I wait for the pain to come from the sting of his hand across my face, but it doesn’t. “Please,” Ansel says above me. Hesitantly, I peek at him, and he lets out a scoff. “I’m not that much of a brute,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“I-I don’t understand.” The cage vibrates. I’m not imagining it; he’s broken it with little force. Rods fall one by one from around me, making an enormous bang when they hit the floor. Ansel grabs one, stopping it just in time from colliding with my head. I can hear my heartbeat as I stare wildly at the metal pole in his hand.
He extends it to me, and the ice of his eyes brews a storm in them again. “That cage was a bit of a buffer. Now we can actually have some fun.” My face pales at his words and his face breaks into a devilish grin. He chuckles. “I’ve told you already, I’m not a brute…well not THAT much of one, but that doesn’t mean I can have you continue to lie to me. Are you finally ready to admit that I’m right about who you are, or am I going to have to prove it to you?” I purse my lips and he shrugs. “Suit yourself,” he says.
A gasp parts from my mouth when he jerks me to him. Ansel holds me at my wrists and examines my reaction. It doesn’t take long. Picking up on his pheromones, my body betrays me, and my legs turn to jelly. He takes one of my hands and trails it down my stomach, and my breath harshens.
“Do you remember that night?” His eyes tint slightly in color. He pulls me closer, and I can smell the mint on his tongue as he brings his lips inches from mine. “At first, we were just running wild, and playing as we’d always done.” He places my hand on the outside of my right thigh. “Then out of nowhere it began to rain, and you looked at me, and I could sense something was different. Your voice had so much lust in it when you said my name.”
Ansel’s lips found my ear, and his whisper caused me to shiver, “You asked me to make love to you. I’d never heard you be so brazen, but it was only the beginning of the way you would surprise me that night.” He gently caressed my hand, but it feels like he’s touching me directly. “You took my hand and placed it between your thighs.”
Ada gave a raspy growl, and I bite my lip. Feeling him caress my hand again, and I close my eyes and part my legs. He smiles against my skin and slides his hand up further, landing right where my birthmark is. “I know every fold, mole and little freckle that sits on your skin. I know because I studied every inch of your body that night like it was a map made just for me. I also remember how wet you were…”
His fingers connect with my mound, and my legs buckle. “You were as wet as you are now. Do you remember, little wolf? I do. Your teeth imprinted a row on my chest that I thought would stay forever. You asked me to touch every part of you that night, and I did, and the more I touched, the more brazen you became. You begged me not to stop. You told me over and over how amazing it felt when I stroked deeply inside of you. You orgasmed so many times against me that night, you were hoarse by the time the sun rose.”
“Stop it, Ansel,” I say with reddening cheeks. “That was a long time ago.”
He rubs his fingers back and forth, and my wetness grows. “And yet, it’s clear your body still remembers it all the same.” I twitch the tip of my nose to remove the addicting smell of him, but it doesn’t work.
Ansel brings his face back to mine, and though his demeanor is cool, I can tell something in him has shifted again. “Tell me why you rejected me five years ago,” he demands.
“I don’t—” He slips two fingers inside of me, and my words catch in my throat. Heat engulfs my entire body as he works against my sweetened spot.
“Tell me. Why?” His fingers send my body into overdrive without him having to use his powers. My orgasm swiftly approaching, I tighten my wetness around him. “I didn’t love you anymore,” I manage to get out, and he stops, causing my climax to fall.
Ada jolts forward, knocking me into him. My lie drives her into madness, and she grows even more out of sync with me.
Ansel lips tighten into a thin line, and he doesn’t say a word. Instead, he picks up his torture again, and tears well in the corner of my eyes from my sexual frustration. Knowing I was close, he stopped his movements and smirks. “I guess some things haven’t changed,” he says with a smug expression that makes me grit my teeth.
I can’t take this anymore.
His closeness and Ada’s crushing sadness and anger were going to make me spill the truth.
“I’m sorry, Ada, but I need to do this. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.”
She doesn’t answer me, but I can feel her overwhelming emotions. Pushing them to the side, I swallow my spit and force more poison from my mouth.
“Things have changed, Ansel, whether you believe they have or not. I’m not the same girl you knew before, or haven’t you gathered that yet? They may have changed my name on the auction block, but what they said about me is true.”
The sneer on his face contorts into a look so dark I can practically see his wolf on his face. He pulls his fingers from me and scowls. “What did you just say to me?”
“You heard me,” I challenge back, and the veins in his temples jump. “What part of I go to the highest bidder do you not you understand?”
The look he gives me kills me as much as Ada’s broken heart. If he had even a slither of some feelings left for me, it’s definitely now replaced now by hatred.
“How many men have you fucked for money?” he asks through ragged breath.
I keep my gaze fixated on him. “Countless. More than enough to forget out that random night we shared,” I say as my bottom lip quivers.
Ansel’s eyes shift in color again, and his nostrils flair. His fingers tangle in my hair, and he uses it to back me into the couch. Red in the face, he pins me to the furniture, and I can feel his erection pressed against me.
“Say it again,” he baits me, and I can sense his wolf coming to the surface. “Go on, Karin. Provoke the beast right out of me.”
Ansel laid on top of me with his jaw clenched, diminishing any amount of bravery I once had. I find myself petrified. He may have said that he wasn’t a brute, but the sharp look that he gives me makes me feel different. I could feel his hardened manhood still pressed against me.“I could smell you on the stage,” he says through clench teeth. “I’d know your scent anywhere. Suzuran. Lily of the Valley. How fitting that they lied about your name using Lily in particular?” He tightened his grip around my wrists, and I fight the urge to cry out. “I loathe liars, particularly the ones who have the boldness to lie to me right in my face. I take it very personal when people don’t have the conviction to speak the truth or do right by others, especially those who have never harmed them.”I know the words hold a double meaning. This is revenge. His hatred for me and my rejection is clear. I don’t want to speak, but I gather my bearings. Maybe I could use his current state to my advantage. I swal
I quickly lower my head and avert my eyes.Nice going Karin.I scold myself. It had taken me less than five minutes to destroy the only positive interaction we’d had since reconnecting.You have to st—oh…I purse my lips, noticing the growing bulge protruding through the towel. I look up at Ansel, and his eyebrows are knitted into a deep line. He looks like he wants to say something, but when he parts his lips, the growl of my stomach beats him to the punch.My cheeks redden and I cover my stomach out of embarrassment. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little hungry,” I say with a chuckle. He doesn’t laugh, and I rub my hand up and down my arm. “Can I have something to eat? Maybe salmon…and I don’t know…a strawberry milkshake?” The thought of a delicious meal makes me lick my lips. Ansel’s eyes darken slightly, and the redness of my cheeks increase.“Let me get dressed,” he says and retreats to the bathroom. After a bit of commotion, he reappears in a relaxed silk robe set. Parts of his brawny
Ansel’s eyes darkened to the blue of murky waters. I took a step back from the desk and watched his face contort into a snarl. “Of course. Do not be fooled by this arrangement. This is not personal, only business. I need an heir, and your surrogacy will provide me with one. What you do after the baby’s arrival is none of my concern.”The words stung worse than any amount of abuse I’d endured from the traffickers prior. Ada whimpered inside of me, and I sighed.“Now do you believe me?” I say to her, but she only whimpers again.I place the contract on the desk and pick up his pen. “Alright then, I accept,” I say as I sign. The pen is still warm to the touch, causing the corners of my mouth to turn up into a small smile. Years ago, Ansel’s illness left his fingers deathly cold, and I was always afraid that I would soon receive news of his passing. Waking up and rushing to make sure that he was alive had become as much of a routine for me as brushing my teeth.I remember wanting nothing
ANSEL POV“Well, go on, don’t keep me in suspense,” Aron coaxed on the edge of his seat.Ansel grumbled, “Two hard-ons aren’t really that big of a deal…”Aron's eyes almost popped from his head. “Two?! You’ve gone from months of nothing to now having two erections with the same woman at the source?!” He smirked. “Who is it, Ansel?”“Karin. She was the one I rescued from the dealers that night.”“K-Karin…as in your mate that—”“Rejected me,” Ansel finished for him, his jaw tightening. “That is correct, so again, don’t overthink it.”“I’m not. I’m just a little surprised. How does it feel having her back in your life?”“I feel no way about it.”“The whitening of your knuckles and snarl on your face says otherwise.” Ansel relaxed his hands and exhaled sharply. “I feel no way about it,” he repeated. “I do plan to use this for my benefit, however.”“How so?”“A surrogacy contract. She’s going to provide me an heir.”“Tread lightly,” Aron said, shaking his head. “Lust is an emotion that ha
Ansel says nothing and walks out of the room. Shifting my weight back and forth, I remain planted unsure of what to do next. He swiftly reappears. “Head back to your room,” he says.I purse my lips. His expression isn’t cold, but it’s clear that this conversation is over. I bustle from the den and find my way back to my room. Entering, I curse and pace around. “Karin, learn to shut up sometimes,” I scold. “You’re going to ruin everything, and then your father will never get out of prison.” A knock on the door stops me.“Madam may I come in?” an unfamiliar voice calls from the other side.“Yes, you may enter.” A woman who looks about in her thirties enters my room. She closes the door and clasps her hands in front of her. “Hello, my name is Maggie. I’m the new maid assigned to you.”“Excuse me?”“Sir Ansel said that I am to take care of everything you need from now on. I am the new head maid, and I will make sure there are no more problems moving forward.”“What about Meredith?”“She n
“What?!” I shout, practically falling over myself. “I-I-we-because-that’s actually impossible considering he’s only finge—”“Karin!” Ansel roars, scaring me quiet.I lower my head. “Sorry.” I didn’t mean for my outburst, but the accusation had caught me completely off guard. There’s no way that I could be pregnant when Ansel and I have never had sex. My face turns as white as a sheet.Oh God. What if he was suggesting that I was pregnant before I got here?The idea of that thought infiltrating Ansel’s mind scares me more than the suggestion prior.“I’m not pregnant,” I say as evenly as I can. “It’s just a lot of food in such a small span of time. I know I overdid it before, but this is really a bit much.” My face grows hot to the touch, and my mouth salivates. Standing, I dart to the bathroom to vomit. “I appreciate everything, but please take it all away,” I say between breaths.“Of course,” Maggie says on the other side. There is shuffling and I can hear the clatter of plates and di
Maggie hands me a towel to wrap around my body. Helping me out of the basin, she provides me a lotion that pairs well with the scent of the rose petals. After, she holds up a bag. “This is for you to wear,” she says.I eye the bag curiously, then take it from her. Inside there is a pink satin cami romper that reminds me of a ballerina costume, but way more revealing. I put it on, and slide the spaghetti straps up my bare shoulders. The fabric clings to my skin, and my nipples harden as the fuzzy trim tickles the insides of my thighs. I clear my throat with a flushed face. “Is this another request from Ansel?”“Actually, I picked this one out based on his response from your dress earlier. Something tells me that this is right up the Second Prince’s alley.” Reaching for a glass of liquid from the bathroom counter, she extends it to me. “One more thing. You need to drink this.”“What is it?” I ask as
ANSEL POVAnsel's eyes saucered, and King David sneered. “You really think that I didn’t know you brought Karin back to your manor? I may be sick, but I’m not dead. There isn’t one thing that you can do that I won’t know about.” He shook his head. “You’re delusional if you think anything produced with that hooker will be worthy of our name.”“She is not a prostitute, hooker or anything else you feel the need to call her,” Ansel said. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to calm his wolf. “You don’t know her like I do. There’s something…I don’t know…more to the story.”“Oh, and how can you be so sure?” King David asked.Ansel hated his father had a small point. The investigation into Karin hadn’t been completed yet, and there was no solid evidence that the things said about her weren’t true. Still, her vulnerability tow