Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 627: Sacrificial Lamb

Chapter 627: Sacrificial Lamb

Nervous brown eyes met piercing blue orbs.

"Hello," Aldric narrowed his eyes at the now daring female in his arms. He knew it was not going to be easy and the females would try everything in their power to lay with him. The females were free game in this event tonight. He was expected to have fun with as many females as he wanted as possible.

However, Aldric was not interested. If anything, he was super alert. It would not be unusual if any of the high Faerie try to get to him through a female. But then, there was only one female that he was interested in and she was safely tucked away in — wait a minute.

That scent!

He knew he had caught it earlier but it was faint and seemed to have drifted away with the wind. But even with her face hidden, his body instinctively reacted to the presence of his mate and now Aldric was frozen with shock as he stared down at her.

H—how did she.....? He had made sure she would..... And then the room suddenly plunged twenty degrees as a chill formed in the air when his gaze drops to her breast before roaming the rest of her scarcely covered body.

Islinda swallowed hard as Aldric remained silent, his demeanor taking on a dangerous edge. A chill ran down her spine when she caught a glimpse of something primal flickering in his eyes, a side of him she had seen a few times, and had been warned about by Ailee.

His features seemed to sharpen, his pointed ears standing erect, and his complexion paling. But it was his glowing blue eyes, devoid of recognition, that truly terrified Islinda. Shadows seemed to dance around the edges of his face and body, adding to his otherworldly aura.

"Mine," he declared with a fiendish grin, his words dripping with quiet power that held Islinda captive. In that moment, she realized just how powerless she was in the face of his dominance.

There was a haunting depth in Aldric’s eyes that made the hair at the back of Islinda’s neck stand on end. His demeanor struck her as that of a predator who knew he had his helpless prey in the palm of his hand and intended to play with her to his utmost satisfaction.

Islinda braced herself, remembering the warnings from her maidservants that most Fae would let loose and succumb to their base instincts tonight. She couldn’t help but wonder: what does a predator do to its prey?

It hunts.

Hence, Islinda remained still, a pained gasp escaping her lips as Aldric harshly buried his fists in her hair. A deep chuckle escaped from his lips, relishing her discomfort. It was undeniable that Aldric had succumbed to his darkness—one that took pleasure in giving and inflicting pain.

But then, her group of dancers, unaware of what was happening, intervened. In one swift motion, they pulled her away from Aldric and back into the routine. It seemed they had assumed Islinda was performing a solo act with Aldric, and now that segment was over, Islinda was quickly swept back into the rhythm of the dance.

Breaking out of Aldric’s influence was like a breath of fresh air, a sudden release from a suffocating grip. Islinda couldn’t discern if it was merely Aldric’s magnetic presence or the effect of his dark powers, but being near him was overwhelming. Every encounter left her senses muddled, her thoughts scattered. Yet, even as she was pulled away from him and swept back into the dance, Islinda felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. Relief at escaping his grasp, yet disappointment at being torn away from the captivating allure of his presence.

That is if she even escaped at all.

A furious roar ripped through the air, shattering the festive ambiance of the party. Islinda’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the unmistakable sound as Aldric’s enraged voice. She felt it in her bones—he was searching for her, his anger reverberating through the very core of her being.

"My lady!" Ailee emerged from the band of dancers who were no longer moving in synchronization, confusion slipping through as they wondered what was going on. Some who caught onto the commotion looked at Islinda with an accusation, blaming her for whatever was going on.

Ailee was as wide-eyed as Islinda and she said hastily, "You have to leave now, my lady!"

Islinda made the mistake of looking back and she realized the dance was over as Faeries, even the high Faes scampered out of the way as Aldric went into a rampage, looking for her.

"Fuck!" Islinda cursed under her breath. As much as she shouldn’t be scared of Aldric but he was behaving like he had lost it and that alone frightened her.

So without a second word, Islinda took to her heels. Except that was a miserable effort on her part. In less than a minute, Aldric caught up to her, blocking her path.

"Going somewhere, little human?" He said with a smirk that was pure evil.

Oh damn him.

Islinda turned another way.

He was there.

She turned.

Again. He stood there.

She turned.

Aldric was once more in her path.

In the end, Islinda found herself exhausted, her chest heaving with the exertion of the dance. Yet, her respite was short-lived as a sense of unease settled over her. Though the music continued to play, its rhythm had shifted, becoming more erotic, more intense, filling the air with an undeniable sense of lust. And to her dismay, Islinda realized that all eyes were fixed upon her, their gazes heavy and unsettling.

"What’s happening?" Islinda’s voice trembled with nervousness. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of being a sacrificial lamb.

Aldric, his gaze piercing and inscrutable, regarded Islinda with an intensity that set her on edge. Perhaps, she shouldn’t have come here after all. She was quite stubborn for her own good.

"I choose you," he declared, his words sending a chill down Islinda’s spine.

"What?" Islinda struggled to comprehend their meaning.

Before she could react, two of her fellow dancers seized her, tearing away her veil and exposing her face to the leering crowd. Meanwhile, another dancer approached, forcing a goblet of sweet wine to her lips, the liquid running down her throat like a bittersweet curse.