch her or try to refute my order."

The congregation erupted into another fit of pandemonium, not believing what was happening especially at a royal wedding. 

Audrey gasped, surely, he was insane. He was truly as insane as rumored. 'Why does it have to be me? Out of all the ladies out there, why does he have to declare me as his wife?'

No one was bold enough to challenge him, apart from Audrey. She stepped on him and pushed him back. "What! Your wife? What gave you the authority to claim me as yours?"

The smile never left his lips, "Because I said it."

She bit her lips trying to hold back her laugh, "You must be joking if you think I will marry someone like you."

His gaze moved around the peerage before he leaned closer to her and whispered in her ears. "Do you think any of these nobles will want you to marry their son when you have been kissed by a man? You are tainted and can't become the crown princess anymore. What do you think, kitten?

He gave her that nickname because she wasn't afraid to show her claws in public

The novelty of the situation dwells on Audrey. She bit her lips again, trying to prevent herself from crying. She was strong. She wouldn't show her tears in public like a little girl.

Audrey glared at the stranger, anger raged inside her. This wasn't the way she had imagined her wedding. She hadn't imagined a stranger kissing her and claiming her as his. Her head suddenly felt heavy hoping this was all a dream. She badly wanted it to be a nightmare that she would wake up. She pinched herself, and the fact that she felt the pain made the situation real. 

She didn't care for the rules or tradition, she wouldn't be his. "I will never be yours."

He shook his head, "You are mine the moment I declared you as mine. There is nowhere to hide kitten, I already placed my mark on you."

Her head banged as different thoughts passed through her mind, thinking of the best way to salvage the situation. Her gaze moved around the congregation seeking a face to help her, even her father stared blankly back at her. Her groom stared at her anger blazing in his eyes – it was directed at both of them. 

Registering the fact that there was no one to help, she fell down and blanked out.