Chapter 4

AURELIAN

Mate.

The word had left the beast’s mouth like a curse, and I had tried—gods, I had tried—to hide the flicker of shock in my eyes. He had to be lying. There was no way the gods would damn me twice.

I would not believe a single word that left the beast’s lips. And yet—no matter how I tried to deny it—there was a pull. A deep, insidious tug beneath my skin, one I had yet to understand.

I kept my eyes closed, ignoring the agony in my shoulders, my arms pulled taut above my head. The iron cuffs had long since carved into my skin, the bite of rust and dried blood thick in the air. I was cold, exhausted, and starving—but I would not beg.

Never.

I would rather die with my kingdom that had crumbled to dust before I begged for my life.

Aurelian Valerius.

My eyes snapped open.

The room was suffocating in its dimness, the stale torchlight barely casting enough glow to reach the far corners. My breath came in short pulls. My fingers curled into fists, wrists twisting against the iron shackles as I braced myself for something—someone—to come from the shadows.

But nothing came.

Aurelian Valerius of Eldoria.

My jaw locked, teeth grinding together.

“This a game to you?” My voice was hoarse from Vael’s grip, but the venom in it remained intact. “Do you enjoy toying with me, like a predator dragging out the kill before tearing into its flesh?”

Silence.

Gods, the madness had finally settled into my bones, pressing itself into the very fabric of my mind.

The iron wicket slammed open, and my head jerked toward the sound.

“Hey, human. Shut it,” a wolf’s voice growled from the other side and I huffed a bitter laugh and spat on the floor.

Wolves.

Beasts.

Animals wrapped in human skin.

“Make me,” I bit out.

A beat passed, and then the door clicked open.

Two men stepped inside, draped in fur-lined mantles over dark leather tunics, boots heavy against the stone. The taller one circled me slowly, nostrils flaring as if scenting the air.

“So, it’s true,” he murmured. “A human who smells even better than an omega.” His grin was all teeth, sharp and glinting in the low light.

“I wonder if your hole gets wet too.”

The other wolf clicked his tongue. “The king said no one is to touch him.” But his gaze lingered too long on me.

The taller wolf scoffed. “The king wouldn’t know.” He crouched in front of me, tilting his head like a beast considering its prey. “The only reason King Vael hasn’t gutted him is to parade his little prize—to show the other humans that he took down their greatest kingdom. Maybe he’ll even fuck his pretty hole before he kills him.”

I almost laughed.

Now, I understood.

They were going mad from a scent I hadn’t asked for, a scent I didn’t even recognize as my own. This was why Vael thought I’d cursed him. Why his men looked at me like they wanted to devour me whole.

But the heavens would shake before I let these animals violate what little dignity I had left.

“You will not lay a hand on me,” I growled and the taller wolf glanced at the other and smirked.

“Do you hear that, Darven? The prince has given us a command,” he mocked, slapping a hand against his companion’s chest. “What shall we do?” His gaze dropped, lingering as he palmed himself through his tunic.

I forced myself not to react. Not to recoil.

They would smell it.

They would feast on it.

Darven chuckled. “No one listens to a fallen prince.”

The second wolf knelt beside me. Fingers traced the edge of my tunic, teasing along my collarbone before trailing lower. A slow stroke over my ribs, down to my stomach before they went behind and palmed my skin.

“Shame we can’t see for ourselves,” he murmured with a grin, his hand leaving. “But perhaps… perhaps if we just touched a little more front—”

Now.

I wrenched forward, arms yanking against the chains with all the strength I had left. The sudden force sent the wolf off balance, his head snapping sideways as it collided with my shoulder.

He growled, but before he could retaliate, Darven clicked his tongue. “Let’s make this easy,” he said, reaching for the cuffs. “We’re going to have a little fun, and you’re going to—”

The shackles clicked open.

I didn’t hesitate.

My body moved forward, limbs screaming in protest as I launched at Darven. My shoulder slammed into his gut, the force sending him stumbling back. The other wolf barely had time to react before I drove my fist into his face, the crunch of cartilage snapping beneath my knuckles.

Then I was running.

I barreled through the dungeon’s threshold, feet pounding against the cold stone. Guards shouted behind me, their boots thundering in pursuit.

I pushed forward.

I hit the hall, the torches flickering as I sprinted past startled maids. They scurried back, pressed against the walls as I shoved past them, heart hammering in my ribs.

Keep running. Don’t stop. Don’t—

A door.

I threw myself against it, nearly stumbling into the room as I sucked in sharp, ragged breaths. The scent of sweat and fire filled my lungs.

And then—a sound.

A low, guttural moan.

I froze.

The breath in my chest locked tight as I turned, gaze drawn toward the flickering glow of candlelight at the far end of the chamber.

And there—surrounded by bodies, tangled in limbs, covered in sweat and heat—was Vael.

His bare, muscled form flexed as he thrust into a writhing body beneath him, his lips parting in a deep, rumbling groan.

Men and women alike clung to him, mouths pressed to his skin, hands dragging over his chest and thighs, bodies lost in the madness of him.

I should have run.

I should have turned and fled.

But his head lifted—slowly, a predator. And when his burning, golden eyes locked onto mine…

I knew I was already caught.

And the gods were really fucking me over.