The Alpha's Abducted toy: The devil for A Mate

KELILAH’S POV

My day had started as one of the most exhausting I could recall. I had barely returned from work before collapsing onto my bed, every muscle in my body aching, and my mind clouded with fatigue. The house felt unnervingly silent, with Mom and Loveth still away. And Dad working late as usual. Cooking was the last thing on my mind; hunger could wait. Truth be told, I suck at cooking.

A sharp knock on my door jolted me from my haze.

“Kelilah?”

Groggily, I made my way to the door, but when I opened it, no one was there. A chill ran down my spine as I called out into the dimly lit hallway. “Dad?”

Silence.

I ventured to the living room, my heart pounding, only to find darkness. Just as my fingers touched the light switch, a sudden hand landed on it.

“Ahh!” I screamed, stumbling back.

“Kelilah, it’s us!”

Mom and Loveth stood before me, faces lit with excitement.

“Mom? Loveth?” I gasped. Relief and joy flooded through me as they enveloped me in warm embraces.

“It’s been four years now, Kelilah,” Loveth added, her voice tinged with emotion. “Four years since we’ve all been together like this.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I pulled them both into another hug. Four years wasn’t a short time.

Loveth had left to travel with Mom when she began her surgery in New York, and though we kept in touch, it was never the same.

“You look so different, Loveth,” I said, holding her at arm’s length to take her in. Her golden hair shone under the light, and her light brown eyes sparkled with mischief, just like always.

“And you look just the same, Spare,” she teased,

Ah, yes, “Spare”—a nickname she’d given me, because, as she liked to say, I was her other half, her spare part. More like a spare tyre.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start with that. Loveth”

As we moved to the couch at the living room, Loveth continued to tease me about the nickname, while Mom fussed over me.

Everything was going just fine, but then our joy was short-lived.

That night, Dad received a call. His serious expression as he read it stole the laughter from the room.

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked, her voice laced with concern.

“The King has decided it’s time for the bridal selection,” Dad announced gravely. “Korvus is ready to claim a bride.”

“What!!!”, I gasped.

The air grew thick with tension, a weight settling on our shoulders.

*******

Morning came with an unsettling quietness that only seemed to amplify the tension lingering in our home. For as long as I could remember, our family had been fortunate enough to avoid this cursed ritual. But today, the dread was palpable, so heavy in the air like an unspoken omen.

I glanced at Loveth as we sat in the dining room, staring blankly at the untouched breakfast before us. Her face was pale, her fingers trembling slightly as she toyed with her spoon. Mother stood by the window, her hands clasped tightly, staring at the horizon as though she could will away the inevitable. Father was seated across from us, his expression calm but his gaze distant. Even Tyra, usually so nonchalant, sat stiffly, her gaze fixed on the table.

The letter had arrived at dawn. A royal messenger had delivered it, his face devoid of emotion as he handed it to Father. The letter bore the seal of the high priest with detailed instructions for the ritual: a private ceremony at the temple, where the princesses of age would undergo a mysterious test. No one knew what the test entailed; it was always a guarded secret, whispered about but never revealed.

“We should be leaving soon,” Father finally said, his voice breaking the silence.

Loveth looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. “Do you think it will be us?” she asked softly.

Father didn’t answer immediately. “We will face whatever comes with it” he said at last, though his tone lacked conviction.

I felt a pang of guilt. Loveth had just returned from a long and exhausting trip, only to be thrust into this nightmare. It's not even been up to 24hrs that she arrived. She didn’t deserve this. Nobody did.

When the carriage finally arrived, it took us on the ride to the temple, a suffocating one. No one spoke, even the clatter of hooves seemed muted. The temple loomed ahead, its towering spires casting foreboding shadows.

Nathan, the high priest, greeted us at the entrance, but his calm demeanor did little to ease my nerves. “Only the princesses may enter the inner sanctum,” he said firmly.

My heart sank as Loveth and I followed the hooded acolytes into the dimly lit temple, the scent of incense thick in the air. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes of past selections, each one harrowing than the last.

We were led to a circular chamber where four other princesses awaited, their faces pale with dread. At the center stood a pedestal holding a faintly glowing crystal orb.

Just then, Nathan appeared and addressed us solemnly. “Each of you will place your hand on the orb. It will judge your suitability.”

One by one, the princesses stepped forward, each passing the test without incident.

When it was Loveth’s turn, she hesitated, glancing at me for reassurance. I nodded, my own nerves fraying. She placed her hand on the orb, and its light pulsed rhythmically. Nathan’s furrowed brow betrayed his unease as he kept his gase on her, but said nothing.

Finally, it was my turn. My legs felt like lead as I approached the pedestal. I didn't want to touch it, but I had to. As soon as my hand touched the orb, it flared to life, bathing the chamber in brilliant light.

Gasps echoed around me.

My breath got caught in my throat. It shouldn't be me. It just can't be me.

Nathan’s voice cut through the tension. “It is decided. The Anderson family will provide the king's bride”

The weight of his words crushed me as loveth and I exchanged horrified glances.

It's was over now. We were doomed.

The ride home was silent, each of us lost in our thoughts. For the first time in years, I truly understood the weight of this tradition. It wasn’t just a ritual; it was a sacrifice of Happiness. And now, our family was at the center of it.

Back at home, the weight of the decision pressed down on all of us like a heavy blanket. Mother sobbed in silence, her face a mask of emotions, too raw to show. Father had retreated to his room, no doubt to avoid confronting the inevitable. And Tyra, well, she was nowhere to be found.

I couldn’t sit in my room any longer. I had to check on Loveth. Yes I was pained, but I was way stronger than Loveth– emotionally.

Opening her door, I found her wiping her eyes hastily.

“Loveth?, have you been crying?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“No… of course not,” she stuttered, her voice shaky as she tried wiping off her tears for the second time.

I sighed, walking over to sit beside her on the bed.

“Don’t lie to me, Loveth. I can see the tears.”

She stiffened. “I told you, it’s nothing.”

“You’re upset. I can tell. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault,” I persisted, trying to reach out to her, but her walls were firmly in place.

“Kelilah, stop it” Her voice broke, and I could feel the tension in the air growing thicker. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”

It was clear that speaking to her right now wasn’t a good idea, so quietly, I plopped In her bed. But she still remained seated with her back facing me. It was just like her to hide her tears away from me.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you”, she apologized.

“No need to apologize, Loveth. I’m not even offended”,

“Still. I shouldn’t have. It’s not like it’s your fault”, she said.

“What do you think is going to happen now?” I asked her instead, waving off the topic.

“We are the only daughters of king Anderson, so it has to be one of us”, she said.

“But, I think something can be done about this. Maybe we can speak to Nathan and make him change his mind about it, maybe he can re-host the selection , and probably choose another family”, I said and she scoffed.

“It doesn’t work like that Kelilah”, she said.

“But if…”, I tried persisting, when she snapped at me again.

“Stop it Kelilah?!!!” she said angrily and sat up this time.

“Do you think the other families want to send their daughters too. You think any of the princesses will be willing to exchange places with us”, she asked harshly.

“We..We’ll never know if we don’t try” I tried to reason with her, but it only made her angrier.

“Nothing can change our fate now. So It’s better If you wake up from your silly dreams and face the reality. This is something bigger than any of us”, she yelled.

She was breathing harshly when she finally finished talking, making me to feel really hurt.

Her words cut deep. Loveth had never spoken to me like this before, and the sting of it brought tears to my eyes. I rose from the bed, hiding my face from her, and without another word, I began walking out of her room.

“Spare, I..” she tried speaking, but I was hearing none of it as I made my way out of the door.

In the solitude of my own room, the tears I had been holding back spilled freely.

How did it come to this? Why did she snap at me? All I wanted was to make things better, to find a way out. But instead, she shut me down. It felt like everything was falling apart.