5

ELODIE

The Lycan king glared at me, not saying a word in return and fear prickled my skin. Oh no, don’t tell me I’d gotten on his nerves? I should have thought of a better way to present the proposal. Heck, maybe I shouldn’t even have considered it.

Now, he knew of my identity. If this got to my father, I don’t want to imagine what would happen…

“How are you so sure I need an heir?” I was on the verge of laughing it off as a joke and disappearing from the face of the earth if I could when his chilling voice cut through my thoughts.

“Or let me ask you this, what makes you certain I’d want to have anything to do with you, a complete stranger who no less could be a decoy?” He added, folding his arms and I might have thought he had a cold demeanor before but right now, he was terrifyingly intimidating.

For a split second, my brain short-circulated. Lucky for me, almost immediately, I regained my composure.

“With the rumor everywhere, I don’t think it is exactly a secret,” I told him before continuing. “As for your suspicions, think about it— I’ve already risked my identity by doing this. If I were a mole, you could expose me, strip me of my title, and have me hanged in front of the entire pack. I know that, and I still came.” I squared my shoulders with false confidence and stared at him expectantly.

But he shook his head. “Not convincing enough.” He uttered in a snide sharp voice.

That caused me to shift in my seat. “How else do I convince you?” I asked quickly, a nervous bile forming in my throat.

But then one of his guards chose that time to appear. He leaned close to the Lycan’s ear yet his voice wasn’t nearly quiet enough. I heard everything.

“King Maximus, I’m sorry to interrupt but you have to get back to the house now. There’s an emergency.” The guard whispered to him, and I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster. The Lycan wasn’t going to leave me here, was he?

There was a twitch in his jaw and surprisingly, he simply waved the guard off.

“Prepare the carriage. I’ll be there shortly.”

The guard left, almost reluctantly and his gaze returned to me.

“By telling me your agenda. I need to know why and what you hope to gain by doing this.” He said, his tone demanding. I wouldn’t say I hadn’t expected him to ask. It’s just, I wasn’t mentally prepared to tell him.

“Actually, the thing is…” I started, the mere memory of the incident causing a crushing feeling in my chest. “My mate betrayed me. I thought he loved me but it was my best friend all along and yet he never, even once, showed it. Not until my father’s throne that he was after was taken by my brother, the rightful successor. That was when he dumped me for her. And now I find myself completely hopeless, especially with betraying my father’s trust on the line. You’re the only one who can help me. I want to turn things around. I…I want to exact my revenge on them.” I shuttered the words, hating that I could hear the fear in my voice.

Fear that my reason might not be enough for him.

His brow drew together and I could see his eyes were full of more questions and caution. He’s a powerful figure. My heart raced erratically just thinking about what height and more power I’d get just by bonding myself to him.

I remembered my first encounter with him. There was so much spite on his face and he looked like he could eat me alive. I hated him at that first interaction too. Matter of fact, I still do, which was the more reason why I couldn’t believe the same man was now the only person who has the ability to either save or destroy me.

I felt his gaze boring into me, scrutinizingly, as if he wanted to be sure I was even worth the consideration. When his lips finally parted, I braced myself for his answer.

“I’ll give you a few days to think about this over. You have to be sure you know what you’re getting into.” Giving me a warning look, he said, rising to his full length.

A few days?! Unless some miracle happened and my father’s mind changed, I would have been disowned by then. My heart plummeting to the pit of my stomach, I quickly ran after him.

“No, I don’t need to!” I half yelled in panic, catching his hand to stop him. When I realized what I had done, I jerked my hand away and bowed my head in apology. “I’m so sorry. I...it's just I already knew what I was sticking my feet into before coming to you and as it is now, time isn’t on my side.” I stared at the floor, my eyes burning with tears I could barely hold back. I knew I couldn’t let him see me as a weakling. No ruler would want someone like that as a partner… even a pretend one.

But I couldn’t stop it.

Because if I didn’t do this, if he didn’t let me have this chance, I would become nothing but a disgrace to my family… to the entire pack.

And as much as I hated to admit it, he was my last hope.

I might have come from a high-ranking family, but being a she-wolf made me practically invisible. To be honest, I was tired of feeling insignificant. Tired of being treated like a piece of furniture, expected to stay put, behave and uphold the family’s image at the same time. If my brother could become an Alpha, and be so precious in my father's eyes, why couldn’t I?

“Please, marry me immediately, Lycan Maximus.” I said after a pause, this time with far more resolve. I watched his eyes darken further, an entertained snarl forming across his devastatingly handsome face.

The look sent a chill down my spine...

For the first time since making my proposal, I found myself wondering if I truly understood what I had just gotten myself into.