The Golden Cage

CHAPTER 3

AVA'S POV

As we walked down the dim hallway of the Royal wing, the shadow at the far end finally stepped out into the light.

It was a man. And he looked terrifyingly similar to Draken.

He possessed the same towering frame and broad, built shoulders. But his features were softer, framed by a sharp jawline and a jagged scar slicing just above his right eyebrow. He looked like a younger, more approachable version of the Lycan King. Someone who was actually easy to breathe around.

He stepped into the path of my escort. The guards stopped instantly and bowed their heads.

"Prince Kael."

He dismissed them with a casual wave of his hand. "Leave us. I'll take the future Queen from here."

The guards bowed again and retreated without a single question. I lifted an eyebrow, noting how effortlessly they obeyed him. So, this was Draken's younger brother.

Kael took a step closer. His golden eyes swept over my disheveled ball gown and the dried tear tracks on my cheeks. There was genuine pity in his gaze. He reached out a hand, his fingers hovering near mine.

I flinched back, my voice laced with venom. "I've already been bought by one Lycan tyrant tonight. I don't need a second one touching me."

Instead of anger, a genuine smile broke across his face. "So, this is the girl who finally tamed the beast."

"I'm not a pet," I snapped.

He chuckled, leaning his back against the stone wall. "My brother has the grace of a mountain, little wolf. I heard about the transaction in the study. I am truly sorry."

He tilted his head, his voice dropping to a sympathetic murmur. "Draken sees the entire world as a territory to be conquered. He's completely forgotten what it means to be human."

Inside my head, Ash stirred, her ears perking up. "He feels safe," she whispered. "Too soft."

I ignored her. I no longer trusted 'soft.' Soft was what Jax used to be right before he traded me away for a more powerful pack.

"If you're so damn sorry, then let me go," I challenged Kael, stepping closer. "Open the front gates. Tell the guards to look the other way while I walk out."

Kael's smile faded. He reached out to gently tuck a loose strand of blonde hair behind my ear. I jerked away from his touch, and his hand dropped back to his side.

"I wish I could," he whispered. "But Draken has already marked you. If I helped you run, he wouldn't just kill me. He’d burn the entire South Pack to the ground to find you. You are his obsession now."

He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my cheek as he delivered a chilling warning. "Sleep with one eye open, Ava. My brother doesn't know how to love. He only knows how to own."

Kael snapped his fingers, and the guards materialized from the shadows once more.

"If you ever need me," Kael whispered one last time, "just say the words. The palace guards will answer."

****

Moments later, the massive oak doors of the royal suite swung shut behind me. I was left entirely alone.

The room was a suffocating display of luxury—intimidating, grand, and freezing cold. My eyes immediately drifted to the massive four-poster bed draped in heavy black silk sheets. It was large enough to fit five people.

My stomach twisted into a violent knot. A horrific realization settled in: I was expected to share this bed with a monster.

The air in the suite already smelled of a brewing storm and dark honey. In the back of my mind, Ash let out a soft moan, her tail wagging at the scent. I clutched my tightening chest, hating her betrayal.

Before I could process anything else, a side door clicked open. Four women walked into the chamber. Three of them looked stern and rigid, while the youngest looked incredibly nervous.

They weren't guards. Their neutral, beta scents filled the air.

"What is this? Who are you?" I demanded, backing away until my knees hit the edge of a table.

"The King has requested that you be prepared for the night," the oldest woman said.

She didn't wait for my permission. With a sharp nod from the elder, the three younger betas lunged forward and grabbed my arms.

"Don't touch me!" I snarled, struggling against them.

They didn't listen. They were deceptively strong. They dragged me forcefully into an adjacent bathroom built of solid white marble and gold. In the center sat a sunken tub, steam rising from water that heavily smelled of lavender and crushed lilies.

Without a shred of gentleness, they stripped away my ruined ballgown one Lydia had forced me into. A wave of shame washed over me as I stood naked and exposed before them.

"I can wash myself," I snapped, trying to pull away.

"The Luna Queen must be flawless," the older woman replied.

They forced me down into the hot water, and the scrubbing began. It was brutal. It felt as if they were trying to peel my very skin off with the harsh sponges. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I bit my lip, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing me cry.

"You're scrubbing too hard," I ground out through clenched teeth.

The head maid didn't even look up. "We need to scrub out the scent of the South Pack. And the lingering smell of that ex-boyfriend of yours. The King's scent is the only one you are permitted to wear."

I glared at her. "Is this how the Lycan King treats his women? Scrubbing them down like livestock?"

The youngest maid flinched, whispering, "The King has never had a woman in his chambers before, milady. He has waited decades for you."

When they were finished, they hauled me out of the tub and forced me into a silk nightdress that felt as thin and fragile as a spider's web. They led me back into the main bedroom and pushed me down onto the edge of the massive bed.

"Wait here," the old woman commanded. "The King does not like to be kept waiting."

The moment the heavy doors clicked shut, I stood up.

I ran to the balcony, but a glance over the edge revealed a sheer drop of hundreds of feet down into a crashing, rocky sea. Escaping that way meant death. I raced to the main doors and threw my entire weight against the wood.

It didn't even budge.

"Dammit!" I screamed, kicking the heavy oak frame.

Suddenly, the mark on my neck flared with a sudden, localized heat. Ash let out a low, eager purr in my mind. “He is coming.”

"Let him come," I hissed aloud.

I scanned the room desperately for a weapon. My eyes landed on the writing desk, where a heavy, silver letter opener shaped like a dagger gleamed under the firelight. I lunged for it, gripping the cold metal tightly. I refused to be the submissive little traded asset he bought.

I paced the room like a caged animal for what felt like hours. Every time I thought about Draken's fangs sinking into my flesh, those infuriating sparks of pleasure and pain rushed through my veins, threatening to make my knees buckle. I loathed him for having that kind of power over my body.

Suddenly, the pressure in the room shifted.

The scent of a brewing storm, ozone, and dark honey instantly flooded my lungs, choking out the lavender.

The double doors didn't just open—they were pushed aside.

I spun around hiding the silver letter opener behind my back.

Draken stepped into the room. He had discarded his formal suit. Now, he wore only loose black trousers and a thin linen shirt that hung completely open, exposing his broad, tattooed chest. His dark hair was damp, falling over his forehead, and his golden eyes burned with an intense, predatory glow.

He looked completely raw. Like the lethal monster out of the ancient legends.

He didn't say a word. He just stood at the threshold, watching me, his massive chest rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths. Then, he began to move toward me.

"Don't come any closer," I warned, stepping backward until the backs of my thighs hit the edge of the mattress.

Draken's gaze dropped instantly to the hand I had concealed behind my back. A dark, dangerous smirk pulled at his lips, revealing the tips of his sharp fangs.

"You have a toy. Are you going to use it, Ava?"

"I’ll kill you before I let you touch me again," I threatened, my hand shaking violently as I brought the silver blade forward, pointing it directly at his heart.

He didn't stop. He didn't even slow down.

Draken walked right up to me until the razor-sharp tip of the silver blade pressed firmly against the center of his chest. Through the metal, I could feel the steady, calm thud of his heartbeat.

He leaned down, his face stopping inches from mine. His absolute dominance was suffocating. He wrapped his massive, scarred hand over mine, and pushed the blade deeper into his own skin.

A drop of crimson blood stained the white linen of his shirt.

"Then do it," he whispered, his voice a low rumble that sent a violent shiver straight down my spine. "Push it in. But know this, little wolf—the Moon Goddess tied our souls together tonight. If I bleed, you bleed. If I die, you die."

Before I could process the horror of his words, his other hand slid around my waist, his thumb tracing the burning marking bite on my neck.

My breath hitched. My eyes snapped shut as a wave of intense heat flooded my core.

"So choose," Draken whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. "Kill me and end us both right now... or drop the steel and admit that your wolf is screaming for me to take you to this bed."